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Percocet long term effects?

What are the long term negative health effects (side effects)  and drawbacks to long-term use of Allegra (Fexofenadine HCL), if any?

  • I have seasonal allergies that apparently run through all four seasons. Or I'm allergic to cats. Or both. Either way, despite trying ways to minimize allergens, the only thing that seems to do me much of any good is taking Allegra (Fexofenadine HCL).  I've been taking it for about 5 years, one per day, without stopping. I don't really see many negative side effects (unlike, for example, Cetirizine (Zyrtec), which makes me sleepy), other than maybe slightly dry skin.  However, I am wondering what, if any, long term side effects (or negative health results) regular (constant) usage of Fexofenadine may cause. The health warnings on the bottle seem to focus only on short term side effects -- they do not seem to address long term negative health results. Hoping to get as specific an answer as possible -- ideally with links to confirmable sources. To emphasize --> I really appreciate the helpful answers so far (as of May 7 at 4:10pm pst).  Thank you! However, I would like to focus the answers a bit if possible:  I'm really looking for answers on the long term health effects and drawbacks to using Allegra -- not looking for alternatives to using it or short term effects.  Clarifications: Not taking the -D version; just the regular. Avoiding cat not possible without avoiding wife (so not possible). For what it is worth: I am allergic in hotel rooms too.  So cat isn't the only issue. I tend to be allergic wherever I travel in the world except for desert areas. My symptoms are almost exclusively nasal/chest in origin. I do use dust mite covers, wash sheets frequently, use hypoallergenic pillows, have a double-filtered HVAC system (both HEPA and electrostatic filtering), carefully maintain a highly rated vacuum cleaner with HEPA filtration, only have hard surface floors, and take many other avoidance actions and other precautions.  They simply don't work. I am allergic year-round, but it intensifies in the spring and winter.  If I had to guess I would say I'm very allergic to (A) tree pollen and (B) mold; and slightly allergic to (C) ragweed and (D) cat dander.  Wonderful combination in the SF Bay Area. Prescription Nasal sprays:  I've tried them.  I started to lose my sense of smell using one of them and stopped immediately.  I will never do that again.  They did work better than Allegra. I've tried other alternatives too.  I'm really wondering about long term health effects of Allegra because it is the one thing (including avoidance) I've tried which tamps down the symptoms sufficiently. And, thanks in part to the answers here, I'm definitely going to see an allergist.  But the last time I went, they recommended Allegra....I'd love to know as much as I can regarding long term health effects of this drug.  Thank you.

  • Answer:

    Fexofenadine is generally considered to possess a very good safety profile. It is not associated with any of the serious side-effects (tardive dyskinesia being the most serious) that sometimes accompany habitual use of strong first generation antihistamines such as promethazine or hydroxyzine. Because Fexofenadine does not readily cross the blood brain barrier, its pharmacological action is largely based on peripheral nervous system activity related to reduction of the effects of histamine receptor activation. Additionally, it is a very selective drug, possessing little of the anticholinergic effects that are associated with first generation antihistamines like diphenhydramine. Although there has been almost no direct research on chronic, long-term use of Fexofenadine in humans, rat studies have failed to demonstrate significant potential for harm, and there is little reason to suspect from a pharmacological standpoint that it would be damaging or dangerous in the long-term.

John Ferguson at Quora Visit the source

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This is an excellent question with little empiric data available. If you are taking it as Allegra-D (Allegra plus pseudoephedrine HCl), then you could have long term problems taking a decongestant for years. However, I am not familiar with any specific studies documenting consequences of long-term Allegra use. As an aside, you might consider an alternative approach to your allergies. First, seek out an allergist for allergy testing. This would allow you to learn much more about what you are allergic to in your environment. Perhaps you are indeed allergic to cats, and if you own one, you might consider the pros/cons of this relationship in light of your allergies. Or maybe you are highly allergic to dust mites, and as the little critters live in your pillow, you might decide to invest in allergy reducing pillow covers. Second, you might consider using an intranasal steroid, which does more to prevent the allergies than anti-histamines like Allegra do. Although a fair amount of the steroid is absorbed systemically, much of the effect is local, thus reducing local inflammation and eliminating the allergic symptoms. Overall, following this approach is the difference between treating symptoms (anti-histamine) versus eliminating the underlying problem (allergen avoidance, steroids).This answer is not a substitute for professional medical advic...

Michael Shiloh

There is very little published on chronic fexofenadine use, and what side-effect have been reported IMHO has nothing to do with the drug itself (co-incidence), or are very rare like http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=17762, nervousness, http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11244 or paroniria, and hypersensitivity reactions (including http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=10935, urticaria, http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=2253, chest tightness, http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3145, flushing, http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5095, and http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5209). See: http://www.rxlist.com/allegra-drug/side-effects-interactions.htm http://www.ehealthme.com/fexofenadine-hydrochloride/fexofenadine-hydrochloride-side-effects On the other hand, depending on which symptoms you have, a local/topical anti-histaminic might help. For an itching dripping nose you could look for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levocabastine nasal spray see http://www.medicinenet.com/levocabastine_spray-nasal/article.htm For teary itching eyes look for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levocabastine  eye drops (which if kept cool in the fridge can be used up to one month after first use) see http://www.thedrugcompany.com/allergies/livostin_eye_drops/0.5/ Levocabastine is a very strong acting second generation anti-histaminic, working locally so no risk of getting drowsy etc.  I use it when my hay fever is really bad, it works within 10 minutes (undocumented, personal experience in the four members of our family) so is used on demand. To be honest, in our family (wife, son, daughter and myself) oral anti-histaminics don't do anything good at all, we just all get drowsy even on those second generation anti-histaminics, so when our nose or eye starts itching we take one tablet of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montelukast (Singulair®) which is usually prescribed for atopic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma and has been in chronic use for many years with very little side-effects.  For asthma one must take it regularly, it only works after 2 weeks, for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_rhinitis and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergic_conjunctivitis however, it will start having effect within 20 minutes so can be taken on demand (undocumented, personal experience in the 4 members of our family). http://asthma.emedtv.com/montelukast/side-effects-of-montelukast.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/16101-singulair-longterm-side-effects/ I know this is a rather unconventional approach, but is theoretically sound, and works for our whole family, although officially in The Netherlands according to the insert Montelukast is only for use in asthma, not for hay fever, in the US it is for both. Hope this information is useful, and should you change your meds with some succes a feed back would be much appreciated.

Liang-Hai Sie

You should consider talking with an allergist, and possibly taking a vacation in a non-cat environment or low allergen environment, where you could reduce your use of Allegra... You should pay attention to For a few people, Allegra may take a slight edge off of the ability to think - it may not be the best idea to take your SAT tests while on Allegra. For some people, Allegra has a small stimulant effect. A small stimulant effect - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16174671 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16842173 Which is much smaller that real stimulants like Provigil and Rtalin- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19745643 Effects while driving are like placebo - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=fexofenadine+mental http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442879 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12775138 No effect for Allegra but effect for Zytrec - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18717113 Suppression of Nitric Oxide production by Allegra - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17910814 This may mean that Allegra might affect erections for some people. Some COX-2 inhibition at high doses - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17016062 Little cardiovascular effect - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10444240 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21189907 Allegra and dopamine - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16767419 Not medical advice.

Anonymous

Body weight. Antihistamine will increase your appetite. As a result, you will eat more, in the long term you will likely to gain weight.

Gong Cheng

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