Allergy Medicine: 8 Surprising Possible Side Effects (PHOTOS)

It's no surprise that your over-the-counter antihistamine can make you snooze on the job, but sleepiness isn't the only side effect of allergy medicine that you should be aware of. There are lesser-known effects that can range from annoying to dangerous that you may not even link to your dose of allergy relief. The intensity of side effects varies from person to person and with the help of your doctor you can weigh the severity of your allergy against the side effects of the medication used to treat it. Here, Javed Sheikh, M.D., Clinical Director of Allergy at Beth Israel Deaconess and full-time faculty at Harvard Medical School, outlines some of the lesser-known side effects of allergy medication.

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Low Libido

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Lost that lovin' feelin'? Any allergy medicine that has a depressive effect can decrease your sex drive, says Javed Sheikh, M.D., Clinical Director of Allergy at Beth Israel Deaconess and full-time faculty at Harvard Medical School. Of course, the allergy itself could be so severe that it robs you of your desire to have sex ,but if you suspect that your low libido is result of your allergy medicine, you should talk with your doctor.

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Lost that lovin' feelin'? Any allergy medicine that has a depressive effect can decrease your sex drive, says Javed Sheikh, M.D., Clinical Director of Allergy at Beth Israel Deaconess and full-time faculty at Harvard Medical School. Of course, the allergy itself could be so severe that it robs you of your desire to have sex ,but if you suspect that your low libido is result of your allergy medicine, you should talk with your doctor.

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[Kelly Kc]

05:09 AM on 12/02/2010

One word: drugfail.

[schnauzergirl]

02:32 PM on 11/29/2010

What got me was that many times a side effect of an allergy med can be the exact same symptom you are trying to prevent.

I have spring allergies (blooming trees try to kill me every year). I had been taking loratidine (the actvie ingredient of Claritin. Works really well, no runny nose, no itchy eyes and its non-drowsy. Well this fall I got much more heavily into dog showing and my allergies really seemed to kcick up after a couple of very large indoor shows, so I took the loratidine. pretty much took care of it, for a while, then I started to up the dose thinking I was just having some really bad fur ball issues. After a few weeks the symptoms just started to get worse, even when I was not at a show. Turns out that sneezing and stuffyness are also side effects of the medication especially with increaded dose. Stopped taking it and like magic my new allergy also stopped.

[ibreathe4u]

02:54 AM on 11/26/2010

One issue that I had that wasn't mentioned was terrible stomach pain and bloating. I have a horrible time with insomnia, and my ambien prescription had expired. I started requiring more and more benedryl (sp?), I was taking 4-5 pills per night. After a while I started losing weight, having constant stomach cramps and nausea. I was told by my doctor that the benedryl was drying out my stomach and intestinal linings causing the pain and discomfort.

[lostonbridgetofuture]

12:27 PM on 11/25/2010

Two years ago, I developed a wicked allergy cough. I spent over a year with a tickle in my throat that made me cough so hard that I would almost gag. I didn't sleep for a year.

I finally discovered that I had developed some kind of allergy. I spent hundreds going to the doctor for nothing. He suggested allergy tests that I could not afford in this lifetime.

I finally stumbled upon Zyrtec D, which has literally saved my life. I can sleep and the cough has gone away. Flonase worked for a while, but quit being effective after a few months. I worry that the Zyrtec D will quit working, too.

I have searched for all kinds of remedies (netti pot, air cleaner machine things, certain vaccuum cleaners, etc) and I have tried them all and nothing really worked. Does anyone have any experience with this kind of cough?? I would like to naturally fix it, but I haven't had any luck so far.

[ibreathe4u]

02:56 AM on 11/26/2010

I have the same problem. It only happens when the windows are closed and the heater is being used. I have to take inhaled steroids (Flovent) or my cough and sore throat would last 3-5 months of the year. Nothing else helps me. I'm with you, the saline rinses bring a little short relief, but I do require an actual prescription medication to actually give me lasting relief.

[thegirlnextdoor]

12:07 PM on 11/25/2010

Well, one positive effect of alergy medications - you don't have to hide inside all summer depressed and sneezing.

[PoliticalJunkie65]

07:18 PM on 11/25/2010

Agreed....ahchooo!

[Dana Ullman]

11:00 AM on 11/25/2010

Homeopathic medicines often provide a safe and effective alternative, and research published in THE LANCET, the BMJ (British Medical Journal) and other medical journals have confirmed their efficacy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathy-for-allergies_b_320998.html

Even one of the three founders of the American Academy of Allergy was an MD homeopath.

[DebbyBruck]

11:25 AM on 11/25/2010

Hey Dana. I tweeted this one. People ought to know when they make a choice in medicines what are the possible the short and long term effects? Happy Thanksgiving.

[schnauzergirl]

02:25 PM on 11/29/2010

Just because something is homeopathic does not mean its doesn't have side affects or could be dangerous if misused. And just like regular medications, they don't work for everyone.

[Kelly Kc]

05:20 AM on 12/02/2010

You are right Schnauzergirl. Fact is medicine is not supposed to be taken longterm unlike so many painkillers and heart drugs that conventional medicine is. People get addicted to them.

Homeopathic meds, no such addiction problem.

And when you count number of emergency cases due to conventional meds overdose or otherwise taken accidentally by children, the gap between the 2 (homeopathic and conventional medicine) is wide.

[JBS]

10:46 AM on 11/25/2010

The headline is overblown. These are known side effects with warnings appearing in the package inserts. The warnings even appear in the TV adverts.

No one should take any medicine, prescription or OTC, without understanding the risks, but none of these possible side effects are "Surprising" to anyone with a reading comprehension level higher than that of boiled cabbage.

[laaambchop]

11:01 AM on 11/25/2010

I am thinking no one reads them!

http://129.128.185.122/drugbank2/drugs/DB00455/fda_labels/21

[DebbyBruck]

11:29 AM on 11/25/2010

You may be right.

[laaambchop]

10:10 AM on 11/25/2010

The forgot crabby.

[PoliticalJunkie65]

07:19 PM on 11/25/2010

I thought that was only me.

[laaambchop]

10:33 PM on 11/25/2010

lol, no, and the world is safer when we don't take them, right?

[mumi009]

05:37 AM on 11/25/2010

I hope Huffpost re-pubishes this article in the Spring when the allergy season for most people begins.

[greenpatches]

04:10 AM on 11/25/2010

Antihistamines making you more sicker? Just get a bubble suit, ya dingus.

For yr health.

[reallymolly]

12:33 PM on 11/25/2010

Antihistamines are for hunks anyway.

[DemDana]

03:07 AM on 11/25/2010

;)

[pfods]

02:18 AM on 11/25/2010

i take claritan during allergy season and none of these things has ever happened to me.

i'm tired of these "X NUMBER OF THINGS YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW!!!!" articles. they reek of tabloid pseudo-journalism at its worst.

[Vitorio]

02:33 AM on 11/25/2010

By the way, maybe it is affecting your health more than you realize, you mispelled claritin. have you ever tried to make someone with alzheimers realize they have it?

[laaambchop]

11:02 AM on 11/25/2010

coffee must be affecting my health, as I misspelled it, too!

[pfods]

01:48 PM on 11/25/2010

i don't take it daily, so i would notice a significant shift in my health when i do take it.

[lauraannesummers]

03:16 AM on 11/25/2010

These effects are caused by antihistamines. Claritin has a different active ingredient and typically doesn't cause these symptoms.

[greenpatches]

04:07 AM on 11/25/2010

Claritin is still an antihistamine.

[Mattie]

08:53 AM on 11/25/2010

Good point, I take it daily, and would be miserable without it. Claritin is non drowsey, and no matter the side effects, I can't go thru life with a constant draining, sore throat and ear ache. I had allergy tests, they can't pin point what I'm allgeric to without more extensive testing, It started a couple of years ago, and Claritin makes it bearable. Glad to say, my three cats are not the cause, but I didn't have any test to see if I'm allergic to my husband. Happy Thanksgiving

[Burudika]

12:53 AM on 11/25/2010

Sooo get rid of one illness and purchase 9! just how well conditioned by advertisement are we that we never question this insanity! if the end result of using a drug is negative 8 why do we still poop this pills!
Whatever happened to treating root-causes for diseases? do I get allergies due to lack of antihistamines in my blood? if you take prescribed drugs and end up in ER with a heart-attack, why is that a 'side effect' and not an effect?

[Bruckley]

12:35 AM on 11/25/2010

It's true about the cognitive impairment. When I was in college I got a lot of colds, each time I took antihistamines it made it way hard to concentrate. I could feel my brain lork bruhg jneeee

[Amishguy]

11:35 PM on 11/24/2010

It amazes me in the year 2010 that modern medicine doesn't cure anything and in fact much of it causes additional problems. But I guess that will always continue to be the case as long as medicine is a for profit business.

[maveet]

02:41 AM on 11/25/2010

WORD! no amazement, biz as usual. Happy Thanksgiving.;-)

[greenpatches]

04:10 AM on 11/25/2010

Can't entirely blame the modern medicine. No matter what you put into or do to your body, it will always react in some way or another. The majority of these ways are unfavorable, or favorable but uncomfortable. Medicine is more about using this concept to our advantage, than anything.