Why is diphenhydramine contraindicated in patients with acute asthma

Fed Regist. Cold, cough, allergy, bronchodilator, and anti-asthmatic drug products for over-the-counter human use; tentative final monograph for OTC antihistamine drug products. Cold, cough, allergy, bronchodilator, and anti-asthmatic drug products for over-the-counter human use; final monograph for OTC antihistamine drug products; final rule. Nasalcrom Nasal Allergy Spray Product description. Prestige Brands, Inc.

Accessed May 23, Robitussin Lingering Cold. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Reckitt Benckiser LLC. Bayer Aspirin. Bayer Healthcare LLC. Motrin IB. Gern JE. The ABCs of rhinoviruses, wheezing, and asthma. J Virol. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed Health. Chronic bronchitis. What is bronchitis? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Featured Issue Featured Supplements. US Pharm. Products Contraindicated With Asthma Asthma was once a labeled contraindication for all nonprescription products containing first-generation antihistamines.

Wheezing Warnings on Nonprescription Products Wheezing is defined as a high-pitched whistling sound that is audible when the patient inhales and exhales, caused by air flowing through constricted airways. Wheezing Warnings Salicylates, ibuprofen, naproxen, and cromolyn also carry warnings against use in wheezing.

Remember, if you have questions, Consult Your Pharmacist. To comment on this article, contact rdavidson uspharmacist. Related Content. Take Quiz. Ovarian Cancer. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. These products may contain the same active ingredient s and taking them together could cause you to receive an overdose.

This is especially important if you will be giving cough and cold medications to a child. Nonprescription cough and cold combination products, including products that contain diphenhydramine, can cause serious side effects or death in young children.

Do not give these products to children younger than 4 years of age. If you give these products to children 4 to 11 years of age, use caution and follow the package directions carefully. If you are giving diphenhydramine or a combination product that contains diphenhydramine to a child, read the package label carefully to be sure that it is the right product for a child of that age.

Do not give diphenhydramine products that are made for adults to children. Before you give a diphenhydramine product to a child, check the package label to find out how much medication the child should receive. Give the dose that matches the child's age on the chart. Ask the child's doctor if you don't know how much medication to give the child.

If you are taking the liquid, do not use a household spoon to measure your dose. Use the measuring spoon or cup that came with the medication or use a spoon made especially for measuring medication. If you are taking the dissolving strips, place the strips on your tongue one at a time and swallow after they melt. If you are taking the rapidly dissolving tablets, place a tablet on your tongue and close your mouth.

The tablet will quickly dissolve and can be swallowed with or without water. This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Diphenhydramine is usually taken as needed. If your doctor has told you to take diphenhydramine regularly, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.

Diphenhydramine may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you experience any unusual problems while you are taking this medication. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.

To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Antihistamines can play a key role in managing allergic asthma.

Also known as atopic or allergy-induced asthma, allergic asthma is triggered by exposure to an allergen that in turn sets off an overreaction of the immune system in which a chemical called histamine is released. In people with allergic asthma, histamine causes constriction of the airways bronchioles and production of excess of mucus, which together impede the flow of air to the lungs.

Antihistamines prevent histamine from binding to receptors that trigger symptoms in both conditions. Antihistamines are available over the counter and by prescription as tablets, capsules, liquid gels, eye drops, and nasal sprays.

Common over-the-counter OTC antihistamine brands include Allegra fexofenadine , Benadryl diphenhydramine , Claritin loratadine , Xyzal levocetirizine , and Zyrtec cetirizine.

Clarinex desloratadine is a prescription brand. There are also generic forms of some antihistamines. Antihistamines primarily are used to treat or prevent nasal allergy symptoms. They're effective for seasonal and year-round allergies, as well as other causes of itching and urticaria hives. These medications are not a first-line treatment for allergic asthma, but they can help to relieve the asthma symptoms triggered by the release of histamine: inflammation, bronchoconstriction narrowing of the airways , and production of excess amounts of mucus in the airways.

Antihistamines are not considered a primary treatment for allergic asthma, however, as histamine is not the only chemical involved in the inflammation that characterizes the disease. However, when used to control allergy symptoms, there can sometimes be a slight improvement in allergic asthma. Histamine may play a more significant role in certain subtypes of allergic asthma, but this isn't well understood.

Therefore, antihistamines are mainly given for allergy symptoms with a limited expectation for improving allergic asthma. Antihistamines are not effective for acute asthma symptoms and should never be taken for an asthma attack.

If you have allergic asthma, your healthcare provider may recommend antihistamines in combination with other asthma medications, among them:.

Antihistamines and leukotriene modifiers—e. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether an antihistamine should have a place in your asthma management plan. They'll want to consider the specific symptoms you experience and how often they occur.

They also may want to do a blood or skin test to confirm you have an allergy. If you do, you may be able to prevent symptoms by steering clear of the allergen involved, but this can be challenging: Among the most common allergens are things that often are hard to avoid, such as pollen from trees, grasses, weeds , mold, dust mites, cats and dogs, and pests cockroaches.

If it's possible for you to avoid an allergen, through mold remediation or pest control, you may be able to eliminate allergy symptoms without medications, or you may only need to use them for a short time. Your healthcare provider may also discuss alternative treatments, such as immunotherapy allergy shots or tablets. They also may want to measure your lung function—for example, with spirometry —to estimate your degree of airway constriction before and after using an inhaler.

Your asthma will also be classified based on severity, which will influence your treatment plan and the combination of medications that you are given. Talk to your healthcare provider about all medications, supplements, and vitamins that you currently take. While some drugs pose minor interaction risks, others may contraindicate use or prompt careful consideration as to whether the pros of treatment outweigh the cons in your case.

A rescue inhaler is important if you have asthma. Note that although inhaled medications typically have been prescribed to be used daily, according to updated recommendations for asthma management by the National Institutes of Health issued in December , this no longer is regarded as necessary for those with mild to moderate persistent asthma.

If you use an inhaler daily to manage asthma, talk to your healthcare provider about how the new guidelines might affect your treatment. Certain medical conditions can make taking OTC or prescription antihistamines risky or even too unsafe:. Antihistamines are also available in combination allergy products with decongestants , such as pseudoephedrine, that can interact with several medications and raise the risk of side effects.

Consult your healthcare provider before taking a combination product. First-generation antihistamines e. Anticholinergics can worsen certain conditions or lead to serious complications. Talk with your healthcare provider before taking one of these drugs if you have any of the following conditions that may prohibit their use:.

Research has also found a link between anticholinergics and an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. As none of the second-generation antihistamines are anticholinergics, those with a family history of Alzheimers—or those taking Benadryl frequently—may want to switch to one of these drugs. The dosage of antihistamine depends on the medication and may vary depending on your overall treatment regimen and any combination therapies.

Some people with allergies may take an antihistamine daily year-round, while others may only take it seasonally or on an as-needed basis.