Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Claritin as follows:
- Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Maintain strict compliance with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication.
- Claritin is a long-acting antihistamine and so, usually is prescribed once a day. Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, for the duration prescribed, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
- Do not change the dose on this medication without consulting your doctor.
- Claritin use is non-sedating and usually does not result in any confusion, dizziness, and sleep. So, Claritin can be taken during the daytime, without experiencing any noticeable drowsiness.
- This medication can induce nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. Claritin can also induce extreme dry mouth and constipation. Sucking on a sugar free hard candy can help with symptomatic relief of dry mouth. Proper hydration measures and compliance with daily fluid intake recommendations can help with relief from constipation. If you experience any further bothersome constipation, report it to your physician for a recommendation on laxative/stool softener use.
- Take the regular tablet or capsule as a whole. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole regular tablet or capsule, Claritin could also be prescribed as an oral chewable tablet, which must be chewed completely before it is swallowed.
- Claritin is also available as an orally disintegrating tablet, which absorbs moisture from the atmosphere around rapidly and can start to dissolve. So, remove only one dose from the package at a time, just when it is time for intake of the dose. Make sure the hands are dry before getting the tablet out of the package. This orally disintegrating tablet must be placed on the tongue, allow it to dissolve in the mouth for one minute, before swallowing the contents of dissolved tablet in the mouth with saliva or using some water.
- When taking Claritin as an oral solution, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing.
- Claritin interacts with a lot of other medications. If you are being newly started on Claritin, discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with Claritin. Also, notify your physician regarding any current Claritin intake, if you are being started on any new medications and discuss their safety with Claritin.
- Do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Your physician could change the dose of Claritin, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of frequent dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Continue taking Claritin as ordered, even if your allergy symptoms are under control. Abrupt discontinuation on Claritin intake can result in precipitating the symptoms back again. Discontinuing the medication should only be on your physician’s recommendation.
- Notify your doctor of any unresolved and worsening symptoms of seasonal and skin allergies or continuing unpleasant side-effects, such as, nausea and vomiting, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
