Drug Comparison

Claritin, and the generic equivalent, Loratadine, is a drug that has been there for long and has been known to treat allergy. The symptoms of allergy are caused by chemical called histamine which is released by mast cells and then it attaches the cells which have receptors for histamine on their surfaces. The chemical then stimulates the cells to produce effects that we normally associate them with allergy. What Claritin does is to block one type of receptor, H1 receptor, so that the cells that have H1 receptors are not activated. This drug, unlike other antihistamine drugs, does not enter into the brain so that there is no drowsiness when one takes the drug (Aschenbrenner, & Venable, 2008). The drug was approved in the year 1993. The drug is available in 10 mg tablets and also syrup of 5mg/5 ml/. The drug can also be used to treat patients with allergic skin rash. The normal dosage for adults is 10mg per day.

Cost comparison

Like other allergy medications, Claritin is quite expensive. For those who don't have insurance coverage, they might end up paying up to $80 for a month's supply of Claritin. On top of this, you would also be required to pay for the initial visit to the doctor so that he gives you initial prescription. In cases of over the counter purchase, someone could just pay $30 so that they get a month's supply of Claritin. There are other versions which will be more expensive like Claritin RediTabs or Claritin D which will cost $39 (Relman, 2002).

The comparison will be made for an average patient taking an average of 1200 mg per day. The information also is presented in form of a table.

The tables that are shown in above show the cost that will be met by a patient who is not accessible to the drug store.

Claritin side effects

The drug does not fail to come with side effects. The common side effects of the drug will include drowsiness, someone feeling dizzy, aching or pain in the muscles, the hands swelling in the joints, the person feeling cold and therefore shaking and trembling. The person will also feel tired most of the time.

The side effects which are not common include diarrhea, the mouth becoming dry most of the time, feeling head aches, hearing noise in ears, having trouble getting some sleep, loss of strength and gaining of weight. Other uncommon side effects include chills, hoarseness while speaking, pain in the lower back and pain while one is urinating (Hodenberg et al., 2010).

Overdose side effects

There are also side effects that come when one overdoses. They include effects like double vision, having severe diarrhoea, dizziness, speech which has a lot of slurries, and sluggishness.