GENERIC NAME: loratadine

BRAND NAME: Claritin, Claritin RediTabs, Alavert

DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Loratadine is a long-acting antihistamine. Histamine is a chemical that causes many of the signs that are part of allergic reactions, for example, swelling of tissues. Histamine is released from histamine-storing cells (mast cells) and attaches to other cells that have receptors for histamine. The attachment of the histamine to the receptors causes the cell to be "activated" releasing other chemicals which produce the effects that we associate with allergy. Loratadine blocks one type of receptor for histamine (the H1 receptor) and thus prevents activation of cells by histamine. Unlike most other antihistamines, loratadine does not enter the brain from the blood and, therefore, does not cause drowsiness.