Rx Note

Introduction In a community pharmacy setting, almost on a daily basis, we recommend oral antihistamine to our customers, which could be for prevention and treatment of symptoms in allergic rhinitis , allergic conjunctivitis, urticaria , or a variety of other allergic diseases. 1st and 2nd Generation As an overview, antihistamines can be classified into 1st and 2nd generation. This dichotomy was introduced in 1983 to indicate a major pharmacological difference between terfenadine and astemizole. Being less lipid soluble, the second generation antihistamines is thus believed to be less readily penetrated the blood brain barrier, and hence does not cause drowsiness. However, second generation antihistamines are still able to penetrate the blood brain barrier and may cause drowsiness (thought it rarely occurs). In fact, there are textbooks using the terminology of "less sedating antihistamines" to describe the second generation antihistamines, instead of "non-sedating antih...

Introduction Because common cold has no specific cure and is self-limiting , it would be easy to dismiss the condition as unimportant. Nonetheless, colds, along with coughs , represent the largest caseload for primary healthcare workers. Clinical Features Following an incubation period of between 1 and 3 days (although this can be as short as 10-12 hours), the patient develops a sore throat and sneezing, followed by profuse nasal discharge and congestion. Cough and upper airway cough syndromes (UACS) commonly follow. In addition, headache, mild to moderate fever (<38.9°C), and general malaise may be present. Most colds resolve in 1 week, but up to 25% of people will have symptoms lasting 14 days or more. NOTE: Acute otitis media is commonly seen in children following a common cold and results from the virus spreading to the middle ear via the Eustachian tube, where an accumulation of pus in the middle ear or inflammation of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) results. Questions to ...