I Have Had Bad Allergies My Whole Life And Have

Posted on Sun, 24 Jan 2021

Question: I have had bad allergies my whole life and have been taking Loratadine every morning and Benadryl every evening for decades. I used to get allergy shots. A few years ago, I started using Flonasce and my allergies improved a lot. I stopped the allergy shots and I think I might not need the pills. I've actually been having dry eye problems. If I have taken Loratadine for this long, can I stop it "cold turkey" or do I need to taper it? Have you ever had patients experience psychological or other withdrawal effects if they stopped Loratadine cold turkey after long-term use? If I wanted to try half the dose, can I take a children's chewable, or is that not the same thing? Thank you for your help.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Yes, you should definitely taper down rather than doing cold turkey.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.

Answer to your 1st question.

No, you should not do cold turkey. Try to taper down. Don't stop suddenly.

Answer to your 2nd question.

Theoretically yes it can cause withdrawal symptoms but practically I have not seen. But better to taper it down slowly.

Answer to your 3rd question.

Yes, you can take children chewable dose for next 15 days then alternate days for next 15 days then stop.

Hope I have solved your. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.

Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad