HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

I Suffer From A Heart Condition Ventricular Tachy Cardia And

Posted on Thu, 1 Nov 2018

Question: I suffer from a heart condition Ventricular Tachy Cardia and also have severe environmental and some chemical allergies. I currently take 10 mg daily of Cetirizine Hydrochloride tablet for my allergies. They can make me feel very drowsy. I have heard that a very similar tablet called Cetirizine Dihydrochloride does not have the same affects of drowsiness as the Hydrochloride form. Do you think changing the table to dihydrochloride would be better for me or do you think I should stick with the former?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Pharmacologically both are not different....

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

No, the active ingredient in both the preparation is the same and there is not be any significant difference between the two.

Are you referring to 'levocetrizine dihydrochloride'? If yes, this is different from cetrizine. It is a third generation antihistamine and has relatively no or less drowsiness when compared to cetrizine hydrochloride. You can make the switch if the former (cetrizine) is troubling you.

Hope this answered your question. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regard

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Prasad J (43 minutes later)

Thanks Doctor,

I did wonder about the two being very similar.

Is 'levocetrizine dihydrochloride' much different in ingredients and do you think it would really be as effective as Cetirizine Hydrochloride? I'm also wondering how the other one's ingredients will affect me. I basically get very drowsy and Cetirizine also affects my eye sight.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Prasad J (16 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Levocetrizine is a third generation antihistamine....

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Levocetrizine is almost similar to cetrizine. But levocetrizine is a third generation antihistamine while cetrizine belongs to the second generation. They act similarly; but being a third-generation drug, levocetrizine has lesser sedative effects than a second-generation antihistamine.

Cetrizine, as well as levocetrizine, might rarely increase heart rate. The other components of the drug are not known to produce any significant health impacts. If your heart wasn't affected by cetrizine, then I don't expect levocetrizine to cause any significant symptoms with regards to heart. You can discuss with your treating doctor and make the switch.

Hope this information suffices. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad