Is There Any Particular Reason Why Cold Medicine Tends To

Posted on Mon, 22 Jul 2019

Question: Is there any particular reason why cold medicine tends to mess with my stomach? It never bothered me growing up, but as I've gotten older I've noticed that taking any type of cold medicine tends to bother my stomach - makes me nauseous, causes stomach pain and sometimes diarrhea, etc.

Is there a reason for that? And is it normal for cold medicine to cause side effects like that?

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Yes, this is normal. Can be avoided by using newer cold medicines.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. Cold medicines (allergy medicines) cause their effect by blocking H (histamine) receptors in the body.

2. There are different types of H-Receptors distributed throughout the body, such as H1, H2, H3 and H4.

3. The stomach / gut related side effects are due to the action on H2 receptors.

4. Ideally, cold medication should only block H1 receptors. Newer cold medicines have predominant H1 receptor action and hence have fewer side effects.

5. The latest anti-allergy (cold) medication is bilastine. you can request your doctor to prescribe it.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

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. Nagamani Ng