Desloratadine

Desloratadine is a prescription medication used to treat Allergic Rhinitis, Urticaria and Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria.

• Desloratadine is available under the following different brand names: Clarinex.

Adult and pediatric dosage

Tablet

• 5mg

Tablet, oral disintegrating

• 2.5mg
• 5mg

Oral syrup

• 0.5mg/mL

Allergic Rhinitis & Urticaria

Adult dosage

• 5 mg orally once daily

Pediatric dosage

• Children 2-5 years: 1.25 mg orally once daily
• Children 6-12 years: 2.5 mg orally once daily

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Adult dosage

• 5 mg orally once daily

Perennial Allergic Rhinitis, Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria 

Pediatric dosage

• Children younger than 6 months of age: Safety and efficacy not established
• Children 6-12 months: 1 mg orally once daily
• Children 1-5 years: 1.25 mg orally once daily
• Children 6-12 years: 2.5 mg orally once daily
• Children 12 years or older: 5 mg orally once daily

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See "Dosages."

Common side effects of Desloratadine include:

• dry mouth, 
• sore throat, 
• muscle pain, 
• drowsiness, 
• tiredness, and
• menstrual pain

Serious side effects of Desloratadine include:

• hives, 
• difficulty breathing, and
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat

Rare side effects of Desloratadine include:

• none 

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems may occur as a result of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider or pharmacist first.

• Desloratadine has severe interactions with no other drugs.
• Desloratadine has serious interactions with the following drugs:
  • erdafitinib
  • isocarboxazid
  • Lasmiditan
  • metoclopramide intranasal
  • sotorasib
  • tepotinib
  • tranylcypromine
• Desloratadine has moderate interactions with at least 26 other drugs.
• Desloratadine has minor interactions with the following drugs:
  • erythromycin base
  • erythromycin ethylsuccinate
  • erythromycin lactobionate
  • erythromycin stearate
  • ketoconazole

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this drug, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the drugs you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your physician if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• Documented hypersensitivity to desloratadine or loratadine or components. 

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Desloratadine?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Desloratadine?”

Cautions

• Caution in slow metabolizers; may increase incidence of side effects
• Some products may contain sodium benzoate/benzoic acid (a metabolite of benzyl alcohol), associated with potentially fatal toxicity in neonates (gasping syndrome) when used in large amounts; some products may also contain phenylalanine
• Use with caution in hepatic/renal impairment
• Drug interaction overview
  • May potentiate effect of sedatives, including alcohol
  • Coadministration of desloratadine with ketoconazole, erythromycin, or azithromycin resulted in increased plasma concentrations of desloratadine and 3-hydroxydesloratadine, but no clinically relevant changes in safety profile of desloratadine reported
  • Coadministration of desloratadine with cimetidine, a histamine H2-receptor antagonist, resulted in increased plasma concentrations of desloratadine and 3-hydroxydesloratadine, but no clinically relevant changes in safety profile of desloratadine reported

Pregnancy and Lactation

• The limited available data in pregnant women are not sufficient to inform a drug-associated risk for major birth defects and miscarriage; there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women
• Reproductive potential
  • There are no data available on human infertility associated with desloratadine
  • Female: There were no clinically relevant effects of desloratadine on female fertility in rats
  • Male: A male specific decrease in fertility occurred at an oral desloratadine dose of more than 12 mg/kg in rats (approximately 65 times the RHD); male fertility was unaffected at a desloratadine dose of 3 mg/kg (approximately 10 times the RHD)
  • Desloratadine and pseudoephedrine both pass into breast milk; there are no sufficient data on effects of desloratadine on breastfed infant or effects of desloratadine on milk production
  • The decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue drug, taking into account developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding, the nursing mother’s clinical need, and any potential adverse effects on breastfed infants from therapy or from underlying maternal condition.