“Is my child's hyperactivity due to Claritin?”
My 5 year old child has had a cold for two weeks. I took her to the pediatrician who said it was allergies and told me to give her Claritin once a day in the morning. I have noticed since giving it to her, she is bouncing off the walls. Is this from the Claritin, could it be making her hyper?
16 Answers
Try her off and see if it makes any difference, Usually long acting antihistamines do not make her hyper like benadryl can in some kids.
Hi
Claritin is generally very safe but can cause the side effects you mentioned. Try another antihistamine
Claritin is generally very safe but can cause the side effects you mentioned. Try another antihistamine
Some of the less common side effects are nervousness and fast or unsteady heart rate which may produce irritability in children. I would try another class of antihistamine like Zyrtec and see if the hyperness dissipates
Good luck
Dr M
Good luck
Dr M
It could be. I would change Jed's
Occasionally, antihistamines can make a child hyper. Try a different brand such as zyrtec or allegra. If they cause the same side effect, try a steriod nasal spray such as flonase, rhinocort or nasacort, which are now over the counter. They work right at the site of the problem and do not cause hyperactivity.
You can have a reaction such as hyperactivity from many medications. With the antihistamines, it is much more frequent with first generation meds like diphenhydramine (Benadryl), and it is considered a paradoxical reaction since most times the side effect is sedation. With new generation antihistamines, such as Claritidine (Claritin) and Fexofenadine (Allegra) it is much less common, but it certainly can happen. Fortunately it is entirely reversible when the medication is discontinued.
Yes it can
I have never heard of that reaction from Claritin.
Hyperactivity is a recognised side effect of Claritin, particularly in children. The only way we could prove this is by discontinuing the medication and see what happens. Acute hyperactivity alone would not suggest ADHD.
Hello. I am sorry to hear about the difficulty that your daughter has during the fall allergy season. In some cases, children can have a hyper response to antihistimines (which Claritin is a class of.) Hopefully the allergy season will be over soon, or you may want to see your doctor for a nasal spray. For more helpful tips you can follow me on fb at doctorjarret. Thank you.
Jarret Patton MD FAAP
Jarret Patton MD FAAP
No Claritin will not make her hyper
Possible that her allergies getting worse
Possible that her allergies getting worse
Yes it could. Perhaps you could stop the treatment, and see if she comes down off the walls. Also, perhaps another medication would help her allergies without causing that side effect.
Claritin side effect
Hi!
Some children seem to have this effect with allergy medications.
It is not permanent and should get better within 24 hours of stopping it.
You may try a different allergy med such as zyrtec, singulair or other over the counter. I would stay away from benadryl for these symptoms though.
Alvaro G. Reymunde, MD
Pediatrician
Pediatric Associates of Kingston
Some children seem to have this effect with allergy medications.
It is not permanent and should get better within 24 hours of stopping it.
You may try a different allergy med such as zyrtec, singulair or other over the counter. I would stay away from benadryl for these symptoms though.
Alvaro G. Reymunde, MD
Pediatrician
Pediatric Associates of Kingston
Always possible
Yes. That is a possible side effect of claritin. Some people get more tired, others can get more hyperactive. I would discuss this with your pediatrician and consider switching to another medication. Zyrtec is a similar medication and may be more effective and worth a try given the side effect you are noticing
