Will Claritin suppress a cold?

Will Claritin suppress a cold?

I have felt for a few days that I might be coming down with something: my throat is scratchy. But I've been taking Claritin for several weeks. I wasn't having allergic symptoms, but figured that since I have a narrow nose and deviated septum that even a mild allergy situation could affect my AHI and RE, and I do have a clogged ear without it, especially in the fall.

I feel anxious about being on Claritin for the rest of my life. I am sure there are effects of long-term build up of the drug, and a friend of mine has had to increase her dose over the years. Also, if I'm going to have a cold, right now while I have a few days off, would be a good time to have it. I don't believe colds are necessarily a bad thing. Miserable, yes, but I think allowing one's immune system to do its thing ultimately strengthens the it.

I keep wondering why I'm staying at this run-down, throat-scratchy phase without moving into a full-blown cold. Could it be the Claritin?

The word "supress" is not used in medicine.

Check Consumer Reports about Claritin, you may have Alergy and not "cold"

Antihistamine Drugs

Drugs: Summary of Recommendations


"Studies have found that some people who get prescriptions
for allergy medicine do not in fact have
allergies. If you are taking antihistamines or other
allergy medicine regularly, you should consult a
doctor to make sure that you do indeed have allergies
and that the medication is appropriate for
your condition.

If a doctor determines that you have an allergy,
treatment is important. Mounting evidence in
recent years has found that people with allergies
are at much higher risk of developing asthma and
sinus infections (sinusitis). And the inflammation
that accompanies (and to some degree fosters) the
allergic response can damage the respiratory system
and make you more susceptible to lung infections
like pneumonia.

So, one way to think about antihistamines (and
other allergy medicine) is that they’re not just for
symptom relief but might in fact help prevent the
progression to more severe and potentially lifethreatening
problems.

If you know you have allergies, you’re a strong
candidate for antihistamines (and are probably
already taking one). Your choices are a bit more
complex if you are not sure whether your symptoms
are due to an allergy. Tables 1 and 2 on pages
7 and 8 will help you sort out what could be causing
your symptoms.

The most common mistake is thinking you have
allergies when you actually have a cold, bronchitis,
a cough, or mild flu. If you have one of those conditions,
you might need more than an antihistamine
for relief. As mentioned above, many nonprescription
cold and flu medicines contain an antihistamine
along with other drugs. They include fever
reducers and pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen,
and ibuprofen.

You could also have a more serious condition.
Some older people who have a persistent cough
and/or trouble breathing might be in the early
stages of heart failure or emphysema, for example."

No.

For years, I was having 'colds' nearly all the time, and bronchitis several times a year.
Guess what! Most of the time it was complications from allergies permitted to have their way with me.
The loratadine (generic Claritin) that I take every day reduces the number of my respiratory illnesses dramatically.
My CPAP takes care of nearly all the remainder.
To think of all the years I suffered needlessly!

Claritin doesn't even reduce the nasal congestion of a cold--different cause than allergy.

I take Claritin (loratidine) daily for allergy, along with Singulair (works on yet another allergy pathway) with NO side effects except less asthma due to airway irritation from my body's autoimmune response to allergens.