Indications And Dose
Symptomatic relief of allergy such as hay fever, urticaria ▶BY MOUTH ▶Child 6–17 years: 5 mg once daily ▶Adult: 5 mg once daily
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Drug reference
Symptomatic relief of allergy such as hay fever, urticaria ▶BY MOUTH ▶Child 6–17 years: 5 mg once daily ▶Adult: 5 mg once daily
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▶Levocetirizine is an isomer of cetirizine.
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Avoid in Acute porphyrias p. 1120
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→Appendix 1: antihistamines, non- sedating
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▶Common or very common Asthenia. constipation (in children). drowsiness. dry mouth ▶Uncommon Abdominal pain ▶Frequency not known Aggression. agitation. angioedema. appetite increased. arthralgia. depression. diarrhoea (very common in children). dizziness. dyspnoea. hallucination. hepatitis. myalgia. nausea. oedema. palpitations. paraesthesia. seizure. skin reactions. sleep disorders (very common in children). suicidal ideation. syncope. tachycardia. taste altered. tremor. urinary disorders. vertigo. vision disorders. vomiting. weight increased SIDE-EFFECTS, FURTHER INFORMATION Non-sedating antihistamines such as levocetirizine cause less sedation and psychomotor impairment than the older antihistamines, but can still occur; sedation is generally minimal. This is because non-sedating antihistamines penetrate the blood brain barrier to a much lesser extent.
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Most manufacturers of antihistamines advise avoiding their use during pregnancy; however, there is no evidence of teratogenicity.
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Most antihistamines are present in breast milk in varying amounts; although not known to be harmful, most manufacturers advise avoiding their use in mothers who are breast-feeding.
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▶In adults Avoid if eGFR less than 10 mL/minute/1.73 m2. ▶In children Avoid if estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 10 mL/minute/1.73 m2. Dose adjustments ▶In adults 5 mg on alternate days if eGFR 30–50 mL/minute/1.73 m2. 5 mg every 3 days if eGFR 10–30 mL/minute/1.73 m2. ▶In children Reduce dose frequency to alternate days if estimated glomerular filtration rate 30–50 mL/minute/1.73 m2. Reduce dose frequency to every 3 days if estimated glomerular filtration rate 10–30 mL/minute/1.73 m2.
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There can be variation in the licensing of different medicines containing the same drug. Oral solution ▶Xyzal (UCB Pharma Ltd) Levocetirizine dihydrochloride 500 microgram per 1 ml Xyzal 0.5mg/ml oral solution sugar-free | 200 ml P £6.00 DT = £6.00 Tablet ▶Levocetirizine hydrochloride (Non-proprietary) Levocetirizine dihydrochloride 5 mg Levocetirizine 5mg tablets | 30 tablet P £4.39 DT = £4.21 ▶Xyzal (UCB Pharma Ltd) Levocetirizine dihydrochloride 5 mg Xyzal 5mg tablets | Respiratory system 30 tablet P £4.39 DT = £4.21
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Driving and skilled tasks Although drowsiness is rare, nevertheless patients should be advised that it can occur and may affect performance of skilled tasks (e.g. cycling or driving); alcohol should be avoided.
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5 mg once daily
First-line fragment. Read the complete Indications and Dose section above.
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5 mg once daily
First-line fragment. Read the complete Indications and Dose section above.
PDF page 317