Listenbee asked
I take Claritin everyday for allergies. I am wondering if it is safe to take DayQuil as I have a pretty bad cough and am looking for some additional relief.
Answer
There are no known interactions between Claritin (loratidine) and DayQuil. It is considered safe to take both of these medications together to prevent allergies and for the treatment of your cough/cold symptoms.
Claritin
Claritin (loratadine) is a second generation antihistamine that is used to prevent and treat allergy symptoms. Second generation antihistamines, such as Claritin, are noted for their long duration of action (~24 hours per dose) and lack of sedation side effects. While effective for allergy symptoms, it is often necessary to add on additional medications, like DayQuil, to treat symptoms of cough, fever and congestion.
DayQuil
DayQuil is a combination ingredient cough/cold medication that contains the following ingredients:
- Acetaminophen (analgesic)
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Phenylephrine (nasal decongestant)
It is important to point out that DayQuil is available in a variety of different formulations. Each formulation of DayQuil has a mix of different medications in one product. Below, is a list of the common DayQuil products:
DayQuil Severe
- Acetaminophen (analgesic)
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Phenylephrine (nasal decongestant)
- Guaifenesin (mucolytic)
DayQuil Cough And Congestion
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Guaifenesin (mucolytic)
Taking Claritin With DayQuil
When taking multiple cold medications, it is important to be aware of the ingredients in each and not take the same medication from different products. For example, many cough and cold medications contain Tylenol (acetaminophen) and it can be easy to accidentally take too much. Always look at the box listing what you are taking.
However, as shown above, no DayQuil product contains an antihistamine and all are considered safe to take with Claritin (loratadine).
