allacan ® tablets are white to off white capsuleshaped film coated tablets with a breaklineand 'B' and 'L' embossed on either side ofthe breakline and '10' embossed on the otherside.

Ask a pharmacist for advice if you're unsure which medicine to try as not all antihistamines are suitable for everyone. How to take antihistaminesRenal impairment: The pharmacokinetics of the drug was similar in patients with mild impairment (creatinine clearance higher than 40 ml/min) and healthy volunteers. Patients with moderate renal impairment had a 3-fold increase in half-life and 70 % decrease in clearance compared to healthy volunteers. Although statistically more common than under placebo, somnolence was mild to moderate in the majority of cases. Objective tests as demonstrated by other studies have demonstrated that usual daily activities are unaffected at the recommended daily dose in healthy young volunteers. allacan ® tablets are used to treat people whohave hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis),year round allergies such as dust or petallergies (perennial allergic rhinitis) andurticaria (swelling, redness and itchiness ofthe skin). If you forget to give a dose to a child who is taking cetirizine twice a day, you can give the missed dose if it's within 4 hours of when they should have had it. Caution should be taken in patients with predisposition factors of urinary retention (e.g. spinal cord lesion, prostatic hyperplasia) as cetirizine may increase the risk of urinary retention.

Some people have reported that they feel drowsy or dizzy while they are taking allacan ®. If youare affected do not drive or use machines. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take cetirizine film-coated tablets.

Histamine-1 receptors are located in your airways (breathing tubes), blood vessels, stomach, and esophagus (throat area). Allergens, such as pollen or pet fur can stimulate these receptors, causing the release of histamine, which results in symptoms such as a rash, sneezing, a runny nose, or a narrowing of the airways (also called bronchoconstriction). Histamine-1 receptors are also found in the brain and spinal cord and first-generation antihistamines (sedating antihistamines) can cross through the blood/brain barrier into the brain and act on these receptors, causing sleepiness ( sedation), and drowsiness. What are antihistamines used for? Histamine is normally released when your body detects something harmful, such as an infection. It causes blood vessels to expand and the skin to swell, which helps protect the body. If you remember more than 4 hours after, do not give the missed dose. Instead, wait until the next dose and carry on as normal.

Elderly: Following a single 10 mg oral dose, half-life increased by about 50 % and clearance decreased by 40 % in 16 elderly subjects compared to the younger subjects. The decrease in cetirizine clearance in these elderly volunteers appeared to be related to their decreased renal function. The extent of absorption of cetirizine is not reduced with food, although the rate of absorption is decreased. The extent of bioavailability is similar when cetirizine is given as solutions, capsules or tablets. are due to have an allergy test – taking cetirizine may affect the results, so you might need to stop taking it a few days before the test If you have kidney problems you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist for advice beforetaking these tablets as a lower dose may berequired. After discontinuation of cetirizine, pruritus (intense itching) and/or urticaria have been reported.

Cetirizine belongs to a group of medicines called antihistamines - it is an anti-allergy medicine. It stops the effects of a naturally occurring substance called histamine and this helps to relieve the symptoms of allergies such as hay fever and urticaria. The terminal half-life is approximately 10 hours and no accumulation is observed for cetirizine following daily doses of 10 mg for 10 days. About two third of the dose are excreted unchanged in urine.