Part of the series: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Innovations Podcast
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The pharmacist is often the first person you talk to about allergies. So what are they thinking about when they hand you that box of antihistamines?
Dr. Gupta and pharmacist Dr. Suzanne Soliman went to the World Congress of Pharmacy in Montreal. They asked pharmacists from the UK, Ghana, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, and Malaysia about three patients they might meet at the counter. Kortney joins Dr. G to talk through what the pharmacists shared: check that it’s really allergies, skip the older antihistamines, and look at the whole person.
What we cover in this episode about pharmacist recommendations for allergy medicine
Allergies or a cold? Pharmacists ask three questions: Is it itchy? Does it keep coming back? Is there a fever? Itch and symptoms that return every season point to allergies.
When to see a doctor. A fever, pain on one side of your face, or coughing and wheezing can mean an infection. You may need a medicine the pharmacist can't give you.
Old vs. new antihistamines. Older antihistamines can make you sleepy and slow your reaction time. Pharmacists around the world now choose the newer, non-drowsy ones, like fexofenadine and loratadine.
Anticholinergic side effects. Older antihistamines can also cause dry mouth, constipation, trouble peeing, blurry vision, and confusion. These side effects hit older adults harder.
Bring your medicine list. If you have kidney or liver disease or take other medicines, your pharmacist can still help. Bring a list of everything you take, including what you buy yourself.
About our guests
Dr. Suzanne Soliman, PharmD, BCMAS, is Chief Medical Officer of the American College of Medical Affairs and an Associate Professor at Rutgers University School of Pharmacy. She founded the Pharmacist Moms Group, the largest organization of women pharmacists in the US, with more than 45,000 members.
Thank you to the pharmacists who shared their thoughts with us: Ahuti Lakhani (UK), Bernard Opoku Ware (Ghana), Adwoa Mensah (Ghana), David Pires (Portugal), Romina Takesyan (Argentina), Cecilia Maldonado (Uruguay), and Susan YH Pan (Malaysia).
More resources
More episodes about antihistamines
Timestamps for our episode about antihistamine recommendations
03:55 Why pharmacists are so important
05:50 Case 1: Amy's cold that won't go away
06:42 Three questions to tell allergies from a cold
12:22 When the pharmacist sends you to a doctor
14:53 Case 2: Mark, the cab driver
17:20 What anticholinergic side effects are
18:53 Old vs. new antihistamines and the brain
23:19 Allergy medicine that lets you keep working
26:52 Which antihistamines are least sedating
28:40 Case 3: Mr. Jones with kidney disease
30:26 Antihistamines with kidney or liver disease
34:10 Older adults and anticholinergic side effects
35:22 Confusing packaging at the pharmacy
