Wednesday, June 06, 2007 Minus itch and irregular hear beats By Zosimo T. Literatus, R.M.T. Breakthroughs
“I HAVE a simple philosophy,” US socialite Alice Longworth got quoted saying. “Fill what’s empty. Empty what’s full. And scratch where it itches.”
Scratching an itch on the skin is easy. But scratching an itch inside your nose because of allergic rhinitis is near impossible. Pinching the nose would be a better alternative.
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disorder of the mucous membrane in the nose caused by aerial irritants, such as dusts, pollens and the like. Treatment often involves nasal decongestants or local sprays to shrink and dry the swollen mucous membrane. However, excessive use of these may dry the membranes and damage them. That’s the reason why many prefer to use antihistamines (anti-allergy). However, they. too, have their own undesirable effects.
Terfenadine is an effective antihistamine. But unlike most antihistamines, it has no sedative effect. However, it is associated with irregular heart beats when used with certain antibiotics (troleandomycin or josamycin) and antifungals (ketoconazole or itraconazole).
Fexofenadine hydrochloride is currently onto clinical trials in a hope to replace Terfenadine in treating allergic rhinitis. It is the active metabolite of Terfenadine that does not undergo biotransformation in the liver making it less likely to interact with other drugs. These trials (two got published in the 1997 in Annual Allergy and Asthma Immunology) also demonstrated it safe and effective at a low dose of 60 mg twice daily.
A more recent study, published in JK Science (2006), further tested fexofenadine efficacy among Indian population.
Researcher Bikash Medhi got 100 allergic rhinitis patients received 180 mg daily for seven days.
Medhi is an assistant professor of the Department of Pharmacology, the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (Chandigarh, India).
The patients had complete relief of symptoms after seven days with no interference in sleep and daily activities. So far so good for fexofenadine in treating allergic rhinitis. However, itch is a lot better unless serious side effects are ruled out. Others may even perceive itch as pleasurable.
“Even the worst happenings of the past acquire sweetness in the memory,” Ghanaian educator Ayi Kwei Armah wrote in The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born. “The harsh distresses are now merely pictures and tastes which hurt no more, like itching scars which can only give pleasure now.” (For comments and suggestions, text to 0927-979-3519 or email to zim_breakthroughs@yahoo.com.)
