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Important product information is available by clicking on the "About Allegra" button.
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FANTASTIC VOYAGE
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What goes on inside our bodies when we're exposed to pollen or other
allergens? Just what are the mechanics of the allergic response? And
precisely what is it that Allegra does to temper or eliminate that response?
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Take this fantastic voyage through the physiology of the
high-resolution supermodel of Allegra, Felicity, and find the answers.
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Felicity's home at the peak of pollen season.
Felicity is one of 40 million Americans who are affected by allergic
rhinitis. For years, medications that relieved her sneezing, stuffiness, and
itchy, watery eyes also made her feel drowsy. Antihistamines that don't
make you drowsy became available in the eighties.
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. . . Now there's Allegra. Allegra was made to give you nondrowsy relief from symptoms
like sneezing, runny nose, and watery, itchy eyes, but lets you feel like yourself.
In fact in tests conducted by allergists, drowsiness in people who took Allegra was similar
to placebo (sugar pill), 1.3% vs 0.9%.
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Our first stop is the nose, center of most of Felicity's complaints.
The lining of the nasal passage is called the mucous membrane. It is rich in blood
vessels. It is also highly permeable. When airborne allergen molecules
enter the nasal passage, they easily pass through it.
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Allergen molecules inside the mucous membrane.
Here, the allergen molecules (pollens) are attracted to specialized cells
called mast cells and basophils. These cells
carry an antibody — which is a protein that the body produces to
fight off the allergen molecules. In allergic rhinitis, it is the antibody
IgE (immunoglobulin E). The allergen molecules attach
themselves to these specialized IgE-carrying cells.
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Histamine is released.
Both mast cells and basophils contain specific substances, most important of
which is histamine. The allergen molecule and the antibody attach themselves
to these cells, and the cells release histamine, which then travels through
Felicity's nasal tissue.
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Histamine binds with the cells of the tiny blood vessel walls.
These cells then contract, and gaps open up between them. Fluid escapes
through these gaps into the mucous membrane, causing runny
nose, sneezing, swelling and itching.
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Histamine also settles on certain nerve endings.
Nerve endings thus are stimulated, producing the typical allergic itch. The
cells of the mucous membrane react by releasing even more mucus and other
fluid into the nasal passages.
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Allegra arrives and blocks the histamine receptors.
When histamine receptors are blocked, allergic effects are reversed.
Histamine cannot reach its target areas, so the allergic response is
stabilized, and Felicity feels better.
Another key feature of Allegra is the excellent side-effect profile: The most
commonly reported adverse experiences for Allegra and placebo are cold or flu (2.5% vs 1.5%),
nausea (1.6% vs 1.5%), and menstrual pain (1.5% vs 0.3%). Important product information is
available by clicking on the "About Allegra" button. Let's take a brief tour through
Felicity's vital organs ...
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Entering the brain.
Only certain types of small molecules are able to penetrate the densely
packed cells of the blood-brain barrier. In animal studies, it has been shown that
the Allegra molecule is not one of them. It stays inside the blood vessels as
blood passes through the brain and therefore does not attach itself to receptors in the brain.
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Inside Felicity's heart.
For a heartbeat to be healthy, the electrical and chemical activities
of the heart have to be regular and normal. Some nonsedating antihistamines
can interfere with these activities, causing serious abnormalities in the rhythm
of the heartbeat, specifically a life-threatening disorder known as torsades
de pointes. The heart arrhythmias referred to result primarily from interactions
between concomitant administration of nonsedating antihistamines and other drug products.
Clinical studies have shown that Allegra does not have adverse effects
on the electrical and chemical activities in the heart.
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Entering Felicity's liver.
Some drugs are broken down in the liver — converted to substances called metabolites.
With certain drugs, the result can be toxic, especially in
people with impaired liver function. But there is no major breakdown of Allegra in the liver.
In fact, Allegra already is a metabolite. So there is no need to adjust dosage for people
with impaired liver function. An adjustment in the starting dosage is recommended for patients
with decreased renal function.
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Allegra® (fexofenadine hydrochloride)
provides excellent nonsedating relief
of seasonal allergic rhinitis with no
clinically significant adverse effects
on the vital organs. Important product
information is available by clicking on
the "About Allegra" button.
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