Precautions and Warnings With Loratadine

Precautions and warnings with loratadine should be reviewed prior to beginning treatment to ensure a safe, successful treatment process. For example, you should talk to your healthcare provider if you have kidney or liver disease, as you may need a lower dose. Precautions and warnings with loratadine also extend to people with certain allergies and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

 

Loratadine: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?

You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking loratadine (Claritin®) if you have:
 
  • Kidney disease, such as kidney failure (renal failure)
  • Liver disease, including liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatitis
  • Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
     
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
 
  • Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
  • Breastfeeding.
     
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 

Specific Precautions and Warnings With Loratadine

Warnings and precautions to be aware of prior to taking loratadine include the following:
 
  • If you have liver or kidney disease, your body may not handle loratadine as well as it should. Check with your healthcare provider before loratadine Claritin, as you may need a lower dosage.
     
  • Loratadine can potentially interact with a few other medications (see Drug Interactions With Loratadine).
     
  • Loratadine is considered a pregnancy Category B medication. This means that it is probably safe for use during pregnancy, although the full risks are not currently known (see Claritin and Pregnancy).
     
  • Loratadine passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start, discuss this with your healthcare provider prior to taking the drug (see Claritin and Breastfeeding).
     
(Precautions and Warnings With Loratadine Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;