Antihistamines Research Paper
Histamines and Antihistamines Neurotransmitters are chemical compounds that are central nervous system stimulants that mainly transmit nerve impulses with another cell or muscle. They are released in the synapse which chemically help signal one neuron to the next. One of the nerve cells that influence neurotransmitter release and stimulate the central nervous system pathway are histamines. It is specifically located in the nerve cells of the hypothalamus. All neurotransmitters structurally contain amines and are synthesized from amino acids in our diet. They are typically ionized, which means they undergo some positively charged chemical functionality. Histamine is an organic molecule chemically generated from the amino acid
…show more content…
First generation antihistamines include, brompheniramine (Dimetane), hydroxyzine (Vistaril), chlorpheniramine (Aller-Chlor), clemastine (Tavist), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Most of the first-gen medications are recommended less often due to their side effects. They are capable of moderately to severely impairing a person depending on dosage. This is because all first generation antihistamines are highly lipophilic and that enables them to easily pass through a blood-brain barrier. So while they are effective at reducing allergy symptoms, it also affects their central nervous system. This makes the person much more susceptible to the sedating effects and why there are so many warnings against taking allergy medications with alcohol. The second generation antihistamines are regarded as less sedating because they have been designed to be hydrophobic and to not cross the blood-brain barrier. Second generation Antihistamines include loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), and levocetirizine (Xyzal). In addition to causing less severe side effects, this class of medications have longer half lives than their predecessors. This is a great benefit to patients since dosages could be dropped from several times a day to just one or two per day. Third generation antihistamines are a refined version of their
First generation antihistamines include, brompheniramine (Dimetane), hydroxyzine (Vistaril), chlorpheniramine (Aller-Chlor), clemastine (Tavist), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Most of the first-gen medications are recommended less often due to their side effects. They are capable of moderately to severely impairing a person depending on dosage. This is because all first generation antihistamines are highly lipophilic and that enables them to easily pass through a blood-brain barrier. So while they are effective at reducing allergy symptoms, it also affects their central nervous system. This makes the person much more susceptible to the sedating effects and why there are so many warnings against taking allergy medications with alcohol. The second generation antihistamines are regarded as less sedating because they have been designed to be hydrophobic and to not cross the blood-brain barrier. Second generation Antihistamines include loratadine (Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec), and levocetirizine (Xyzal). In addition to causing less severe side effects, this class of medications have longer half lives than their predecessors. This is a great benefit to patients since dosages could be dropped from several times a day to just one or two per day. Third generation antihistamines are a refined version of their