What is antihistamine drugs ?

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Chapter17: Drugs And Medicine: Healing, Helping, And Hurting
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What is antihistamine drugs ?

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Step 1 : Introduction :

Antihistamine drug-

Antihistamine is a type of drugs that prevents the physiological action of histamines.

Histamine is an nitrogenous organic compound  which is involved in local immune responses and also acts as a neurotransmitter.

It is also involved in the inflammatory response.

It is a mediator of pruritus.

Histamine is produced by basophils and is found in tissues that are connected nearby.  In humans, histamine is found in nearly all tissues, where it is stored mainly in mast cells.

The permeability of white blood cells is increased by histamine and this allows the pathogens to get engaged with the infected tissues.

Antihistamine drugs are used for treatment of allergies.

  • When our body is exposed to certain substances  like pet dander, pollen and dust mites, a chemical called histamine is formed that causes allergies.
  • Symptoms of common allergy : swelling of the nose, running eyes, sometimes even itching in the mouth.
  • Antihistamines drugs hinders  the functioning of histamines and protect us from the allergy.
  • They work against the symptoms of different kinds of allergies, which include hay fever, food allergy, etc.
  • In case of nasal congestion, the doctor  advices an intake of decongestant. Some such drugs are formed by the combination of antihistamines and decongestants.
  • Antihistamines are used in the treatment of any allergy.
  • Brompheniramine (Dimetapp) and terfenadine (Seldane) are synthetic drugs, which act as antihistamines. These drugs actually interfere with the natural action of histamines. They compete with the histamines in order to obtain the binding sites of the receptor, where histamines exert their effect.
  • Antihistamines are basically divided into two.

  • First generation Antihistamine : They block the action of histamine at the H₁ receptor, helping to relieve from allergic reactions. They are also known as H1 blockers.

  • Second generation Antihistamine : They don't cause sedation and drying as that of first generation drugs. They have large molecular size.
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