Can You Use Cannabis Safely if You Take Allegra?
Article written by
Dipak HemrajHead of Research and Education
Content reviewed by
Dr. Lewis JasseyMedical Director - Pediatric Medicine
Taking Allegra concurrently with cannabis is not likely to cause any serious adverse effects. Allegra, an allergy medication, may be positively or negatively affected by cannabis in your system, but no specific research on this is currently available. However, the two drugs may interact to cause side effects such as headaches, drowsiness, and a dry mouth.
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What Is Allegra?
Allegra is a non-drowsy antihistamine called fexofenadine hydrochloride, commonly known as a hay fever medication. Your healthcare provider may prescribe it, or you can purchase it over the counter from your local pharmacist.
Uses and How It Works
A few types of Allegra are available that can help with a wide range of symptoms, including relief from allergies, hives, and congestion. Most of these products are available in both 12-hour and 24-hour release forms, with a maximum dose of 180 mg daily for adults.
Allegra works like all antihistamines by blocking allergens — like dust and pollen — once they get in your body and stopping them from causing an allergic reaction.
Types of Allegra
Allegra Allergy provides allergy relief in both 12-hour and 24-hour release forms for the following symptoms:
- Sneezing
- Runny and or itchy nose
- Itchy and watery eyes
- Itchy and dry mouth or throat
Children’s Allegra Allergy provides relief for the same symptoms. A liquid form is available for children two years and older, and dissolvable tablets are available for children six years and older.
Allegra-D provides the same symptom relief as Allegra Allergy but also nasal congestion relief. It achieves this by the addition of pseudoephedrine, a decongestant drug.
Allegra Hives comes in a 24-hour release form and provides relief for hives and itching due to hives.
Adverse Effects
Allegra is called a “non-drowsy” antihistamine because it won’t make you feel as sleepy as other antihistamine drugs. Despite that classification, drowsiness is still an adverse effect of this medication.
The main adverse effects include:
- Drowsiness/sleepiness
- Headaches
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Nausea
It’s known that some foods and fruit juices — mainly grapefruit — can interact with antihistamine drugs. The cause of this interaction is the flavonoids found in these foods disrupting how the drug behaves in your body.
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Potential Risks of Mixing Cannabis and Allegra
As mentioned above, flavonoids affect how Allegra acts in your body. All cannabis varieties contain flavonoids. Because of this, cannabis may affect how Allegra behaves in your body if you take both simultaneously.
Some specific flavonoids have been found to limit the transport of fexofenadine around your body, reducing its effectiveness. These flavonoids include naringin and hesperidin, both commonly found in cannabis varieties. This means that if you take Allegra and cannabis simultaneously, the Allegra will likely not work as well as it usually does.
Allegra and cannabis also share similar side effects, including a dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, and headaches. Mixing Allegra with cannabis may intensify these side effects, such as giving you an extra dry mouth or making you drowsy and potentially even falling asleep.
So, while the risk of pairing medical marijuana use with Allegra is small, it’s still wise to proceed with caution.
The Bottom Line
Taking medical cannabis while using Allegra is most likely safe because it won’t cause severe reactions. Having cannabis in your system could potentially disrupt how Allegra acts in your body, but at this stage, it’s not known exactly how. Some risk also exists of intense adverse side effects from Allegra and cannabis.
Ultimately, it’s a good idea to consult your doctor about potential drug interactions if you’re considering using marijuana with any prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications.
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