Acrivastine is a medication used for the treatment of allergies and hay fever. It is a second-generation H1-receptor antagonist

antihistamine Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provid ...

(like its base molecule

triprolidine Triprolidine is an over-the-counter antihistamine with anticholinergic properties. It is used to combat the symptoms associated with allergies and is sometimes combined with other cold medications designed to provide general relief for flu-like ...

) and works by blocking

histamine H1 receptor The H1 receptor is a histamine receptor belonging to the family of rhodopsin-like G-protein-coupled receptors. This receptor is activated by the biogenic amine histamine. It is expressed in smooth muscles, on vascular endothelial cells, in the h ...

s. This non-sedating antihistamine is sold under the brand name Benadryl Allergy Relief in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

McNeil Laboratories McNeil Consumer Healthcare is an American medicals products company belonging to the Johnson & Johnson healthcare products group. It primarily sells fast-moving consumer goods such as over-the-counter drugs. History The company was founded on M ...

. It should not be confused with

Benadryl Benadryl is a brand of various antihistamine medications used to stop allergies, whose content varies in different countries, but which includes some combination of diphenhydramine, acrivastine, and/or cetirizine. It is sold by Johnson & Joh ...

Once a Day which has

cetirizine Cetirizine, sold under the brand name Zyrtec among others, is a second-generation antihistamine used to treat allergic rhinitis (hay fever), dermatitis, and urticaria (hives). It is taken by mouth. Effects generally begin within thirty minutes a ...

as the active ingredient and is also sold by McNeil in the UK, nor with the American Benadryl, which uses

diphenhydramine Diphenhydramine (DPH) is an antihistamine and sedative mainly used to treat allergies, insomnia, and symptoms of the common cold. It is also less commonly used for tremor in parkinsonism, and nausea. It is taken by mouth, injected into ...

as its active ingredient. It is available as an over-the-counter medicine in the UK, and is available with or without pseudoephedrine under the Benadryl brand. In the U.S., acrivastine is the active ingredient in the Semprex brand. Semprex-D also contains the

decongestant A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter ...

pseudoephedrine. Semprex-D is marketed in the U.S. by Actient Pharmaceuticals.

Comparisons with other popular antihistamines

Unlike

loratadine Loratadine, sold under the brand name Claritin among others, is a medication used to treat allergies. This includes allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and hives. It is also available in combination with pseudoephedrine, a decongestant, known as lora ...

, for which the standard dose is one tablet per day, a single acrivastine tablet may be taken up to three times a day. It is not to be taken by people over the age of 65, pregnant women, or people with compromised liver or kidney function.

References

H1 receptor antagonists Pyridines Pyrrolidines Alkene derivatives Peripherally selective drugs 4-Tolyl compounds {{respiratory-system-drug-stub