Allegra Side Effects Center

What Is Allegra?

Allegra (fexofenadine hydrochloride) is an antihistamine used to treat allergic symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis, including:

• sneezing,
• runny nose,
• itchy or watery eyes, and
• urticaria (hives)

Allegra is available as a generic drug.

What Are Side Effects of Allegra?

Common side effects of Allegra include:

• nausea,
• diarrhea,
• upset stomach,
• muscle or back discomfort or pain,
• sleepiness,
• drowsiness,
• tiredness,
• headache, and
• menstrual cramps.

Contact your doctor if you have serious but less common side effects of Allegra including:

• allergic reactions,
• fever,
• chills,
• body aches,
• cough, or
• other flu symptoms.

Allegra may cause serious side effects including:

• hives,
• difficulty breathing,
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• fever,
• chills,
• body aches,
• cough, and
• flu-like symptoms

Get medical help right away, if you have any of the symptoms listed above.

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
• Serious heart symptoms such as fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in your chest; shortness of breath; and sudden dizziness, lightheartedness, or passing out;
• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.

This document does not contain all possible side effects and others may occur. Check with your physician for additional information about side effects.

Dosage for Allegra

Allegra is available in several strengths and forms; as tablets in strengths of 30, 60 and 180 mg, as 30 mg fast orally disintegrating tablets (available in foil blister packs and labeled "ODT"; the drug should not be touched by skin as it may begin to dissolve and reduce the oral dose) and as an oral suspension of 30mg per 5 ml.

Allegra In Children

The dosage is dependent on the age, weight and effectiveness of the drug; special care should be taken when prescribing this drug to infants and children to make sure the recommended dosage is given.

What Drugs, Substances, or Supplements Interact with Allegra?

Allegra may interact with:

• ketoconazole, or
• erythromycin

Allegra may also interact with other medicines that make you sleepy such as:

• cold or allergy medicine,
• sedatives,
• narcotic pain medicine,
• sleeping pills,
• muscle relaxers, and
• medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety

Allegra During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using Allegra; it is unknown if it will harm a fetus. It is unknown if Allegra passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding. Note that the Allegra ODT tablets (orally disintegrating tablets) contain 5.3 mg of phenylalanine and should not be used by individuals with phenylketonuria.

Additional Information

Our Allegra Side Effects Drug Center provides a comprehensive view of available drug information on the potential side effects when taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using fexofenadine and call your doctor at once if you have:

• flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, unusual tiredness);
• new or worsening cough;
• pain; or
• signs of an ear infection--fever, ear pain or full feeling, trouble hearing, drainage from the ear, fussiness in a child.

Common side effects may include:

• headache;
• back pain; or
• cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sinus pain, sore throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.