Antihistamines

Excerpt

Antihistamines are a pharmaceutical class of drugs that act to treat histamine-mediated conditions. There are two main classes of histamine receptors: H-1 receptors and H-2 receptors. Antihistamine drugs that bind to H-1 receptors are generally used to treat allergies and allergic rhinitis. Drugs that bind to H-2 receptors can treat upper gastrointestinal conditions that are caused by excessive stomach acid. This activity reviews the indications, contraindications, activity, adverse events, and other vital elements of antihistamine therapy in the clinical setting as relates to the essential points needed by members of an interprofessional team managing the care of patients with conditions that respond to histamine receptor blockade.