Acrivastine is a medication used for the treatment of allergies and

hay fever Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of rhinitis, inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a Allergy, type I hypersensitivity re ...

. 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 provides ...

(like its base molecule triprolidine) and works by blocking histamine H1 receptors. 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

by McNeil Laboratories. It should not be confused with

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

Once a Day which has cetirizine as the active ingredient and is also sold by McNeil in the UK, nor with the American Benadryl, which uses

diphenhydramine Diphenhydramine, sold under the brand name Benadryl among others, is an antihistamine and sedative. Although generally considered sedating, diphenhydramine can cause paradoxical central nervous system stimulation in some individuals, particula ...

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 was the active ingredient in Semprex-D. Semprex-D also contains the decongestant pseudoephedrine. Semprex-D was marketed in the U.S. by Actient Pharmaceuticals. Neither version of Semprex-D have been manufactured for sale in the US since 2008.

Comparisons with other popular antihistamines

Unlike cetirizine or loratadine, 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

{{Histaminergics H1 receptor antagonists Disubstituted pyridines 1-Pyrrolidinyl compounds Alkene derivatives Peripherally selective drugs 4-Tolyl compounds