Sedation with "non-sedating" antihistamines: four prescription-event monitoring studies in general practice Commentary: Reporting of adverse events is worth the effort

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Abstract
Objectives: To investigate the frequency with which sedation was reported in post-marketing surveillance studies of four second generation antihistamines: loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine, and acrivastine. Design: Prescription-event monitoring studies. Setting: Prescriptions were obtained for each cohort in the immediate post-marketing period. Subjects: Event data were obtained for a total of 43 363 patients. Main outcome measure: Reporting of sedation or drowsiness. Results: The odds ratios (adjusted for age and sex) for the incidence of sedation were 0.63 (95% confidence interval 0.36 to 1.11; P=0.1) for fexofenadine; 2.79 (1.69 to 4.58; PConclusions: Although the risk of sedation was low with all four drugs, fexofenadine and loratadine may be more appropriate for people working in safety critical jobs.