A Comparison of Central and Peripheral Effects of Cetirizine and Loratadine

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Abstract
In a double-blind, crossover, randomized clinical pharmacological study performed on 10 healthy volunteers, peripheral and central effects of 10 mg cetirizine and 10 and 40 mg loratadine were compared. Cetirizine (10 mg) significantly ( P < 0.001) inhibited 10 or 100 mg/ml histamine-induced weals 2 and 6 h after drug intake. Cetirizine was more potent than 10 mg loratadine after 2 and 6 h, and was even more potent than 40 mg loratadine after 6 h. Neither drug affected subjective evaluation of central effects and cetirizine was completely devoid of electro-encephalographic (EEG) changes, whereas 10 and 40 mg loratadine induced only slight and limited EEG changes.