How long should I give DS 24 hour Claritan (Loratadine) before seeing a difference?

[AprilM]

Ds's pedi prescribed this for him because he has been congested now for about 5 weeks, so I gave him 2 doses (2 days) and on the morning of the 3rd day, he woke up worse than before. And he was VERY moody. SO I took him off of it, but DS still wakes up with congestion each morning.

Did I give up on the Claritan too fast? I am not even sure his congestion is allergy related, and I didn't want to keep him on a daily med if I didn't have to.

Thanks ladies.

[kjbrown92]

how old is he?
has anything changed during that time (diet wise or environmental besides pollens)?
Claritin took a while for it to work for me, at least a few days. And didn't even work very well. Zyrtec works well for my kids.
My doctor said you can look at the nasal passages and tell whether it's allergy related (bluish) or a cold (pink/reddish).
Dairy is a common cause of congestion.

[True Blue]

Claritin can take, IIRC, up to 2 weeks before being fully effective. Crabbiness can be a side effect, or it could be because he was so extra stuffy lol. Zyrtec works better for indoor allergies.

[ILoveMyBabyBird]

I am having the same issue with ds. He is coughing more but I am wondering if the meds are loosening the mucous so he can breath better etc.?