Desloratadine vs Loratadine: Everything You Need to Know

Content by

Chemist Click

Authored by

Abbas Kanani MRPharmS

Last Updated

09 July 2025

Table of Contents

What is Desloratadine Used for?
Alternatives to Desloratadine: Other Antihistamine Options
Desloratadine vs Loratadine
Desloratadine vs Loratadine: A Comparison
The Key Differences Between Loratadine and Desloratadine
Summary

When it comes to hay fever medication, there are so many options to choose from, which can make it difficult to distinguish between what will work and what may not be so effective for you.

If you’re trying to decide whether to choose between Desloratadine and Loratadine, you’ll want to weigh up everything from dosage, active ingredients, how long the effects last for and side effects.

With so much information available, this can be confusing, so we’ve made this straightforward guide so you can establish fact from fiction and confidently decide on the best hay fever treatment for you.

What is Desloratadine Used for?

Desloratadine is an antihistamine tablet used to treat symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis).

It blocks the chemical histamine, which is released as your body responds and tries to protect itself from allergens such as pollen or dust mites. Desloratadine helps ward off irritating symptoms like:

Sneezing
Itchy skin or eyes
Watery eyes
Nasal congestion

We sell Desloratadine 5mg Tablets here at Chemist Click, as well as other hay fever and allergy medicines and nasal sprays.

Alternatives to Desloratadine: Other Antihistamine Options

The good news is that there are several alternatives to desloratadine if it's not quite for you.

We’ve selected and analysed the top treatments, so you can easily compare dosage, effectiveness, as well as side effects and cost. You can scroll down to the alternative of your choice to take a closer look at its features. In this section, we cover:

Desloratadine vs Loratadine
Desloratadine vs Claritin
Desloratadine vs Fexofenadine

This should give you a clearer picture of the best hay fever treatment for you. If you’re still uncertain, our qualified pharmacists can help you with a treatment plan based on your specific requirements.

Desloratadine vs Loratadine

Deciding on the best hay fever treatment isn’t always easy. When it comes to desloratadine vs loratadine, you’ll want to base your decision on your personal needs and lifestyle.

Most people need to try out different hay fever medicines to find out what works best for them. If you’re wanting to understand more about these two antihistamines specifically, we’ve created a simple comparison chart so you can easily get an overview of how each works.

Desloratadine vs Loratadine: A Comparison

Feature	Desloratadine	Loratadine
Type of treatment	Antihistamine (non-drowsy)	Antihistamine (non-drowsy)
Used for	Allergic rhinitis - hay fever Allergy - skin, dust mites, pets, food	Allergic rhinitis - hay fever Allergy - skin, dust mites, pets, food, insect bites and stings
Treats symptoms	Sneezing, nasal congestion, itchy skin, itchy red and watery eyes	Sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, nasal congestion, runny nose or postnasal drip, hives (itchy skin), itchy skin from insect bites, eczma, heat rash
Active ingredient	Desloratadine 5mg	Loratadine 10mg
Formula	Tablet, syrup	Tablet
Dose	One tablet daily	One tablet daily
Side Effects	Dry mouth, fatigue, headache	Headache, drowsiness, trouble sleeping, increase in appetite
Over the counter or prescription	Prescription	Over the counter
Available from Chemist Click	Yes	Yes

The Key Differences Between Loratadine and Desloratadine

Active ingredient, formula and price are the key differences between Loratadine and Desloratadine.

Looking at the comparison table, we can see that Loratadine tablets active ingredient is 10mg of Loratadine. Desloratadine is the active metabolite of loratadine. This means it is the product when loratadine is broken down in the body.

Loratadine is available in tablet form only, while you can take Desloratadine in tablet or as a syrup, which is usually recommended for children.

The cheapest of the two is Loratadine. Desloratadine is considered one of the strongest antihistamines, and that, coupled with high manufacturing costs, means that it's a slightly higher price to buy.

Desloratadine is safe to use for treating hay fever in children from one year up, while Loratadine can be given to children two years and older.

Side effects for both antihistamines are typically mild, while delivering powerful protection against allergens.

Now, let’s look at other non-drowsy antihistamine alternatives to Desloratadine.

Desloratadine vs Clarityn

Clarityn is a well-known antihistamine brand. It is sometimes referred to as Clarityn Allergy, Clarityn Rapide Allergy, or Claritin.

Clarityn is the licenced branded medication for Loratadine. They both have the same active ingredient and work similarly; the difference is that Clarityn is branded and Loratadine is not.

This also means that although they’re taken in the same way and have the same side effects, Clarityn is more expensive to buy than Loratadine.

The comparison between Desloratadine vs Clarityn is basically the same as comparing Desloratadine vs Loratadine.

Desloratadine vs Cetirizine

Cetirizine is another popular hay fever medicine, classified as a non-drowsy antihistamine.

Both Desloratadine and Cetirizine are taken once a day and used to treat mild to moderate allergies, including hay fever, hives, and conjunctivitis. You should never exceed this dosage or combine antihistamines, unless you have been medically advised otherwise.

Sleepiness can be experienced by some people when taking either antihistamine, but cetirizine is likely to cause this more than Desloratadine.

Desloratadine vs Fexofenadine

Just like Desloratadine, Fexofenadine is also a non-drowsy antihistamine tablet. It’s available in two different strengths, 120mg and 180mg. The lower 120mg dose is typically prescribed for hay fever allergies, while long-lasting hives and itchy skin tend to be treated with the 180mg dose.

Desloratadine takes a little longer to work, while the effects of Fexofenadine can be felt within an hour. Both antihistamines work for around 24 hours.

People with liver issues may find Fexofenadine to be better tolerated because it has minimal liver metabolism, in contrast to Desloratadine, which is primarily metabolised in the liver.

Summary

In this guide, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about Desloratadine vs Loratadine, two popular antihistamines commonly used to treat allergies.

While both are effective at alleviating symptoms like hay fever and hives, there are key differences between them.

Desloratadine is the active metabolite of Loratadine, meaning it works faster and is often preferred for those who need more immediate relief. Loratadine, on the other hand, is typically available in a wider variety of formulas, including liquid forms for children.

In terms of side effects, both medications are generally non-sedating, but desloratadine is often considered to have a lower risk of drowsiness. Both medications can be used by adults and children, with the recommended age depending on the specific product and formula.

This guide was created to help you easily understand these differences and make an informed choice when deciding which antihistamine is best for your needs. You can purchase both Desloratadine and Loratadine from Chemist Click, where we offer a range of options tailored to your preferences.

Sources

NHS.UK (n.d). Loratadine. Retrieved 26th February 2025, from: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/loratadine/

Whilst all of our content is written and reviewed by healthcare professionals, it is not intended to be substituted for or used as medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please speak to your doctor.