Patient leaflet - Desloratadine 0.5 mg / ml oral solution
1. What Desloratadine is and what it is used for
Desloratadine Oral Solution contains the active substance desloratadine which is an antihistamine. It helps control your allergic reaction and its symptoms.
Desloratadine relieves symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal passages caused by an allergy, for example, hay fever or allergy to dust mites) in adults, adolescents and children over 1 year of age. These symptoms include sneezing, runny or itchy nose, itchy palate, and itchy, red or watery eyes. Desloratadine is also used to relieve the symptoms associated with urticaria (a skin condition caused by an allergy).
These symptoms include itching and hives. Relief of these symptoms lasts a full day and helps you to resume your normal daily activities and sleep.
2. What you need to know before you take Desloratadine
Do not take Desloratadine:
if you are allergic to desloratadine or any of the
other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6) or to loratadine.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking desloratadine:
- if you have poor kidney function
if you have medical or familial history of
seizures.
Children and adolescents
Do not give this medicine to children less than 1 year of age.
Other medicines and Desloratadine
There are no known interactions of desloratadine with other medicines.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Desloratadine with food, drink and alcohol
May be taken with or without a meal (see section 3). Use caution when taking
desloratadine with alcohol.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
The use of desloratadine during pregnancy and breast-feeding is not recommended.
3. How to take Desloratadine
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. There is a double ended spoon provided with this pack to measure doses of 2.5 ml (small end of spoon) or 5 ml (large end of spoon) as required for the doses recommended below.
The recommended doses are:
Children 1 to 5 years of age: take 2.5ml (one 2.5ml spoonful) once a day.
Children 6 to 11 years of age: take 5 ml (one 5 ml spoonful) once a day.
Adults and adolescents (12 years of age and older): take 10 ml (two 5 ml spoonfuls) once a day. This medicine is for oral use.
Swallow the dose of oral solution and then drink some water. You can take this medicine with or without food.
Duration of treatment:
Your doctor will determine the type of allergic rhinitis you are suffering from and will determine for how long you should take desloratadine. If your allergic rhinitis is intermittent (presence of symptoms for less than 4 days per week or for If you are pregnant or breast feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
There is no data available on male/female fertility. Driving and using machines
At the recommended dose, this medicine is not expected to affect your ability to drive or use machines. However, very rarely some people experience drowsiness, which may affect their ability to concentrate and react.
Make sure you are not affected before you drive or operate machinery.
Desloratadine Oral Solution contains sorbitol (E420)
This medicine contains sorbitol. If you have been told by your doctor that you (or your child) have an intolerance to some sugars or if you have been
diagnosed with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a rare genetic disorder in which a person cannot break down fructose, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.
Desloratadine Oral Solution contains propylene glycol (E1520)
This medicine contains 100 mg propylene glycol (E1520) in each ml of oral solution.
Desloratadine Oral Solution contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1mmol sodium (23 mg) per dose, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
P3938T
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side
effects, although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects have been reported very rarely (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
severe allergic reactions (difficulty
in breathing, wheezing, itching, hives, swelling of the face, mouth or throat) and rash. If you experience any of these symptoms stop taking this medicine and seek medical attention IMMEDIATELY. In clinical studies in adults, side effects were about the same as with a dummy solution or tablet. However, common side effect in children less than 2 years of age were diarrhoea, fever and insomnia while in adults, fatigue, dry mouth and headache were reported more often than with a dummy tablet.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you suffer from any of the following other side effects: Common in children less than 2 years of age (may affect up to 1 in 10 children):
- diarrhoea
- fever
- insomnia.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
- fatigue
- dry mouth
- headache.
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
- severe allergic reactions
- rash
palpitations (feeling your heartbeat) or rapid
heartbeat
- seizures (fits)
liver inflammation (signs are yellowing of the
skin, loss of appetite, stomach discomfort, pale stools and dark urine) and abnormal liver function tests
- hallucinations
stomach pain, feeling or being sick,
indigestion/upset stomach, diarrhoea, vomiting
- dizziness, sleepiness, difficulty in sleeping
- muscle pain
- restlessness with increased body movement. Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data): P3938T less than 4 weeks), your doctor will recommend you a treatment schedule that will depend on the evaluation of the history of your disease. If your allergic rhinitis is persistent (presence of symptoms for 4 days or more per week and for more than 4 weeks), your doctor may recommend you a longer term treatment.
For urticaria, the duration of treatment may be variable from patient to patient and therefore you should follow the instructions of your doctor. If you take more Desloratadine than you should
Take desloratadine only as it is prescribed for you. No serious problems are expected if you were to accidentally take too much medicine. However, if you take more medicine than you were told to, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
If you forget to take Desloratadine
If you forget to take your dose on time, take it as soon as possible, then go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Desloratadine
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
5. How to store Desloratadine
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and bottle label after “EXP”. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not store above 30ºC. Store in the original package in order to protect from light. Do not use this medicine if you notice any change in the appearance of the solution.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
- increased sensitivity of the skin to the sun, even in the case of hazy sun and to UV light, for instance to UV lights of a solarium
- yellowing of the skin and/or the eyes
- abnormal behaviour
- aggression
- changes in the way the heart beats
- feeling of weakness.
- depressed mood
- dry eyes
- weight increased, increased appetite Children
(Not known, frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
- slow - heartbeat,
- change in the way heart beats
- abnormal behaviour
- aggression.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Desloratadine Oral Solution contains
The active substance is desloratadine. Each 1 ml of oral solution contains 0.5 mg of desloratadine. The other ingredients are: propylene glycol, sorbitol liquid non-crystallising (E420), citric acid anhydrous, sodium citrate, disodium edetate, hypromellose, sucralose, bubble gum flavour containing propylene glycol and flavourings, purified water.
What Desloratadine Oral Solution looks like and contents of the pack
The solution is a clear, slightly brown solution with a bubblegum flavour.
Desloratadine Oral Solution is available in pack sizes of 50ml, 60ml, 100ml, 120ml or 150ml. (Not all pack sizes may be marketed). For all packs a measuring spoon is provided, marked for doses of 2.5 ml and 5 ml.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Crescent Pharma Ltd., Key House,
Sarum Hill, Basingstoke, RG21 8SR, UK. This leaflet was last revised in April 2026. If you would like this leaflet in a different format please contact the marketing authorisation holder at the above address.