Claritin (Loratadine) Recommended Dosing
For adults and children 6 years and older, the recommended dose of Claritin is 10 mg once daily; for children 2 to under 6 years of age, the dose is 5 mg once daily. 1
Standard Dosing by Age Group
Adults and Children ≥6 Years
- 10 mg (2 teaspoonfuls of syrup or one 10 mg tablet) once daily 1
- Do not exceed 10 mg in 24 hours 1
- Once-daily dosing provides at least 24 hours of symptom relief 2
Children 2 to Under 6 Years
- 5 mg (1 teaspoonful of syrup) once daily 1
- Do not exceed 5 mg in 24 hours 1
- This dosing has been shown effective and safe in controlled studies of children aged 3-12 years with allergic rhinitis 3
Children Under 2 Years
Special Populations
Patients with Liver or Kidney Disease
- Consult a physician for appropriate dosing 1
- Dose adjustment may be necessary due to altered drug clearance in these populations 1
Pharmacokinetic Considerations
- Onset of action occurs within 1 hour, with peak effect at 1-2 hours for the parent drug 2
- Duration of action is at least 24 hours, supporting once-daily dosing 2
- The active metabolite (descarboethoxyloratadine) reaches peak concentration in 3-4 hours and has an elimination half-life of approximately 20 hours 2
Clinical Efficacy
- Loratadine 10 mg daily has demonstrated superiority to placebo and equivalence to other antihistamines in treating allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria 4
- In pediatric studies, loratadine syrup 5-10 mg once daily significantly improved symptom scores compared to placebo at both 7 and 21 days of treatment 3
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Do not exceed the recommended daily dose - there is no evidence of increased efficacy with higher doses, and safety has not been established 1
- Avoid splitting the once-daily dose into twice-daily administration - the pharmacokinetic profile is optimized for once-daily dosing 2
- Do not use standard adult dosing in young children - children 2 to under 6 years require half the adult dose 1