Tavegil tablets contain the active ingredient clemastine, which is a type of medicine called a sedating antihistamine. It works by preventing the actions of histamine.
What is it used for?
- Relieving the symptoms of allergic conditions such as hayfever, pet allergies, nettle rash (urticaria) and reactions to insect bites or medicines.
- Relieving the symptoms of a more serious allergic reaction called angioneurotic oedema, which causes swelling of the eyes, lips, tongue or throat.
- Relieving itching associated with chickenpox or eczema.
How does it work?
- Tavegil tablets contain the active ingredient clemastine, which is a type of medicine called a sedating antihistamine. It works by preventing the actions of histamine.
- Histamine is a substance produced by the body as part of its defence mechanisms. It is stored in cells called mast cells, in almost all tissues of the body.
How do I take it?
- Adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over should take one tablet twice a day (one in the morning and one at night) when needed to relieve symptoms. If necessary this dose may be increased to a maximum of six tablets daily.
- For children the dose varies depending on the age of the child:
- For children aged one to three years, one quarter to one half of a tablet should be given twice a day.
- For children aged three to six years, half a tablet should be given twice a day.
- For children aged six to twelve years, half a tablet to one tablet should be given twice a day.
- The tablets can be taken either with or without food.
- Do not exceed the recommended dose.
- You can continue to take the medicine each day to relieve your symptoms for as long as you are exposed to the allergen, for example throughout the pollen season. Follow the instructions given by your doctor.
- If symptoms persist despite treatment, seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
Warning!
- This medicine may cause drowsiness, blurred vision or dizziness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. If children are affected they should avoid potentially hazardous activities such as riding bikes or climbing trees.
- You should not drink alcohol while taking this medicine as it is likely to make any drowsiness or dizziness worse.
- If you are due to have any skin prick or patch tests to diagnose allergies you should stop taking your antihistamines at least 48 hours before the tests. This is because antihistamines can prevent or reduce the skin reactions that indicate an allergy, and so can make the test results unreliable.
Use with caution in
- Elderly people.
- Liver disease.
- Men with an enlarged prostate gland (prostatic hypertrophy).
- People who have difficulty passing urine.
- People with an obstruction in the gut.
- People with raised pressure in the eye or glaucoma.
- Epilepsy.
Not to be used in
- Children under one year of age.
- People with a rare inherited blood disorder called porphyria.
- Tavegil tablets contain lactose and should not be taken by people with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.
- This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- The safety of this medicine during pregnancy has not been established. It should be avoided during pregnancy, unless the potential benefits to the mother outweigh any possible risk to the developing baby. This is particularly important during the first and third trimesters. As with all medicines, seek medical advice from your doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant.
- This medicine may pass into breast milk. It should be avoided by breastfeeding mothers unless the potential benefits to the mother outweigh any possible risk to the nursing infant. As with all medicines, seek medical advice from your doctor before using this medicine if you are breastfeeding.
Label warnings
This medication may cause drowsiness. If affected do not drive or operate machinery. Avoid alcoholic drink.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
Common
- Drowsiness.
- Fatigue.
Uncommon
- Dizziness.
Rare
- Headache.
- Disturbances of the gut.
- Nausea.
- Dry mouth.
- Skin rash.
- Excitability.
- Shortness of breath (dyspnoea).
- Weakness or loss of strength (asthenia).
Very rare
- Constipation.
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia).
- Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations).
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start taking this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to make sure that the combination is safe.
There may be an increased risk of drowsiness if this medicine is taken with any of the following (which can also cause drowsiness):
- alcohol
- antipsychotics, eg haloperidol, chlorpromazine
- barbiturates, eg phenobarbital, amobarbital
- benzodiazepines, eg diazepam, temazepam
- other sedating antihistamines, eg hydroxyzine, chlorphenamine
- monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants (MAOIs), eg phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid
- sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone
- strong opioid painkillers, eg morphine, codeine, tramadol
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.
There may be an increased risk of side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, difficulty passing urine or confusion if clemastine is taken with other medicines that have anticholinergic effects, such as the following:
- anticholinergic medicines for Parkinson's symptoms, eg procyclidine, orphenadrine, trihexiphenidyl
- anticholinergic medicines for urinary incontinence, eg tolterodine, oxybutynin
- antipsychotics, eg chlorpromazine, clozapine
- antispasmodics, eg hyoscine, atropine
- monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants (MAOIs), eg phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid
- muscle relaxants, eg baclofen
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline, imipramine.
- Antihistamines may oppose the effect of histamine (used to treat leukaemia) and are not recommended for people having this treatment.
Antihistamines may also oppose the effect of betahistine (used to treat Ménière's disease).
References:
http://www.medicalook.com/reviews/Tavegil.html
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/allergy-and-asthma/a7619/tavegil-clemastine/
https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/21054
https://www.drugs.com/uk/tavegil-tablets-spc-8512.html
https://patient.info/medicine/clemastine-tablets-tavegil
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