Does Fexofenadine (Allegra) cause depression?

You are so right about the hydration. . . that is how I kicked my allergies.
I used to be one of those people who was "allergic to everything." My doctor recommended Allegra. Within 15 minutes, I had suicidal thoughts, which was definitely not my norm. Never again.

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Thank you. Confirms my suspicion!!!

Thanks for the post - extremely helpful to read.

Like yourself, I've had issues with depression and allergies / intolerances over many years. One by one I've made connections - triggers identified.

Like you I've had phases where I had complete erectile dysfunction and delayed, difficult ejaculation. Great to hear that you recovered in that area. I think it's a serious issue and why do many males commit suicide - antidepressants cause ED.

Allegra has a powerful effect in the brain. There is absolutely no question about that in my mind. I'm here today reading and writing this because I'm deeply depressed. I'm on 180mg x 2/day.

Prescribed in August (5 months ago) to help with itching / eczema, Allegra / Telfast immediately helped my mood. In fact I was transformed mentally as depression simply disappeared. I had many side effects (not ED) and physical energy reduction, nightmares, etc., but my itching eased and - amazingly, the antihistamine had acted as a very powerful antidepressant. There's plenty of talk about that online, too - histamine intolerance can cause depression.

But of course we humans are complicated organisms and things are not always stable.

As I suspected, the Allegra became less effective. Then it has, obviously, become counterproductive. We are very finely tuned in the brain and hormones. The poison is in the dose, etc.

It's very sad to read the struggles people have had through problems with this drug. In Scotland where I live it has to be obtained via a doctor and it's pretty terrible to think on other countries you can just self-medicate via the supermarket.

This has been really helpful reading. I now realise I'll need to stop taking Allegra. The original problem, eczema, is one I understand better now so hope to avoid triggers (alcohol principally).

I'm shocked, though, that such serious depression can follow from what seemed the opposite effect. Clearly it's a drug to avoid taking long term. It does help with allergies, but it has profound mood swing effects hugely variable to many of us - especially if we're prone to depression.

Another lesson learned!

I realize how old this thread is, but thank you! I took fexofenadine last evening for the first time. This morning, I woke up having so vivid of dreams about my childhood home, neighbors, their houses. I could smell the smells of my house, and SEE everything so clearly. Weirdly, at one point, I saw my mom wiping the counters down, and remember FEELING her desperation about where she was in life. I did NOT have a pleasant childhood in that house. I was so glad to wake up as an adult in my own place with my kids happy and safe.
I am one class and my practicums away from being able to sit for the federal nurse practitioner’s exam. I will be VERY cautious before giving anyone these medications. I take Flonase at times and have never noticed this kind of reaction from it, but I am definitely going to read up on it now!
M Fawks, RN

Sadly, due to the massive sums of money involved, the hidden dangers of these drugs and others are being swept under the rug. All we can do is let people know our experiences and hope they listen. However, most think we are crack pots!

I took fexofenadine (Allegra, without pseudoephedrine) for several YEARS and I just now realize that it must have caused my anxiety. I've been taking a different medication for a few days now and what the doctors diagnosed as "social anxiety" (palpitations, tension, anxiety, depression) seems to have vanished into thin air.
If you're experiencing similar things, I would recommend trying out a different antihistamine. I'm not going to name which one I'm using now because I'm not a doctor and don't want to take responsibility for other peoples medication, but the one I'm on is NOT Zyrtec, Allegra or Claritin.

BTW, I live in Finland so this is a global issue. I hope you guys feel better and I'm really sad to hear that some of you have lost friends and family members to depression. Medication can cause all kinds of issues and depression is definitely one of them.

I am so glad that came across this webpage. I have always had good mental health until I started taking Allegra to battle cat allergies. Previous I was taking a basic Kroger brand Antihistamine but that wasn’t working to well so I switch to Allegra. After I switch I became a mess mentally. I was overthinking everything in my life, having panic attacks at night with heart palpitations. Please stop taking Allegra if you are reading this. No allergy relief can measure up to the strain I felt mentally. Never in my life did I think I would consider suicide but this drug damn near drove me in that direction.

I have stopped taking Allegra for only 2 days now and I feel like I’m back on top of the world with no mental stress.

Yes in some people in my opinion and in my own experience it can cause depression..

In short...Yes it makes a normal person sick mentally as well as physically....say NO to allegra

Thank you everyone for sharing! I'm a 44 year old male with a wonderful wife, young children, and active lifestyle. I coach baseball, go to the gym, have a great job, however have been having allergy issues this year. The allergist suggested I begin taking Allegra. It seemed like a quick and simple fix and yes it has helped, however I have been depressed over the past month with incredible anxiety. I've been too tired and unmotivated to go to the gym. I haven't been able to pin point why. I thought it was the stress at work, but I've always had some level of stress at work which I manage through just fine. I've never felt like this ever in my life until now. I'm so happy I came across this site which confirmed my suspicions. I took an Allegra this morning, but will stop taking it now. I've been taking the 24 hour dosage. Thank you all for your comments and sharing. I feel better already!

Of course there are individual difference. Not everyone will have this reaction. I personally suffered from gradual escalating depression and borderline suididal thoughts over the course of 6 months while taking fexofenadine (Allegra D) in 2012. My husband and I had no idea what was going on with me. We finally consulted our pharmacist and discovered it could be the Fex. After a few weeks off it I was back to my old self. Background: I have no prior history of depression and have had no recurrences in the past 6 years. I hope this is helpful. If in doubt, simply stop the Fex and see what happens! Also FYI - I take Claritin D often and have no problems with it.

I have had allergic reactions like hives on off for many years. The hives can disappear for years then for no known reason appear again. Few years ago the hives cane back with a vengeance all my face swelled up I had hot angry hives all over my body. I was rushed to hospital and given an injection then prescribed Telfast it helped with the allergy however I didn’t initially attribute the dark thoughts to the antihistamine but it got so bad I bagan to wonder what was wrong with me. I finally phoned my son who advised me to stop taking everything apart from the blood pressure medication which is been taking for years before. I was concerned my allergy would return so I started using a different kind of antihistamine (Zyrtec) and the dark thoughts and depression disappeared. I’ve since discovered I’ve got urticaria that’s the reason my hives tend to disappear for long periods of time then suddenly appear.

Oh c**p, it seems like I was right. I've been able to sleep and haven't felt depressed since I stopped taking fexofenadine. I was actually put on antidepressants, but instead I stopped taking the allergy meds first and now I don't need the antidepressants anymore, because I've felt normal for over a month now. I just hope my doctor understands that they are the cause of my depression.
I put on weight, was hungry all the time and my face was swollen. None of that is happening now and I'm also able to lose weight, which I wasn't while I was taking fexofenadine.

This discussion was hard to find but worth the dig. I noticed that every time I took Allegra for more than two days in a row, I felt down and depressed. I too have been clinically depressed in the past and know how that feels. As soon as I stop taking Allegra, a day later I feel back on the upswing.

I'm so very, very sorry for your loss.
Many hugs to your Famiy, forever changed.
I'm so sorry. I hope you'll find peace in your hearts.