Newsgroups: sci.med
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From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer)
Subject: Re: Hismanal, et. al.--side effects
Message-ID: <1993Apr21.024103.29880@spdcc.com>
Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA
References: <1993Apr20.212706.820@lrc.edu>
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1993 02:41:03 GMT
Lines: 15

In article <1993Apr20.212706.820@lrc.edu> kjiv@lrc.edu writes:
>Can someone tell me whether or not any of the following medications 
>has been linked to rapid/excessive weight gain and/or a distorted 
>sense of taste or smell:  Hismanal; Azmacort (a topical steroid to 
>prevent asthma); Vancenase.

Hismanal (astemizole) is most definitely linked to weight gain.
It really is peculiar that some antihistamines have this effect,
and even more so an antihistamine like astemizole which purportedly
doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier and so tends not to cause
drowsiness.

-- 
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
