Summary of commonly used H(1)-antihistamines in children, recommendations for use in specific clinical settings and available modalities of administration
| 1st generation | 2nd generation | Emergency | AR | Allergic conjunctivitis | CSU | Atopic eczema (pruritis) | FPIGA | Oral preparation | Intravenous preparation | Eye preparation | Nasal preparation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorphenamine | ✓ | ✓ (iv) | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
| Hydroxyzine | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ | |||||||||
| Ketotifen | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Promethazine | ✓ | ✓* | ✓ | |||||||||
| Cetirizine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Loratadine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Fexofenadine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||||||
| Levocetirizine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Desloratadine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Olopatadine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||||
| Acrivastine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||||
| Azelastine | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*First-generation H(1)-antihistamines use in atopic eczema should be short-term (7–14 days).
AR, allergic rhinitis; CSU, chronic spontaneous urticaria; FPIGA, food protein-induced gastrointestinal allergy.