Pseudoephedrine and triprolidine are medications that each have a different effect on the body, but together can help treat symptoms of certain conditions. Typical symptoms that the drugs can treat include runny nose, skin rash and watering eyes. Allergic reactions to environmental stimuli are one group of medical problems that a patient may be able to improve with the drugs, and pseudoephedrine and triprolidine can also help with cold-like symptoms that do not result from allergies.
Tripolidine affects the ability of the body to react to allergens. It blocks a receptor that recognizes a chemical signal called histamine. Histamine sparks off allergic reactions in people who have hypersensitivity. Due to the action of tripolidine, the person does not develop the watering eyes, sneezes and runny nose that the high levels of histamine would otherwise produce.
Pseudoephedrine reduces the diameter of blood vessels by acting directly on nerve endings, which then produce norepinephrine. Norepinephrine affects certain receptors elsewhere in the body. As a result, blood vessels reduce in size. When they reduce in size, the tissue that surrounds them, such as the tissue inside the nose, shrinks too. This effect may be useful in cases where the tissue is swollen, such as allergies.
This reduction in swelling of the tissues soothes the affected cells and causes a reduction in symptoms. In the nose, for example, when pseudoepinephrine constricts the blood vessels, the inside of the nose becomes less stuffy. Whether the vessels are affected by allergies or not does not seem to matter.
Conditions that are due to allergy, and that may benefit from treatment with pseudoephedrine and triprolidine include allergies that occur only at certain times of the year, such as pollen allergies. As well as these seasonal problems, people who have allergies all year round can also use pseudoephedrine and triprolidine. Those with infections that cause similar symptoms to allergies, such as cold viruses, may also find relief using the drugs. Finally, those people who suffer from nasal congestion, irritated eyes and sneezing for no known reason can also take the medicine to treat the symptoms.
Asthma sufferers, and others who have issues with the lower respiratory tract, are not typically suitable candidates for pseudoephedrine and triprolidine treatment. An appropriate dosage depends on the individual, and kids under the age of two may not be suitable candidates. The drugs can also interact adversely with other medications, like sedatives or the monoamine oxidase inhibitor group of antidepressants.