Performing successful skin testing requires the absence of antihistamines from the bloodstream.
Stop taking these allergy medications 7 days to prior to skin testing:
Allegra (fexofenadine) or Allegra-D
Claritin (loratidine) or Claritin D or Claritin D24 or Alemast or Walitin
Clarinex (desloratidine) or Clarinex D
Xyzal (levcetirizine)
Zyrtec (cetirizine)
Stop taking these allergy medications 3 days to prior to skin testing:
Astelin or Astepro Nasal Spray, Optivar eye drops (azelastine)
Patanase, Patanol, Pataday (olopatadine)
Pazeo eye drops (olopatadine)
Stop taking these allergy medications 3 days to prior to skin testing:
Axid (nizatidine)
Bonine (meclizine)
Brompheniramine (Alka-Seltzer Plus, Contac, Dimetane, Dimetapp, Vicks Dayquil)
Chlorpheniramine maleate (Allerest, Comtrex, Contac, Coracidin, Sinarest, Sinutab, Theraflu, Triaminic, Pediacare, Tylenol Allergy, Tylenol Cold, Tylenol Flu, Vicks 44)
Diphenhydramine (Actifed, Benadryl, Benylin, etc.)
Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
Optimine (azatadine)
Pepcid (famotidine)
Periactin (cyproheptadine)
Semprex (acrivistine)and Semprex-D
Tagamet (cimetidine)
Tavist (clemastine) and Tavist-D
Any antihistamine not listed above. Check all over-the-counter cold or allergy remedies.
Beta-blockers, medications used to treat high blood pressure, certain heart problems, and migraine headache, increase the risk of adverse reactions during skin testing. Those unable to stop beta-blockers for 24 hours before skin testing should have an allergy blood test instead. Beta-blockers include: acebutolol, atenolol, Betapace, betaxolol, bisoprolol, Brevibloc, Bystolic, Byvalson, Coreg, Corgard, carvedilol, esmolol, Hemangeol, Inderal LA, Innppran XL, Kapspargo Sprinkle, Levatol, Kerlone, Lopressor, metaprolol, nadolol, pidolol, propranolol, Sectral, Sorine, sotalol, Sotylize, Tenormin, Toprol-XL, Timolide, and Zebeta.
- DON’T STOP USING STEROID NASAL SPRAYS, NASOCROM, OR ANY ASTHMA MEDICATION.