PubMedDate not supplied
Pilots with allergic diseases, who need antihistaminic drug therapy, have to be grounded temporarily because this therapy is considered to interfere with flight safety due to its sedative effects. There is evidence that loratadine is practically void of these sedative effects, and therefore might be prescribed to pilots. A study was conducted to determine the effects of loratadine on performance and alertness. In a randomized, double-blind, within subjects design, 18 male subjects were studied, employing loratadine 10 mg, triprolidine hydrochloride 5 mg, and placebo. Objective (vigilance, complex tasks) and subjective tests, tailored to the specific tasks of aircrew, were applied under hypobaric conditions that prevail in an intact cockpit. With respect to alertness and performance, the results of this study showed no significant differences between loratadine and placebo during a period of 1 to 6 hours after drug ingestion. Triprolidine, used as a positive control, showed significant detrimental effects on both subjective and objective measures. It is anticipated that a single dose of loratadine 10 mg will not affect flying performance. This finding might also have implications for the treatment of allergic disorders of personnel involved in other highly skilled jobs.