Can You Take Hyland's Homeopathic Products With Claritin?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses if Claritin is safe to take with Hyland's homeopathic products.
Can a two-year-old take Hyland's Nighttime Cold medicine if they have taken Claritin that morning?
Apr 19, 2022- There are no known drug interactions between Hyland's homeopathic products and Claritin, making them safe to take together. Hyland's products contain extremely small amounts of active ingredients due to high dilution, which makes significant drug interactions unlikely. While homeopathic products are generally safe regarding interactions, it's still a good idea to check with your healthcare provider about what's appropriate for your individual situation.
Hello and thanks for reaching out!
It's always a good idea to look into or ask about potential interactions when combining medications for the first time, and we're happy to help!
I'm going to lump in most of Hyland's product offerings into this answer since they all (as far as I can tell on their website) are homeopathic products, which generally have a very low risk of having drug interactions since they contain extremely small amounts of active ingredients.
When it comes to combining Claritin with Hyland's products, there are no known drug interactions between the two. They are safe to take together.
What Is In Hyland's Nighttime Cold Medicine?
As mentioned, Hyland's makes homeopathic products, which follow the principle of 'like cures like'. In other words, illnesses and symptoms are treated using a highly diluted ingredient that in larger doses, would cause the same symptoms or illness.
Since the active ingredients are highly diluted, they are unlikely to cause any significant drug interactions.
Let's take a look at the ingredients in Hyland's Nighttime Cold Medicine. It contains:
- Allium Cepa 6X HPUS
- Coffea Cruda 6X HPUS
- Chamomilla 6X
- Hepar Sulph Calc 12X HPUS
- Natrum Muriaticum 6X HPUS
- Phosphorus 12X HPUS
- Pulsatilla 6X HPUS
- Sulphur 12X HPUS
We can get an understanding of homeopathy in this product by focusing in on the first two ingredients.
The first ingredient, Allium Cepa, is another name for the common onion. For anyone that has cooked an onion, we know that it tends to cause eye-watering and nasal symptoms.
The second ingredient is Coffea Cruda, another name for unroasted coffee beans. Coffee typically has a stimulant effect.
These ingredients are added to this homeopathic preparation because, in usual amounts (e.g. a cup of coffee, or an onion mixed in with dinner), they would cause the symptoms that are being treated.
Now, the '6x' and '12x' you see in the ingredient list is the dilution factor.
Remember that homeopathic preparations are generally highly diluted. Every '1x' is a 1:10 dilution (1 part active ingredient per 10 parts non-active ingredient)
- 1X = 1/10
- 2X = 1/100
- 3X = 1/1000
- 6X = 1/1,000,000
- 12X = 1/1,000,000,000,000
So, Allium Cepa 6X means there is one part 'Allium Cepa' per 1,000,000 (one million) parts inactive ingredient (like water).
Do Hyland's Products Have Drug Interactions?
As mentioned at the beginning of this answer, it's extremely unlikely that any Hyland's homeopathic product will have a drug interaction since they contain such little active ingredient.
Hyland's website says as much in their FAQ section:
Q: Can Hyland's products be taken with other medicine?
A: In general, our products have no known drug interactions. Please consult your healthcare provider to see if particular products are appropriate in your individual case.
Hyland's Manufacturer Website
I do want to note that although the vast majority of homeopathic products are safe in regard to having minimal side effects and no drug interactions, that's not always the case. Zicam for one example, a homeopathic zinc product, was linked to a loss of taste and smell.
Final Words
Circling back to your question regarding the safety of combining Hyland's Nighttime Cold Medicine and Claritin, there is no known drug interaction between them. You can feel safe taking them both together.
Thanks again for reaching out to us! We hope this answer helped.
References & sources
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Homeopathic products
- Medicines made from highly diluted natural substances, based on the principle that very small amounts of ingredients that cause symptoms can treat those same symptoms.
- Drug interactions
- When two or more medications taken together affect how each other works in your body, potentially causing safety concerns or reduced effectiveness.
- Active ingredients
- The substances in a medicine that are responsible for producing the therapeutic effect or treating the condition.
- Dilution factor
- A measurement showing how much a substance has been diluted or weakened by mixing it with an inactive ingredient like water.
- Allium Cepa
- The scientific name for the common onion, used as an ingredient in homeopathic remedies.
- Coffea Cruda
- The scientific name for unroasted coffee beans, used as an ingredient in homeopathic remedies.
- HPUS
- Abbreviation for Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, a standard reference for homeopathic medicines.
- Side effects
- Unwanted or harmful effects that occur in addition to the intended therapeutic effect of a medication.