Allergy, antihistamines and flying
Hi all.
When reading our completely new ops manual the other day, I found a paragraph I hadn't noted before, talking about antihistamines. It says that we may not operate aircraft within 34 hours (?) after taking medication containing antihistamines.
I am moderately allergic to grass, and the last 4-5 summers I've taken antihistamines regularly (last two years the brand Cetirizin Ratiopharm 10mg, namely). I've of course mentioned this to my aviation physicians, I've seen 2 in the last 3 years, and none of them had anything to say on that.
From my own experience they do not cause any notable side effects, however if I forget to take them, I develop itching in the mouth/throat, itchy and runny nose and eyes. So from my personal standpoint I don't see that I would be fit to fly without taking antihistamines.
So what is overruling, the aviation physicians silent (implicit) acceptance, or the hard wording in our ops manual? I tend to think the latter. Would it be possible to get an explicit release from the aviation physician/aviation medicine board, or should I seek alternative treatment? I've heard it's possible to get a shot, however I've also heard it's not very effective.