ABSTRACT
Dexchlorpheniramine was tested in 4 patients and there was one positive reaction. A 45-year-old woman, successfully treated for 2 years with oral dexchlorpheniramine maleate for allergic rhinitis, applied dexchlorpheniramine maleate cream to insect bites on right leg. A patient, 52-year-old man with a 3-month history of itchy eczema on the abdomen, was prescribed dexchlorpheniramine maleate cream, which he had safely used in the past. Both patients were patch tested with the cream, its ingredients, dexchlorpheniramine maleate, related alkylamine antihistamines and both had ++ reactions to the cream 'as is', and to dexchlorpheniramine maleate, pheniramine maleate, chlorpheniramine maleate and brompheniramine maleate, all tested 1% water. Patch tests with the pure drug, antihistamines were positive to dexchlorpheniramine maleate, pheniramine and 2 antihistamines of another class, mepyramine HCl and diphenhydramine HCl. The patients who had developed allergic contact dermatitis from a cream containing dexchlorpheniramine maleate, cross-reacted to pheniramine maleate, chlorpheniramine maleate and brompheniramine maleate 1% water and another one to pheniramine 2% pet.
