desloratadine vs ketoconazole

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Side-by-side comparison of desloratadine and ketoconazole. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS 7.1 Inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 3A4 In controlled clinical studies co-administration of desloratadine with ketoconazole, erythromycin, or azithromycin resulted in increased plasma concentrations of desloratadine and 3 hydroxydesloratadine, but there were no clinically relevant changes in the safety profile of desloratadine.

Drug Class
desloratadine Second-Generation Antihistamine
ketoconazole Azole Antifungal
Type
desloratadine Prescription
ketoconazole Over-the-Counter
Summary
desloratadine

Desloratadine is an antihistamine medicine. It helps relieve allergy symptoms.

ketoconazole

Ketoconazole shampoo is an antifungal medicine. It treats a fungal infection on your skin.

What It Treats
desloratadine

This medicine treats allergy symptoms. It can help with seasonal allergies like hay fever. It also treats year-round allergies and chronic hives by reducing itching and the number and size of hives.

ketoconazole

This shampoo treats tinea versicolor, a fungal infection. This infection can cause patches on your skin that are lighter or darker than the surrounding skin. These patches may appear on your trunk, neck, arms, and upper thighs.

How It Works
desloratadine

Desloratadine blocks histamine in your body. Histamine is a substance that causes allergy symptoms. By blocking histamine, this medicine reduces those symptoms.

ketoconazole

Ketoconazole is an antifungal medicine. It works by stopping the growth of the fungus. This helps to clear up the infection.

Common Side Effects
desloratadine
  • Sore throat
  • Dry mouth
  • Muscle pain
  • Tiredness
  • Sleepiness
ketoconazole

No common side effects listed.

FAERS Reports
desloratadine
  • Fatigue 601
  • Nausea 582
  • Dyspnoea 532
  • Headache 465
  • Diarrhoea 448
ketoconazole
  • Fatigue 929
  • Pruritus 902
  • Nausea 834
  • Rash 802
  • Diarrhoea 760
Serious Warnings
desloratadine

Stop taking this medicine and get medical help right away if you have an allergic reaction. Signs of a reaction include rash, itching, hives, swelling, trouble breathing, or anaphylaxis.

ketoconazole

You should not use this shampoo if you are allergic to ketoconazole or any of the other ingredients.

Pregnancy
desloratadine

Not enough studies have been done to know if desloratadine is safe during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if desloratadine passes into breast milk.

ketoconazole

It is not known if ketoconazole shampoo can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before using this medicine.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This desloratadine vs ketoconazole Comparison

desloratadine is classified in the Second-Generation Antihistamine drug class, while ketoconazole sits within the Azole Antifungal class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are split between OTC and prescription status, which affects access and supervision.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, desloratadine has 2,628 submissions while ketoconazole has 4,227. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to ketoconazole stops the body's natural process for breaking down desloratadine, which increases the amount of medicine in your bloodstream. this increase has not been shown to cause any dangerous side effects in clinical studies.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for desloratadine or ketoconazole.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.