Call to ban hay fever drug 'being used by UAE youths to get high'

Take our poll: UAE Consumer Protection Association urges the Ministry of Health to issue an urgent decision to ban pharmacies selling antihistamines without a medical prescription.

A consumer group has called for a ban on antihistamines being sold over the counter after claims the drug is being abused by youths.

The Sharjah-based Emirates Society for Consumer Protection said yesterday that it had begun an inquiry after receiving calls from concerned parents.

“We received phone calls from some parents who are complaining about their kids hooked up on these medicines,” said Ahmed Abou El Nil, the society’s media officer.

The society now wants the Ministry of Health (MoH) to make antihistamines prescription-only, even though it has yet to contact the ministry.

The group claims some children are taking 12 pills at a time to get a high, although one expert at an Abu Dhabi hospital said they had never heard of any such abuse.

If someone exceeds the recommended dosage, side-effects include blurred vision, slower reaction time and nausea.  The MoH said it had received no communication from the group.

However, Dr Lamya El Barasi, the chief pharmacist at Abu Dhabi’s Al Noor Hospital, said there never had been any such cases.

"No, I've never heard that. It does not cause addiction," she said.

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