DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a registered pharmacist in New Jersey. I read your column almost every day out of professional interest. Recently you had an article that centered on the allergy medication, Allegra-D. The writer was concerned because she found the pills in her stool and her husband found many in the septic tank.

Your conclusion that it was not working was incorrect. Finding the pill in the stool is perfectly normal. Allegra-D is an extended-release product. It works like a little pump as it passes through the GI tract, slowly releasing the medications contained therein over a certain time period. The spent carcass of the dosage form is expelled upon defecation which is why the tablet must be swallowed whole, not crushed or chewed. Many controlled-release/extended-release/time-release tablets and [Read more...]