How do anti-histamine drugs help Interstitial Cystitis?
At present we little understand how anti-histamine drugs work. Most specifically the anti-histamine drugs which seem to help in the condition of Interstitial Cystitis is that group of agents known as H2 receptor antagonists. These are anti-histamines which specifically inhibit the histamine stimulus brought out by stimulating a type of receptor called the H2 receptor. This is well established in gastric and duodenal ulcer disease where stimulation of the H2 receptors produces large amounts of gastric acid to be secreted into the stomach, which is one of the many reasons why people have ulcers in the stomach and the duodenum. Blocking gastric acid secretion is carried out by the use of anti-histamine drugs, most specifically H2 receptor antagonists of which Cimetidine is the best known example although another agent is Ranitidine. It is thought that H2 receptor antagonists work by blocking stimulation of the H2 receptors; in the stomach this prevents secretion of gastric acid. However,
