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Allegra makes me feel weird: Side Effects of Allegra-D 24 Hour (Fexofenadine HCl 180 and Pseudoephendrine HCl 240), Warnings, Uses

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Feel tempted to reach for an antihistamine? You might want to check the side effects, especially if you are an older adult.

 

Updated October 12, 2020

by Barbara Nevins Taylor 

The changing  season encouraged us to check up on our post and republish to make sure readers have a chance to find the information. 

If you find your eyes itchy and watering, your nose dripping and feel tempted to reach for an antihistamine, you might want to check the side effects, especially if you are an older adult. 

While antihistamines work wonders for millions, some find they trigger adverse effects including muscle pain.

I discovered fexofenadine, the active ingredient in Allegra, can cause scary side effects. When the fexofenadine side effects kicked in, I felt extraordinary back and leg pain.

A dermatologist suggested I take Allegra, an over-the-counter antihistamine, to combat seasonal hives. I bought a box of Allegra 24-hour gelcaps, and took one. A few hours later, I had trouble getting up from my desk chair and blamed the stiffness in my hip on too much sitting.

But that night, as I began to make dinner, I felt a hammering muscle pain in my mid-back close to my spine. Every movement I made triggered sharp jabs that seemed like hockey pucks banging the muscles and fibers along the right side of the spinal column.

I abandoned dinner, eased myself on to the floor and rested flat for the evening. Several hours later, the back pain subsided. But I gasped out loud when I stood up. My right hamstring and iliotibial band wouldn’t bend and wouldn’t hold me up. The slightest pressure triggered what felt like hammering in the muscles and joints in the back of my thigh and on the right side of my leg to just above the ankle. When I woke up the next morning, I still couldn’t bend my right leg and pain coursed down the leg and on the outside of the knee.

Nothing I did the day before would have caused the back or leg pain. I get backaches from time to time, but this felt entirely different.  I searched my memory for the slightest thing that I did that might have caused it. Taking the one Allegra gelcap stood out.

The package label didn’t suggest that Allegra caused back pain. It says, “Adults and children 12 years of age and over take one 180 mg tablet with water once a day.” It warns, “Adults 65 years of age and older: ask a doctor.”

When I looked up the side effects for Allegra and fexofenadine, back pain, body aches and soreness showed up as “less common” side effects on a number of health websites including the MayoClinic.org, which says back pain, body aches or pain, joint pain, muscle pains or stiffness, pain in arms or legs and difficulty moving can occur as side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) prescribing information says “clinical studies of Allegra tablets and capsules did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 years and older to determine whether this population responds differently from younger patients.” 

But for a 180 milligram daily dose, the FDA lists back pain as the number three contraindication, experienced by 2.8 percent of the testing group.

So I had information. But eight days later, I still couldn’t bend my right leg and had to sit with it stretched out. I worried about permanent damage and went to see Dr. Andrew Feldman, an orthopedist. He sympathized because he’d experienced contraindications and muscle weakness after taking another drug manufactured by a different company.

He examined me, found nothing broken or torn, and said, “You’ll have to wait until the drug clears your body.” He recommended physical therapy.

The pain subsided, but even with the excellent help of physical therapists at Kima (now Knosis Center for Physiotherapy and Wellness), which offers manual manipulation treatment, the stiffness in my hamstring and behind my knee remained for over three weeks. And even more disturbing, a gushing waterfall of tingling in my right thigh woke me throughout the night. The nerve tingling continued after the other symptoms disappeared, although it eventually calmed down.

Months after I took one Allegra gelcap, Dr. Alfred Ogden, a neurosurgeon at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, suggested that the gushing in my thigh may still be a side effect of the drug.

Bottom Line

Dealing with the side effects of Allegra’s fexofenadine, eliminating the pain and muscle stiffness and nerve tingling required doctor visits, physical therapy and a lot of time and money to cure problems I shouldn’t have had.  So what about the drug company?

Back at the beginning of it all, in the thick of my discomfort and fury about not being fully informed by the pharmaceutical company, I reached out to the media relations department of Sanofi-Aventis, Allegra’s manufacturer. I posed a series of questions and Heather Levis Guzzi, a senior communications specialist, responded.

Sanofi-Aventis Response

“For the past 15 years, Allegra has been providing allergy sufferers with relief of symptoms from indoor and outdoor allergies. Allegra Allergy is indicated in adults and children 12 years of age and over for temporary relief of the following symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, itching of the nose or throat. Allegra’s label has been approved in accordance with FDA requirements. Contact a physician or pharmacist with questions regarding the content of the Drug Facts.”

After that pro-forma response, I still had questions.

1. Why aren’t the possible side effects of muscle pain, etc. listed in a prominent way?

The side effects listed in the Drug Facts label originate in the prescription label. The entire label undergoes extensive review by FDA before the label is approved as part of the overall switch from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) status.

2. If a consumer suffers a side effect of muscle and joint point, is there an antidote?

There is no known antidote to antihistamine products.

3. If people over 60 are more likely to have a problem with Allegra, why not mention that?

The Drug Facts label, under “Directions” section, includes a statement to ask a doctor — before taking Allegra – if you are an adult 65 years of age or older.

4. How long should it take to clear the system?

The elimination half-life of Allegra is approximately 14 hours. Therefore, one dose of Allegra would theoretically be eliminated by the 3rd day post-dose in a normal healthy adult.

5. What is the chemical interaction that causes the problem of muscle and joint pain? I looked for research and couldn’t find it.

Back pain and pain in the extremities are reported side effects of fexofenadine. When conducting clinical studies, the drug manufacturer is required to report all side effects, even if the causality is not established and the mechanism is not known.

Follow-up

Almost three months after I complained to Sanofi-Aventis, I received a letter asking me to fill out a pharmacovigiliance consumer questionnaire that will find its way to the FDA. The pharmaceutical company indicated it would query my doctor for this report.

So if you are older, think twice before taking fexofendadine even in the middle of allergy season.  

 

Related

When Allergy or Cold Medication Makes You Drowsy

Tips for Staying Alert

By Purvi Parikh, MD

In treating allergies or a cold with antihistamines, you may experience drowsiness, a common side effect of the medication.

How does this happen? Histamine is a chemical produced by the immune system to fight off allergens and germs. When there is a threat of allergies or infection (such as the common cold), histamine is even more active. In its search-and-destroy process, it can cause allergy or cold symptoms such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing and itch eyes. Antihistamine medications relieve these symptoms by blocking the unwanted effects of histamine.

Unrelated to the immune system, histamine is also produced in the brain, where it plays an important part in feeling awake. Antihistamines used to treat respiratory symptoms can get into the brain and interrupt this work, making you feel drowsy.

What can you do about drowsiness from allergy medicines?

Some antihistamines are less likely to cause drowsiness than others. Reactions vary considerably from one person to another. What relieves your symptoms without making you sleepy may be different from what works for someone else.

When you find one that works for you, stick with it – check chemical ingredients and dosages before changing brands or generics. On the other hand, if one doesn’t work for you, try another type.

First-generation antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) usually cause drowsiness because they are less likely to affect the histamine produced in the brain or have other unwanted effects in the brain.

Newer, second-generation antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec®), fexofenadine (Allegra®) and loratadine (Claritin®) – marketed as “nonsedating” – usually cause less drowsiness. An added benefit is that second-generation antihistamines last longer than Benadryl. Allegra is generally the least sedating.

Nasal spray antihistamines are also somewhat less likely to make you sleepy, since they target nasal passages directly rather than sending medicine throughout your body in the bloodstream. These are available only by prescription.

Regular use of an intranasal corticosteroid is not only safe but also an effective way to reduce use of antihistamines. They take a few days to start working, so you need to be patient. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about using an antihistamine with an intranasal corticosteroid the first few days. Some intranasal corticosteroids are available over-the-counter.

To reduce daytime drowsiness, take an antihistamine in the evening rather than in the morning. It may help you sleep, with drowsy effects wearing off by the next day. Be aware, though, that drowsiness can last longer than you might expect – and that some antihistamines can cause vivid or disturbing dreams.

Don’t drink alcohol when taking antihistamines, as it will increase the sedation.

What about antihistamines in cold and flu medications?

What many people may not know is that cold and flu medicines marketed to treat runny nose and sneezing usually include first-generation antihistamines – the more sedating types. That’s because they are often better at treating cold symptoms and drying up runny nose than the newer types.

Because of their sedating effect, cold medicines with antihistamines are labeled for nighttime use. Take this labeling seriously, as some include medications like doxylamine that are more sedating than others. Check labels for dosages, as well, as these may vary, even within brands.

More is not better – read labels carefully and take only as recommended. Don’t supplement a multi-symptom cold medication with another single-ingredient antihistamine.

Be smart, be aware of allergy medication side effects

Smart use of allergy medications – knowing how they treat symptoms, being aware of potential unwanted side effects and, most important, monitoring their effect on you and your health – is just one step toward controlling allergy and cold symptoms. Even more important: knowing what you are allergic to and taking steps to prevent or reduce exposure.

If your allergy symptoms tend to last longer than two weeks or are not adequately controlled with over-the-counter medications, schedule an appointment with a board-certified allergist for a full diagnosis.

Antihistamines and intranasal corticosteroids are intended for symptom relief. If antihistamines or intranasal corticosteroids are causing side effects such as drowsiness or other problems, there are other treatment options your doctor can offer you, such as allergen immunotherapy.


Reviewed by Dennis Williams, PharmD

Side Effects: 4 Drugs That Can Cause Anxiety

Anxiety and panic disorders can heighten the risk for sensitivity to the effects of certain medications.

Before taking medications, those affected by anxiety should speak with their health care providers to evaluate side effects and adverse reactions, and how they might contribute to existing anxiety.

Here are four medications that may worsen the symptoms of anxiety:

Decongestants

Decongestants are used in the management of allergies and upper respiratory infections to help diminish nasal congestion. While these drugs are highly effective in restoring an effective breathing pattern, they can lead to unwanted side effects.

These side effects are tolerated by people without anxiety. However, those affected by a panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder may need to consider alternative treatments for their nasal congestion.

In addition to anxiety sufferers, decongestant medications may not be suitable for people diagnosed with high blood pressure or glaucoma because they can worsen hypertension and raise intra-ocular eye pressure.

Side effects from decongestant medications may include a fast heart rate, rapid breathing, chest discomfort, increased sweating, blurred vision, and dizziness. All of these adverse reactions can mimic the symptoms of anxiety, and in sensitive individuals, may even precipitate panic attacks.

While oral decongestant drugs may be more likely to lead to unwanted side effects, decongestant nasal sprays may also cause side effects to a lesser extent.

Alternatives to using decongestant drugs include inhaling steam, massaging the sinuses, using warm compresses on the forehead and over the nasal bridge, eating spicy foods, and drinking hot beverages.

Antihistamines

Like decongestants, antihistamines are used in the treatment of allergies and upper respiratory infections. They do not, however, treat nasal congestion, but are highly effective in treating a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, and scratchy throat.

Antihistamines are known to cause extreme drowsiness; however, in certain people, they can cause insomnia, excitability, anxiety, restlessness, and a rapid heart rate. People with anxiety or panic disorder who wish to take antihistamines should start out with the lowest possible dose to help reduce the risk of side effects.

If side effects are not tolerated well or if they lead to increased anxiety, alternative treatments for allergies should be considered. These include using drug-free saline nasal sprays, keeping the doors and windows closed when outdoor allergens such as mold, pollen, and ragweed are high, and using an indoor air purifier.

Beta Blockers

Beta blockers are used in the treatment of high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, migraine headaches, hyperthyroidism, and chest pain. They are also prescribed to help reduce the risk for a second heart attack, and in some cases, to treat the symptoms of anxiety and panic disorder.

While beta blockers such as propranolol are very effective in relieving the physical symptoms of anxiety such as a fast heart rate, excessive sweating, and shaking, they can sometimes cause an abnormal heart rate or rhythm, very low blood pressure, pain or tightness in the chest, and insomnia.

All of these adverse reactions can intensify symptoms of anxiety. Taking beta blockers can also interfere with the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone essential for recuperative sleep.

People with anxiety or panic disorder may notice a worsening of their symptoms when they fail to get enough restorative sleep.

Migraine Medication

Migraine pain medication may also raise the risk for increasing anxiety. A migraine drug known as ergotamine tartrate is usually taken at the first sign of an impending migraine headache. This medication will help lessen pain from an existing migraine; however, it will do little to prevent future migraines.

Ergotamine tartrate works by narrowing or constriction the blood vessels that are located around the brain, and it may also help correct abnormal blood flow that is often seen in those with migraines. While highly effective in treating the symptoms of a migraine, this medication can cause serious side effects which can worsen existing anxiety or cause a panic attack.

These side effects include extreme dizziness, vertigo or spinning sensations, fast heart rate, vomiting, and numbness and tingling sensations in the arms, legs, and face. In addition to prescription migraine medication, over-the-counter migraine medications can also heighten the risk for anxiety episodes.

Most migraine pain relievers contain caffeine, which can cause cardiac palpitations, sweating, shaking, and insomnia. People affected by migraine headaches should speak with their physicians about the best treatment options that are less likely to contribute to increased anxiety or panic attacks.

Anxiety and panic disorder can be debilitating. While monitoring the side effects of medications can help prevent an increase in symptoms, other treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep can also help dramatically reduce the frequency and intensity of anxious episodes.

Working with a qualified physician and experienced mental health professional will help ensure that the patient has the tools and skills to better manage the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.

Side Effects of Allergy Medications

Q1. How do allergies affect mood? It seems when I’m experiencing my hay fever and I take Actifed or Sudafed and the symptoms go away, I become short-tempered on the meds. Can you tell me what causes this?

— Andrea, California

Both untreated allergic conditions and allergy medications can cause mood changes. When people have severe nasal allergies, they often complain of feeling irritable and utterly exhausted. Others describe a nervous agitation. People who have chronic hives may also report similar fluctuations in mood that correspond to outbreaks. People who have had anaphylactic reactions often describe a strong sense of impending doom during the early stages of the reaction. Allergy cells produce a potent mix of natural chemicals that are released either gradually or in a large burst during various allergic conditions. Some of these, including histamine and one called TNF-alpha, are known to have mood-altering effects. We have receptors for these chemicals throughout our bodies, including in our brains.

On the other hand, allergy medications can also affect mood in some people. Medications like Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) cause some people to feel anxious and jittery, and others to feel lethargic. Many antihistamines cause drowsiness.

If these side effects are bothersome to you, then I suggest that you change to a nasal steroid spray for your nasal symptoms. You will need to get a prescription from your primary care doctor. Whether it is used on a regular basis, year round or just during the pollen seasons in which you have symptoms, this type of medication is far more effective than antihistamine and decongestant pills, and does not have the mood effects. If your eyes are very itchy and watery, then try the over-the-counter eye drop ketotifen (ask your pharmacist to help you find it). This very effective medication used to require a prescription but can now be purchased over-the-counter. Eye drops should not get into your system enough to cause any mood effects.

Q2. How can I find an allergy medication that doesn’t make me sleepy? Why do they all seem to have this side effect?

Older antihistamines are sedating because the medication penetrates the blood-brain barrier, which means that the medication not only works in treating allergy but also affects the brain. The result is a feeling of lethargy. In fact, some older antihistamines are prescribed specifically because they help with sleep and relaxation. But clearly, this can be an unwanted and serious side effect for someone who needs to drive or operate heavy machinery.

Newer, once-a-day antihistamines have no effect on the brain and just function in reducing the symptoms of allergy – that is, they block the chemicals called histamines that cause inflammation, mucous, itching and hives. They can still cause drowsiness in about 10 percent of people who take them, however, and this may be the case for you. You should talk to your doctor about other approaches, which might depend on your type of allergies, their severity and your symptoms.

Q3. About a month ago, I had an allergic reaction caused by penicillin. Ever since, I have had a phobia that other medications will cause that kind of reaction in me. Could this happen? Is there any chance that I have become allergic to other drugs too?

— Vivi, Greece

Don’t panic. Penicillin causes more allergic reactions than any other medication, so your experience is not unusual. Many people develop rashes while taking penicillin, and the majority of these rashes represent non-life-threatening allergies. People should still avoid the causative drug, but the risk of ever having a really dangerous reaction is relatively low.

There are two types of drug reactions indicative of a potentially dangerous sensitivity that could be even worse if the medicine is taken again:

  • IgE reactions, which involve hives (raised, red, intensely itchy spots that last a few hours each and come out in crops over days to a week, even after stopping the drug), swelling (usually of the face, mouth, throat, or extremities), or difficulty breathing/asthma-like symptoms. If a person had a reaction to penicillin with some or all of these features, then skin testing is helpful for determining if they are really at risk for future similar reactions, including anaphylaxis (a sudden, severe, potentially fatal, systemic allergic reaction). See my recent column on Seafood Allergies for more on IgE reactions.
  • Steven-Johnson/toxic epidermal necrolysis reactions, which cause high fever and blistering of the skin and linings of the eyelids, mouth, and intestinal and genital tracts, with extensive peeling afterward. These reactions are very rare. Skin testing is not useful for confirming this kind of allergy.

If your reaction was like either of the two above, you should talk to your doctor carefully about it and make sure you have taken the proper precautions. Referral to an allergy specialist might be in order to evaluate the reaction further. However, most people who have less dangerous reactions simply avoid the medication, and they tolerate other medications without problems. Also, it is possible to rid yourself of some medication allergies over time — especially if you successfully avoid any additional exposure for a period of years. The good news is many people have this allergy, and it is the only medication to which they ever become allergic. However, if a person has had allergic reactions to several medications, it becomes clear at that point that they are at higher risk to become allergic to still more. However, there is no way to predict early on what will happen in any given individual.

As a corollary, medication allergies are more common in people who have been exposed to a lot of medications, so your phobia may offer you some advantages. Always ask your doctor if an antibiotic or medication is really necessary. Many practitioners assume that patients want antibiotics and this influences their decision to prescribe them, when it may not be completely clear that one is needed. If you mention that you would rather avoid antibiotics when possible, you’ll probably find your doctor to be pleasantly surprised; he or she may suggest that you wait a week or so to see if the problem clears on its own. This advice applies best to colds, bronchitis, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, and minor skin infections. Although there are certain serious infections, most of which cause several days of high fever, for which treatment should not be delayed, and your doctor would inform you.

Q4. I have really bad hay fever in the spring and the fall, but I’m fine the rest of the year. How far in advance should I start taking my allergy medications?

You should start taking your medications at the same time the plants that trigger your allergies start to pollinate. The spring pollens are trees and grass. Trees start to pollinate at the beginning of March, and grass starts to pollinate at the beginning of May. For spring allergies, start medications in early March.

Fall pollens include ragweed and other weeds, which start to pollinate around the middle of August. So that’s when a fall allergic person should start treatment.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Allergy Center.

The Pros and Cons of Common Antihistamines

As an allergy sufferer, you’ve likely been prescribed antihistamines like cetirizine (aka Zytrec). While they can be great at suppressing symptoms, did you know that there are potential drawbacks as well? Before you decide to start (or continue) on any allergy medication, we’d like to provide more information to see if that treatment is the right route for you.

What are antihistamines?

Antihistamines are a medication class used to help with allergy symptoms. These include itching, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes from hay fever, sudden allergic reactions, cold symptoms, and other allergies like dust mites and mold. They come in both prescription and over-the-counter form.

What are the potential side effects?

Both prescription and nonprescription antihistamines can make you drowsy. Remember to tell your health care provider about other medications you are on and how much alcohol you drink. Headache, dry mouth, and low blood pressure are a few of the more common side-effects

Do you know about possible antihistamine withdrawals?

Before you decide to start an antihistamine, you should be aware of the potential for withdrawal effects. For example, some people experience symptoms with cetirizine if they take it for a while and then stop suddenly. The main withdrawal symptom is called pruritus— itching and burning sensations of the skin ranging from moderate to severe. Other antihistamine withdrawal symptoms include interruptions in sleep patterns.

Are antihistamines right for me?

Medication and Functional Medicine

Talk to an AAPRI health care provider about the different treatment options we offer. Medication is an option, but most prescriptions are designed to relieve symptoms — not fix the problem causing those symptoms. That’s why we offer immunotherapy treatment such as allergy shots or allergy drops. We can also suggest natural supplements that can mitigate symptoms without drowsiness. That’s also why we focus on functional medicine:  we want to get to the root of the problem, not mask it.

Conclusion

Antihistamines can be helpful in easing your allergy symptoms, but they also have the potential for side effects and withdrawal symptoms. As with most things in life, it’s about striking a balance, and AAPRI is here to help!  As always, contact us with your questions.

When to Stop Taking Allergy Medication

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Allergies have gone up by 40% in recent years, and allergy medications are being used more often than ever before. There are various types of allergy drugs. Some are used to control acute attacks whereas others help prevent or alleviate the severity of allergic reactions. Some of them, especially sedating antihistamines and corticosteroids, are known to produce unwanted effects that limit their use in certain conditions.

Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock

Antihistamines

Antihistamines act to prevent the action of histamine, a bioactive amine, at one of the histamine receptor, to block itching, swelling, redness, nasal congestion, teary eyes, cough, nausea and dizziness.

Histamine affects smooth muscle and blood vessels, causing smooth muscle spasm and vasodilation. The administration of antihistamines blocks most of these effects, making them the most commonly used drugs in the world.

Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis and other allergies. Image Credit: Studio BKK / Shutterstock

These medications come in handy for a variety of allergic conditions as well as those associated with wakefulness and anxiety. Thus, in addition to treating allergies, they have been used variously to treat cold symptoms, motion sickness, nausea due to other causes, skin allergies, and to induce sleepiness in tense or anxious patients.

Antihistamines may be classified as sedating (first-generation antihistamines), and non-sedating (second-generation antihistamines). Both act on the h2 receptor, but the first-generation drugs act less selectively on other receptors as well. The difference lies in their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Sedating antihistamines

These drugs have a common chemical structure with drugs which antagonize muscarinic receptors and cholinergic receptors; some antihypertensive drugs; and some tranquilizers. They are not selective to histamine receptors, as a result. They have anti-muscarinic effects, anti-alpha-adrenergic effects, and anti-serotonin effects.

Sedating antihistamines easily cross the blood-brain barrier, to act on central histamine receptors as well as those located peripherally. There are about 64,000 neurons in the human brain which secrete histamine. These regulate a host of actions, namely:

  • Wakefulness
  • Learning and memory
  • Anti-appetite
  • Regulation of body temperature
  • Regulation of heart rate and blood pressure
  • Involvement in stress hormone and endorphin release

Central side effects

Since these actions are disrupted by sedating antihistamines, these drugs produce sedation, drowsiness, tiredness, lack of concentration, difficulty in learning and memory tasks, poor examination performance, and difficulty with work or driving due to cognitive and coordination problems. Moreover, users continue to feel tired, inattentive, forgetful, and experience poor motor and sensory performance the morning after a night dose – mostly because histamine reduces the duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

Anticholinergic and alpha-adrenergic side effects

Moreover, sedating antihistamines also produce effects via their blockade of the cholinergic and alpha-adrenergic receptors, such as urinary retention, constipation, sinus tachycardia, inhibition of bowel motility, agitation, and worsening of narrow-angle glaucoma. They also produce or worsen dryness of the mouth, increase the appetite, and induce tolerance when used beyond 5 days or so.

Blurred vision, pupillary dilation, dryness of the mouth and skin, flushing, delirium and confusion, and hyperthermia comprise the well-known and life-endangering anticholinergic syndrome caused by high doses of these drugs. Many over-the-counter antihistamines contain a decongestant as well, and therefore if the user experiences palpitations, the medication should be stopped.

Cardiac side effects

Astemizole and terfenadine are two h2-antihistamines which prolong the cardiac QT interval, and can produce dangerous irregularities of the heart rhythm such as the characteristic ‘torsades des pointes’ in the ventricular myocardium. These are not approved for use in most countries currently, as a result. This issue is also seen with large doses or overdoses of certain sedating antihistamines like brompheniramine, promethazine, or diphenhydramine.

Side effects with geriatric use

These drugs should be used cautiously in older patients because they typically have lower numbers of cholinergic neurons in the brain, have fewer cholinergic receptors, have compromised renal and liver function, and a less stable blood-brain barrier, with increasing age. Even at lower doses, they can produce dizziness, lowering of blood pressure, and sedation carrying over to the next day. This can cause older adults to fall with related injury risks.

About 25% of older people (over 65 years) have some cognitive decline, even if this is subtle or unnoticed. These individuals may respond badly to antihistamines with pronounced anticholinergic effects, and may show signs of dementia as a result.

Delirium or impaired cognition are other associated side effects with the use of sedating antihistamines in older people. This may further result in inappropriate treatment with antipsychotics, and committal to long-term care facilities with hallucinations and other signs of agitation or aggression, caused by the anticholinergic drugs.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals, as well as older patients, should avoid these drugs now that non-sedating antihistamines are available.

Contraindications to sedating antihistamines

These drugs should be avoided in very young children and in conditions like:

  • urinary retention due to benign prostatic hyperplasia
  • closed-angle glaucoma
  • cardiac disease

They should be used with caution and only if essential, in patients with:

  • pregnancy
  • constipation
  • xerostomia or dryness of the mouth
  • hyperthyroidism
  • asthma
  • chronic obstructive lung disease
  • renal disease
  • liver disease
  • benign prostatic hyperplasia, which is associated with chronic urinary retention
  • patients on antidepressants or seizure medication should also consult their doctors before taking antihistamines
  • In patients who drink alcohol

With the availability of second-generation antihistamines, the older sedating antihistamines should be avoided if possible. In any case, individuals who are about to write examinations, who are learning exacting materials or tasks, and adults who must fly, drive or work at any task requiring focused concentration should avoid using these drugs.

Non-sedating antihistamines

These are also called second-generation h2-antihistamines, and include loratadine, fexofenadine, mizolastine, ebastine, azelastine, cetirizine, desloratadine, and levocetirizine. These have no currently known cardiac side effects.

Sedation

Fexofenadine and desloratidine, which, along with levocetirizine, are the most commonly used non-sedating antihistamines, cause very little sedation, as they do not cross the blood-brain barrier to any significant extent and thus have little effect on histamine receptors in the brain. Their failure to cause central sedation is due to their interaction with a pump protein, P-glycoprotein, which inhibits their translocation across the blood-brain barrier. Levocetirizine may produce sedation in a percentage of patients, though it needs to be taken at higher than recommended doses for this.

With their freedom from off-target effects, the non-sedating antihistamines are much more suitable for patients who need long-term therapy. Not only are they safer, but they have a more potent anti-allergic effect.  

Liver injury

Non-sedating antihistamines can rarely cause acute liver injury. Although the liver damage is typically mild, if it occurs, antihistamines should be stopped. The liver function is usually only slightly deranged, and returns to normal with substitution of another antihistamine or cessation of the therapy. Thankfully, stopping these drugs produces prompt reversal of most of these side effects, which are typically mild.

Conclusion

The newer antihistamines are generally safe, but should be avoided in children and in pregnancy unless essential.

Further Reading

Headaches – ACAAI Patient

Triggers

Migraine headaches can be caused by many factors, including genetics.  Environmental allergies and food intolerances have been linked to migraines. If you suffer from recurrent migraines, your allergist can help you determine whether you are sensitive to common food allergens like peanuts, eggs or milk. Irritants like smoke or strong scents can also be a migraine trigger.

A sinus headache is caused by swelling in the sinuses that blocks the openings, preventing drainage and causing pressure to build up. Common seasonal and year-round allergens like pollen, mold and pet dander can cause your body’s immune system to react with a sinus headache, even if you have no other allergy symptoms.

Learn about some common triggers and how to avoid them:

How to Get Tested

If you’re suffering from sinus headaches or migraines, your board-certified allergist can help you determine whether they are caused by allergies. Your allergist will take a detailed medical history and review your symptoms before doing allergy tests.

The most common type of allergy testing is skin testing, which is fast and accurate. Your allergist may also conduct blood testing or a food challenge to complete your diagnosis.

This process helps identify the specific triggers that are causing your symptoms. Once you know your triggers, you can work with your allergist to develop a treatment plan and find relief!

Management and Treatment

The best way to manage your allergy headaches is to see an allergist. 

Your allergist can help you develop a plan to manage your allergy symptoms, including headaches. A key step will include minimizing your exposure to the allergens that trigger your allergy headaches. Your allergist may also recommend prescription or nonprescription medications such as antihistamines, decongestants and corticosteroids to help treat your allergies.

Mild over-the-counter pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) may provide short-term relief for sinus headache pain.

These at-home treatments may also help relieve your allergy headaches:

  • Apply a warm, moist washcloth to your face several times a day.
  • Drink plenty of fluids to thin the mucus.
  • Inhale steam two to four times per day (for example, while sitting in the bathroom with the shower running).
  • Spray the nose with nasal saline several times per day.
  • Use a neti pot to flush the sinuses.

It Could Also Be…

There are many different types of headaches and many potential causes. If your allergist rules out allergies, ask what else might be causing your headaches, such as:

  • Alcohol
  • Blood clots
  • Brain tumor
  • Carbon monoxide poisoning
  • Changes in sleeping or eating
  • Cold or flu
  • Concussion
  • Dehydration
  • Emotional or physical stress
  • Glaucoma
  • Stroke
  • Teeth-grinding at night

tutto questo mi fa – Traduzione in russo – esempi italiano


In base al termine ricercato questi esempi potrebbero contenere parole volgari.


In base al termine ricercato questi esempi potrebbero contenere parole colloquiali.

Perché tutto questo mi fa impazzire.

Certo, tutto questo mi fa impazzire.

Ti giuro, tutto questo mi fa sentire come – se avessi cent’anni.

Niente di tutto questo mi fa stare meglio riguardo a questa storia.

La verità è … tutto questo mi fa sentire più vivo di quanto lo fossi stato per anni.

Non vedete che tutto questo mi fa infuriare?

Qualunque cosa succederà tutto questo mi fa pensare a un sacco di cose, sai?

Tutto questo mi fa capire solo che la Freccia Verde ha bisogno di un cerotto.

Niente di tutto questo mi fa sentire meno responsabile.

Ma tutto questo mi fa pensare che mi piacerebbe una … dimostrazione più allegra del nostro impegno l’uno per l’altro.

But now I thought that affection for each other can be expressed in a more festive way.

In qualche strano modo, tutto questo mi fa sentire davvero molto meglio.

You have no idea how much easier it is for me, no matter how strange it sounds, how much better all this fits in my head.

Ho continuamente a che fare con cuori umani mezzi mangiati e bambini di 10 anni dissanguati, tutto questo mi fa sentire… a disagio.

Half-eaten human hearts everywhere, bloodless children, All this me a little … confuses.

Tutto questo mi fa sentire molto meglio.

Tutto questo mi fa pensare ad una cosa …

Well , we can do something…

Tutto questo mi fa sentire così …

Tutto questo mi fa così arrabbiare.

Tutto questo mi fa impazzire.

Tutto questo mi fa semplicemente sentire da schifo.

You are not can act like it’s over.

90,000 I feel strange – Translation into English – examples Russian

Suggestions:
feel strange


These examples may contain rude words based on your search.


These examples may contain colloquial words based on your search.

I feel strange but very cool.

I feel strange leaving you guys here in the middle of the forest.

I feel weird leaving you guys here in the middle of the woods.

With you I feel strange , like I’m looking at a newborn lamb.

You make me feel strange , as if I were looking at a newborn lamb.

I feel strange in this place knowing how many women have slept in this bed.

I feel strange about this place, knowing all the women that have slept in that bed.

Because of you, I feel strange .

I feel strange calm.

I feel strange seeing you with another woman.

Always feel strange coming here.

Joey, I feel strange and this is not good.

Doesn’t feel strange or anything.

I feel strange leaving you alone.

No, but I … feel strange .

But I feel strange because I’m a little confused.

I feel weird . That’s because I just fleet at the moment.

I feel strange talking to you like nothing happened

I thought it might feel better for me, but I only feel strange .

I thought it would make me feel better, but I just feel weird .

But I feel strange .

I am not feel strange .

Just feel strange .

I feel strange , dude.

I feel strange when I drink alone.

The Pirate Prince read online by Galen Fowley (Page 11)

His eyes sparkled like her prince’s when he brought his lips to hers.

“It won’t work,” Allegra said breathlessly.

– Why, my dear girl? His large arms wrapped around her waist.And for some reason, Allegra’s hands involuntarily slid up his chest.

– Because … – She hesitated. – You kiss like a pirate.

“Not always,” he smiled and touched the girl lightly, like the wings of a butterfly. A dizzying pleasure overwhelmed Allegra, and she parted her lips slightly.

And the pirate began kissing her again. Weakening by the minute, she felt his lips slide to the corner of her lips, over her cheek, over her forehead. When they touched her ear, he whispered:

– I also have a dream, dear, about a beautiful girl who saved my soul.And for her, I’m ready for anything. – He lowered his head and froze for a moment, but Allegra knew that a storm of feelings was raging in him.

– What is it? She asked, clutching his head to her. – What worries you, my friend?

A shiver ran through his body from this caress.

– Help me, Allegra! I am so unhappy.

She stroked his weathered cheek.

– What can I do for you?

– Love me.

Will left Allegra. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the doorframe and succumbed to the onslaught of Lazar, realizing that her fate was decided at the moment when their gazes met over the fire.She grabbed Lazar by the shoulders, and his lips slid down her neck.

– Love me! He ran his hands down her thighs. Allegra felt his fingers part her hair and burrow into it, heard him whisper gentle words. The ivory combs fell out of his hand as the ship swayed and swept out to sea, but Allegra didn’t care because Lazar fell back on her lips.

Gathering all her will, Allegra pulled away from him.

– No, no, I don’t want that! I can not do it! She gasped.

– What to do, dear? I will help you.

Allegra was confused. The one whom she wished to hate with all her soul – this handsome man, this criminal who was about to kill her – showed such tenderness to her!

“I can’t get to the edge,” she whispered, looking pleadingly at him. “It’s very deep here, and I don’t know how to swim.”

He pressed his lips to Allegra’s palm, looking at her as if he wanted to tell her a lot, but did not know where to start.

– I would have saved you anyway.

Then Lazar let go of Allegra’s hand and left, leaving her alone with the vast deserted sea.

Chapter 10

“She is in love with me,” said Lazar, going up to the canvas shed, under which the vicar was writing something in his barn book.

Lazar pulled out the vicar’s cigar from the silver box, lit it from the lamp and inhaled with delight.

The Vicar checked his watch and stared at him in bewilderment:

– As I recall, two hours ago you said that she hates you.

– Oh yes, of course he does.

– I beg your pardon?

Lazar chuckled with satisfaction:

– I compete with myself for the heart of a lady.

– I never imagined that you needed her heart. – Having made the last entry, the vicar closed the barn book, raised an eyebrow and looked at Lazar.

– I’m not a complete savage! – he responded indignantly.

– Do you mean to say that your intentions towards Senorita Monteverdi suddenly became noble?

– Of course not.

– Oh so! The vicar exclaimed disapprovingly. – Well, then I’ll ask the question that you expect from me.

How can you compete with yourself over the same woman?

Lazar studied his cigar with a lazy smile.

– Senorita Monteverdi has a secret passion for the deceased crown prince. She loves him and hates me. The vicar laughed softly and scratched his head.

– What do you intend to do?

Lazar blew out a ring of smoke and thoughtfully watched it disappear.

– I decided to stay in her eyes for a while as the Devil of Antigua.

– Why? After all, you will quickly put her to bed, convincing that you are the last of the Fiori.

– I know, but that’s the only way I managed to calm her down. And then … maybe this will seem strange to you, but I want her to need me, not my namesake, not some kind of romantic ideal …

– I believe any man will be flattered to conquer a woman who has every reason to hate him.

– This has nothing to do with vanity.Lazar glanced angrily at the vicar. “It’s just … can you imagine how disappointed she’ll be when she finds out the truth?”

– Disappointed?

– Do you think I look like a prince?

The Vicar was silent.

“She makes me so keenly feel the difference between who I am and who I could become,” Lazar admitted. – It seems that only I and can make myself a serious competitor in the fight for a woman.

“You’re not so bad, Fiori,” the Vicar chuckled. “At least not as bad as it could have been if I hadn’t appeared and brought you under control.Perhaps you should tell the girl about at least some of the obstacles that have come your way. Explain everything to her properly.

– I don’t want her pity. Lazar frowned. “The problem is, Allegra wants safety.

– This is quite natural.

– But not in the sense that you mean. In this regard, she is completely safe and, I think, is finally beginning to understand it. And I mean … Damn, I don’t know what I mean!

“Fantasy is always safer than reality,” observed the Vicar, watching Lazar carefully.

– Not when they drive a healthy, sensual young woman into a sink where no one can offend her! She doesn’t want to trust me.

– How can she trust you in these circumstances?

Lazar shrugged.

– Listen, Lazar, are you falling in love with her?

– Don’t be silly.

The Vicar, intrigued and puzzled, scratched the back of his head.

– Damn it! Lazar rushed to the helm and pushed the helmsman away, desperate to keep himself busy with some work.

Allegra spent the rest of the day writing to Aunt Isabelle, begging her not to worry “because it was bad for her health. She wrote that the pirate captain who kidnapped her was, of course, a bad person, but he would not do any harm to her. Sometimes he even behaves quite civilized.

Allegra kept silent about how gentle his kisses and how gentle his hands are.

Allegra then wrote letters to the matrons, the guardians of the old people’s homes and orphanages, which she had previously patronized, instructing them to continue working without her until she returned.Listing in detail what will need to whom, to which houses what products should be delivered, which children should be especially taken care of, for example, about little Thomas, whose father severely punished him, and about her beloved angel, little blind Constance, – Allegra was suddenly amazed at that that did this kind of work. The girl was seized with hatred for the Devil of Antigua – after all, he took her away from people who need her help and depend on her. Allegra even doubted that she would have the opportunity to send letters, but just in case, she still prepared them.

She spent a lot of time grooming herself for the dinner the captain had ordered her to attend. Of course, it made no sense to try so hard because of a simple meal: after all, probably only coarse food and cider would be served, but the ritual of dressing was a familiar part of her existence. Therefore, it seemed to Allegra that there was still something left of her old life.

Putting on a peach-colored satin dress, the girl was surprised to think that Lazar had ordered all personal belongings to be taken from her chambers and delivered to the ship.Yes, this thug is exceptionally caring and courteous. On the middle deck, an entire storeroom was filled with Allegra’s belongings, taken in haste by Lazar’s sailors. Most of all, the girl was glad that with her, dear to her heart, miniature portraits of her family members and her mother’s jewelry.

Standing in front of the washbasin in Lazar’s cabin, she combed her hair and contemplated his words. Allegra shivered at the memory of his whisper.

Love me.

You have to say such an absurdity! Only he can say that.

Of course, this captain had in mind the purely physiological side of the question. The desperate criminal asked her to satisfy him.

The Lost Prince, Allegra’s heart whispered, begged me to help him find his way home.

Trying to get rid of this whisper, the girl gathered her hair up and pinned it with ivory combs trimmed with topaz. At the same time, she sang a very cute song. Allegra did a simple hairstyle, since only her Parisian maid Josephine knew how to really style her hair.

It was also difficult to put on a fluffy dress without the help of a servant, but at last the girl laced up her corset and straightened her cream petticoat. Crossing the cabin with light steps, she spun, rejoicing that she felt like a woman again. But looking at her pocket watch, Allegra realized that she would have to wait another hour.

Sighing heavily, she began to walk around the cabin.

How boring is life at sea! How does an active person like the captain endure it? No wonder he is unhappy.The captain wastes his life in vain, finding no use for his abilities. The captain is strong, intelligent, irresistible and brave – he can do anything. With his abilities, you can change the whole world if you so desire.

Ah, but men are such fools! Allegra drove away the memories of her father.

The captain was clearly enjoying a life full of risk, but why would a man choose a criminal path so incompatible with the rules of society? Why didn’t he do something sensible out of his life?

Thinking whether she would be able to change the captain for the better, Allegra laughed at herself and abandoned such a ridiculous idea.Dozens of women have undoubtedly already tried this. I wonder how many women the captain had already kidnapped, how many slept in his arms, how many he kissed there, on the balcony, until they lost their minds?

The memories of the captain’s tender kisses aroused such a keen desire in Allegra that she went to Lazar’s wardrobe, opened it, looked at things, touched the scarlet frock coat, stroked the striped satin vest in black and dark blue, and closed her eyes again, indulging in the memories.

Love you? Beautiful savage, if only you could love me, the girl thought wistfully. If I could tame you, if only for a little while.

But this will not happen, and she should not deceive herself for a second with false hopes. This man was made for danger and heartbreak, and she only recently recovered from her mother’s death. Allegra no longer wanted to experience loss and grief, and this is what any relationship with Lazar will eventually end with.Ah, the shish behaves in such a way that it is very difficult for him to resist!

The door creaked as the girl was still studying the contents of the cabinet. She froze, realizing that she was caught.

– Oh, for God’s sake, Allegra, have mercy! – Lazar groaned. – The more you emphasize your beauty, the more difficult it will be for you to restrain me, dear.

She turned around, blushing.

– I just wanted to do something. Allegra pointed to the closet. “I wanted to see if anything needed fixing.”

He smiled as he walked towards her:

– Only my heart.

– What a scoundrel you are! She muttered. Lazar took off the lace cape from her shoulders so quickly that she did not even notice his hand.

– Give it back immediately!

– This ship has no place for modesty.

– Captain, I demand …

– Oh, that’s how – what about my name? He breathed in the scent of her perfume, emanating from the airy fabric. Allegra stared at him stubbornly.

– Return the cape.

“But I cut myself again,” Lazar chuckled. – I need a bandage.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the floor.

– Yes? And where is?

– My heart, I told you. You cut him apart. It bleeds out.

– You really are the devil.

Lazar threw her a cape.

– So they say.

And then he began to undress.

With an indignant snort, Allegra headed for the door, not wanting to notice the captivating charm in his leisurely movements.

– If I were you, I would not go there. She stopped and glanced at him furtively over her shoulder.

– Why then?

– You will cause a riot on the ship. I am not kidding. You better stay with me. Where you are safe, ”Lazar added, arching an eyebrow.

– And watch you flaunt your muscles?

– Exactly. Come tell me what to wear. I want to look dignified next to you tonight.

– There is nothing worthy about you.

– Right. Am I unusual?

– And anyway, why does a pirate need such a collection of beautiful evening costumes? Allegra asked warily.

– Very good question, my clever captive. I often go ashore to enjoy the fruits of city life. And in these cases, I prefer to be accepted as a gentleman.

– And it turns out?

– Without a single misfire.

– What cities have you been to?

– In all.

– What are you doing ashore?

– So, let me think.Of course, I always go to the opera.

– To stare at the ladies?

He smiled:

– I’m one of the few people who really love music. Should I invite you to the opera, dear?

She shook her head in protest. Allegra loved opera, and the more the protagonist suffered, the more she enjoyed it.

– You don’t like opera and still call yourself Italian? – Lazar was indignant. – What do you love? He put her hands on the top button of his waistcoat.

Allegra unwittingly set to work.

– I like to argue.

“I already understood that,” Lazar dropped dryly, watching her skillfully unbutton her vest. – What do you like to argue about?

– About anything – about politics, religion, philosophy, the rights of men.

– And women?

Allegra glanced at him. There was something deliciously vicious about the way he asked this.

– This is no joke, captain. Many believe that ladies should be given a wider field of activity, otherwise they will not be able to show their abilities.Don’t women deserve at least some of the rights that men have?

– I have always been an ardent supporter of women’s right to erotic pleasure. – Devils danced in Lazar’s eyes.

Allegra pushed him in the chest, finally realizing that he was pleased to shock her.

– I was talking about property rights or the right to legal action against a husband who is overly keen on strict discipline.

She drove away unpleasant memories of Dominica.

– God, what a dreamer you are! I’m afraid I’m more down to earth. – There was already boredom in Lazar’s voice. Allegra broke out:

– I would not call myself a dreamer! On the contrary, I try to be aware of what is happening in the world. The era of freedom is coming – but you hardly know that, captain, do you? After all, you are so consumed with revenge and entertainment …

“Oh, why am I taking every opportunity to insult him?” – thought Allegra, as soon as these words flew from her lips.

Lazar pulled away from her, and now she was looking at him, not knowing how to express regret, and not understanding why she should be sorry at all. Meanwhile, Lazar took off his vest and threw it on the floor. Taking off his shirt, he turned his back to her.

“Captain,” Allegra began, “I didn’t want to… Suddenly she gasped, and he, immediately turning around, hid what the girl saw and lowered his eyes.

– You may go, Senorita Monteverdi. The team won’t riot, I lied.

– Lazar, – she said quietly, – let me take a look.

Allegra reveled in the beauty of his golden skin and muscular chest. Great man! She could hardly believe that for three nights she had slept in the arms of this man and had not seduced him.

Lazar obediently turned to show her his back. Allegra shuddered. Once he was beaten with a whip so that he was clearly on the verge of death.

Lazar looked at her warily, but proudly.

– Will you faint in disgust? He sneered.

– No. Are you in pain?

– Of course not.

– Can I touch it?

– Do you want to?

Allegra ran her fingers over her scarred right shoulder blade and shuddered as Lazar made a sound like a moan.

– Who did this to you? She asked quietly.

“Old Captain Wolfe put his whip in,” he waved off casually. “But your father is indirectly to blame for this. Allegra frowned:

– Who is this Captain Wolf?

– It was the pirate king. The person I once served.

She looked at him:

– It is difficult to imagine you in the service.

– Well, let’s just say: I was his debtor.

– Why?

– Don’t ask, Allegra.

“This shouldn’t have happened to you,” she said sadly, running her finger along a long, pale furrow that ran from her shoulder to her left thigh.

“It was my stupidity that was to blame,” Lazar explained. – I asked for it myself.

– What do you mean?

– Once the vicar managed to enter into a dispute with an old sea wolf about pardoning prisoners whose families did not have money for ransom.Even you, Senorita Monteverdi, would not argue with Raynor Wolfe.

– Have you agreed to accept the punishment in place of the vicar?

Lazar shrugged his shoulders:

– He couldn’t bear it.

– This is a very noble deed.

Lazar was silent.

– You shouldn’t be ashamed of these scars. You should be proud of them.

– God knows you are the strangest woman I’ve ever met. If you think that I passed the punishment with stoic silence, then you are greatly mistaken.I yelled at the top of my voice and cursed that Dutch bastard after every blow. I only survived by hate.

– Did you hate my father?

– And God.

– Don’t say that! She breathed, mentally praying to heaven not to pay attention to his words.

They were silent for a long time, then Allegra ran her fingers along his spine, and Lazar shuddered.

– Allegra, I am so pleased when you touch me.

Trembling, she wrapped her arms around Lazar, gently ran her fingers over his bare chest, over his stomach, then gently touched his back with her lips.

Allegra could hardly believe what she was doing, but she had no strength to stop. Holding breath; closing her eyes, she pressed her cheek to Lazar’s mutilated back and studied his body – every cell of this warm strong body, smooth golden skin, enjoyed the velvety softness of short black hair.

When Lazar threw back his head, submitting to her touch, she heard a soft sound escaping from his lips, and a loud pounding of his heart. He stood resigned even as Allegra’s hand slid down his thigh and touched his muscular buttocks, which were pulled into tight-fitting pants.

– Is it pleasant for you to touch me? He asked in a hot whisper.

– Oh yes! She gasped.

Lazar hugged the girl to him and grabbed her by the neck. As he bent down, Allegra, who had been waiting for his kiss, tasted the brandy. Lazar, who must have guessed Allegra’s desire, immediately fell to her lips in a greedy kiss, deeply penetrating his tongue into the moist depths of her mouth.

Pressing Allegra with his back to the closet, he kissed her again and again, sliding his hands over her thighs.

Pressing her palms to Lazar’s bare chest, she tried to hold back his onslaught, but this man was too strong.Without even letting the girl breathe, he continued to kiss her.

The minutes flew by, and Allegra lost her sense of reality. Now she felt only the taste of Lazar, the touch of his large, strong, trembling hands on her body. Lazar’s fingers slipped to the bows on her dress and untied them with an extraordinary dexterity that surprised the girl.

– Allegra … – he whispered, pulling on the last bow. – Lord, how I want you!

Her knees gave way, her eyes were closed, and all thoughts and feelings were focused only on desperate desire.Grasping her buttocks and pressing her even tighter, Lazar seemed to want to make sure that his excitement was transmitted to her.

She turned her face away.

– Captain, please …

90,000 Keith McHenry: “Our actions drive social change”

Text: Allegra Houston Translation: Vadim Semyonov 05/27/2019 7237

Founded in 1980, the Food Instead of Bombs movement has independent units in more than fifty countries of the world.Volunteers of the organization were among the first to rush to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the first to provide food for the rescuers during the events of September 11 in New York and refugees in the Bedouin camp in Tunisia. Keith McHenry, the only one of the eight founders of the movement who continues to be active today, discussed with Allegra Houston the school of activism and how young people from “decent families” abandon prestigious education (for example, art) in order to go out on the street to feed needy and protest against government and corporations.

Keith McHenry during a Food Not Bomb event. 2018. Photo: Keena Parker. Source: goodtimes.sc

Allegra Houston: What made you start protesting?

Keith McHenry: I studied art at Boston University and tried to figure out what to do in my life. In parallel, I worked as a guide at the Old South Meeting House, in the very place where the Boston Tea Party began. And one day Dr. Helen Caldicott (lawyer and civic activist opposing nuclear weapons.- Artguide) gave a lecture there on the arms race. I was so impressed by her performance that I decided to devote my art to anti-militarist protest.

AH: The Boston Tea Party began as an anti-corporate protest action. Have you been influenced by knowing this story?

K.M .: Of course. At the end of the Revolutionary War, my great-great-great-grandfather James McHenry, along with George Washington, accepted the British surrender. I sat in American history class and thought, “James McHenry founded the American army, they killed Indians… My whole family was involved in the murder of millions of people. ” My grandfather was an officer in the Office of Strategic Services, from which the CIA later grew, and was involved in developing a strategy for the use of the atomic bomb. On the wall of his office hung 65 photographs of bombed Tokyo, which he had taken from a B29 bomber. During these bombings, a million people were injured, and my grandfather was very proud of this. When I was a boy, I heard him arguing on the phone with General Curtis Lemay and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara about dropping the atomic bomb on Hanoi.

A.Kh .: Did your father take part in the tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles?

CM: He worked for Morton-Thiokol in Utah. They blew up mountains. As boys, on Sundays we walked around and watched whole mountain slopes fly up into the air.

A.Kh .: You felt that your responsibility …

K.M .: … to reverse this tradition? Yes. Strange, but I got the feeling that if my ancestors influenced the development of society so much, maybe I can try to move society in the opposite direction.

A.Kh .: How did the “Food instead of bombs” movement start?

K.M .: Three events coincided. On May 24, 1980, there was a demonstration in Seabrook, New Hampshire against the construction of a nuclear power plant, and one of my classmates was arrested. We needed to raise money for a lawyer, and the idea came up to sell baked goods. A classmate’s family made a poster “How wonderful it would be when schools got all the money they need and the military would have to sell baked goods to buy themselves a bomber.”We thought, “Wow, what a brilliant idea!” And we went out into the street with our pastries, disguised as generals. It worked great, got people’s attention. So we became a team of like-minded people. Then I worked in one of the first organic food stores, Bread & Circuses. I hated that these wonderful organic foods sometimes had to be thrown away, and my friends and I began to take them to poor homes. Once in Cambridge, I asked the people to whom we gave food: “What is this modern building across the street from your houses?” They replied: “This is Draper Laboratories, they are creating atomic weapons.”This is how the name of our movement was born – “Food instead of bombs”. And then we learned that Boston’s board members also sit on the board of the Seabrook nuclear power plant. We came up with an action – cook soup, dress like vagabonds, and go to a board meeting. There we poured soup and told that the policy of these people is leading us to an economic crisis and in the near future thousands of families will be forced to live on alms. After the board meeting, my soup and I went to a homeless shelter (and in March 1981 there were very few homeless people in America), where I gave a speech at midnight.The homeless liked it very much, they praised me: “Cool, protest, like in the 1960s!” It was all so exciting that after all these events, we decided that from now on we would only be engaged in collecting unsold food and distributing it among those in need.

A.Kh .: Did anyone try to stop you?

K.M .: Oddly enough, no. When I suggested organizing a protest march to Draper Laboratories on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, the Cambridge City Council co-sponsored the action.I went to the city council to leave some posters, and the secretary tells me that a man from the CIA came to them, looking for me. I thought, “Oh, I heard about the CIA, they usually do all kinds of coups d’etat in Latin America.” I didn’t know how to call the CIA, so I called Draper Laboratories and asked to put me to their president. His name was General Duffy, and he agreed to meet. He explained to me: “We are at the same time with you, we work for the sake of peace, because if we have these nuclear missiles, no one will attack us.”Then he came to the protest march, stood and looked at us. Well, I took a Boston telephone directory, poured gasoline over it and said, “If an atomic bomb fell here, we would all be burned,” and set it on fire. It was cool. And on the third protest march, General Duffy asked if he could give a speech.

Keith McHenry. The emblem of the food instead of bombs movement. 1980s. Source: wikipedia.org

A.Kh .: What are the principles of “Food instead of bombs”?

K.M .: Food is always free for everyone – rich and poor, drunk and sober, vegetarians and vegans. We are engaged in direct nonviolent action – we are not charity. We make decisions together; we don’t need leaders. And whether it’s a wealthy capitalist country or a third world country, a Muslim country or Israel, our actions are driving social change.

AH: Yesterday I saw a guy whose baseball cap said “Bicycles instead of bombs.”Your ideas are highly infectious.

K.M .: Of course. Suppose you are walking down the street and you see not one hungry homeless person, but several hundred people in line for food. This sight has a much more powerful emotional impact: you see that someone is distributing food to people who are really hungry and need food, and it is not that they are stupid or lazy, but in the economic situation. I always urge, where food is distributed, to put a table with books.As a result, hungry and non-homeless people start hanging out with the homeless, which is great.

A.Kh .: Not for everyone.

K.M .: Correct. In 1988, in San Francisco, police arrested nine of our activists for handing out food without permission. The next day, the Chronicle came out with material about the arrest. A week later, 150 people went to a protest against police brutality.The power of media and public solidarity!

A.Kh .: You and your comrades-in-arms are being persecuted by the authorities. Sometimes it comes to arrests. Has it ever occurred to you that it’s time to stop?

K.M .: The first arrest in the early 1980s scared me very much. But I thought that if people saw that we were scared, then their hope for a better tomorrow would disappear.

A.Kh .: And it was at this moment that “Food instead of bombs” became widely known.

K.M .: Yes, at that time there were only three groups of “Food instead of bombs” in the world – in Boston, San Francisco and Long Beach. I once met a woman who told me that she was married to a guy from the National Guard. The guy, seeing our badge on this woman’s clothes, said: “Oh, and we are just here studying” Food instead of bombs “, this is one of the coolest terrorist groups in America.” It was a long time ago, but I recently saw a TV show that compared people serving free vegetarian food in parks to Al Qaeda.They found out which of them is more dangerous to society. The spokesman for the State Department said that those who distribute food are more dangerous. They, they say, make people think about the fact that the money that is spent on weapons, be directed to other purposes, and this all leads to a weakening of the armed forces. Thus, an organization like ours threatens national security. Can you imagine?

A.Kh .: How did your father feel about your work?

K.M.: At the boarding house where he spent his last years, he always introduced me to his friends like this: “Here is my son Keith, a starving artist.” He never mentioned that I was one of the founders of Food Instead of Bombs. I once asked him to donate money to a free Food Instead of Bombs school, and he got very angry. I got angry and sent me a return invoice, which listed all the amounts that he had ever lent me.

A.Kh .: Do you have heroes?

K.M .: Martin Luther King and Gandhi drew inspiration from Henry Thoreau. My father gave me his Walden, and then I read his essay On Civil Disobedience. I saw what terrible things my grandfather was doing and how my uncle urged to kill the Viet Cong, while I read how not to pay taxes on the war. My activist consciousness began to develop in elementary school.

Free soup for the revolution. The emblem of the food instead of bombs movement. Source: wikipedia.org

A.X .: Can we say that the activities of “Food instead of bombs” and other direct action groups have led to certain changes in modern society?

KM: In 1980-1981 there was a feeling that activism was almost dead. Vietnam is long gone. We felt like medieval Irish monks, in the sense that it was necessary to try to keep the fire of these ideas. The protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle, which we initiated, revealed to the world a part of politics that had been invisible for fifty years.This changed the way we look at the situation. From its inception, Food Instead of Bombs associated organic and local food with a denial of corporate power.

A.Kh .: What is your ideal world?

KM: I don’t think we can achieve social change through elections. Power must be decentralized. When you get rid of the old system, you lay the foundations for a new one, which is why we make decisions by consensus, which is why we are committed to nonviolent action.

A.Kh .: Something like the “occupy” policy?

K.M .: We have been hatching plans to occupy the White House for many years. We tried to do it in 2006, but it didn’t work that time. One of the reasons the government is so concerned about our actions is the understanding that our protest can last indefinitely.

AH: Can free and affordable food really change the world?

K.M .: I was twenty-two, when I was penniless I came up with “Food instead of bombs.” We were able to go from a small group of enthusiasts, consisting of eight of my classmates, to tens of thousands of people around the world. Food Instead of Bombs sparked an uprising in Iceland following the 2008 banking crisis. The Icelandic government saw in us idiots who distribute food on the street, but exactly until the moment when, after one of the distributions of food, people decided to march to parliament. As you remember, it all ended with a constitutional change.

A.Kh .: What do you personally want to achieve?

K.M .: I strive to think outside the box and provoke people into dialogue. And the wider the space of dialogue, the more unusual and therefore more inspiring ideas.

Read the full interview in # 2 of Garage Russia magazine

Elizabeth Reaser, Actress: photo, biography, filmography, news

American theater and film actress, best known for her role Esme Cullen in the acclaimed Twilight saga.

Elizabeth Ann Reaser was born in the summer of 1975 in Bloomfield, in the family of housewife Karen and lawyer John Reaser. After the divorce of her parents, Elizabeth and her two sisters had a stepfather – billionaire William Davidson. When he passed away, the girls’ mother became the owner of the Detroit Pistons professional basketball club.

The creative path of Elizabeth Reaser

Elizabeth Reaser was a college student at the University of Oakland, but a year later she entered one of the largest American higher educational institutions in the field of art – Juilliard School, which she successfully graduated in 1999.

– Until I came of age, I behaved very badly. I remember skipping school, getting drunk, fighting with my mother. Later I realized that this was not life. And as soon as I realized this, everything changed. I am so happy that I was able to achieve what I have without too much loss and struggle. There are so many actors who are incredibly talented and yet some of them are starving to death.

Elizabeth Reaser was set to play on stage and appeared several times during the Williamstone Theater Festival.Once she was involved in a performance of the London Theater, when there were only two spectators in the hall. But after several episodic roles in television serial projects, the actress devoted herself to cinema.

Elizabeth Reaser won the 2006 Newport Beach Film Festival award for her performance in Born of the Wind, and a year later she was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress in a Leading Lead.

In October 2004, Elizabeth Reaser was named by Interview magazine as one of the fourteen brightest emerging artists.

In 2006 Elizabeth Reaser played Dr. Alice Alden in the series Rescue . Before filming, she worked with the ambulance team to get to know the doctors’ lifestyle.

– A sense of humor is the only thing that makes these people distract from thoughts of death. You can always find something funny in the dramatic moments of life. Without humor, the drama will not be interesting to anyone.

In 2007, the actress appeared in the series Grey’s Anatomy as a pregnant woman suffering from amnesia.This episode received a Primetime Emmy Award from the jury.

In 2011, the movie “Homework” was released, in which Elizabeth played a woman who gave birth to a child very early and has several short-term marriages behind her. Reaser agreed to this role, as the character seemed to her very difficult and incomprehensible. In addition, she seriously thought about what it would be like to become a mother at such a young age.

– I don’t like seeing myself on the screen. Most of the time I find this strange.It drives me into depression, I am very critical. I can watch a movie in three years and then think: “Well, it’s not so scary.”

Elizabeth Reaser brought fame to the role of Esme Cullen in Twilight and its sequels based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestsellers of the same name . Her character is the beloved woman of the head of the vampire clan, Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli).

– It’s funny that I was given the role of a mother and a very caring, sweet, pleasant person … Maybe I’m sensitive, or something like that, maybe all because of this.But as for everything else, I cannot say that I belong to this type of character. She is so nice and beautiful and it definitely makes me better. While working, I always try to see only the best in my characters, so I myself become better. Although the Cullens are vampires. I picture Esme coming out in the middle of the night and tearing a mountain lion apart. This is amazing.

Filmography Elizabeth Reaser

  • Liberal Arts (2012), Ana
  • Twilight.Saga. Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), Esme Cullen
  • Poor rich girl / Young Adult (2011), Beth Slade
  • Twilight. Saga. Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011), Esme Cullen
  • Homework / The Art of Getting By (2011), Charlotte Howe
  • Twilight. Saga. Eclipse (2010), Esme Cullen
  • Twilight. Saga. New Moon / New Moon (2009), Esme Cullen
  • The good wife (TV series) / The Good Wife (2009 -…), Tammy Linnata
  • Against the Current (2009), Liz Clark
  • All my ex (TV) / The Ex List (2008), Bella Bloom
  • Twilight / twilight (2008), Esme Cullen
  • Odnoklassniki / Purple Violets (2007), Bernadette
  • Negotiators (TV series) / Standoff (2006-2007), Anya Reed
  • Puccini for Beginners (2006), Allegra
  • Salvation (TV series) / Saved (2006 -…), Alice Alden, M.D.
  • Wedding weekend / Shut Up and Sing (2006), Julep
  • Grey’s Anatomy (2005 – …), Jane Doe
  • Hello family! / The Family Stone (2005), Susannah Stone Trousdale
  • Born with the wind / Sweet Land (2005), Young Inge
  • Stay / Stay (2005), Athena
  • The jury (TV series) / The Jury (2004), Rachel Byrnes
  • Loss of consciousness / Mind the Gap (2004), Malissa Zubach
  • Taxi Driver (TV series) / Hack (2002-2004), Elaine Jones
  • Black Mark / Emmett’s Mark (2002), Alison Holmes
  • Law & Order.Malice (TV) / Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001 – …), Jillian Slaughter
  • Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001), Young Woman in Class
  • Fanatic / The Believer (2001), Miriam
  • Scrubs (1999) Molly; short
  • The Sopranos (TV series) / The Sopranos (1999-2007), Stace

Simone Signoret – the great actress who embodied the tragedy of the 20th century

During the war, Simona, who had just graduated from the Lyceum, came face to face with the cruel, illogical world of fascism, learned the price of intolerance – and hated it forever.At a time when everything took extreme forms – mass lies, betrayal, demagoguery, opportunism – she realized how much true friendship and mutual assistance mean, what power lies in human solidarity.

Freedom, humanism, justice were not abstract concepts for the young actress. Good and evil had a specific address. The clarity of moral criteria helped her to maintain respect for a person, faith in him. Perhaps that is why the post-war inflation of ideals did not touch her.The drama of the “lost” youth – a drama of unbelief and early satiety – was and remains far from its theme in art.

Under the hysterical agility of the heroines of Brigitte Bardot, it is easy to discern boredom and lethargy of feelings. Brigitte is a godsend for art analyzing the disease of 20-year-olds.

The spiritual turmoil that is eating away at the generation was not invented by artists. The disease does exist, and the popular movie star very accurately registers its symptoms: mental apathy, brokenness, and unsteadiness of moral ideas.

In the screen life of Brigitte Bardot, the inferiority of the century was refracted in its own way. Signoret’s disturbing art reflected his tragedy.

Simone Signoret is not attracted by flirtatious cynicism and languid drama of powerlessness – she is sure that art without ideals will quickly exhaust itself. The tragedy of most of the images she created, be it The Golden Helmet, Teresa Raken, Alice Aizgill or Elizabeth Proctor, grows out of the all-consuming power of feeling, the sharpness of perception, the irreconcilable integrity of nature, incapable of compromise.

In any of Signoret’s diverse roles there is an invariable leitmotif – humanity, to which she calls persistently, sincerely, passionately.

“I was an incorrigible pagan”,

– the actress wrote, recalling her childhood.

“She remained so in all her thoughts and in the manner of her acting throughout her entire life Rachelle Lefort about Simone Signoret. Heures claires, 1958, No. 48, p. 7 – approx. A.S. ,

– notes her biographer.

It seems to me that this is a very correct and subtle remark.

Healthy popular morality feeds the creativity of one of the most intelligent and intelligent actresses in French cinema. For all the intellectual complexity of Signoret’s art, there is no breakdown and psychological traps in it, no sophisticated ambiguity.

Simone Signoret loves life and looks at it with an open mind. She doesn’t need black or rose-colored glasses. She prefers to be truthful. Her art is full-blooded, she captures us with a broad, sober, open-minded look at a person, poetry of genuine feelings, the ability to strongly and deeply respond to what is happening.

The text was first published in the April 1963 issue of “The Art of Cinema” under the title “Notes on the Work of Simone Signoret” On April 1, at the Palace of Arts of the Leningrad Region (formerly Gorky House of Culture) to will be held an evening of humor by Semyon Altov “ The world survived because it laughed” . “Fontanka” spoke with the classic of the genre in advance and in earnest, nevertheless having heard a couple of exclusive stories.

– Semyon Teodorovich, in the “Home Concert” for our online project # bezantrakta you aptly said that the audience’s laughter, the reaction of the audience is an integral part of the performance of a humorist, satirist. After all, even in music it is not so – a musician can play by himself, for his own pleasure – and an artist who reads satirical stories to himself is already strange. How did you survive the pandemic?

– There are people – if we are talking, for example, about actors – who cannot live without a stage.And for many, leaving the stage is tantamount to leaving life. I live quite calmly without performances, I am phlegmatic by nature: if I have something to eat, I can do it without a stage, to be honest. Although I am writing something all the time, and, of course, I need confirmation that insanity and I have not yet merged.

I know that Mikhail Mikhailovich Zhvanetsky is a person whom I have always worshiped and we had normal relations (and even once Mikhail Mikhailovich in Riga, when I was reading something, shouted: “Bravo!”), – wrote mainly in Odessa.And after he worked for a month or two, they boarded a barge with people close to him, quite famous in different areas, there was still, as I understand it, a wonderful table, and they sailed, and he read what he had written. This first reading was very important: even he could not always know exactly what kind of reaction the text would cause. He was guided by the reaction, something to rule and only then went out into the hall.

I don’t have a barge, unfortunately. To my family, although they were all with a sense of humor – our wife, son, grandchildren, and dogs we had a sense of humor – I don’t read.They, as maximalists, began to rule from the first word. I asked: “Let me finish reading!” And this braking knocked down. I stopped reading them. I go out to the hall and there I check – shifting, of course, with proven things.

We also had royal poodles, big – wonderful dogs, we lived the best years with them! – I read to one of them, black, his name was Bruce. He did not understand anything, but how he listened! His nostrils were moving, his eyes were bulging, his ears were moving back and forth! And I knew from his face that everything was fine.After reading, the poodle could safely go out in public.

– You said aphoristically at the same time: “Laughter is a sign that you are understood.” This is not only about the relationship between the humorist and the public, but also about life. What do you think, can a couple be happy in which the husband and wife have different sense of humor?

– It will be difficult for them. But if they love each other, they will patiently come to a common level.

By the way, the word order is very important in humor.Once I was driving to “Strela”, a man came up in the vestibule, said: “I am your admirer, I tell your aphorisms in companies, I have great success.” Interested in: “What?” And I had this phrase: “If your wife left you and you do not feel sadness, wait. The wife will return, and with her sorrow. ” And he recalls: “Well, of course! You have there, in my opinion, like this: “If your wife left you, but you did not notice it, – well, to hell with her!” And laughed at the whole train.

I can imagine what a “success” he had with such a reproduction.The word order is very important, just as in music it is important which note follows note: the word order can spoil everything, but you can save everything.

– By the way, and vice versa. One and the same phrase can be pronounced in such a way that it will sound like a joke in one situation, but not in another. For example, Putin here joked: “Who is called what is called so.” Was it funny? Or is this not a joke – how do you assess from a professional point of view?

– Our president has a good sense of humor.I do not know how the other heads of state are joking and whether they are joking, but he has this paint, and it adds points to him.

– Do you think he studied this on purpose? In general, can you learn a sense of humor?

– Just like with an ear for music: if you don’t have one, you can pick up a Stradivarius violin, but nothing will work. On the other hand, if someone has no ear for music, he does not drop out of society. If a person does not have a sense of humor, he often suffers, he is touchy.I have noticed, though, that people with no sense of humor who take themselves seriously do well in the corporate ladder. Because they force others to take themselves seriously. Many officials and higher-ranking comrades have a bad sense of humor. But with everything else, they are good.

– They have something good. But how does it affect us that at the top we have people without a sense of humor?

– Well, you see how we live.

Remember, there was an anecdote.One of the greats came to a tailor to sew a suit, and he made it for a long time, almost a month and a half. Finally, the customer comes, puts on a suit, everything is fine. And he says: “Listen, how are you not ashamed! God created the world in seven days, and you sewed this unfortunate suit for more than a month! ” The tailor replies: “So look what a world he has!”

– By the way, have you noticed that jokes have disappeared from our lives?

– Jokes have disappeared as a common form of reaction to what is happening.But the humor has become much more: at least I, like you, are probably constantly sent to my mobile phone. There are jokes, pictures, a lot of vulgar things, but there are graceful funny things. They sent me here: “The father says to his son, getting into the car:” Now I will take it back in the garage, you will tell me when there will be a wall. ” Gives back – an eerie rumble! The son says: “Dad, the wall was exactly at 4:45 pm!” Funny.

I have a feeling that people start their morning with such mailings. Because the brain is blocked by negative information, this is a defense reaction of the body, “pills” to look at the surrounding reality more calmly.

– I’m more about something else: before, people, getting together, constantly told each other just jokes. And now this is not happening. Why do you think?

– Partly, as I said, because the stream of things sent out has increased: I have 6, 8, 10 stories per day. As well as others. Therefore, it is difficult to surprise with something – everyone knows the same thing. And there are so many of these jokes that even a young man hardly has enough memory to preserve all this.

– In your opinion, how did it happen that humor became a business? After all, the biggest stars now are stand-ups.

– I said somewhere: “Now some, jokingly, earn serious money.” This is true, because we were loners, and the Comedy Club guys are a factory, a serious business! There, as I understand it, there is a group of people who write texts and come up with dialogues, recapitulations, endings, and so on – and a group of actors. There is a lot of money! I know that many people of my age have a negative attitude to all this: they say, it’s gone! As a professional I will tell you, there are very funny texts, like played miniatures, Garik Bulldog Kharlamov is a comedian from God! “Uralskie dumplings” are closer to what the older generation is used to, but also great!

When the stand-ups started, I called my wife: “Look!” I liked it.But then, apparently, the money went. Probably, the money is not bad, they began to behave cheekily, a checkmate started, and not obligatory. Someone told me that they, as professionals, take the phrase, for example, “Mom washed the frame” – it’s not funny. But if you add “your mother” at the end, then the same phrase will cause laughter from the audience. Therefore, often – squeals. After which – a large laughing audience. And today already without beeping. This is professionalism in a bad sense of the word: it must be funny at any cost.

– When we agreed on an interview, you asked me if I even knew who you were.And by the way, I even have your book at home – from the “Golden Series of Humor”, dating back to the 90s. But what do you think, will stand-ups arouse the interest of readers with their texts, if they are not given “live”, but printed?

– Not sure, not sure. We used to talk in companies using Zhvanetsky’s phrases, he, in addition to talentedly selected words, also had the author’s acting intonation, energy. Zhvanetsky was worried that the intonation went away in the book. But those people who knew him, heard, loved – read and hear his voice.

How was I remembered? I had stories. “Bribe” from the newspaper “Soviet Sport” “- the whole country knew it! Zhvanetsky said that this is the best humorous story of the Soviet period. There is a story about tram 49th, aka 25th – running on two routes at the same time. About the statue of Hercules. Such things – plot – are remembered. And if this is just a miniature, built on reprises, as it is mainly with stand-up artists, you will not remember it, although you can, by straining, remember what it was about.

I have – parables, fables, they have plots.Just like in music. I understand that this is a receding nature: my musical preferences are the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, because for me the melody is the plot. I am indifferent, politely speaking, to rap. Well, of course, there’s no music there, but this quick projection of words, when they want to say something to me in a hurry, but I don’t have time to hear it.

Just like there were battles recently: people come out to insult each other in the presence of a large crowd of people. If you want to insult me, let me hear where you sent me! If at the same moment I have to have time to send you, I am at a loss.Maybe the very juggling of words attracts people, like the TV show “Improvisation” is a good topic, although wild laughter causes what they immediately, without thinking, say. I’m still used to thinking first, and then talking. It turns out that this is optional.

– There is humor, but there is satire. Previously, it felt like there was more satire. There were the same “Dolls” by Shenderovich, there was, of course, Zhvanetsky, “The Country Officer”. Is there a place for satire in the modern life of society, in the modern political world? Or has this door closed smoothly – perhaps just behind Mikhail Mikhailovich?

– Something is happening in society that I don’t really like.Permitted criticism is, and there is unresolved criticism. I have never touched on these topics, but on April 1, I will perform at the Gorky Palace of Culture – the Palace of Arts near the Narvskaya metro station, and somehow I thought about it. Here, they say, “a dissenter” – they say, this is bad. But, first of all, if you look at the very word “dissenter” – these are thinking people, right? What if there is something sensible in these thoughts? And often the dissidents were people whom the country was then proud of: Akhmatova, Zoshchenko, Babel, academician Korolev, thanks to whom the rockets flew and our cosmonaut was sent – he was in the camp! I’m not talking about Academician Vavilov when they shouted: “Genetics is the corrupt girl of imperialism!” Do not be afraid of someone else’s thought – it seems to me so! Because in our country, as you know, unanimity was much worse.

I sometimes think about the Brezhnev times: how good it was, in all the newspapers – the same thing! Heavenly life! Yes, there was little money. But we didn’t know what to do when there was a lot of money, nobody got to that. They were happy about a little: I lived in a communal apartment until I was 15, although today not everyone knows what it is. There were 29 of us in the apartment, and our happiness was that we had no idea that there are separate apartments in the world. We lived normally, because everyone lived like that. When Zoshchenko, they say, was first translated in America, they wrote in the preface: what a genius writer, he came up with a surrealist move – a communal apartment! Different people live together! They decided that this was a fantastic device, a fiction of the author.

– Well, now there are still a lot of communal apartments, everyone still knows about them. At least St. Petersburg is reputed to be the communal capital of Russia.

– We lived on the corner of Borodinskaya and Zagorodnoye, these were former generals’ apartments. Then, years later, some kind of television brought me there, and I fondly recalled how and what went on there in those distant, not-bad years …

– And how did you get on with your neighbors? Didn’t you laugh at them? Otherwise, they will not be allowed to create a museum, as is the case with the Brodsky Museum.

– Firstly, my mother was the quarterly representative, that is, the eldest. And we had a more or less peaceful apartment. And secondly, when we went there a few years ago, none of the former residents was left there, except for Zhenya – who was then a girl, but now it is already clear how old she is. So who can remember me there?

– Did you generally use your sense of humor as a weapon?

– There was a funny story – perhaps it can be told.I speak quickly enough, and often indistinctly, but a couple of times it helped me out.

When I was just starting out, but I was already moderately well-known, I spoke at some evening, somewhere people were sitting at the tables – obviously, a corporate party, as it is now called. I spoke, music was playing. I don’t know how to dance, so I got up and said: “Thank you, all the best, I went.” The woman sitting next to me decided that I was asking her to dance: she couldn’t make out the words while listening to the music. And he says: “With pleasure!” I realized I have to dance.After the dance, we sit down, I waited for silence and already distinctly say: “All the best, I’m leaving!” A neighbor says to me: “Can I invite you to speak?” I say, “For God’s sake.” She asks: “Can I record your phone number?” And these are Soviet times. I wonder: “What phone? I, like everyone else, have no phone at all. ” She says: “But you need him ?! Write down my phone number. ” I am writing down. I come home and tell my wife. She says: “So call me!” I called – silence. I think: played. Then I got through – she said: “Come.”Gave the address. I come – the central telephone exchange, she is the chief engineer of the central telephone exchange. And three days later I had my personal phone at home. This is how, thanks to illegible speech, I received the gifts of fate.

– Have you watched the film “The Comedian”, did you like it?

– I didn’t like it. Either I somehow personally perceived: when you know how it was, and you know specific people, you cannot look detached.

– What was wrong with it?

– I don’t remember anymore.

– But it happened that all sorts of ranks, generals were summoned to comedians to their gatherings?

– I was not, I did not rise above a certain level, but the most popular, famous ones were called, of course.

– Who, for example?

– Well, Mikhail Mikhailovich. He talked amusingly enough. Although it is humiliating, especially, as we have already said, there are mostly people without a sense of humor. Reading in silence and understanding who you are reading to is quite painful, I think.

– Do you think the modern government needs such Arkadyev, a jester in the classical sense, who will tell the truth? Will she want to listen to him?

– I think the authorities might want to listen to him if he came to their restaurant or bathhouse. But I don’t think he would joke in public. They are again afraid, it seems to me, of some other opinion. Although there were jesters at all times, and they had an important function. They conveyed to the ruler a different view of what was happening: what if there is something in this and will be useful to you? If you are a smart ruler – collect all opinions, then you will make the only right decision! To be smart, you don’t have to surround yourself with fools.

– Does your sense of humor change over the years? How do you try to track other people’s changes in their sense of humor? Or are you not trying?

– Over the years, I have formed my own opinion, something of my own, and a fairly large number of people still need and understand this. Even young people are part of it, of course. I understand that stand-up and Comedy Club form their audience, there the humor is “thicker”, with such machine-gun “bursts” – I don’t have that. Well, even then, even when I “didn’t get it” out of laughter (it happened), I always knew that I had said something to them, tried to convey some idea.