Drug Ratings for ZYRTECAverage Rating: 2.1 (1498 Ratings)
Compare ZYRTEC with similar: |
Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken from shortest to longest (with no time reported listed first) Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 5 | Allergies | I think zyrtec is a wonderful drug. It keeps me symptomless when I am on it. A doctor told me once that it is too strong and can cause bacterial infections in the sinuses. So I sometimes only take it every other day. I have been very happy with the results, especially since loratidine and allegra do not work at all. | F | 55 | 10 1X D | 2/11/2010 | 5 | Year round allergies | I haven't experienced any noticeable side effects. | I have been taking zyrtec for about 3 years. I am allergic to trees, grass, weeds, dust, mold, and animals. I had never been able to sleep with my mouth closed before I took Zyrtec. I also had very sensitive skin which was almost always itchy and would welt up when I scratched it. I couldn't wear any kind of lipstick/chapstick with color or flavor because it gave me a sore throat and made the area around my mouth turn red. Zyrtec has not completely cured my night breathing problems, but it has made them tons better. The biggest difference is that I am rarely itchy. it used to be that once I started scratching, I couldn't stop and sometimes, I would end up bleeding. I am so happy not to have to worry about that anymore. My skin still welts up if I scratch it, but I hardly ever do. I also don't have to worry about wearing chapstick or lipstick. On top of that, my seasonal allergies have gone away. Zyrtec has been great for me. | F | 21 | 10 mg 1X D | 4/29/2010 | 5 | seasonal allergies | none | No side effects, seems to work well. Zyrtec D is also good for those times when your allergies combine with a cold and you get a higher level of congestion. | F | 38 | 10 mg 1X D | 5/14/2010 | 5 | to meet people | I fell in love with the first thing I saw. I'm sure glad I took it on the first day of college and not back when I lived with grammy and gramps. | It is a love potion! beware of it's effects on arousal. Also, stops my itching and cat allergies. | F | 31 | 1X D | 8/24/2010 | 5 | please see website on zyrtec and psychiatric side effects:www.sidefxdrugs.com | | 1/17/2007 | 5 | CLARIFICATION | This post is to correct the post dated 12/4 that starts "EVERYONE PLEASE READ!!!" and goes on to say that there is a difference between the prescription and OTC brands, and further states that Pfizer makes the Prescription brand Zyrtec and the OTC brand is made by "a company contracted to make a cheap OFFBRAND of the real product." | This is categorically false. The prescription Zyrtec and the OTC Zyrtec are the exact same thing. McNeil has not been contracted to produce a "cheap offbrand" by any means. McNeil, a Johnson & Johnson Company, purchased Pfizer's OTC division, and thus purchased the Zyrtec brand when the FDA cleared it for non-prescription use. | M | 41 | | 12/9/2008 | 5 | annafilactive fits | None | M | 50 | | 12/31/2008 | 5 | urticaria & angioedema | Dry mouth, receeding gums & fatigue | It's a trade off, I could not live the way I was, it's an effective drug with some side effects just like any other drug, I'm willing to take those. | M | 43 | | 7/19/2008 | 4 | seasonal allergies | some drowziness, but not enough to curb activities. | I only take Zyrtec in the Spring/fall when I know that I will start having issues. Knowledge of what triggers each persons allergy symptoms and when the triggers first appear I feel is crucial to using this medication to make it work. I have been prescribed Zyrtec for about 8 years. So far so good. | F | 59 | | 7/25/2009 | 4 | hives induced by allergy to latex | Weight gain and extreme increase in appetite | For months now i have been trying to figure out why i have been putting on weight and why i am so tired! I have only gained about 6 pounds but that is alot for me because i used to have a very fast metabolism and never had cravings. Now i am ALWAYS hungry and can't go as long as i used to in the gym. My hives were crazy and they would last for days until i took a zyrtec pill, at which point it would provide me with immediate relief- i even used to call it a miracle drug. It truely is amazing how effective it is for allergies but the way i am becomming i almost prefer the itching and swelling :( No more zyrtec for me :( | F | 23 | | 4/17/2007 | 4 | allergies | I took zyrtec for about a year and a half. Loved it. However, Ive had to stop taking it to have some allergy tests taken. I was violently sick to my stomach, have headaches and now cant have an empty stomach. I can only hope these symptoms go away as my activities have been SEVERLY limited. | F | 58 | 10mg 1X D | 11/6/2010 | 4 | seasonal allergies | No side effects whatsoever. I really want to try and put some people's minds at rest because it seems the only people who ever leave ratings are people who have had freakishly negative experiences with a particular drug and this may well deter others from trying a drug which might actually help them. Zyrtec gave me ZERO side effects. | F | 46 | 1X D | 5/11/2010 | 3 | bad cat allergy | Took 24 hrs for my legs to get rid of the edema. I have not taken zyrtec to two days and so far no problems with the cat. I'm trying to see when the cat allegy kicks in so I know about how long I have between when I need to start/stop. | F | 56 | 10 1X D | 6/16/2010 History | 3 | seasonal allergies | Not sure there were any until I see other parents linking it to moodiness and hyper activity. My child is now experiencing a lot of this and we only use it during certain times of the year. I believe I will switch to something else. Behavior is out of the norm. | M | 6 | 1/2 tsp 1X D | 3/22/2010 | 3 | F | 35 | 1X D | 8/25/2010 | 3 | Skin irritation(itchy),running nose | I noticed that my skin is getting dryer and dryer... My skin(feet) almost crack after taken for 3 days. | I found horrible rating at this website. Therefore, I decided to try to avoid taking this pills if not necessary. I feel so sorry to my kid, I gave him zyrtec(syrup) when he was about 2 years old. I didn't notice the side effect on him at that time... Now I realized this med is not as good as I thought.... Yet the doctor told me that I could give him zyrtec throughout a year.... I was harming my son... | F | 29 | 1 pill 1X D | 11/23/2011 | 3 | Respiratory Allergies | Irritability | I have been taking this drug during allergy season for 2 years now. I took it almost daily from spring through fall last summer, in fact. It was my wife in fact who pointed out that this drug causes irritability. It was so subtle, in fact, that I didn't notice it -- but I was generally not a nice person while I was on this drug, and it took me a long time to figure it out. If I didn't have someone else around to point out the change in my personality, I'll bet I would never even have caught on to it. So, BEWARE of this drug. I was cranky for no reason at all while taking this. Happiness is important to me, so I won't be taking it anymore. This is a drag, because the pill really did help my allergies. Sigh. | M | 40 | 10 MG 1X D | 4/16/2012 | 3 | Allergies to Dust and Dust Mites | Totally sleepy. Had a hard time getting up in the morning and took a two hour nap during the day. I never take naps during the day. Feel very drugged and exausted. | F | 27 | | 6/14/2005 | 3 | | 10/25/2008 | 3 | | 10/16/2001 | 3 | possible allergies | its knocked me out . and made me drowsy. | M | 26 | | 11/1/2001 | 3 | | 11/14/2002 | 3 | M | 32 | | 6/10/2002 | 3 | hives | I | | 2/26/2005 | 3 | allergies | My 2 yr old daughter was prescribed Zyrtec and she changed for the worst almost overnight. Our normally sweet, loving child became highly emotional, easy upset and whiny. She lost her appetite and would not eat ANY breakfast or lunch. It all went down the drain after reading some other comments here. | M | 48 | | 9/12/2007 | 3 | Allergies | Check out Pfizer's fact sheet on Zyrtec: www.pfizer.com/files/products/uspi_zyrtec.pdf "The most common adverse reaction...was somnolence...6% in placebo, 11% at 5 mg, and 14% at 10 mg." Fatigue was a 5.9% incidence vs. 2.6% on placebo. Many of the other symptoms represented on this page were concomitant with Zyrtec use, albeit at less than 2% frequency. | | 8/3/2009 | 3 | seasonal allergies | Agitation & crankiness, with a small side of sadness. Started becoming cranky and noticed, then confirmed it didn't happen when I skipped a daily dose. Half a pill worked out better. | M | 45 | | 5/22/2009 | 3 | allergies | weight gain | I have been the same weight for years...started taking zyrtec on a regular basis, and have gained 6lbs in a month. Will stop taking, can't afford new wardrobe! | F | 28 | | 1/20/2009 | 3 | seasonal allergies | tiredness | F | 44 | | 4/27/2008 | 2 | allergies | | 5/19/2009 | 2 | seasonal allergies | irritability,"spaciness", lowered social interaction. | my 7 year old daughter experiences seasonal allergies and i gave her this based on rave reviews from friends. since beginning it 4 days ago she has dark circles under her eyes, is spacey and doesn't respond, and is irritable. i am weary of stopping though, because these are also common symptoms of severe ALLERGIES IN CHILDREN. so...? | M | 35 | | 8/18/2009 | 2 | allergies | I am supposed to start taking Zyrtec... I wasn't able to pick up my prescription yesterday and now have to wait to Monday. I was curious about this drug and found this website. After reading about all these horrible experiences I must admit I am terrified to start taking this. I have allergies and eczema, no other medications have worked for me and zyrtec is my last option. Is it worth it? Will I experience all these terrible things? | F | 27 | | 3/31/2007 | 2 | seasonal allergies | To all parents of young children--my 6 year old experienced the SAME behavior problems on Zyrtec. I contacted his allergist today, and he said Zyrtec crosses the blood-brain barrier (as do most anithistimines), and therefore could defintely cause behavioral changes. His allergist prescribed Allegra for children (which is NEW spring 2007), and Allegra DOES NOT CROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER!!! Will start this in a few days with my son...hopefully will work! Good luck, and get your kids off this terrible medicine! | M | 6 | | 4/10/2007 | 2 | seasonal allergies(spring only) | My 6 year old son took Zyrtec for two spring seasons since he experiences severe allergies to spring pollen and grass. The drug did wonders in clearing his allergies, but caused him to manifest behavior problems. When he first started taking Zyrtec in late March when he was 5 years old (right when seasonal allergies begin), his teacher started calling me from school telling me that he was breaking down, crying easily, and throwing tantrums. She said that if she didn't know him from the previous 7 months in her class (when he wasn't on Zyrtec), that she would have thought that was just the way he was. I did not make the connection, and so the poor kid spent 3 months screaming at school. The end of summer came, and I took him off his allergy meds. All is well at school, and then March rolls around again, and I start him on his Zyrtec. Sure enough, I get a call from the teacher (different teacher, by the way) reporting the same exact behavioral problems. This teacher, who is excel | M | 6 | | 4/10/2007 | 2 | extreme hives | None on 10mg or 20mg/day | 10mg completly knocked out my hives for 5 days and then they came back. 20mg redueced them for 3 days and then they came back. For me this is not working for my hives. | M | 48 | | 12/2/2005 | 2 | allergies | drowsiness, loss of focus, feeling "out of it" | worked well but side effects caused me not to continue | F | 45 | 1X D | 11/7/2010 | 2 | allergies | some drowsiness, dry eyes. Upon withdrawal the feeling of itching and pain in the eyes developed and has persisted for several days so far. It feels like there is something in the eyes yet eye exam shows nothing. Not sure it is from zyrtec withdrawal but there seems to be no other explination. | would not use it again for allergies. | M | 60 | 10 1X D | 4/15/2011 | 2 | allergies | | 12/25/2000 | 2 | allergies | none | have not noticed any changes in allergies | M | 13 | | 12/25/2000 | 1 | Allergies | Heart palpitations, muscle weakness, extreme lethargia, violent mood swings/anger problems, itchy hives, dehydrated feeling, overall poor health and sick feeling all the time. | I have taken this product for a long time. I have used 3 different antihistimines for my allergies over the past 4 years. Its great not to have a runny, sneezy nose 24/7, but over the past few months I have noticed my health declining. The heart problems and muscle weakness are the scariest. I have avoided going to a doctor thinking it must be diet, so I stopped drinking soda and started eating healthier. After a month, I do not see an improvement. Someone told me that it could be the allergy meds and after seeing this site, I am certain of it. I stopped taking the pill yesterday and I should see an improvement in about a month. I will update then. Beware, these side effects are not listed on the bottle people! I feel awful and am very dissappointed. | F | 31 | 10mg 1X D | 3/10/2010 History | 1 | allergies | Daughter 3 1/2-- really scarry to see my outgoing child turn into a non expressive sad child! She hasn't taken this for some time, but each time I give it this reaction occurs. Same with singular. | F | 3 | 1/2 tsp 2X D | 4/12/2010 | 1 | Allergies | NOT TAKING ZYRTEC: Hives rashes extreme itching all over the body. Inflammations, agitation. | Upon trying to stop taking the "wonder drug" that is Zyrtec, I experienced extensive itching, rashes/ hives, and generally am pissed off and would like to see the inventors of Zyrtec tortured with itching powder on their private areas. | M | 47 | 1X D | 7/19/2010 | 1 | allergies | My daughter (almost 10) has been taking since March. She has become very depressed, irritable, goes into rages that last up to 2 hours. Her pupils become dilated and its like she is not even there. So bad we had to call police on her! | F | 10 | 1X D | 5/4/2011 | 1 | Allergies | I previously wrote on this site about my son and the terrible effects from zyrtec. I am urging all parents and patients to also write the FDA on their experience with zyrtec with the hopes that something will be done so that other parents and children won't have to suffer like we all have. Go to WWW.FDA.GOV then down to LET US HEAR FROM YOU then to REPORT A PROBLEM WITH A PRODUCT. It's very easy to complete and will only take a few minutes of your time. It's important to let the FDA know what's going on. MAYBE we can get something done. Thank you! | | 11/3/2005 | 1 | allergies | All drugs are poisoness eventually; but most things can be cured with vitamins | No problem with vitamin C crystals, can even cure mono (e.g. a teaspoon every few hours until gone); see doctoryourself.com. | M | 56 | 1X D | 3/17/2012 | 1 | Our law office is investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | Our law office is investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | | 9/5/2006 | 1 | | 2/9/2006 | 1 | sinus, coughing, congestion | My 5 year old son has been on both Zyrtec and Singulair for about 2 years now and has MAJOR behavior issues. They have become worse as he's gotten older and we've been baffled as to what could be the cause. We recently saw a psycologist who almost diagnosed him with ODD. Our house has become a battle zone and every day we walk on eggshells hoping nothing sets him off. | I'm astounded that so many other families are experiencing the same problems! I wouldn't have thought these medications would have been the cause of such anger. I am taking him off of both medications and am hoping for the best. It's unfortunate that we've lost out on so much because we were mis-informed. It's really up to us as parents to read read read and always question our health-care professionals. | F | 32 | | 3/31/2008 | 1 | allergies | My daughter first starting taking it when she was 20 months, she would kick the walls and be OUT OF CONTROL so we took her off and on benadryl afer taking that for a 1 1/2 yrs she has become immune and it no longer is working. We went back to the doc. and then suggested we give zyrtec another try, the monster came back!! Its nice to hear i'm not the only parent dealing with a crazy violent child from this med. | F | 3 | | 5/6/2005 | 1 | allergies | My daughter first starting taking it when she was 20 months, she would kick the walls and be OUT OF CONTROL! Her Doc took her off zyrtec and put her on benadryl afer taking that for a year and a half she has become immune and it no longer is working. We went back to the doc. and then suggested we give zyrtec another try, the monster came back!! Its nice to hear i'm not the only parent dealing with a crazy violent child from this med. | F | 3 | | 5/6/2005 | 1 | We are investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | We are investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | | 9/5/2006 | 1 | allergies | My 5 year old daughter has been taking this for years. She has been having emotional meltdowns. I will tell her to brush her teeth or get dressed and she will start screaming and crying. This can go on for up to one hour, she can not stop. When I ask her why she is acting like this she says she doesn't know. Lately she has talked about wanting to hurt herself. She says that we hate her and don't love her. This child is so loved and gets lots of attention. We had even made an appointment with a therapist. My husband mentioned her medications and when I googled on side effects of zyrtec I found that we are not the only ones going through this. I have contacted my daughters doctor and we are stopping the zyrtec! | F | 5 | | 4/7/2007 | 1 | Allergies | Social withdrawal, sluggishness, sleeping for very long periods of time and having trouble waking up even after 12 hours of sleep and nosebleeds. | I started giving this to my son when prescribed many years ago. I didn't give it to him for extended periods of time so I did't put two and two together until my husband started taking it and exhibiting strange behaviors himself that I had never seen him do before. My husband began having chest pains, heart palpatations, sluggishness, depressing, an unwillingness to join in family activities, and he was tired all of the time. My son would have some of those symtoms and also nosebleeds. We began researching the side effects of this and realized that it was this drug causing it. My son informed me that every nosebleed he has had was when he was taking the Zyrtec. I thought about it and he was right. He has also used nasal sprays and his peditrician and I thought that was causing the nosebleeds, but he wasn't using it this time. I abruptly threw this drug away and the nosebleeds have stopped and my husband is now going through withdrawal symptoms (he was using it on a daily basis and had been for almost a year). I wouldn't ever use this drug or recommend it to anyone. | F | 42 | | 8/26/2009 | 1 | allergies | our son became irritable, moody, aggressive & had trouble sleeping thru the night. | a relative suggested I google side effects of Zyrtec on the chance this drug could be the cause of negative behavior in my son. Found this website & several others that made me discontinue Zyrtec. Literally, behavior improved overnight. Our son is much more compliant, sleeps great, generally happy & pleasant. I feel like my family has peace again ! | | 9/10/2009 | 1 | allergy induced asthma | My 4 yr old daughter has experienced similar behavioral problems for the past year. I thought was due to an extensive remodel where I was away from her, a move and my return to work. Initially her behavioral issues presented themselves in stores and at ballet and tumbling classes with either all over the place and not listening behavior to spaciness. Behavior has escalated to rage and physical hitting directed at me, defiance, not listening. My husband and I traced back our last year and thought she may have a hearing issue but after reading all of these comments, the zrytec is going in the trash for both of my daughter and I. I have been on zrytec since April and I have experienced the sluggishness, weight gain, head in a vacumn, heart palpatations, anxiety attacks and rage. I also have been less patient with my daughter and husband which was a toxic combination for my daughter and I since we both experienced behavior changes. Thank goodness for this site. Side Bar about Alleg | F | 40 | | 9/18/2009 | 1 | For children | Well, I am taking it and I am wide awake- so I was looking up to see if it effect others in that matter- When my son was younger 5-6, he could not take zyrtec or clartin. He was mean on both- even his teachers asked what had I put him on. He can take d-allergy or allegra and he doesn't have the side effects. He also has asthma...I guess I need to take in the am....considering I have to be at work in 6.5 hours and I'm WIDE AWAKE!!! | F | 32 | | 11/3/2009 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Pimples on chest, shoulders, and upper back. Periods of constipation followed by painful, large, and loose BMs. Decrease in energy and water retention/minor weight gain. | I have taken Zyrtec off and on over the last few years for my season hay fever, and when I noticed the strange changes happening to my body, I wondered what it could be from. I stopped taking it 3 days ago and my acne and BMs are back to normal and I have lost 3 pounds in what I assume was water weight. Needless to say, I will not be taking Zyrtec again. | F | 23 | | 5/3/2009 | 1 | allergies | zyrtec gave me severe depression, false thoughts, angry behavior, mood swings, feelings of suicide, and i cried all the time. worst 5 weeks of my life. the prescription zyrtec never effected me as much as the over the counter stuff just started. DO NOT TAKE> | M | 20 | | 8/31/2008 | 1 | hayfever | moody, violent,spacey | M | 14 | | 6/2/2009 | 1 | allergies | Have had no problems with zyrtec 5mg but have noticed the 10mg/24 hour dose gives me a horrible headache. | Just wondering if anyone else has noticed that 5mg works fine but the 10mg dose causes problems. It's just like the medical industry to have the view that if one dose works well twice as much is even better! Maybe some of the folks here who've had problems would try 5mg instead of the 10mg they'd be happy with the results. | F | 41 | | 6/21/2009 |