ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1816 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ZYRTEC with similar:
Type: Over-the-counter Drug
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Results are sorted by Age from youngest to oldest (reviews with no age 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 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 |
More on ZYRTEC: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | seasonal allergies | Anxiety and panic attacks, unusual tiredness, irritability | worked well for the allergies but not worth the side effects. I thought I was losing it. There was no reason for me to be axious yet I could not control the overwhelming panic I felt. Zyrtec was the only new drug I had taken, the symtoms stopped when I stopped taking it. | F | 43 | 15 days | 9/25/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | I just took it for the first and after it was absorbed I got a cold sweat and a headache. An hour later I got a foggy feeling and slight dizziness | It only relieved the symptoms slightly. It stopped the sneezing and itchy throat but the runny nose was still there. I haven't took an antihistimine in years. I wouldn't take this drug because of the side effects and it doesn't work | M | 43 | 1 days | 9/21/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | Extreme Anxiety and disassociation from my body. | I'm the happiest guy in the world. I've never had any issues with anything or ever felt depressed.. EVER. I'm in my 40's. After the 3rd season, taking this stuff.. I had an Anxiety attack.. and then thought I was like disconnected from my body for a while. I didn't know what it was. I thought I was having a Heart attack. I'm not normally a dramatic person.. but it freaked me out, so I went to the Doctor. He said I'm in perfect health.. and then asked me if I was on anything. Only the Zyrtec. He said, in some rare cases, people can have my symptoms and to stay away from it. I haven't touched it since then and I'm back to normal. Weird. I just thought somebody should know, just in case it happens to them. | M | 43 | 14 days 10mg 1X day | 3/16/2017 | 1 | Rash (poison ivy?) | Overwhelming drowsiness, lingering 24+ hours after ceasing the medication. (Half life of 8 hours = around 2 days to eliminate completely.) Mild headache and dizziness. | To be fair, I don't find the words "non-drowsy" anywhere on Zyrtec's web site, so I can't claim they misled me. But for me, the drowsiness and fatigue caused by this medication has been so overwhelming and long-lasting that it's worse than useless. I'd only touch this stuff in the event of a literally life-threatening allergic reaction, and then only if I can't get my hands on an EpiPen. Worse, it didn't seem to do much for my rash. | M | 43 | 3 days 10mg 1X day | 6/25/2016 | 1 | Allergies. Dust mites and dust spec | I almost never believe people when they say they have weird side effects. I took this for a year. Thought it was causing me to gain weight(I don't think so really) so I decided to stop taking this. I kept waking up in the middle of the night and eating! That may have been the Zyrtec. Then when I ran out and was literally scrounging around in my car at 1 am since I couldn't sleep without Zyrtec my husband joked. " I think you are addicted to Zyrtec". I barely drink and take no other meds! So I stopped. WOW. The itchiness was so unbearable. I thought I had lice(no) then bedbugs(no). A late night internet search revealed other crazies like me. STILL not a believer I started Zyrtec again when I moved into a dusty house with no AC and windows open... I took it for about a week 5-10mg a night. 2 nights ago I stopped. I just washed my sheets because I was convinced AGAIN I had lice. I have welts on my back this time. I itch ALL over and feel like there are bugs crawling all over me at night! I am so mad!!!! | F | 43 | 1 years 10mg | 6/9/2014 | 1 | Sneeze attacks | I took Zyrtec last Oct because I was having sneeze attacks often because of allergies I developed when I moved to LA. I took it for 6 days, I noticed on the 3rd night when I laid down to go to bed I could NOT breathe out of my nose so I just assumed I was getting a cold but by the 6th night I was in panic mode and could NOT breathe at all!!!! ...I called my sister and conf in a 24 hour pharmacists and he told me what to do to get me to breathe again and to discontinue with Zyrtec so of course I stopped!! HOWEVER Zyrtec left very strange and seems to be permanent terrible side effects!!!!! First of all I ended up with a chronic stuffed up nose because the Zyrtec dried up my inner nasel tissues so bad, then because of my nose being stuffed up from Zyrtec it caused me to go see a doctor which prescribed nasonex to try to undo what the Zyrtec had caused, this helped a little, my nose seems to always be half or all stuffed ever since I took that Zyrtec for 6 days and I can NEVER breathe out if my nose now when I sleep since I took the Zyrtec. I cannot believe I am the only person that this medicine has done this too, there's no way, if it did this to me then it has to have dried out and stuffed up other peoples noses too!!!! ...If I knew Zyrtec was going to cause me to have this stuffed up nose problem I would have never have taken it!!!!! | F | 43 | 6 days | 4/17/2014 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | WEIGHT GAIN - HAIR LOSS - BLURRED VISION - MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS | I stopped taking Zyrtec 7 days ago and the withdrawal is terrible. Intense itching on hands, legs and scalp. Prior to taking this, I was slender and in great health. I am not taking any other medication. In the seven years I have been taking Zyrtec, I have gained 20 lbs. I have not changed eating or fitness levels. I began noticing hair loss four years ago. My menstrual cycles have gone crazy and my vision has changed as now I need glasses to read and sometimes cannot focus for the first couple of hours each morning. My advice: DO NOT TAKE ZYRTEC!! | F | 43 | 7 years | 7/29/2009 | 1 | Allergies | Terrible fatigue, brain fog, depression, weight gain. | I started taking 10mg of Zyrtec 10 years ago for allergies as recommended by my doctor. This was a particularly stressful time in my life and I began having energy issues not long after. I visited my doctors who put me though what seemed to be endless testing, very expensive an time consuming to find the underlying issue. They tried to treat my hormones and metabolism among other things. My allergies continued to get worse so my doctor recommend increasing my Zyrtec to 20mg daily. It helped my allergies however looking back my fatigue, brian fog, and depression just got worst. After all that, it turns out the issue stemmed from taking Zyrtec. It's a horrible drug to get off of however those issues have now resolved themselves. Besides the allergies, I'm a healthy, active individual. Zyrtec is the devil. | F | 43 | 10 years 20 mg 1X day | 5/7/2020 | 1 | Allergies | After taking for 4 years my eyes would constantly water, i would get random vertigo, increased my anxiety and depression. | I tried to stop several times but experienced the itching from hell. This time i switched to Claritin rather than going cold turkey and no itching. Eyes havent watered and i feel more alert, going on 5 days no Zyrtec | F | 43 | 4 years 10mg | 6/23/2020 | 1 | allergies, hayfever | depression, hopelessness, anxiety, inability to cope | Yesterday evening I had been taking Zyrtec generic for 3 days, and had a huge fight with my partner over something that normally would have been a small fight if any at all. I felt extremely hopeless, sad, anxious, frustrated. These feelings continued this morning. I hadn't made the connection yet and took the morning dose of Zyrtec. Experienced more fighting, deep depression, fear, hopelessness, inability to cope to the point where I was literally banging my head on the wall to stop the thoughts that I'd rather be dead than feel this way. I normally cope pretty well so this was frightening for me and my partner. I'm relieved to have found this site and realize I am not nuts and will feel better once the drug is out of my system. | F | 43 | 3 days 10 MG 1X day | 7/27/2011 | 1 | seasonal allergy | during: feeling exhausted. after: withdraw symptons: itching, heightened skin sensitivity. | I take OTC anithistamines every year from april to august for seasonal allergies ( sneezing, sore throat ). I switched to Zyrtec last year. I did not make the connection about the side effects until this year. last summer shortly after stop taking zyrtec I got itchy on lower legs, i thought it was due to stress, eventually heat rash ( after shower or exercise ) was bad too. I went back on Zyrtec for about 1 month for the itch because I couldnt stop scratching my legs and my skin got even more irritated, with tiny red rash all over. zyrtec did stop the itchy rash right away. Then I stopped taking it, and I was fine. this summer 1 week after quittng zyrtec, one day, my hands, feet, and legs got itchy. And heat rash came back too. I finally made the conection I am going thru Zyrtec withdraw. | F | 43 | 4 months 10mg 1X day | 8/14/2011 | 1 | Allergies | Gave to my 3-year-old son for constant cough from allergies. Worked on cough, but turned him into a monster! He would cry and throw huge temper tantrums over the slightest upset. He has been angry and aggressive- attacking his 4-year-old sister when he gets mad. He is normally a sweet child with normal behavior. I could not even recognize the monster child he had become!! He also has had nightmares that have caused him to cry out during sleep. | It took a few weeks to realize the medication is what caused this change. We had given it to him intermittently, so it was not as obvious. His sitter and I were tallking about his behavior and when it started- and together had the "aha!" moment. He will not be taking this anymore! | F | 43 | 3 weeks 2.5ml 1X day | 1/5/2011 | 1 | Asthma | Massive appetite increase and gained 14 pounds. Sleepy all the time. | I couldn't understand why I was gaining weight all of a sudden and started thinking about what was different and realized that my doctor had added the Zyrtec. I stopped taking it and within 4 days I've lost 10 pounds. | F | 43 | 30 days 10mg 1X day | 5/13/2010 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | Horrible horrible withdrawl symptom!!!!! BEWARE!!!! Took for three months with great success and no side effects BUT once the seasonal allergies were over I stopped taking Zyrtec. Day 7 with THE MOST INTENSE itching hives ALL over my body!!! NO WAY TO RELIEVE WITHOUT TAKING ZYRTEC FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!! Google itching withdrawl from Zyrtec and you will be SHOCKED at how this can be a life altering symptom!!!!! THE LONGER YOU TAKE THE LONGER YOU WILL SUFFER WHEN STOPPING!!!! | F | 43 | 3 months | 7/13/2013 | 1 | Allergy to most foods & environment | I have been on Zyrtec for about 8 months steady - 10 mgs -I take it at night. Initially it made me angry and hyper. Now it makes me sleepy. I can't stop it because I get nausea, itchy, and I feel really sick. I feel addicted to it and it hasn't helped at all with food allergies, but it has helped with environmental allergies. | I don't have much of a choice as I need to be on a 24hour anti-histamine according to my doctor. However, I really think that Zyrtec has made me become more allergic to food in the long run. | F | 43 | 10 months | 12/28/2005 | 1 | To stop allergy caused by antibitic | palpitations, feeling disconnected, euphoria, dizziness, hallucinations, weird dreams, mind racing, insomnia, reckless behavior, fast and uncontrollable rage, anger, epression | My doctor gave me zyrtec to stop a skin allergy I developed from antibiotics.. I took my first pill and the last: I started feeling really sad and then felt a sense of urgency like a tragedy was going to happen; started yelling at my husband to call 911 paramedic came, my heart was racing so hard and started crying horribly for no reason. I was loosinf my mind. This is a horrible drug..!! | F | 43 | 1 days | 4/8/2008 | 1 | allergies | severe stomach pain, nausea | I swapped my Claritin for my daughters Zyrtec because she said it didn't work as well as the Claritin did for her. The Claritin seemed to not be working as well for me so we went for it. I had no allergy symptoms on the Zyrtec but after a couple of hours I had severe stomach pain, nausea and a general sick feeling. It appeared to come and go throughout the day then diarrhea set in. I wont dare try it again with in light of what I'm reading here. | M | 43 | 1 days | 4/16/2008 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | malaise, lack of focus and motivation, overly sensitive | Sneaky side effects that creep up. I was shocked at how much better I felt when I quit taking--I had no suspicion and never felt the normal antihistamine drowsiness. I thought I was becoming depressed. | F | 43 | 90 days | 11/17/2008 | 1 | Inner Ear fluid | Rage | Had several outbursts within 1 week of taking drug, had an almost infinetly short fuse. I don't think any benefit would be worth the cost. | M | 43 | 5 days | 5/1/2006 | 1 | Spring allergies | I developed dermographism; became extremely depressed; easily agitated; developed hives when trying to stop taking zyrtec. | When trying to STOP taking zyrtec my hands and tops of feet would become itchy...enough to drive you crazy.I would develop huge hives on my abdomen..I had to stay on Zrytec until I found something else to take. My doctors didn't believe me when I told them I'm worse trying to get off zyrtec then for the reason I went on it! Funny thing...my husband, (on zyrtec for pet allergies), ran out of zyrtec when travelling for business and was up all night itching like crazy head to toe!He had to take Benedryl to stop it.Our dog & dander was not in his hotel room . I strongly believe there is some kind of addictive quality to this drug...it is like the histamines don't have anywhere to go once you try to stop taking it.You have to stay on it to stop the hives and itching it causes when you stop taking it! This is a nasty drug...I had to take Clariton(OTC) to get off Zyrtec. | F | 43 | 3 years | 2/11/2005 |