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 | allergies | Exhaustion, weakness, sleep problems, dry mouth, weight gain | I had been successfully treating my allergies with Allegra for several years, until my insurance company switched me to Zyrtec about a month ago. Almost immediately I started feeling tired and miserable all the time, and noticed my weight creeping up. I began to suspect the change of medication and after about three weeks decided to quit taking the pills to see if they were causing the trouble. Sure enough within a day or two I was feeling back to normal. I did have some itching, mostly at night, but nothing as severe as described by others, maybe because I hadn't been taking it for very long. After five days off, I tried to complete the test by taking one pill last night at bedtime and already today I have been so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open all day. Thank goodness I didn't have any real work to do. I've had enough and will learn to live with the sneezing if this is my only alternative. | F | 60 | 30 days 10 MG 1X day | 11/30/2010 | 1 | SEASONAL ALLERGIES | Heart arrhythmia, palpitations, high blood pressure, weight gain, numerous vivid dreams per night, depressed mood, difficulty stopping med/itching | Unbelievable that Zyrtec is now OTC & so many people are exposed to it's side effects without sufficient warning! After I was finally able to wean myself off this drug, my blood pressure lowered to normal range and my EKG returned to normal. No more dreams or moodiness or unexplained weight gain. But I continued to feel itchy for many months. No one warns you how hard it is to STOP Zyrtec. So K-Mart shoppers BEWARE! | F | 60 | 4 years 1X day | 3/25/2010 | 1 | allergies | I have been taking it for about 4 months. Bought it OTC and it was working as far as stopping my runny nose etc. Just stopped because I felt like I was "out of it" most of the time and didn't know why and mentioned taking it to a friend who is a nurse and she said "oh I can't take it ...it makes me crazy". So I decided to stop and see if I felt like my old self. I have been very very dizzy since stopping which has made me feel queasy in my stomach. This dizziness has lasted over a week now. Has anyone else had this side effect from withdrawal? | F | 60 | 4 months | 7/11/2009 | 1 | Allergy | Only took small doses before bed. Woke in night dry mouth,strange lights in vision. Next day couldn't see properly, crying all day, feel disorientated all day, feel absolutely dire. Ranitidine did the same and this has similar ingredients. | These drugs must affect the neuro system, all to treat allergy and indigestion! Absolute disgrace these over the counter drugs want banning. | F | 60 | 3 days 5mg | 5/2/2017 | 4 | hives | in the beginning, extreme drowziness, but the more I take it, the less fatigued I feel. I take it for hives, which I've had lately for over two months, cause unknown. I also take Singulair in the morning. I have noticed I am more hungry than usual, and do experience bizarre dreams. | I don't think this drug causes aggitation. The aggitation is from not knowing what causes the hives, which have come and gone for the past 6 years. I think it may be hormonal. They appear in the evening and are gone by noon. Also includes some episodes of angioedema. More hot flashes than usual, but again, can't blame this on the zyrtec. | F | 61 | 3 weeks 30 mg 1X day | 4/10/2011 | 2 | Chronic Hay Fever | Wired, anxious sleep, drowsiness, apathetic mood. | ZYRTEC was effective in stopping my allergy symptoms, but after 3 days on this medication, with very little sleep, and the sudden apathy, I stopped, and returned to "normal" within 2 days. There should be more extensive warnings for this allergy medication, and it should be taken off the shelf. I will go back to taking Claritin "D" full of pseudofed which makes me wired also, but with no mental side effects--and I can't take that for more than 1 or 2 days! | M | 61 | 3 days | 4/22/2009 | 1 | Chronic allergies | It took me approximately 4 weeks to recognize that I was suffering from severe depression, anxiety attacks, and paronoia. A freind had recommended it as it is somewhat effective for allergy relief, but the side effects are terrible. | M | 61 | 4 weeks | 11/7/2009 | 1 | Dust mite allergies | Took this fing poison on a tuesday night wokeup the next day with symptoms similar to gbs.This caused a neuromuscular problem..Its been over 9 weeks still dealing with severe issues..Just did 5 rounds of ivig in hopes will help me..Stay far away from this med | Stay away from this poison | 61 | 1 days 30mg 1X day | 12/16/2023 | 1 | Hives | severe sleepiness, akin to narcolepsy, lethargy,increased appetite with gross weight gain, mild depression, dermatitis, Dermatographia, mild forgetfulness of common terms and names. I gained 75 lbs while taking Zyrtec, fifty of them in the last 6 months. I suffered from severe intermittent urticaria (hives) for thirty years, until my doctor put me on Zyrtec 10mg. every night before bedtime. When prescription runs out and it takes a couple of days to renew it, hives return and are very severe. I suffer tingling in the hands and fingers, and sometimes the wrists, and dizziness, with a buzzing sound I seem to hear in my head, rather than as an outside auditory sound. It's like a bee buzzing quickly through my head. My feet swell without clinical rationale. | I became mildly depressed, believing I was suffering some serious disease, and perhaps actually at risk of dying. I asked my doctor if there were any side effects, and he didn't suggest any. I didn't question the Zyrtec until I finally saw a commercial on television which listed drowsiness as a side effect. Bam! That was it. I hadn't realized it, but the lethargy, sleepiness, drowsiness almost to the point of narcolepsy started about four months after beginning the regimen of Zyrtec. I was a nurse for thirty-seven years, and didn't have the sense to even consider that Zyrtec might be the culprit, since it worked so well against the Hives. When I began reading the comments of others here, I began to cry uncontrollably. I may have found relief from Hives, but Zyrtec has made my living Hell. I'm going off Zyrtec at once, and will advise other users who have presented with similar possible side effects to stop taking Zyrtec, and see their doctor at once. | M | 61 | 1.5 years | 2/14/2006 | 5 | general hay fever | Dry Eyes and Nostrils. Minimal side effects with a 5 mg dose. Significantly greater effects with the normal 10 mg dose. | I only use Zyrtec on an as needed basis about once per week most of the year and two to four times per week during the spring pollen season. A 5 mg dose works great for controlling my allergy symptoms. Both my doctor and pharmacist said it was okay to cut the 10 mg tablets in half, so, I am using a pill cutter to do that. | M | 62 | 5 years | 8/25/2006 | 5 | allergic to cats, most grasses, tre | sleepiness not sure if the forgettfulness is caused by zyrtec | F | 62 | 4 years | 11/9/2005 | 2 | SEASONAL ALLERGIES | ESTREME FATIGUE - COULDN'T STAY AWAKE. WATER RETENTION | I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE ALLERGIES | F | 62 | 4 days 30 MG 1X day | 4/4/2011 | 1 | Year round allergies | I have taken generic Tavist for many years. It became hard to find and I thought I'd try the newer wonder drug, Zyrtec. I took 1 pill last night, along with other meds I normally take. I've been extremely drowsy all day. It isn't wearing off. I will not take it again. | I thought this was one that did not (generally) cause drowsiness. For me it is currently debilitating. I am waiting for it to wear off after 20 hours the drowsiness is increasing if anything. I napped this afternoon! I don't plan to try this again. I have taken antihistamines my whole life but rarely been this drowsy from any of them. Oh, it worked - no allergies today - but it's not worth it. I'm afraid to try again, although might try the lower dose at some point. | F | 62 | 1 days 10 mg 1X day | 5/20/2011 | 1 | allergy to dogs and cats | hives | F | 62 | 6 days | 10/30/2006 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Have taken this off and on for several years, this is the first time I've had such a quick reaction. Mega mood swings, anger one moment weepy the next. I have been diagnosed with Sjogrens which presents with dry mouth among other symptoms. Now I'm wondering if Zyrtec is the cause. | I knew this stuff made me very drowsy so I only took a half a pill, 5 mg. Yesterday I came home and took an hour and a half nap and still slept well at my regular bed time! | F | 62 | 2 days 5 mg 1X day | 8/20/2012 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | Extreme sleepiness, anger and rapid heartbeat. | F | 62 | 2 days 500 | 1/17/2013 | 1 | allergies | Utter fatigue and drowsiness. | I will not continue this medication, because I cannot function well being so fatigued. | F | 62 | 1 weeks | 12/24/2001 | 1 | Congestion and inflammatory respons | Severe anxiety and irritability. | F | 62 | 1 weeks 10 1X day | 6/19/2016 | 1 | Congestion | Horrid. Wild dreams and this is the next day and I can not wake up enough to get out of bed. Mind altering. | F | 62 | 1 days 10mg 1X day | 7/5/2014 | 2 | Seasonal allergies | Depression, anxiety, crying, sadness, bouts of anger. This crap will put some people into a very depressed mood. Bad | Five days on this and we're heading for a divorce out of the blue. Throw this crap in the garbage can. | M | 63 | 5 days 10 1X day | 8/15/2021 |