Drug Ratings for ZYRTECAverage Rating: 2.1 (1508 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken from longest to shortest 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 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 3 | allergies | lethargic | F | 50 | 1 months | 2/20/2009 | 3 | Seasonal Allergies | Been experiencing major fatigue, lethargy, depression, major weight gain, mood swings. | I took it for one week straight, then stopped for one day. That one day was terrible, have very sharp back pains and knee pains, migraines, terrible weakness. While on it, I have terrible thoughts, increase of sexual desire, urge to hurt someone. Will definately stop taking it. Do not give to kids/teens. | M | 14 | 1 months | 8/6/2008 | 3 | sinus problems caused by allergies | crazy and bizzare dreams and unrestful sleep which caused waking up and feeling like I'd been drugged which all led to being exhaused all the time. | I only gave a rating of 3 because it has helped my sinus problems/allergies; however, I can't handle the craziest dreams I have ever had in my life. I spend all my time asleep with my thoughts/dreams going at lightening speed all night; the dreams are all scattered snipits and don't make sense at all. Not to mention, they are dreams that have an underlying constant feeling of panic and stress. I think I would rather of sinus headaches. I have always slept very well and rarely dreamed - this pill will age me in no time flat. | F | 44 | 1 months | 10/3/2009 | 2 | allergies | I am satisfied when I take it. When I STOP taking it, I get itchy skin that feels like bed bugs crawling all over me. | F | 31 | 1 months | 7/13/2008 | 2 | The strangest and most vivid dreams that I have ever had. It makes me feel paranoid and angry. It makes my skin feel like there's sand underneath it. I feel like the guy from The Shining but my allergies are so bad that I'm not sure what to do. | M | 28 | 1 months | 4/17/2007 | 2 | sneezing, itchy eyes, nose | depression | This is the first time I had allergies, and (looking back) was quite naive about treating it. I just went to a drugstore, picked up some zyrtec, and started taking one a day. Shortly after I became severely depressed. I have never experienced depression before, so I didn't even know what was happening to me. I thought I was stressed out or eating bad or tired or something, but then my wife said I may be having depression from the zyrtec. I stopped taking it, and immediately (the next day) began feeling a little better. I am improving day by day, instead of crashing day by day. This drug came close to really messing up my life. | M | 27 | 1 months | 4/13/2008 | 1 | chronic sinus infections | sleeplessness, stomach pain, mood changes: defiant, aggressive, crying, nightmares, hyper | Last spring my son took Zyrtec for the first time. For two weeks he was out of control. Totally disrespectful, not listening or following directions, hitting and kicking at daycare. Took him off after 2 weeks and symptoms went away. A month ago, Dr. suggested back on it as Claritin was not working. Tried it again (thinking that maybe last years issues were caused by something else). Same thing happened. He cannot concentrate, refuses to do activities, hitting screaming kicking etc. He will stop taking it tonight after reading 105 pages of negative side effects of this drug. | M | 4.5 | 1 months | 4/17/2008 | 1 | Allergies, Asthma | Severe depression, weight gain, anxiety, trouble concentrating, paranoia | I am a 27 year old female, I go to school full-time and my asthma and allergies have been particularly bad lately. I do not take drugs other than my asthma medication and have been taking Zyrtec for almost a month, but I am stopping today after reading others who have talked about depression as a side effect. Already I have struggled with mild-depression, but as I have gotten older I have learned to deal with this problem. For the last month I have been a complete emotional wreck, with anxiety, paranoia, problems with concentration and mood-swings. Although this drug is very affective with my allergies, I have also gained weight with no change in diet (vegan, very healthy) and the depression is simply unbearable. Please do not take this drug if you have previously struggled with depression!!! | F | 27 | 1 months | 11/17/2008 | 1 | allergies | nightmares, mood swings, hallucinations, crying outburst, bed wetting accidents, facial twitches | my 5 yr old son started taking zyrtec and started having these side effects quickly. I didn't relate it to the medicine, until the facial twitches caused me to do a cross refrence of zyrtec & facial tics...it led me to this web site. I took him off of it right away. Immediatly his behavioral effects stopped, but the facial tics just stopped a few weeks ago. we saw a pediatric neurologist who has seen this type of reactions before. It has taken 2 months to get him back. I am posting this so that I can help another mother that may be in the same panic I was a few months ago. Please feel free to email me if I can help. | M | 5 | 1 months | 8/30/2007 | 1 | itching would cause bumps | After having contact dermatitis itching for a year, I was amazed how it completely got rid of the skin irritation from my scalp to my feet. BUT, the trade off was not worth it. I had trouble with any complex tasks. I had trouble doing routine things I do with no problem. I couldn't recall basic things that I should've been able. I slept all day, seriously drowsey. I would rate it a 9 on a one to ten scale on how drowsey it made me. I soon began to ask why I was so unmotivated, lazy, sleepy, completely introverted, and with absolutely no energy. My co-workers were really taken and worried about my personality change. My competitors were overjoyed that I lost my motivation. I realized soon, very soon, that I would have to make a tough decision; stay on this stuff and turn into a mentally dumbed-down potato or go back to the itching and deal with it another way. I decided to go with the itching and get my life back. In my job, not being creative, energetic, and sharp (money market broker) | I have learned it's true what people say; that all-body itching can be a stress reaction. Just go ride a bike, play an instrument, talk to people. You'd be surprised how it helps. I think it's terrible how a zombie drug like this can go on the market. This drug will make you seriously dead to the world. All you want to do is sleep, all day, every day. You wouldn't believe how much I just slept through my days. How can a government allow it's citizens to become so zombie-like? I know several people that have the same thing I had, they both say the increased histamine response is from stress. It's stress, and should should be dealt with in a more healthy way, not just by taking yet another pill that takes all your fun away. Keep your life, ditch this drug. Find a better way. | M | 45 | 1 months | 9/5/2007 | 1 | Severe allergies | Mood swings, weight gain, dizzyness, lightheaded, disconnected, upset stomach, tired all the time, lack of motivation. | I will never take this again! I was on it because Claritin wasn't working anymore. Once I stopped taking it I started getting eczema all over my neck and lower part of my face. I have never had eczema. My personality and moods did a complete 360 on this medication and I didn't realize it was the Zyrtec until my fiance ask me to stop taking it for a week. | F | 24 | 1 months | 4/17/2007 | 1 | Allergies | We gave Zyrtec to our 3 year and she turned into a little monster, kicking and hitting. After about a month a light went on in my head, oh my god it's been about a month since we started her on Zyrtec. Thats when we looked on the net and found this site, after seeing the same stories we took her off of it and within a couple days she was a little angel again.. | There should be a HUGE warning label on this stuff for children. When my daughters cute smiles and funny looks came back it brought tears to my eyes.. I would not give this to my children again if was the only thing on earth to stop their runny noses. | F | 3 | 1 months | 6/16/2005 | 1 | Allergies | dry, sore throat; coughing; irritability. | My son was prescribed Zyrtec for "allergies", for one month he'd had a nighttime cough and his tonsils were enlarged. It did not help my son's sore throat and coughing, instead I believe it aggravated his throat further. His behavior changed for the worse, biting me and grinding his teeth in anger, which could be because he wasn't feeling well but after reading comments from other parents of young children, I wonder if the Zyrtec caused the change. I've taken him off the med, and he is sleeping much better and is acting better. | M | 3 | 1 months | 12/10/2006 | 1 | Sinus issues | Sleepy, moody, mean to others, sore throat, very very very hungry!!!! I am glad to see other had increased hunger. I cannot stop eating!!! | I works ok, allegra-d was lots better for me! | F | 27 | 1 months | 1/20/2005 | 1 | allergies | I experienced severe cns and disassociative episodes while on zyrtec for 1 month. | If you are taking this medication and feel in anyway that your mood or emotional affect has changed, it probably has and is due to zyrtec. Please contact your doctor immediately. | M | 27 | 1 months | 2/21/2003 | 1 | Hayfever, season allergies | I have never taken allergy medicine but this season my allergies seemed worse. I do not have any nasal congestion, but terrible itchy eyes and nose. I took this for a few days and noticed that I was irritable, very drowsy, lethargic and it did not change my hayfever symptoms at all. In fact my nose burned and my eyes itched worse than ever. I am extremely sensitive to medication of any kind. One benedryl will knock me out for a day. Everyone is different. My husband takes zyrtec with no side effects. My advice if you are someone who struggles with anxiety or tends to be very sensitive to medication, do not take this. I have been off of it for a few days and feel back to myself again. I am thankful that I realized what was causing these changes in me before I took it long enough to experience worse side effects. I would not recommend this to anyone who is similar to me in sensitivity to medicine. | F | 31 | 1 months 1xday | 5/1/2013 | 1 | Allergies | Increased Anxiety, Depression, Mood swings, Decreased appetite, Nausea, Feelings of hopelessness. | I have taken this drug for almost a month, and I have a history of being sensitive to medication. About 1 and a half weeks after taking this medication, I noticed I started to develop anxiety towards going to work and even anxiety about having an anxiety problem (if that makes sense). It has progressively gotten worse as the blood level has increased. I find myself not looking forward to anything in life. My anxiety is very labile and goes from being very anxious to calm within a matter of seconds. I find myself only eating a few pieces of toast for breakfast and nothing else until dinner. I am a RN and I find this a crime that these severe side effects are not explained more blatantly. It took me a while but I realized that all of this is due to the zyrtec, because I have never experienced these types of feelings before in my life. I took my last dose this morning and am going to see my PCP tomorrow to get his opinion on all of this. | M | 20 | 1 months 30 1X D | 12/3/2012 | 1 | Allergies | Was extremely tired all day, regardless of when I took the drug. Althought it helped my allergy symptoms, gave up after a month of total fatigue, weight gain, and irritability. That's when the problems really began. Currently on day four after quitting the drug and withdrawal symptoms of headache and severe nausea so bad I can't sleep or work. And it keeps getting worse not better! | F | 40 | 1 months 10 | 2/4/2012 | 1 | allergies | WE gave Zyrtec to our 3 1/2 year-old daughter at her pediatrician's recommendation as she was continuing to have allergy symptoms on Claritin and frequent ear infections. She had an immediate personality change. Moody, defiant, temper tantrums, uncontrollable rages, sleep disturbances, wanted to be held and rocked constantly, wouldn't/couldn't play. Over a few weeks the symptoms improved somewhat, until we missed one morning dose and we were right back to square one with the significant behavior issues. She also has lost two pounds this month due to lack of appetite. We were trying to keep her on it until the fall allergies abated, but this cannot go on any longer. We have put her back on Claritin and will give her benadryl at night if needed to control the symptoms. After two days we are starting to see our sweet angel again. The change in personality in this child was beyond belief, down-right scary. | F | 3.5 | 1 months 2.5 mg 2X D | 9/14/2010 | 1 | Allergies | Malaise, exhaustion, confuses dreams, depression | Symptoms are listed at < 2% of population taking the medication. Am I just that lucky? | M | 51 | 1 months | 4/24/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allegries | Behavior problems, severe stuttering | My 3 year old son started taking over the counter Zyrtec for his seasonal allegies. Within a week his speech was terrible. He had never had problems with his speech. He literally woke up one day and had a severe stuttering problem. We took him to a speech pathologist and she recommened therpy. I would give him Zyrtec just as needed. I noticed that he would be better some days, but other days he could hardly speak. One day while wasting time away I looked up Zyrtec and found other comments about behavior changes. I took him off Zyrtec and his speech has become normal again. | M | 3 | 1 months | 9/7/2008 | 1 | Seasonal alergies | Not very effective at controling my alergies. | I feel so outraged about the weight I gained while taking zyrtec. It has been a hard fought battle to lose what weight I have only to have it undermined unbeknownst to me by this zyrtec. WHY IS THIS NOT LISTED AS A SIDE EFFECT??? I already know why, no one would take it. Nice job McNiel. | F | 36 | 1 months | 5/26/2009 | 1 | seasonal allergies | My 9 year old son started zyrtec on a daily basis at the end of August to help with seasonal allergies that trigger his asthma. He started becoming extremely emotional both at home and at school. Knowing that normally he would never cry at school if he could help it I started questioning the Zyrtec. I decided to take him off for a week and see where we were at and immediately saw improvement at home. Then I was called into the classroom by his teacher because she wanted to tell me what a huge change she saw at school overnight! She explained that she was very worried about my son's transition into 4th grade but now she is confident he is doing fine! She claims he is like a whole different kid in the classroom than what she has been witnessing the 3 weeks prior since the start of school. I would decribe his side effects as fatigue, lack of concentration, weepy, depressed. | If your child is suffering from anxiety, depression and being very emotional take them off Zyrtec! Huge improvement over night! | M | 9 | 1 months | 9/22/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies | moodiness, unstable balance | my 3 yr old took zyrtec in the spring for allergies and didn't have a problem. now that fall is here he has been very moody and losing his balance easily. he fell off a chair by not doing anything and got a concussion. very scary! read about other children who had similar issues with this. | F | 28 | 1 months | 11/18/2009 | 1 | Allergies | Daily headaches, restlessness at night, heart palpitations | I couldn't understand the reason for my headaches (which I never get) and heart palpitations. It finally clicked that I just haven't felt like myself since I started taking this medication. Which did NOTHING at all to help my allergies. I stopped taking it and it's been three days off of it and I'm feeling back to my old self again. I will never take that crap again! | F | 42 | 1 months 10 1X D | 6/10/2013 | 3 | seasonal allergies | very real, anxiety-causing dreams just prior to waking up in the morning--not fun! | While it was an effective antihistamine, I had to stop taking it after several weeks due to the anxious-dreams side effect. Also, as with all antihistamines and nasal steroids I've tried, Zyrtec caused me to eat more. I couldn't put food down, even when I figured I was full. | F | 44 | 8 weeks | 5/10/2006 | 2 | allergies- tree poll, grass,ragweed | My 4 year old son who is normally very sweet natured, quiet, and cooperative turned into an aggressive, angry, and irritable boy. He would have fits of rage that were very out of character, developed a low frustration tolerence and would often cry easily, and engaged in "mean" verbal and physical behavior to his siblings and parents. | Zyrtec appeared to work well in gettig rid of my son's allergy symptoms (tree pollen, ragweed, grass), however, the behavioral side effects do not seem to be worth it. | M | 4 | 8 weeks | 8/2/2007 | 1 | allergy (trees, mold) | Aggression, temper tantrums, sleepiness, but also waking at night and unable to settle back down without help. | We thought the aggression and tantrums this past summer were just age-related, but in the fall our son started hitting/kicking kids at preschool. We took him off the Zyrtec after we had a frost and his allergy symptoms subsided, and when the Zyrtec stopped, so did the negative reports from preschool. We also noticed a significant drop in tantrums at home. But then the weather warmed back up and the mold count shot up and his allergy symptoms came back. Gave our son a Zyrtec dose yesterday before school (the first time in 3 weeks), and when I picked him up from school, was told he had grabbed a girl by the hair and dragged her across the playground. This is a kid who hasn't shown aggressive behavior since we stopped the Zyrtec. Talked to his teacher about a possible connection, and she said that she took herself off Zyrtec because it made her feel jittery and nervous. Our son's allergy symptoms are better when he's on Zyrtec, but I am going to stop giving it to him. As I read about s | M | 3 | 8 weeks | 11/15/2007 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | weight gain, depression, irritability, feeling in a fog, lack of focus, exhaustion, hand and feet tingling ect. ect. | I started zyrtec for my seasonal allergies, I just returned today from the doctors office because I thought I was severely depressed even though I had no history. As I was surfing for information on the SSRI I was prescribed I came across this and realized I had the same symptoms as other from taking this medication. I have missed doses in the past and would wake up in the middle of the night itching and grabbing the bottle. In eight weeks I have gained 10 pounds and truthfully I have an amazing diet, not to mention I am an avid runner but in the past few weeks I lacked the energy to go out and do it, to tired or depressed. I would avoid this medication if at all possible! | M | 34 | 8 weeks | 6/23/2008 | 4 | seasonal allergies | As I read in another entry, I slept better than I have in years and my mood was much better than usual, feeling positive and confident, more so than usual. I also had vivid dreams which are unusual. | Due to worries about side effects I quit taking Zytec two days ago and am already back to not sleeping well. Oh, well. | F | 56 | 6 weeks | 6/8/2008 | 4 | seasonal allergies | I've been having the most bizarre, vivid dreams--some quite scary. I've also felt a bit depressed and have been extremely gassy. I figured the dreams might be a result of the zyrtec, but I didn't connect the depression or the gas until I visited this site. I've also had minor irritability, though it would be hard to definitively blame the zyrtec. | My seasonal allergies are almost nil. This is the best spring I've had since I moved to Michigan five years ago, and I've been hearing LOTS of people complaining about how bad it is this year. | F | 41 | 6 weeks 1X D | 5/18/2010 | 1 | seasonal allergies | anger, shouting outbursts, obsessive thoughts, long uncontrollable tantrums where he acts possessed and is unable to control is body or stop the tantrum | It took about 5 weeks for the side effects to build to where I was going to contact the school social worker, although his teachers said he was doing fine at school. Didn't think of the medicine right away because it wan't an immediate reaction. But then I thought I'd check if it could be the allergy meds he has been taking. Thank goodness for this website & comments. VERY HAPPY to report that 24 hours after his last dose he was soooo much better. 48 hours and I have my little boy back. I can hug him without him growling back at me. I just hope there are no lasting effects. He is still taking Flonase for allergies. | M | 5 | 6 weeks 5mg 1X D | 4/1/2011 | 1 | eczema itching and allergies | Unbelievable change in behavior for 6 weeks now. And it finally hit me that all of this started with the Zyrtec. We have been miserable with tantrums, aggression, problems playing with the other children in school and he seemed to not hear anything said to him. | We will go off immediately and hope for changes. I think that doctors should inform patients to stop if these mood changes are noticed. You have all given me hope. | M | 3 | 6 weeks | 10/26/2007 | 1 | to reduce fluid in ear | My once pleasant and polite 6 year old daughter turned into a she-devil. She began having attacks that were almost panic-like. She absolutely could not control herself. We did not immediately make the connection to the medication as she had been taking it for approximately 6 weeks prior to these symptoms. We started with behavior modifications and nothing worked then something clicked and I looked into drug side effects and was relieved to see that maybe it really wasn't something that she could control. She has extreme night terrors and completely freaks out. She cannot be controlled at these times. She also has been very mean to her younger sister and cousin. You cannot talk sense into her. She has been off the medication for 4 days now and last night was the first night in 2 weeks that she did not freak out when she woke up in her bed. She did wake up but only once with no behavior problems. I am hopeful that as the medication leaves her system our daughter will return! | F | 6 | 6 weeks | 4/20/2008 | 1 | allergies | Depression/moodiness, sleepiness, weakness/fatigue, memory problems, confusion, tremor, trouble focusing, etc..., etc... | It worked on my allergies! To be fair I typically have some mild depression, but this stuff was ridiculous. I was about to schedule and appointment with my psychiatrist and inquire about some anti-depressants or something. I couldn't think, sometimes I would want to just sit there and stare at the wall. | M | 26 | 6 weeks | 3/5/2008 | 1 | Allergies | Irrational moods... quick to anger, rage, flat affect, living in a fog, not myself, loss of sex drive, lethargic, sad, weight gain, itchy scalp and face and eyes, general crummy feeling. | It never occurred to me that Zyrtec could be a possible reason for these side effects. I literally had to start analyzing everything I was doing or taking to see if I could figure it out. The weight gain and mood and all symptoms coincide with length of time I've been taking it. I take the 24 OTC Zyrtec and try to wait a day between because I'm generally not the person to take any drugs at all... even things like ibuprofen. Birth control pills are the only other thing I take and have been on them for 3 years with no bad sad effects. I really hope that stopping the Zyrtec will make me feel like myself again. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 10/8/2008 | 1 | Allergies | Heart palpitations and arrhythmia (bigeminy) | I felt great when I had been on Zyrtec for a few weeks, but then I started having heart palpitations/fluttering, and sometimes my heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. Every day it got worse, so I went back to the doctor and she found I was in bigeminy (arrhythmia). She referred me to a cardiologist and an endocrinologist, and all their tests came back A-OK. After six weeks I was so fatigued that I could barely work, and at that point I started my own research online. I found a few accounts similar to my own, and I took myself off the Zyrtec. The heart palpitations started decreasing in 2 days and in a few weeks they were gone. Goodbye Zyrtec! | F | 34 | 6 weeks | 12/4/2006 | 1 | sinus drainage, itchy eyes | irritability, sadness, depression, memory loss, lethargy, fatigue, quick to anger, | I really wish that I had researched this drug before I took it. It does work well, but the side effects were quite severe for me. I would not recommend it. It caused problems at home and work. I have been off it for about 5 days now, and I feel so much better. When I started forgetting things, I knew that I either had a serious health problem, or something had changed in the last two months. I narrowed it down to changing from Claritin to Zyrtec. I decided to switch back to see if it made a difference. It has made a huge difference. I will never take it again, and I am warning anyone who will listen about the very negative side effects of this over the counter drug. | M | 43 | 6 weeks | 6/1/2008 | 1 | possible allergies/asthma | This drug affected my 4 year old son's sleeping and waking hours. He had five or six night terrors that he could not wake from every night. His behavior changed during the day, from a sweet mild mannered boy to a hyper, manic, agressive and angry preschooler. I came here and read all of the same side effects that other children were having and I stopped giving him Zyrtec. This upset our family so much that I wrote a blog about it: http://raisingcalifornia.blogspot.com/2009/10/zyrtec-is-evil.html | Don't give this to your children! | M | 4 | 6 weeks | 10/21/2009 | 4 | allergies | My 13 year old son took this medication. After about 5 days on Zyrtec we began to notice changes to his behavior, attitude, personality. Did not immediately relate it to the medication. Attitude change at school with teachers so extreme that a teacher notified me because my son "was not himself". I began to monitor and investigate. The withdrawal from wanting to be with peers and being content with just playing video games was not acceptable to us and we set down very strict rules to try to determine the cause of the changes. I went online and began to investigate the Zyrtec side effects. After reading similar accounts, I immediately stopped the meds. Within 5 - 7 days, he was back to the young person we are used to living with and the teachers agreed. I work in a mental health field and teaching youth and I constantly think about what are actually the students problems or conditions vs. what may be the side effects of meds they are taking. | The extreme emotional and mental health side effects were not worth the benefits of managing the allergy symptoms with this medication. | M | 13 | 5 weeks | 7/11/2007 | 2 | 2 year olds ear infections | My 2 year old son was put on zyrtec for recurrent ear infections. He had a major bahavioral change take place. Uncontrolled temper tantrums for something as simple as taking off shoes. Thought it was just normal 2-year-old changes in behavior, but after stopping the medicine, his behavior has returned back to normal. | Be careful when giving this drug to your children! | F | 2 | 5 weeks 2.5 mg 1X D | 2/10/2010 | 1 | Moderate seasonal allergies | Heart palpitations, dizziness, itching when I stopped taking it. | I only started getting allergies about 4 years ago. Most of the time the symptoms are pretty mild. My doctor recommended Zyrtec and I would take it for 2-3 days at a time when my symptoms were intolerable. 5 weeks ago I started having bad dizzy spells and hives and my doctor diagnosed allergies and said that since I was so out of it I needed to take the Zyrtec until they cleared up. The dizzy spells went away after about a week. I would take the drug for several days and then skip a day to see if the allergies had gone away yet. Every time, I started itching again, so I thought the allergen was still around and went back on the drug. Several days ago, the dizzy spells came back along with a pounding heart that would last for hours. I'm very fit and physically active so this seemed really weird. Went back to my doctor who told me that palpitations and dizziness could both be side effects of Zyrtec and gave me a new prescription. I didn't even try the new prescription but my dizzy spells are gone already so I assume this bout of allergies is over. My heart rate is also getting closer to normal. I do still have a little itching, but looking at what everyone else has to say, I'm now convinced that this is due to stopping the Zyrtec and not to an allergy. | F | 38 | 5 weeks 10 1X D | 10/28/2010 | 1 | nasal allergies | aggression, violent tendencies, tantrums, severe anxiety | We gave my son Zyrtec on and off for a year (age 5-6). At that time, he had exhibited some worrisome behavior--aggression and anxiety. But since we didn't give it to him all of the time (just seasonally), his aggression came and went. We thought it was a behavior issue, and even took him to see a therapist for a few sessions. After my daughter (3 yrs.) had a VERY bad reaction to Zyrtec (night terrors), we took my son off of it completely, thinking maybe it would help with his bedwetting, which it did. Unfortunately, a year later, my son's allergies were so bad that I, without remembering what I had read online, started him back on Zyrtec for his really bad allergies. I was truly just looking for some relief for him. Within a week, he was so violent towards his sister for no reason. He had uncontrollable rage, he told me he was stupid and he wished he was dead. Even his handwriting was illegible during this time! He was able to "control" his symptoms at school, but as soon as he got in the car to come home, the frustration and rage would start. He also experienced severe anxiety about things as simple as going to a new park or going to his basketball games. It took me 5 horrible weeks to put it together this time. Again, we tried a family therapist to help deal with the behavior. Good news is that within 24-48 hours of taking him off of the medicine, he was back! No rage, no hitting or throwing, he's able to resolve conflicts again. I am so grateful t | M | 7 | 5 weeks 1 tsp. 1X D | 3/9/2012 | 5 | Allergies | None | Worked wonders!! Expensive but well worth it!! | F | 28 | 4 weeks | 8/9/2006 | 5 | summer allergies | Drowsiness, dry mouth | No weird problems. For most people, Zyrtec works great. For some people, most of whom have posted on the website, it causes problems. The effects aren't permanent. Try it and see if it works. If it doesn't, don't take it. | M | 37 | 4 weeks | 5/20/2009 | 4 | Dog allergies | overwhelming tiredness, Weight gain | Now that I read all these comments, the light has turned on. I have been taking this drug for just about a month now, since we got a new dog for our boys, and as the weeks have gone on, the problems have added up. I had been waking at night, which I thought was because of the allergies, and have been literally falling asleep while typing at my desk at work. I even went so far as to call my doctor, and had a blood test to check my thyroid levels. I am on many medications, so it may be a combination of things; we'll see when I stop taking it what will happen. Hopefully I'll fit into my clothes again too!! | F | 35 | 4 weeks | 3/27/2009 | 4 | year round allergies | Made me fall asleep | I decided to take Zyrtec after i tired every other allergy medicine out there and none worked which wasn't too good for me living in the country and owning 4 dogs 3 cats 2 ducks a ferret and a rat (a small farm yes lol). I 'm taking the 24 hrs ones so i started taking my pill in the morning. Immediately i started to fell groggy and if i sat for too long i'd fall asleep which was weird for me because i find it extremely hard to sleep during the day. After a few days i started a strict schedule of waking up at 5-6am taking my pill and going back to sleep. I wake up a few hrs later feeling great and allergy free! If you are going to take Zyrtec make sure you have a definitely plan or else it will make you feel weird. Besides that i've had absolutely no problems. Make sure you figure out whats best for you though and not listen to all the scary things people say because every experience will be different. | F | 22 | 4 weeks 1X D | 5/30/2010 | 3 | hives | Extremely increased anxiety, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty waking up. However, it leaves me functioning enough to go to classes, which Benedryl did not. | I am on double the over the counter dose due to the severity of my allergic reaction | F | 20 | 4 weeks 10 MG 2X D | 4/8/2013 | 3 | seasonal, dust, dust mites, & cats | extreme drowsiness, tingling sensation on face possibly due to sensitive sinuses, cloudiness, lethargic | the crazy thing is that it works. I suffer from allergies year round. I haven't been able to breathe for what seems to be forever. I gave up. I've taken zyrtec in the past and felt that all it did was dry up my insides and make me tired. Recently I had a cat stay with me for a month and boy was that a mistake. I started experiencing chest pains so when I went to the dr., she said it was my allergies and prescribed zyrtec and veramyst, a nose spray. At first, I felt like a new person, I could breathe through my nose. But looking back at the past two weeks, I've noticed something else. I can barely wake up in the morning. Sometimes when I wake up I can't tell if I'm still dreaming or if I'm actually awake. I'm irritable. I'm cranky and short tempered. Although I can breathe and don't have a runny nose, I feel like my sinuses are clogged and holding back what should be draining. I'm tired and feel lazy. Sometimes, I have to take a nap to get re-energized. The crazy thing, is that zyrtec | F | 31 | 4 weeks | 1/5/2008 | 3 | Severe Seasonal allergies | Dry itchy mouth during first couple of weeks. Nightmares started after 3 weeks Depression and apathy started around the same time. | I looked up this site after a conversation with my wife where she asked me why i was depressed, we have a beautiful 3 month old a great house and good job ... odd that the last couple of nights I've also had nightmares. This is my 3rd season on zyrtec and its the only thing that stops my debilitating allergies bu i think the side effects might just be too much .... | M | 30 | 4 weeks | 5/17/2007 | 3 | Allergies | OMG. My 10 year old son has had a complete personality change after 4 weeks on Zyrtec. I just googled "Zyrtec irritabiity" and found this site. Thank you. I ordered child behavior books this afternoon because his anger is through the roof. He will never take another one! | M | 10 | 4 weeks | 9/23/2009 | 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 | allergies | This is the worst antihistamine I have ever tried! I had extreme anxiety. Very groggy all day and couldnt sleep at night. It also gave me tachycardia and palpitations. Also very dry nose and throat. Some mood change.. I was cranky. | In my opinion this really didnt work as effectively as Claritin, although claritin also had side effects, this was much worse! I will NEVER take this again. It made me feel 20 years older and awful! Save your $$$ | F | 24 | 4 weeks | 3/13/2009 | 1 | Allergies to pollen | Muscle and joint pain. Iritable mood. | When I first started to take Zyrtec it worked great on my sllergies. But after a few weeks I started to develop serious pains especially in my neck, shoulders and chest muscles. The pain was on par with or worse than when I had a serious muscle pull. I did some research and saw that Zyrtec could have these side effects and stopped taking it. Within a week the pains subsided. After I stopped taking it I also realized that my mood had been severly affected. I was ready to leave my wife and a long planned vacation was almost completely un-enjoyable. These symptoms too ended when I stopped taking Zyrtec. However, the pains from this drug never fully went away and my doctors are trying to figure out if the chronic pains I am experiencing are related to the use of Zyrtec. All blood tests are normal, but since I took Zyrtec I have had no weeks when I have been fully free of aches and pains. Similarly, my mother-in-law recently started to take Zyrtec and is now saying that she is experiencing | M | 36 | 4 weeks | 11/4/2008 | 1 | Itchiness when sweating | Uh, let me think... crushing depression, though i didn't realize it, each time i took this piece of crap, i would be depressed for up to a week afterwards, almost inclined to kill myself, that's how bad i felt | Do NOT take this, EVER. | M | 18 | 4 weeks | 2/6/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies with migraines | itched everywhere--scalp, back, arms, chest, legs, face. Face also felt like it was burning at times--felt flushed. | I started out by taking zyrtec every other day and about the beginning of the third week, I noticed I started to itch/face would burn. So, I quit taking it after four weeks and for the next couple of days, the itching was horible! So, I went back to taking claratin every other day. The second time I took claratin, I noticed that day I did not itch as much but the following day, I itched again horibly. The third time I took claratin, I did not itch at all that day but the following day, I itched although not as much. Anyway, I've taken claratin four times now (like I said, I take it every other day) but today, the day I did not take it, I DID NOT ITCH!!! I think it is out of my system and my immune system is back to normal. I will not take zyrtec ever again!! The itching was so bad it made my blood pressure go up! | F | 58 | 4 weeks | 10/24/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | I became very unfocused - to the point of scheduling an ADD/ADHD test. My sleep was very disturbed. | I was advised the drug could make you sleepy and it'd be good to take at night. For me it was not. | M | 46 | 4 weeks | 10/22/2008 | 1 | Allergies | anxiety, lack of sleep, depression, anger, lack of motivation | I was told to take this by my physician. | F | 26 | 4 weeks 5 mg 1X D | 6/9/2010 | 1 | allergies | Irritability. Vivid dreams. Increase in the amount of nightly sleep. Constant tiredness. It seemed there was a ceiling in the amount of joy I could feel. | Made me feel like a zombie. Then I started taking only half a pill per day. This was enough to stop my allergies, but I still felt like a zombie. When I stopped taking Zyrtec, my old self returned, as did my sneezing, itchy mouth, and running nose. Stopped my allergies better than Clariton. But Clariton didn't make me feel like a zombie. | M | 46 | 4 weeks 10 MG 1X D | 8/2/2010 | 5 | itchy skin, runny nose | Sometimes heart was beating so fast that I had to stop moving to slow the heart beat. | This was a few years ago. I didn't get tiredness from taking this med at that time. But a few years later, I took Zyrtec again to deal with itchy skin and runny nose, I got very, very tired and had to stay asleep all day and all night. I couldn't work. I couldn't do anything. Just sleeping and sleeping. Last night I was hungry but I couldn't get out of bed to eat because I was too weak. I skipped supper and slept. I wanted to eat, but I couldn't get out of bed and fell asleep till late morning. I think 10mg is too much of a doze for many people. Today I cut up the pill in half and took 5mg instead. Maybe because of my aging... I used to love taking Zyrtec, and 10mg didn't cause problems, but now I can hardly keep myself awake with 10mg. | F | 43 | 3 weeks 10 1X D | 9/21/2011 |