Drug Ratings for ZYRTECAverage Rating: 2.1 (1498 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 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 1 | allergies | my daughter is 4 and she has been taking zyrtec for about 1 year for allergies, I recently noticed that whenever she would have a "meltdown" it was after getting zyrtec. I began to watch more closely and definitely pinpointed it to the zyrtec. She goes into almost a complete rage and becomes a totally different person. I was referring to it as a pyschotic episode-only way I could explain. Im so glad I found this website because I definitely know its the zyrtec now. It is going in the garbage and I will call her doctor tomorrow and explain and see what else we can try. I just feel bad it took me so long to realize what was causing these episodes. | F | 34 | 1 years 2.5 ml 1X D | 5/18/2010 | 1 | allergies | I have gained weight around my middle where I have been previously thin my entire life. I originally attributed this to stress. When I try to go off Zyrtec, I experience itching all over my entire body. I have only been able to go off of it for five days before I cant take the itching and begin to take it again. | The withdrawal from this drug makes it not worth taking in the first place. | F | 24 | 1 years 10 mg 1X D | 4/4/2011 | 1 | Allergies and Asthma | Didn't notice any side effects when I was on it except a constant stuffy nose, worse asthma but I am unsure that is because of the ZYRTEC. I am experiencing bad withdrawals right now. This is my second time trying to come off of it, using Clariton as a supplement to try to get off of it. This is my third day and I am very, very dizzy and extremely nauseous. I am praying that I do not vomit. I do not want to take it any longer so I hope it goes away. The first time I tried to get off of it I was so itchy I could not work or sleep. The clariton has helped with that, but I want to get off of that also. I have successfully withdrawaled off of effexor, advair and singular and it took me 1 year. I never thought Zyrtec would have such bad withdrawals since it was an OTC allergy medicine... Lets face facts: All medicines are horrible, DON'T use it! | F | 28 | 1 years 1X D | 7/2/2011 | 1 | seasonal allergies | I took this on and off for years after claritin stopped working for me. I have also battled episodes of intense anger and depression for years. I finally put it together with the zrytec after my second child. I stopped taking it for almost a year due to mild allergies season and started again. I became downright abusive to my husband and children. I had no patience only intense rage. I misplaced the pills and was finefor a week. Started them again for 3 days and the rage came back. I tried this 3 more times for different lenghts of time until I concluded it was the zrytec and stopped. I had no rage or anger for the following few weeks and havent since. I am trying to repair the damage with my children fromthis stuff. It did work controlling my allergies and has been the only drug successful at that so far but I will never use it again. | F | 41 | 1 years 10 | 6/23/2012 | 1 | allergies | Severe itching of the skin, problems with vision, pressure in eyes, headache and stomach upset. Was having problems with anxiety and anger, was taking other medicines at the time, got off of all of them and just took zytec. I was having rapid heartbeat trouble breathing. Getting off the other meds just showed me that it was zyrtec causing problems. | Right now i am trying to get off the medication, i have had severe headaches, muscle pain, trouble breathing, nausea and dry vomiting, could not eat because i was nauseated. The withdrawal symptoms are severe. If you dont need to take this dont, just use it as needed. I am going to look into class action suit against the manufacturer. My doctor cannot figure out why i had problems and got mad at me because is slowly stopped each and every med i was taking to find out which one was causing the problem since he was not educated in side effects of pills. Sometimes you have to make yourself better. I am not crazy or a raging angry person, but zyrtec makes me that way. | M | 39 | 1 years 10mg 1X D | 3/12/2012 | 1 | asthma and allergies | mood swings irritibility you name it | TAKE THE DRUG OFF THE MARKET IT IS EVIL. | M | 1 years | 8/20/2006 | 1 | seasonal allergies | My 4 yr old was taking it up until a few days ago. It worked great on his symptons, but caused him to have episodes of anger! | I didn't realize what was causing my child to act so horrible until I read the comments on this Web site. I took my child off Zyrtec and now I have my old sweet child back. I was in tears when reading the comments of the other parents who had gone through the same thing with their child. I just wish I had known about it sooner. There should be a warning with this medicine! | F | 40 | 1 years | 1/3/2006 | 1 | pet and pollen allergies | I took it for nearly a year before realizing that my insomnia and depression were caused by Zyrtec. I went off Zyrtec simply to get the antihistamines out of my body so I could be tested for additional allergies, and my mood lifted tremendously. So, I really inadvertently discovered that Zyrtec was causing my depression. I am so angry no one told me about this when I started taking it. It would have saved me so much misery. | F | 40 | 1 years | 9/8/2006 | 1 | seasonal allergies | My son, now 4, has been taking zyrtec on and off for over a year. I thought he was just a difficult child and perhaps even had autistic tendencies, when I discovered the zyrtec was making my child a monster. He is an emotional wreck when he is on this medication. I'm throwing it away. | M | 4 | 1 years | 9/26/2005 | 1 | seasonal allergies | shakiness, anxiety, uneasy feeling | my son has been taking the chewable form of this medicine on and off for about a year under his pediatrician's advise. I used to combine a pseudoephedrine syrup for him before sleeping because his problems with the stuffy nose would not go away with the zyrtec. zyrtec only seemed to help relieve the itchy nose, coughing and sneezing but not the sinus problems due to the allergies. As I started him on zyrtec for this spring season I suspended the use of pseudoephedrine because the pharmacist told me not no combine anything else with it, eventhough I never seemed to have problems of interactions between the two drugs. I continued giving my son the zyrtec pills at night before bedtime. however two days ago, he started feeling anxious and shaky in school with an overall feeling of being uneasy. the school nurse checked the side effects of the drug and told us this might be one of them. after checking this website I found important information on side effects for children and I am definitel | M | 8 | 1 years | 3/28/2006 | 1 | allergies | Aggressive behavior and irritability in 5 year old son. He would become upset over small issues. | My 5 year old has taken Zyrtec on and off with colds and allergy symptoms over the last year. We always thought his aggressive behavior and irritability was due to the fact he was sick during the time he was taking the medicine. (He also takes Singulair, Nasonex and Pulmicort.) This makes it hard to determine what med is causing his problems. He is experiencing a very difficult allergy season now and his 5mg/day dose was not working as well as it once had. My pediatrician recommended increasing his dosage to 10 mg/day. I checked the internet to make sure this was appropriate for his age and came across this website. We took him off Zyrtec 2 days ago and have already noticed a significant difference. I am so relieved and what a joy to have my son's happy personality back! Now we just have to determine what medicine will work for him without the side effects. Any suggestions? We do have appointments with an ENT and allergist over the next two weeks. Hopefully we will get some r | F | 36 | 1 years | 3/28/2007 | 1 | allergies | I am trying to take my 6 year old son off of zyrtec due to negative side effects, he has been on it for one year and every time we try to stop , he breaks out in terrrible abdominal hives and persisitent itching.It is as if his body is now dependent on it. He never experienced hives prior to the zyrtec use and I feel it is just another bad side effect we were not warned about. | M | 6 | 1 years | 6/30/2005 | 1 | Alergies | Our 7 year old son was having violent temper tantrums, throwing things, punching and hitting other family members. These tantrums would last up to an hour or more. He was unable to handle anything that didn't go his way. He was like a monster and we did not know what to do. I thought he was ADHD or ODD and we began threapy for him. THANK GOD I FOUND THIS WEBSITE! It never dawned us us it could be the Zyrtec. Neither his doctor or his therapist knew anything about the pschological side effects that Zyrtec can cause. After further research I found that the following pschological side effects were listed in Zyrtec's own studies *** ABNORMAL THINKING, AGITATION, AMNESIA, ANXIETY, LOWERED LIBITO, DEPERSONALIZATION, DEPRESSION, EMOTIONAL LABILITY, EUPHORIA, IMPAIRED CONCENTRATION, INSOMNIA, NERVOUSNESS, PARANOIA, SLEEP DISORDERS *** Amazingly, the doctor perscribed the medication and never warned us of this! Everyone should be aware of this and I can attest that children should not be taking | Needless to say we took our son off the Zyrtec as soon as I read the information on this website. It has been about three weeks and we have seen much improvement. I pray that there are no long term effects on our son. Any other parents' comments are welcome. Feel free to e-mail me. I would love to hear from you. | M | 7 | 1 years | 2/13/2006 | 1 | allergies | eye dryness,sleepieness | Thought I must have scratched eye so went to opto doc,had dry eye so drops helped.Then was seeing designs in vision,tingly fingers,tiredness,heart pulpitations,dizzyness,finally awoke one night thinking heart attack. Doc sent me to Cardio doc ,did extensive testing to find nothing wrong with heart.Stopped Zyrtec!! and VWELLA.. All troubles are gone!! HMMM ZYRTEC?? | F | 48 | 1 years | 10/1/2007 | 1 | severe allergies | behavioral problems, emotional numbness, could not sleep, lots of temper tantrums, did not seem to help with allergies after a certain time of day, upped the dosage and he had more unusual behaviors, speech delayed. This medicine almost ruined my child!!! | For a long time I thought my child was autistic. I finally got him an appointment to get him evaluated because he more or less fit the mold of an autistic child. After a year of bad results with zyrtec, I took him off of it and within days he was a different child. He stopped all his irrational, abnormal behaviors, started sleeping and most importantly started talking and responding to life. I thought I was helping him because of his severe allergies, but instead zyrtec robbed him of a year of his life. | M | 4 | 1 years | 7/27/2004 | 1 | daughters allergy | this drug is stupid and doesnt work | does not help allergies, and it full of crap, i dont like it, my daughter is still getting horrible allergies. | F | 10 | 1 years | 11/21/2008 | 1 | Fluid in ears | I experienced heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, general nervousness and a motor tic...my head just shakes for no reason. Loss of concentration, skin irritations. | Don't take this drug, there are other drugs out there like Benadryl that will do the same thing and are much safer. | F | 42 | 1 years | 1/6/2009 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | VERY emotional and worried!!!! Easily frustrated and irritated!!!!! Some of the same side effects as mentioned. | DO NOT GIVE THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN! Thank God for everyone who shared thier experience concerning this drug because we did not find this information elsewhere! DO NOT GIVE THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN! | F | 4 | 1 years | 4/16/2008 | 1 | allergies | severe stuttering and vaginal irration | my daughter began this med when she was 2 years old. within 1 month she began to STUTTER. she has been on this med about 1 1/2 years. we have spent thousands of $ on speech therapy and it has not helped. the stuttering has become worse over time. the zyrtec dose was upped over time due to her weight gain. the more zyrtec, the more she could not complete a single sentence. i took her off of it 1 week ago and have seen mild improvement and severe withdrawl (itching, crying, sleeplessness, depression). she has also experienced vaginal irration for about 1 year, so much that i took her to a gyn 2 weeks ago and had her tested for ANYTHING and everything. all of her tests came back normal. i began to suspect zyrtec after praying about it. i am now convinced that it is the medication.. anyone else experience this? | F | 3 | 1 years | 2/7/2008 | 1 | hives, itching | Severe heart palpitations | I have been taking zyrtec for one year; also have been suffering heart palpitations and blaming other meds. After researching zyrtec I realize that's likely what it is and have stopped - just 2 days ago. I don't yet know what other symptoms I'm experiencing (anxiety, muscle twitching) have been related to zyrtec, but look forward to findout out when this drug is out of my system. | F | 57 | 1 years | 5/17/2007 | 1 | allergies | Another upset parent : I'm an intelligent, college-educated and (so I thought) informed parent and started giving my then 3 1/2 year old son Zyrtec about 1 year ago. I trust(ed) his pediatrician. I didn't notice any immediate change in his behavior and can't directly put my finger on when I got seriously concerned about it since initially he was given it intermittently. However, his allergies got so that it was almost constantly that he would have the sniffles and a runny nose, so I finally started nightly doses. I attributed his behavior initally just to a "phase". This "phase" continued while I kept waiting for him to grow out of it. My sister even suggested oppositional defiant disorder. i was upset enough to ask his pediatrician about his behavior and after interacting with him early last month at his well-check she assured me he was fine while writing out a new Zyrtec prescription. His behavior is much the same as other parents have reported: instant a | So what happened?? I ran out about a month ago and had switched pharmacy plans and hadn't gotten around to taking care of the 3 mos. mail order supply. We went on vacation for 2 weeks and then last week I finally filled the prescription but he had a cold so I didn't bother giving it to him. 4 days ago I went in to get him out of bed and he said, "Good morning Mom", got dressed the first time I asked him, brushed his teeth and sat down for breakfast. Everyday since has been the same and I've been waiting on pins and needles for my "old" angry son to reappear. A tiny light in my brain a couple of days ago asked if it could be a Zyrtec side effect and I finally googled tonight and here I am. I can't believe it's something this simple and am angry to think about all the learning and love my son and our family missed out on due to his anger and aggression and am mad at myself for trusting his pediatrician so much that I didn't perform due diligence. | F | 48 | 1 years | 12/21/2007 | 1 | All year round allergies | MIGRAINES! Anyone who's had them will tell you, NOT PLEASANT! The worst pain I have EVER experienced. P.S. To people who have, if you get a migraine, the minute you see the blind spot, take excederin migraine. WORKS soooo well. | I had gotten a migraine ONCE before I started Zyrtec, about 2 years back. Then I started taking Zyrtec. My whole family called it "The Miracle Drug" I thought, "I'll never ever have to suffer again! This is so great!" Then about 3 months in, I got a migraine. We thought, oh, well I've had one before, it's just a rare thing. Then about 3 months later, another! Then approx. 3 months later, AGAIN! Then I stopped taking it for finacial reasons, but saved ONE pill. We were going to a party that was outside, and so I took it. BOOM! Migraine. I KNOW that's what caused them. It's been about, oh, 4-5 months with no migraines. I would NOT take this medicine. FOR ANYTHING. | F | 13 | 1 years | 2/7/2008 | 1 | Allergies | behavior problems, didn't listen, angry, you name it. Also very tired during the day and very fussy. | In my opinion, this is VERY bad medicine for young children. Like many readers this was the only place that I found to confirm my thoughts about this medicine. The drug companies would loose lots of money if the truth were told. Once I stopped giving my son this stuff he returned to his normal happy self. For a while I thought he was possesed. I feel like a bad parent having given him this stuff for as long as I did. Don't make the same mistake........ | M | 4 | 1 years | 1/18/2008 | 1 | post nasal drip, mucus, congestion | My 7 year old son was taking Zyrtec and developed very bad behaviors in school, threatening suicide and others, and was very physically aggressive to his teachers. Once I realized that the bahaviors started the same time as Zyrtec, I took him off. One year later, he still has behavior problems, but they are lessening. Last week, I gave him one dose because of terrible itching. He had 2 very bad episodes at school so far. Thereis no doubt that Zyrtec triggered something in his brain. Hopefully it is not permanent. | Since my son was mildly retarded, I don't think he could express how he felt. But when asked why he felt so angry, he always said, I don't know . Something got in my head. | M | 9 | 1 years | 11/5/2007 | 1 | Allergies | My daughter had behavioral changes...she cried constantly. She was honestly depressed. She never smiled. She was also very itchy on Zyrtec. After about 6 months she developed a motor tic. It took awhile to link it to Zyrtec, but within a month of going off Zyrtec the motor tic went away. She was also able to smile and laugh again. | Zyrtec was a horrible experience for my daughter. | F | 7 | 1 years | 10/30/2008 | 4 | cold | not bad | good | F | 23 | 233 months | 1/24/2009 | 1 | Hives | SEVERE DEPRESSION, severe menstrual problems, anger problems / short fuse, low libido, constant tiredness and feelings of unwellness. | DETAILED INFO FOR THOSE WANTING TO QUIT>>>I am absolutely shocked at the state my health was in and the stark contrast to the good health I now have since I stopped taking Zyrtec, particularly my mental health - I just didn't realise how bad it was at the time. I am shocked enough to try and get the word out to warn others who maybe don't realise what taking Zyrtec could be doing to them by writing a detailed description of my experiences (including withdrawal) in a blog: http://zyrtecsideeffects.blogspot.com/ ***NOTE: Please do not mistake the horrific withdrawal symptoms of this drug as being the symptoms that it is 'fixing'. This is a common mistake.*** | F | 27 | 18 months | 10/4/2008 | 4 | nurse practitioner prescribed | After taking Zyrtec for 17 months, initially I took it to help with itchy ears and runny nose, I decided to go without it. I have not taken Zyrtec in over a week now and have been feeling fatigued and been experiencing headaches, plus I came down with a urinary tract infection (I had not had one in years!) I suspect I am suffering withdrawal symptoms and hope the symptoms have peaked and will eventually wear out. I wish I had not been on this drug for so long. I hope things get better for me. | felt fine when I was taking the drug, but feel kind of miserable since I stopped taking it. | F | 40 | 17 months 10 MG 1X D | 6/9/2011 | 1 | Hay Fever, Itchy nose, Itchy throat | Where to begin! I feel as though I am late with my response to how this medicine really took away 1 year of my life in a sense. I just found this site but I went through Hell getting off this drug back in 2009...before beginning this drug I used to be a very deadline driven ambitious person, confident in myself and easy going. This drug completely changed me. I didnt notice that I had "changed" until those around me started saying I had gained alot of weight (30 extra pounds--the heaviest I have ever been was 125 and I was almost 160 lbs on this med.) I started getting in to major arguments with my boyfriend to the point where I felt psychotic! Over the littlelest things, crying spells, sitting in a room thinking about life is not worth living, thinking of the worst in everything---that there was no bright side. I felt so depressed. All my problems in my life where intensified with this drug. These side effects began about 6 months of starting the drug. Thats when the major a | continued...I was late on my assignments and at work I was also falling behind to the point I was gonna get written up! totally not my personality. The sad thing I didnt even care. I just wanted to go home and sleep all day. I never went anywhere...I was a zombie. I found your website and immediately stopped taking this drug. I used Aveeno to bathe and lotion myself down with to stop the itching. I could shave my armpits for a while though because i broke out in a rash a month after stopping the med. I was able to shave after a few months after that. I drank tea for my throat and just endured the seasonal allergies. Every time I itched I just put lotion on. I very well weaned off this horrible drug a year later. I have lost so much weight --especiallyy around my stomach area! I am now 140 something getting close to 130 lbs and hopefully back to my original weight in a few more months. I am trying to go back to school and I am doing way better at work--I can concentrate now. I dont sit at home sleeping my life away. I get out and socialize now and am more active. This drug made me anti-social. I just wanted to say that you can wean off this. I dont take anything for my allergies anymore. I just dont trust the side effects and its not worth my life. Please spread the word.Would not recommend to anyone, please stop taking this drug if you have been experiencing these side effects. | F | 28 | 16 months 10 MG 1X D | 11/27/2010 | 1 | allergies | Allergy symtoms got better for awhile, then had to switch my son to singulair because he wasn't responding to zyrtec anymore. He took it from age 20 months until 3 years old. He is now diagnosed with PDD. A developmental delay - could it be related? | His problems started around the time we started the zyrtec. It makes me so angry that I wasn't informed about the potential side effects. My child is now delayed in speech and social skills. He is been off all allergy meds for 1 week and is much better, talking more and using his imagination.DON'T GIVE THIS TO YOUR KIDS! | M | 3 | 16 months | 6/6/2006 | 5 | hives and severe itching | LISTEN AND LISTEN GOOD......I PUT DOWN 5 JUST TO GET TO THE TOP SO YOU ALL CAN READ. THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM IN MY OPINION WITH SIDE EFFECTS WITH ZRYTEC. NOT ONLY DID SHARING ON THIS WEB SITE SUPPORT ME AND HELP ME, IT FINALLY BROUGHT ME MY QUALITY OF LIFE BACK.....PLEASE TRUST ME....I SUFFERED SEVERE HIVES AND ITCHING 15 MONTHS AGO AND WAS PUT ON ZYRTEC....YES IT HELPED ....BUT AT A HUGE PRICE......HEADACHES,PANIC ATTACKS,BREATHING PROBLEMS,CONFUSION,FOGGINESS,IRRITABILITY, ANGER,LOSS OF LIBIDO,UNAPPROACHABLE,DEPPRESSION,LARTHARGIC,SAD, AND......AND.....WHEN YOU TRY TO GET OFF THIS DRUG?....YOU GET SO ITCHY THAT YOU WANT TO CRY,TOTALLY UNBEARABLE, HIVES APPEAR WORSE THAN THE ONES YOU WERE TREATED FOR SO WHAT TO YOU DO?.....TAKE MORE ZRYTEC BECAUSE IT WILL RELIEVE YOU...BUT THIS IS A CYCLE THAT GOES ON WITHOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM......AND......WILL CAUSE NEW PROBLEMS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR DAY TO DAY LIVING....PLEASE BELIEVE ME...DOCTORS, PHARMACISTS AND OF COURSE PFIZER WILL NO | STOP TAKING THIS DRUG NOW!!!!! | M | 48 | 15 months | 1/5/2007 | 4 | chronic hives and itching | i have a hard time focusing and i am light sensitive when i take zyrtec. i now take only half(5mg)every two or three days after taking one a day. after 3 days my hives come back with a vengance. i definitely do not feel like myself on it, fatigued, but i can not live in my skin without it. would love to find a way to wean off but can not at this time....any answers? | definitely works but side effects for me have made me a a different person who has lost his edge.... | M | 48 | 15 months | 1/2/2007 | 3 | allergies, indoors and outdoors | I was on Zyrtec in 2001 before it went OTC. I don't know if it's different being prescribed or OTC, but it worked great on my allergies and I experienced only one side effect: a ravenous appetite! I took it for a year, and somehow I didn't gain weight. I exercised a lot. Feeling like I was starving every minute was horrible. I definitely was eating more to try to satisfy the hunger pains, but it didn't matter how much I ate--I would never feel satisfied. That affected my sleep because I can't fall asleep if I feel hungry. That was such a huge side effect that I asked my doctor to put me on another medication. I've tried all kinds of allergy meds, and Zyrtec did work the second best for me. (Seldane-D was the best by far.) Other allergy meds just don't really do anything for me. But I couldn't be on a medicine with such a terrible side effect, and I'm sure I would've started gaining weight. I had talked to five other people when I was taking Zyrtec, who also took it, and the | F | 45 | 12 months 30 mg. 1X D | 4/21/2010 | 2 | Indoor/Outdoor allergies | Joint pain in elbows and knees, frequency/urgency of urination. Abdominal bloating, right upper abdominal pain,constipation-diarrhea. Fatigue. Weight Gain. Headache/Eye Pain when stopping. | Over a year ago I started taking Zyrtec for seasonal allergies in the fall. We had moved and my symptoms increased. Typically after a hard frost I didn't have allergy symptoms anymore, but when I stopped taking Zyrtec for a day, my symptoms returned with a vengeance, I then thought I was having indoor allergy symptoms. So I continued taking the Zyrtec. It has always made me groggy, but that seemed to increase over time. I was also having joint pain, but then again I do work hard. After several months I started to have frequency of urination and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, I also gained weight. One day I forgot to take my Zyrtec and allergy (itchy nose/eyes/throat) were worse than ever, but I noticed my stomach felt normal and the joint pain was much less, but I developed a severe headache and itching hands/feet. I haven't taken any today and I am not sure what is worse..taking it or not. | F | 49 | 12 months 10MG 1X D | 3/10/2012 | 1 | Allergies | Dry mouth, had breath | Getting off is tough...heart palpitations, chills, sweats, sensation of yoke around shoulders, chest pains | F | 55 | 12 months 10mg 1X D | 4/2/2010 | 1 | Seasonal A;;ergy | Fatigue, Muscles pain, mood swings, tired all the time. I keep complaint to my doctors, but because I take a handful of other medications, I had to withdraw one by one to find which one was causing the problem. Unfortunately Zirtec was the last one that I withdrew. The muscle pain has gone, which was my major complaint. I feel more energetic. | I wonder why the FDA doesn't do a real thoroughly, investigation on these medications, before putting on the marketing. instead the need making the Pharmaceutic Companies ultra gazillionaires while we, the poor guineas pigs, have to go through the hard side effects, that sometimes not even the doctor who prescribe are aware of it. | M | 44 | 12 months | 9/17/2007 | 1 | Chronic Allergy | irrational escalation over small issues turning into rage and tantrum, followed by anger at self about not being able to stop the conflict. Inability to stop chewing lip, Periodic (negative) obsession with looks, "heads too big, face too long", low self esteem, depression "I have no friends". Rage/tantrums stopped within 24 hours of stopping medication, depression/obsession within days, lip licking - may be unrelated - took about 30 days to cease. | The kids have been hapily OFF the prescription for about 90 days. Product does a good job of alleviating allergy, but in my opinion the manufacturer is criminally negligent in not disclosing the potential side-effects for smaller children. Does not seem to affect all kids the same, but when the side effects manifest themselves it's heart-breaking. Prescribed to both sons, 6 and 8. The 8 year old seemed to have no problem with the medication. The 6 year old went through a year of progressively more frequent and more irrational arguing and escalation. Then would feel angry at homself over not being able to control it. On an instinct we decided to stop medication to see if it helped. Impact was immediate. He is still a headstrong kid, but he is rational, feels good about himself, and feels in control of hios emotions. Kills me to think of how much confrontaion we could have avoided and the unneccessary emotional conflict it put on my 6 year old. I didn't find this site until after we had stopped the medication, was amazed at the fast impact, and was looking to see if this was a published side effect. Overnight, with cessation of the medication, the tantrum behavior that had built up to almost weekly clashes has been gone for the 90 days since we stopped the dosage. I can hardly find the words to describe my contempt for the manufacturer for not warning consumers to watch for this potential side effect. I hope someone sues them into bankruptcy. | M | 6 | 12 months | 5/6/2009 | 1 | Allergies | 3.5 yr old son behavior changes (moody, aggressive, sleepless nights, hyper-active, emotional, lack of attention/focus, defiant) | 3.5 yr old son was taking for allergies and post-nasal drainage. It helped well with the allergies and drainage. We didn't realize there was anything wrong, we thought a lot of the behavior issues and defiance was his age. We noticed the biggest change after he started Pre-K this past fall. We started getting more and more reports from his teachers of his uncontrollable activity and behaviors as well of his lack of attention. They requested that we speake with the Pediatrician regarding possible ADHD. The problem was, I wasn't seeing it at home much. He took it at night before bed (every night since it was recommended). I am thinking that he was the worst at school because by the time he was home the side-effects were starting to wear off and they were the strongest in the morning. After evaluations were done with the teachers and my family, the doctor agreed it wasn't ADHD. But looking back, after about 1-2 weeks of being on it Zyrtec our sitter stated she noticed his behavior changing and it had gotten progressively worse. For her, he bit a child...that is out of character for him, was hyper active, wouldn't nap, sassy, defiant, ignored her, etc. At school he got to where he was poking other kids, kicked his teacher, hyper, defiant, wouldn't focus, etc). We took him off the Zyrtec and he began changing within the first 2 days he started being more in control, more obedient, less hyper, more sincere and loving. He is slowly getting better each day. Stopped use. | M | 3.5 | 11 months 1/2 tsp 1X D | 3/11/2010 | 1 | seasonal allergies | My son was given both zyrtec and flonase for seasonal allergies. It seemed to work ok when we first began them. I was not faithful in giving them all the times and usually gave them only when seasonal allergies were bad. We have finally figured out that both of these medications were effecting him negatively so we took him off them immediately. Symptoms were: stomach pain, headache, times of panic, heavy headedness, severe anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss and probably more that I am forgetting to list. Think carefully before giving this medication to your child. My son has been off the meds for 5 days and is feeling SO MUCH BETTER! | M | 10 | 11 months 10mg 1X D | 10/3/2011 | 3 | Hives - Severe | Hair loss/thinning, ANXIETY w/ panic attacks, joint pain, skin sensations- burning, tingling and pain, irrational thinking, unapproachable, irritable, explosive anger, unable to cope with stress, headaches, short term memory loss, disrupted sleep, tossing and turning, OCD and mood swings. | My hives are controlled! But I feel like crap. The worst part is the anxiety and my temper. My relationship of 5 years is now ending b/c of my inability to cope with stress and I'm explosive with anger. I find the need to control every second of everything going on around me- OCD. I do believe this medication is causing my mental illness. But how do you decide between severe hives and being crazy? | F | 24 | 10 months | 11/14/2007 | 2 | Severe Allergies | I posted here about 4 months ago. At that time I had a couple issues with the drug. Now I have a bunch... Uncontrollable eating, sleep issues, drug doesn't seem to do much anymore, mental health issues (depression, anxiety, irritability, etc...) | Initially I was very pleased with this drug. I seemed to have had a couple of side effects. I seem to have developed many more side effects. Also the drug has already seemed to have lost it's potency. I'm smack in the middle of the Spring allergy season, and I'm misserable. Constant sneezing, wheezing, itchy, etc... It's like I'm not taking anything. | M | 33 | 10 months | 5/3/2007 | 1 | seasonal/pet allergies | Rage, hyperactivity, night terrors, loss of handwriting ability, complete personality change. | My 8-year old son discontinued the medication 12 weeks ago and he is still having outbursts of rage. Has anyone else had side effects continue for weeks or months after stopping the Zyrtec? Please e-mail me; I am frantic with worry. | M | 8 | 10 months | 9/3/2007 | 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 | itching/allergies | although the zyrtec did control the itching at night, my daughter complained about feeling 'not real', pretend like in a story. She said she felt like she had water in her ears; a stuffy feeling that comes & goes. She said it started around the time 1st grade began. I connected that was when she started taking zyrtec as prescribed by her PCP. | we stopped the zyrtec and after 3 days, she said she said she was feeling more real! I definitely believe it was the zyrtec, especially after reading this database. I was actually looking for a psychiatrist thinking she had a mental health issue. We're turning to homeopath treatments to relieve her allergies now. | F | 7 | 10 months | 8/16/2009 | 5 | allergies | I don't believe there's been any - sleeping rather hard, dreaming alot. | Never had any allergy issues until this past winter - tried Claritin and others - Zyrtec did the trick, if I stop taking it, I start right back up with the symptoms - looks like a long term thing for me. So far, no issues that I can tell. | M | 49 | 9 months | 6/12/2009 | 5 | Recuring Hives - unknown allergy | Occasional drowsiness. | 1 pill/day 10mg taken in the morning. I have been very pleased with Zyrtec's ability to keep the hives away. I still get redness and hot patches (skin gets very hot to touch) where the "itchy hives" would have been. When the Zyrtec starts wearing off, the "itchy hives" come back. Occassionally, the hives falre up badly and I have to take an extra Zyrtec and a few times had to dose way up on Benedryl. Benedryl seems to help far better during severe cases when I get a snout full of whatever my allergin is. Zyrtec is not a cure. It is a suppressant. | M | 36 | 9 months | 3/17/2007 | 2 | Allergies | At first Allergy relief, now nothing. | It seems to have stopped working for me after about 9 months of taking it religiously | F | 24 | 9 months 10 1X D | 5/29/2011 | 1 | Allergies | Drowsiness, lack of concentration,lack of motivation,EXTREMELY INSANE VIVID DREAMS,hearing voices, hallucinations, ANGER, mood swings HAIR LOSS. | Last summer i found out that i didnt have a weak immune system, i just had allergies. Since then, I found Claritin did nothing for me and neither did the nose pumps, when i discovered zyrtec it was a different world. Although it cleared up all my allergies i began to notice an unusual amount of vivid dreams, sometimes even voices in my head, definitely nightmares. They would only happen 1-2 days after taking the pill. A lot of the people i talk to on a normal basis believe i've been going through serious mood swings that i never had before. People have told me that they do not see the motivation they used to see prior to taking the medication. i've also experienced hairloss on my face, primarily on my sideburns. | M | 19 | 9 months 10mg 1X D | 6/14/2010 | 1 | allergies | My daughter started taking this for ecezma and allergies. She also has ashtma. I took her off the singulair and pulmicort too. She was a monster! My son who is 6 was on all these as well. I thought I was a bad mother and had mentally ill children.Then one day it occured to me to research these meds and was shocked to find out it was not just us. My kids are finally returning to normal.I worry about their ashtma but I couldn't take another day of it.I have tried to take my daughter off the zrtec before and the itching is unreal for her already bad eczema.Last night was her last dose!We will have to make it this time and get rid of it. What is wrong with these doctors giving this garbage? They should have to live with the kids that take it! | F | 3 | 9 months | 12/11/2006 | 1 | allergies | My daughter started taking this for ecezma and allergies. She also has ashtma. I took her off the singulair and pulmicort too. She was a monster! My son who is 6 was on all these as well. I thought I was a bad mother and had mentally ill children.Then one day it occured to me to research these meds and was shocked to find out it was not just us. My kids are finally returning to normal.I worry about their ashtma but I couldn't take another day of it.I have tried to take my daughter off the zrtec before and the itching is unreal for her already bad eczema.Last night was her last dose!We will have to make it this time and get rid of it. What is wrong with these doctors giving this garbage? They should have to live with the kids that take it! | She said she was hungry every second of the day even after eating a big meal. | F | 3 | 9 months | 12/11/2006 | 1 | allergies | HELP!!! My 8-year old son completely changed during the 9 months he took this drug. First his handwriting completely disintegrated until it was completely illegible, then he gradually became more and more hyper, reclusive, stopped playing with friends, couldn't pay attention in school. During the last few months he took it, he became increasingly irritable, until by the end he would frequently erupt into violent rages, during which he would say crazy things about dying, say he hated everyone, etc. He couldn't handle the smallest disappointment. Also, his hyperactivity escalated until it was off the charts. We had to pull him out of the gifted program at school. He really has become a totally different child; he used to be happy, sweet, sunny, with tons of friends, calm and gentle-natured. We've stopped the drug as of two weeks, ago, but he's still not recovered. Can someone tell me PLEASE HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE HIM TO RETURN TO NORMAL. | Please e-mail me if your child has experienced anything similar. He's acting like a crazy person, but I can't believe any type of mental illness would just suddenly appear like this. His irritability and temper when he doesn't get his way are making our lives very difficult. Any information would be appreciated. | M | 8 | 9 months | 6/24/2007 | 5 | allergies, intense ear itch | increased appetite, drowsiness | Zyrtec is a wonder drug. Sure I have vivid dreams. I have had them my whole life - 20 years before Zyrtec. Come on people. Zyrtec has changed my life. Not only have I gotten rid of a daily intense ear itch (apparently from unknown allergies), but I also developed more severe allergies last year, and taking Zyrtec-D has rid me of the symptoms. Also, I have noticed that when getting a cold, Zyrtec helps immensely and I can function normally. It does make me very tired, which is why I take it at bedtime, and I wake up just fine and my allergies stay away all day. Usually I just take 1/2 pill (over the counter). If you have any of these problems, PLEASE try this drug. It really works. You can find ways to get around the drowsiness and hunger pretty easily. Take at bedtime and eat healthy! Side effects will occur with any medication. These are very manageable and SO much better than allergies!!! | F | 29 | 8 months 10 1X D | 8/20/2010 | 4 | chronic idiopathic urticaria | My 6yr old daughter had to start taking zyrtec eveyday to control her chronic urticaria, as time went one her behaviors just have gotten worse. To the point we were thinking about taking her to a pshyc dr. Don't know what else to do I have taken her off for a few days now and the attitude is already getting better. But I had to give her benadryl to keep her from swelling. Which they told me not to give her that cause of the alcohol in it. Does anyone out there that has Chronic Urticaria know anything that helps, without the deppression/anger issues. Please help, thanks! | F | 6 | 8 months 5mg 1X D | 10/6/2010 | 4 | animal and mold allergies | None until I decided to try and stop using it - now my hands and feet are itching and I am scratching everywhere!! | F | 50 | 8 months | 6/20/2005 | 2 | seasonal allergies | When I first started taking Zyrtec 8 months ago it made me very tired. Now I can not sleep until I am exhausted. It definitely stopped the sneezing, runny nose, weepy and itching eyes. My doctor says to keep taking it because I can't hear out of one ear. After 8 months I am beginning to think the Zyrtec may be causing the hearing loss? I have been off it for two days and my blood pressure is up above 140 and I feel flushed. Would love to be able to sleep like a normal person again. | F | 53 | 8 months | 1/7/2005 | 2 | seasonal allergies, itching, hives | WEIGHT GAIN!!! My gosh, it finally dawned on me yesterday...I haven't been eating a lot and since being on zrytec I have gained over 15 pounds. I have been exercising like crazy, nothing..and the weight was also in my face...I just looked bloated, like a puffed up fish. I didn't suspect zyrtec because there was nothing...repeat NOTHING in the insert that said anything about weight gain...now I will see. I will continue exercising and re-post if the weight has dropped. Dry mouth, high blood pressure, feeling dreamy, swollen and loss of concentration. | By the way, I always felt I was in a dream. AND my blood pressure was higher than usual. I have stopped taking zyrtec now for only one day and my head feels clearer, my body doesn't feel foreign and my dreamy state is evaporating. I have to admit I am nervous about the allergies returning. I will take my chances though. To anyone about to take zyrtec, I would say be very careful. | F | 30 | 8 months | 7/12/2006 | 2 | asthma/allergies | Moody, cranky, emotional highs and lows, sleeplessness, aggression | 8 months ago the doctor prescribed 1tsp a day for my 4 year old who has asthma that is triggered by common allergies. It wasn't until he transitioned from childcare to school that a red flag was raised concerning his moodiness, behavior issues, sleeplessness, etc. I thought it was a phase, but he really wasn't himself. I spoke to his teachers, counselors, the doctor and everyone said he was just having transition issues. I didn't buy it and at my mother's suggestion, started to research all of the medications he was taking for the asthma. Low and behold, Zyrtec has all of these crazy side effects. Who knew?! Why would you prescribe that for a child?! I took him off of it 2 weeks ago and he's done a 180. He's a happy go lucky kid who's back to being himself. | M | 4 | 8 months | 11/18/2009 | 1 | Prescribed by allergist | Severe mood swings, aggresiveness, night terror, fatigue. | My two year old has severe asthma and allergies. His allergist prescribed Zyrtec about six months ago and he takes it every night, which was suggested. I noticed right away, he cleared up, but I also notice that almost every night since then, it is a chore to get him to sleep. He has severe tantrums, will not sleep and when he finally does sleep, he wakes up in the middle of the night several times screaming. I kept thinking that is must be because of his 'terrible two stage,' but the more I read, the more I feel like I have been poisoning my son for 6 months now! What are other parents doing for their kids allergies? I know he needs to take something to clear him up, but Zyrtec is not the answer. | M | 2 | 8 months | 8/3/2008 | 1 | Year round allergies | Drowsiness, headaches, nosebleeds, weight gain, diarrhea, constipation, cramps, flu like symptoms, blurred vision, upset stomach, numbness, shakiness, hair loss | I did not connect all of the side effects until I found this web site today. I even talked to my pharmacist two days ago. She said it was no side effect from the medications I use and the nosebleeds, headache, etc. may be due to a sinus infection. What a pant load! After reading the feedback here, I will not take Zyrtec any longer. I will immediately begin with my old standbys, i.e. Claritan or Dexchlor. I had used Zyrtec before (about 3 years ago for 1 year) and never connected the dots. I will definitely ask my doctor to add this as do not use to my medical record. I watch my diet, drink about 80 oz. of water per day, etc. Go figure? | M | 50 | 8 months | 8/3/2007 | 1 | allergies | My daughter had increased negativity and low mood while taking this. When prescribed low dose of SSRI -- Major depression, Mood changes, irritability, sleepiness, inability to concentrate, personality change, PLEASE SEE RESEARCH ABOUT gene CYP2D6 which affects metabolism of this drug. | Please read up on CYP2D6 before taking Zyrtec or giving this to your children! It is the main pathway for the metabolism of zyrtec and if a person has a certain genetic variation, side effects may come on gradually and a large number of medications can cause serious drug interactions with it. About 6-10% of our population has this genetic variation which has do with the channels the medications are metabolized in the liver. Funny thing is, a side effect of one medication may lead to the prescription of the second .... and the downward spiral begins. Beware in children and adolescents! If you suspect you may fall into this genetic profile, please look to alternative allergy medications. A frightening experience. Thank goodness for good doctors, a caring therapist, and the internet. | F | 16 | 8 months | 11/2/2008 |