Drug Ratings for ZYRTECAverage Rating: 2.1 (1497 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added 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 | | | | |||
| 3 | Seasonal allergies | Fatigue, lethargy, increased hunger, weight gain, feelings of nausea several hours after taking it, irregular sleep. | While Zyrtec does a great job controlling my seasonal allergies it comes at a high price. I find it hard to believe that only 2% of Zyrtec users are affected by weight gain. Seems like a tons of complaints about it. I've always been a 3 meals a day person but since I started taking this I'm hungry all the time and my stomach is growling between meals. I take it around 8:00 at night so that I can sleep off the drowsy side affects, but they still linger through the next day. I've also encountered some waves of nausea 7-8 hours after taking it (and yes I take it with food). Adding Zyrtec is the only change I've made to my routine so I can't attribute these problems to anything else. | F | 44 | 3 weeks 10 mg 1X D | 5/9/2013 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Facial tic (eye squinting/blinking) | My 9-year old son developed a facial tic immediately after starting zyrtec. One eye was squinting/blinking non-stop, every few seconds all day. At first, we thought it was a coincidence...but it started again when we tried to reintroduce it. His pediatrician said it's not uncommon. | M | 9 | 4 days 7.5 mg 1X D | 5/3/2013 | 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 | With Zyrtec, you fall into a deep sleep that is extremely difficult to wake from, so much so that I actually almost wet the bed! Also, I have been in a bit of a mental fog for most of the time. When I am not in a fog, I am getting irritated, easily, for no real reason.... | F | 3 days 10 mg 1X D | 4/29/2013 | 1 | seasonal allergies | This is actually a rating for my 2 year old daughter's experience. Her doctor recommend OTC childrens zyrtec for slight seasonal allergies. We thought she had suddenly and aggressively started with the terrible two's. She was having constant meltdowns over the tiniest things, hitting constantly, and just being downright malicious. Finally I happened to mention to my sister that my child was on Zyrtec and she told me to take her off it. Turns out my sister gets the same side effects on this drug and since then I have met many people who say that they have had the same experience. My daughter reverted back to her happy-go-lucky, joy to be around self in a matter of a few days. She will NEVER take this medication again. | I have started to notice some of these side affects in myself when i started to take Zyrtec this year. I am switching to claritin or allegra. | F | 2 | 3 weeks 1 pill 1X D | 4/26/2013 | 2 | Allergic rhinitis | The first day I took Zyrtec, I did not feel any effects, good or bad. The second day, I woke up without a sore throat, but I could barely move. I slept the day away and had muscle and joint pain, similar to the flu. I would not recommend this to anyone. | F | 27 | 2 days 10 mg | 4/20/2013 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | This medicine makes me extremely tired like a ZOMBIE!! Its horrible! I am not motivated and sometimes down and depressed when taking this!! I am no longer taking this it is HORRIBLE! | F | 32 | 10 days 10mg | 4/13/2013 | 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 | 2 | Hives, dermatographia | Extreme lethargy. Foggy brain. Mood swings. Spacey. | F | 44 | 2 years | 4/7/2013 | 3 | Allergies | Dry skin, dry mouth, irritability, anxiety, lack of motivation. | Works really well on allergies. But I can't stand the loss off attention, dry mouth, anxiety. | M | 22 | 15 years 10mg 1X D | 4/3/2013 | 1 | seasonal allergies | dry mouth, sore throat, EXTREME irritability | I have suffered my whole life with seasonal allergies. I have tried many otc allergy medicines. Most do nothing but make me sleepy. Upon trying this medicine, I thought I finally found the one! I have had no allergy problems at all. Unfortunately, it did make me extremely thirsty and give me a sore throat. Those are side effects I could deal with. However, I noticed that I was not my normal cheerful self. I am a very happy person, but today, I was so negative about everything. The only change was the medicine. Everything made me so mad, even the littlest things. I teach elementary school and feel so bad about the way I treated my students today. I snapped at them for every little thing, even things they could not control. I will NEVER take this medicine again. I would rather go through months of being drowsy from Benadryl than dealing with these side effects. | F | 38 | 1 days 10 1X D | 4/2/2013 | 1 | Allergies | While it controls my itchy throat and eyes; I am completely exhausted and suffering from weight gain and very achy joints, especially knee and wrist. | F | 50 | 60 days 10 MG 1X D | 3/30/2013 | 1 | Itching due to allergic reaction | Quick to anger, depression, dizziness, weeping jags, paranoia, inability to use correct words, dangerous behaviors | Won't take again! | F | 39 | 7 days 1X D | 3/27/2013 | 1 | SKIN REACTION (HIVES) | On the 3rd night of taking Zyrtec, by that morning 6:30am,my daughter laid there on her dorm room floor helpless! So fatiqued/faint, anxiety,weakness,hot sweats,tired/zombielike,dehydrayted,Low Blood Pressure(80/40),urinated all over herself,had to be rushed to ER by ambulance! Definately will stick to Benadryl,when needed! Advise not to take Zyrtec! | F | 18 | 3 days 10MG | 3/12/2013 | 1 | Allergies, post nasal drip, earache | zombie-like state, severe feeling of disconnect, inability to concentrate, poor motor skills, confusion, feeling of being in "slow motion", no modivation.... | I felt as if my brains were scambled eggs, I was slow in talking, moving and understanding others. Trouble with my reflexes. I forgot what correct word to use. I wasnt sleepy..just out of it..I really thought I was getting Alzheimer's disease I stopped taking it and my whole world improved and went back to normal. Scared the heck out of me. | F | 68 | 2 months 1X D | 2/28/2013 | 1 | Allergies | extreme sleepyness, irritability and anger,depression, foggy weight gain. My Dr. blamed all of these symptoms on menopause. I had a hysterectomy to alleviate some of the above symptoms. It was xyrtec all along. I have discontinued for 2 weeks, and it felt like I was transformed from a raving zombie back to the land of the living. I did not have the withdrawl symptoms that some people have had. | To all physcian's when people complain of these symptoms, please review their medications, not remove organs!!! | F | 47 | 2 years 20 1X D | 2/25/2013 | 3 | Sneezing and running nose | Can't smell or taste anything except for very salty | Actually tested by my son who knows I hate certain smells and tastes. Drank bottle lemon juice without tasting it. Ate big bite of onion and couldn't taste it's flavor. Normally hate the smell of wine and couldn't even smell it with my nose in the glass. He knows I don't like coffee so actually gave me coffee beans and I put them in my mouth and couldn't tell any difference between the beans and small pebbles. Went to look at realestat and couldn't smell cat urine or smoke. I used to be able to smell things better than most people and now literally cannot smell anything. Think it could be dangerous as I can't smell natural gas or smoke. Am going to stop taking and hope my sense of smell comes back! | M | 60 | 5 days 10 1X D | 2/24/2013 | 5 | Mild Allergies | No side effects | Works perfectly, no drowsiness or other problems | M | 58 | 3 years 10mg 1X D | 2/18/2013 | 1 | Allergies | Swelling of eyes and face. Itchy eyes and face. Depression, bad dreams, tiredness | I could not understand why I was not getting better. I would get so bad I could not go out in public sometimes not being able to open my eyes. I would go to the doctor and he would tell me to keep taking this pill. Now I realize all along it was the zyrtec causing these reactions. Within 4 days of stopping the pill my face is back to normal, the red scally patches are gone and I have more energy. | 57 | 3 months 1X D | 1/24/2013 | 3 | allergies (sneezing fits) | Worked well, but after several weeks I became so tired, it was a crisis if I had to do laundry. Stopped & after a couple of days started to get energy back. And pee better. | There is another effective allergy med. like this one: allegra. Both work well for me, and both have insidious side effects. It is peculiar both are sold over-the-counter, since inevitably both will lead to fruitless doctor visits and more burdens on the health care system. | M | 70 | 40 days 5 or 10 mg 1X D | 1/23/2013 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | Extreme sleepiness, anger and rapid heartbeat. | F | 62 | 2 days 500 | 1/17/2013 | 5 | I take Zyrtec for angio edema. | I have been taking Zyrtec everyday for five years. I take it at night because my angio edema seems to attack sometime in the night. I have had no side effects at all other than sleepiness. Taking it at night helps with that. Without Zyrtec I would not be able to work. My angio edema is pretty erratic. I haven't had an attack in 2 years. Without it I'd be very depressed. The swelling always begins in my face first. It is almost impossible to eat, go into public, or talk when my face and mouth are swollen. I've had attacks where my throat has swollen sending me to the ER. So without Zyrtec my life would be very difficult. | F | 33 | 4 years 10 mg | 1/10/2013 | 1 | chronic allergies | severe sedative effect. severe and sudden depression, increased vertigo ( spinning sensation and loss of balance). nightmeres almost of a halucinogenic nature. all of these symptoms stopped when i ceased takeing this drug, but it did take approximately 36 hours to feel significantly better. this is a dangerous drug and should be removed from the market by the FDA. the depression and sedative effects could become quite serious if a patient were not aware that that this drug was the cause. i happen to be very atuned to my body and the symptoms were so blatently obviously caused by this drug. however, someone who perhaps already suffers from depression may not be aware that this drug is causing symptoms, therefore, i state again: THE FDA SHOULD REMOVE THIS DRUG FROM THE MARKET COMPLETELY. | THE FDA SHOULD REMOVE THIS PRODUCT FROM THE MARKET COMPLETELY. | F | 54 | 5 days 10mg 1X D | 12/30/2012 | 5 | allergies/hay fever | No side effects. | F | 28 | 4 years 5 | 12/23/2012 | 1 | a little bit of allergy problems | headaches extreme dizziness neck aches back pain fatigue tired angry anxious heart palpitations migraine lethargy. I take benadryl I never get the symptoms. whoever made this stuff needs to go shoot himself | M | 21 | 8 days 10mg | 12/22/2012 | 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 | Pet Dander & Seasonal Allergies | Weight gain, Hair loss, Depression, Suicidal ideation, Inability to maintain focus, these are just the major side effects. The minor ones I can deal with. | Upon finding Zyrtec, I truly believed I had found a 'miracle drug' for my year round allergies I combat with. Sadly and regretably I am painfully so very wrong. I have tried Claritin and Allegra in the past before coming across Zyrtec. However they do not relieve my allergy symptoms anywhere near to what the Zyrtec does. I am a 38 year old female and I have no children. I have always been pretty active in exercise and a very very happy go lucky girl. The somewhat tragic side effects this medication has caused me has literally changed my life. What sucks is I didn't realize it was the Zyrtec until these last few days. I have put on well over 20 pounds that I tell you is IMPOSSIBLE to get off. I have been basically starving myself on a thousand calorie a day diet and wondering why I keep putting on weight. Or at least not losing one single ounce no matter what I do. My depression level is the greatest its ever been. I have suicidal thoughts. I also have little to no motivation. Thee other lovely, oh so lovely side effect that is past the point of unbearable is the hair loss. It comes out in clumps when I wash it. It is so very disheartening. Id rather have itchy skin and watery eyes than FAT, BALD & DEPRESSED!! I stopped Zyrtec this morning. NEVER AGAIN!!! | F | 38 | 8 months 1X D | 11/19/2012 | 2 | seasonal, indoor&outdoor allergies | Never again... turned me into a zombie. Too tired to get out of bed! | F | 33 | 1 years | 11/9/2012 | 1 | Took to help with severe allergies | Had mood changes and tiredness. Like experiencing pms x100. Woke up to fingers convulsing. Scared had or was about to have seizure. Going back to taking plain benadryl. Ill take the sleepy side effect over this bs any day. | F | 26 | 1 days 30 mg | 11/4/2012 | 2 | seasonal allergies | Difficulty swallowing, depression, panic attacks, dry mouth and nose, itchy prickly skin, headache, numbness in left arm and chest. Tingly feeling in hands and feet, numbness and soreness in back, aches and flu like symptoms. | I first started taking this drug to relieve summer allergies to pollen and dust. I would have a itchy throat, tight chest, stuffy nose, and a persistant cough due to post nasal drip. At first this drug was wonderful. It helped relieve the tight chest and helped with the cough. But eventually I noticed I had a very dry mouth and nose and even had a little trouble swallowing at night. I also was depressed and had feelings of hopelessness. I read about other side effects that people were experiencing with this drug and tried to start lowering my intake to 10mg one night, 5mg the next for a few nights but because of handling some hay for the horses, I ended back on 10mg a night. Then I switched to 5mg a night for a week and am having nasty aches, pain in my chest and arm, and panic attacks. I even have a migraine. I thought I had some weird disease or a heart attack, feels like there's pressure inside. I went to the Dr and had an EKG. It was normal. My blood pressure was up some though. The Dr said I was depressed and gave me some antidepressants which I did not take. After reading all this other comments, I am so happy to find out that what I am feeling is not totally strange. I am doing my best to stop Zyrtec completely and can't wait until I don't take it at all! | F | 23 | 7 months 10 MG 1X D | 11/1/2012 | 1 | Allergies | COUGH, ITCHING, FATIGUE, HEART IRREGULARITIES, DIFFICULTY WITH URINATION........ among others | Wouldn't recommend this drug to a squirrel! I went through 2 years of living hell until I decided enough was enough! My PC kept telling me cough isn't a related side effect..........BUBKUS! I had a nagging cronic cough, thought it was heart related but they always tell me cough isn't a heart related issue either..........BUBKUS! We have a significant family heart history and everyone of my blood relatives developed cough from their heart related issue.......makes you wonder about the quality of healthcare today. I used to go to ONE doctor for 40 years that treated everything I ever encountered........in his office 99.9% of the time.......$20 tops!! Today, you need to see 10 doctors, $$$$$$$$Thousands in unnecessary test, and generally they throw in some kind of proceedure, whether you need it or not.............it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$.......average inquiry for an illness has to be in the hundreds if not thousands!!! I stopped the drug and the cough immediately subsided in a couple days time! I have significant heart issues to which I should never have been placed on this medication in the first place. It was my cardiologist that suggested stop the drug.......it's the best way of knowing and not guessing as he has done in the past with my heart medications when questionable events arose. And then there's the WITHDRAWL from this drug...........if you haven't experienced it yet, you're in for the ride of a lifetime...........weeks if not months of severe itching, to t | M | 58 | 2 years ????????? 1X D | 10/29/2012 | 1 | Allergies | I have had crazy itching to the point of ripping my skin open, mainly on my belly and rear end. However my whole body itches. I have also had a bout of depression, to the point of crying. I felt like living wasn't worth it. Have headaches often. I stopped the medication last night and CAN NOT WAIT for it to leave my system. I want to be itch free!!!! | I'm sorry I ever took this medication, The makers of ZYRTEC should pull this drug off the market, its a shame they will allow people to go through these symptoms! | F | 35 | 1.5 months 10 mg 1X D | 10/20/2012 | 1 | Allergies | I went nuts because I was addicted to a drug, that is over the counter. For allergies, I told my boss and co workers that I was having this problem. I won’t bother you with the details of my addiction, I will just say I had a choice between, shingles or losing my mind. The drug is called zyrtec, and it has ruined my life. I was unable to handle any stress when I was on the drug, I was not my happy cheerful self. I was a maniac, a lunatic. I couldn’t control it either, look at the mess I made and I still haven’t gotten any better, now I’m just poor and crazy. I can’t find a job because I can’t explain my behavior, because people don’t want a crazy person around. I’m so sorry that it has come to this, I’m so sorry I’m nuts. I wish I wasn’t and I wish my brain wasn’t messed up from the damage that seems permanent now. I miss my life, I’m so sorry. My life has been ruined, because my mind wasn& | Please warn people | M | 54 | 8 years 10 1X D | 10/17/2012 | 2 | allergies (indoor/outdoor/pet | on and off sleepiness, rash, memory problems, possible wheezing and then headache after stopping use. | I have taken claritin for years. Other than the occasional heard palpitation or sleepless night...I can't find anything wrong with it. However, we acquired 5 kittens last June. I know i'm allergic but they were young and we were trying to find them homes. A vet recommended I switch to Zyrtec for pet allergies. I tried taking it in the AM and was sleepy all day, tried it at night and couldn't sleep or had nightmares. WEnt back to the daytime dosage and dealt with the sleepiness. BUT, since I began taking it, I've encountered dizziness, sleepiness, rash, wheezing, among other weird developments. I cannot be certain that Zyrtec caused them all because cats can cause me to wheeze. However, the cats habe been out of the house for 10 days and I just stopped taking Zyrtec 3 days ago...all of a sudden I can breathe!!! All I can say is, everyone is different. For me, zyrtec is not worth the possible risks and Claritin just works better with less issue | F | 43 | 4 months 10 Mg 1X D | 10/11/2012 | 1 | Allergies/Asthma/Rhinitis | Insomnia, weight gain, irritability, can't deal with people, flying off the handle for no reason, headaches, digestive issues, "spaced out" feeling, lack of concentration, can't seem to "grasp" what I'm reading, etc, etc. | Absolutely useless as an antihistamine and I've tried them all. Claritin and Zyrtec do nothing for me. Complete waste of money. I'm back on Benadryl and prescriptions eye drops. I don't understand why doctors/allergists seem so gung-ho on this medication, because it DID NOT help at all but did give me unpleasant side-effects. These pills completely changed my personality, and judging from the other reviews here, I'm not the only one. AVOID. | M | 37 | 5 years 20mg 1X D | 10/6/2012 | 1 | Allergies | Zyrtec has made me irritable, tired and nervous. | I can't function. Stopping this drug immediately! | F | 51 | 2 days 1X D | 10/3/2012 | 5 | general allergies (tree pollen) | none | I'm very sensitive to medication, and this one is the only allergy medication I have been able to take that does not make me want to sleep for hours or give me a groggy medicine head. I love this stuff! | F | 37 | 2 years 5 or 10 MG 1X D | 9/7/2012 | 1 | Ragweed Allergies | This med causes severe depression! Take at your own risk. They advertise it as non-sedating, that's almost laughable. It's as sedating as Benedryl. If you feel suicidal or dark depression, get off of it ASAP before you harm yourself or others. Take Quercetin for seasonal allergies from your local Health Food Store. It's a natural Mast Cell Stabilizer made from the white rind of lemons or onion peel. The allergy drug Nalcrom is the synthetic version of Quercetin. It's cheap, effective, and actually "good for you" in that it's a powerful anti-oxidant and will reduce free-radical damage (aging). | M | 40 | 1 weeks 20 MG | 9/7/2012 | 3 | corn pollen / working in field | I've been OK in the past taking zyrtec--drowsiness and feeling stoned shortly after starting. But this time, pollination season has gone on longer, and I'm getting side effects that last even on days when I'm not in the field, and not taking the drug. The headache in my temples is the worst, and now repeatedly recurs as the drug wears off. Also histamine-like symptoms (stuffiness, sore throat) which I assume is just a rebound effect. I feel like my salivary glands are also confused / sore--again, probably a rebound effect. When I try to take a full dose (10 mg pill) I might as well be a zombie for a few hours afterwards. | That said, zyrtec is the ONLY allergy med I have found that works in extreme conditions. So long as I have to (basically) keep dumping corn pollen all over my face and body, I will continue to take zyrtec. I also take a couple when traveling in case of emergency, for similarly extreme circumstances. I would recommend this pill only for short-term use, and not more than half a pill every 12-18 hours (adult dose). In fact, I can feel the half pill wearing off at around 17-18 hours. When I start to itch, I take another half quickly, before I start to wheeze, snot up, get swollen eyelids. It is very effective, but IMHO, not really appropriate for long-term use, nor for "convenience" use. If you can deal with the situation by removing the allergen (or removing yourself to an allergen-free space) or by taking something weaker, do that. I wish they made a 5 mg version that I could split into two 2.5 mg doses (which might also be more appropriate for pediatric use). The take home: meds are not candy. They do things to your body. Treat them with respect, and don't use them unless you really HAVE to. In contrast, some other allergy meds score barely above placebo as far as effectiveness. They have fewer side effects--but they empty your wallet, and don't do much for your allergies. | F | 46 | 15 times 5 mg 2X D | 8/23/2012 | 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 D | 8/20/2012 | 3 | Indoor and outdoor allergies | I would take the pill at night. I was so tired even at 2:00 the next day . I felt like a zombie and was having crazy and upsetting dreams all night. I did use a generic brand . I stopped cold turkey and I feel restless legs at night and headache. It definitely cured allergy symptoms , but is not worth the other feelings . | F | 46 | 4 days 10 mg | 8/17/2012 | 2 | Itching | Worst allergy med ever!! This made me feel crazy. I was soo easily irritated by anything. I was a crazy women. It also made me sleepy. My mood was constantly down and I'm usually an outgoing fun person. It took my itching away, but I rather itch then Be so nervous and die of a stroke. | Zyrtec withdrawls also stink from what i heard. | F | 26 | 2 weeks 5mg 1X D | 8/11/2012 | 3 | Allergies (pollen and mosquitoes) | Fatigue, mild depression, moodiness | It works on the allergies but the side effects are unpleasant. It depends on how bad your allergies are. I still take this about once a week in the summer if I spend an evening outdoors so the mosquito bites will not turn to hives. I also use it for a few days in a row if I have an acute pollen allergy attack. If you are so miserable from your allergies that you are tired and depressed, it is worth it to feel better physically and then the mild to moderate side effects (if that's all you have) are worth it. If you can be happy while having a full blown allergy attack, then I say don't take it. | F | 45 | 1 years 10 mg 1X D | 7/21/2012 | 1 | Allergies | Anxiety, depression, anger | My 5 year old son started taking otc zyrtec when he was 3 due to allergies per the doctor's suggestion. His allergies would lead to recurring sinus infections. While it seemed to help with itching and hives, it didn't help very much with the allergy/sinus symptoms. I would usually give the zyrtec to him as needed but the pediatrician said to start giving it to him daily. As soon as he was taking it daily, I started noticing changes in him such as irritabilty, crying over little things all the time, huge increase in separation anxiety, being scared of noises and darkness, and depression. I was getting concerned due to the comments he would make... "I hate my life." "I wish I didn't have a life". "I hate school". "Nobody likes me at school". "I hate my life". He also would start following me everywhere. Won't let me out of his sight because he says he's scared. Clings to be when I drop him at daycare when he was fine before. Although I am not 100% sure it is from the Zyrtec, I am taking him off immediately after reading all the posts about the bad side effects. I was not told to look for mood changes due to the zyrtec so had just chalked it up to him being a child and going through changes. I stopped the zyrtec yesterday so I'm hoping he will revert back to his happy and secure self. | F | 5 | 1.5 years 5 mg 1X D | 7/18/2012 | 1 | Stop reactions to allergy shots | Extreme itchiness that lasted for months after taking the medication. Jittery when not taking the drug. | M | 42 | 6 months | 7/8/2012 | 1 | allergies | The problem starts when you stop taking it. I get very itchy, recently I even got hives and I'm wondering if it's also a side effect from stopping Zyrtec. It goes away when I take another dose. Zyrtec helps w. my asthma & allergies but this uncontrollable itching is enough to drive someone mad! It's insane. I will try to wean myself off slowly. I was able to last year but then went back to using Zyrtec because it's the only thing that works. I will work on weaning off again slowly. I'm taking the liquid version now so I can easily control the dose. | Please contact if you have any other tips of getting off this drug! Every single person I know seems to have this effect as well and no one is willing to stop it. Even my friends' kids are on it! Awful. | F | 30 | 2 months 10mg 1X D | 7/6/2012 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Irregular heartbeat, sleeplessness, shaking/tremors, weakness, mental/mood changes, dizziness, anger/rage,floating sensation.It even affected my blood sugar level.These are very concerning side effects. | I stocked up because of coupons. Have been taking for about 2 years. Stopped about 3 months ago and started up again last week and noticed all the symptoms back again after the first dose. Then I knew all my symptoms were from Zyrtec. I want to return the rest but Walmart won't refund my money.How can I get reimbursed for the rest of them? | F | 35 | 2 years zyrtec-d 1X D | 6/27/2012 | 1 | Allergy to dust and mold | I'm generally a very calm person but by my 3rd dose of Zyrtec, I became a raging lunatic. I have never in my life felt so angry. I had absolutely no control over my emotions. It got so bad- I had to leave my home and stay in a hotel overnight because I didn't trust myself for fear I would hurt someone. My husband of 20 years was blown away by the effect ths medication had on me since I am the calm voice of reason in our family. The intense emotional reaction lasted about 18 hours. For the next 2 days, I felt as though my brain was "bruised" with a dull pain on the right side. It took 4 days to completely recover. | The FDA should investigate the complaints and undertake a complete benefit risk analysis. There are so many alternative allergy medications available, if indeed many others are experiencing the same adverse reaction (rage) the drug should be pulled from the market. | F | 51 | 3 days 10 mg 1X D | 6/25/2012 | 1 | Allergies | Nervousness, volatile, easily annoyed and enraged, generally irritable, frequently irrational and sometimes – down right psychotic. | This drug, as well as Claritin and any other antihistamines for that matter (and their respective generic brands), are incredibly dangerous and destructive to some sensitive people’s psyche and emotions, and should carry MUCH STRONGER warnings of these risks. The problem is that they work well in addressing allergies – so a person is anxious to get that relief; however, to some of us sensitive people, they cause an underlying feeling of nervousness, make you volatile, easily annoyed and enraged, generally irritable, frequently irrational and sometimes – down right psychotic. I am so grateful that after 10 years of struggling with these periodic and totally uncontrollable emotional issues, my beautiful new boyfriend made me realize that it was the antihistamines causing all of my behavior issues. OMG – I FINALLY HAVE MY LIFE BACK!! Do some research on the Internet – the link between psychotic behavior and antihistamines is well documented. Since stopping these drugs, I am back to the calm, rational, loving and reasonable person I used to be. DO YOURSELF (and your loved ones) A COLLOSAL FAVOR - if you are taking any antihistamines – get off of them immediately. Instead, address your allergies with a saline nasal rinsing system (I do it up to 3 times a day – every day) like the SinuCleanse, readily available at Walgreens and CVS. I also use allergy drops in my eyes, when necessary. I am forever grateful to my loving partner for | F | 48 | 10 years 5MG/120MG 1X D | 6/24/2012 | 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 | 5 | Indoor and Outdoor Allergies | No side effects at 10mg. Higher doses tend to make me sleepy. | This is the best antihistamine for my allergies. I only take it during bad allergy season or if I am cleaning the house (dust allergies). I have tried both name brand and drugstore generics, both work well. | F | 40 | 5 years 10 mg 1X D | 6/9/2012 | 1 | pet allerigies | extreme lethargy, insomnia, weight gain, "foggy feeling", dizziness, irregular menstrual cycle, depression, anxiety, irritability | Stopped taking this drug 1 week ago. My brother was battling with severe seasonal allergies and I recommended that he take Zyrtec daily because it works very well for my allergy symptoms. 2 doses later he started complaining of all these symptoms that I had been battling with for years. Since quitting I have lost 4 pounds, have way more energy and I actually feel like I am happy again. The itchiness is uncomfortable and my allergies are bothersome but I would trade that for feeling happy again anyday. | F | 30 | 3 years 10mg 1X D | 6/9/2012 | 5 | allergies | Sleepiness | F | 30 | 6 days 10 | 6/7/2012 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies inside and out | zombie-like state, severe feeling of disconnect, inability to concentrate, poor motor skills, confusion, extreme tiredness, constant yawning, feeling of being in "slow motion". | I just developed seasonal allergies for the first time this year, so I was not familiar with the brands. I purchased a generic form of a Benedryl allergy pill but found I had to take it too many times a day, it was too weak. So my doc suggested Zyrtec and both he and the pharmacist said it's "non-drowsy" and works great. Well, I only took it for two days and that was one day too long. It turned me into a virtual zombie (which lasted into a third day after I had stopped taking it). Not only was I extremely tired and lethargic, but I couldn't concentrate on even simple things. I would literally stare at a word on my monitor for several seconds trying to comprehend what the word said. It messed up my motor skills so typing was difficult, and I was extremely distracted and disoriented. I've never experienced such bizarre side effects, it really zonked me out and rendered me virtually useless. I also felt like I was moving and thinking in SLOW motion. It was awful. I'm not even attempting a lesser dose, I want nothing to do with this drug. FYI: I am not typically sensitive to drugs either and rarely feel any side effects of typical medications. PS: Yes, it did eliminate the allergy symptoms by the way, but the relief was in NO WAY worth feeling like a mindless zombie. | F | 39 | 2 days 10mg 1X D | 6/7/2012 | 2 | Seasonal allergies | Tired, decreased energy. | F | 15 | 3 weeks | 6/5/2012 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies while hiking | I just started suffering from a non stop runny nose while hiking in the local mountains. I first tried Clariton which stopped the runny nose but I noticed I felt wobbly while hiking at altitude which is not safe so I tried Zytek hoping for and improvement. Not only was the 24 hour pill WORSE it could have killed me. I was leading a hike up a mountain I had conquered many times before and the Zytek made me nauseous, severely weak, tachcardic AND dizzy. I was unable to finish the hike on a very hot day and risked dying going by myself to the car. Even the down hill was an extreme challenge. It is going in the trash! | F | 44 | 1 days 10 mg 1X D | 6/2/2012 | 1 | Allergies | It works but the side effect that never goes away for me is the fatigue. I've tried taking it at night. I still cant get the sleepiness to go away. I feel drugged.... | F | 41 | 2 months 10 MG 1X D | 5/31/2012 | 1 | Allergy To Bug Bites | My normal cheerful mood changed so much that my friends and family commented on the change. Almost everything made me mad! I had loss of appetite and nausea and in general, just felt bad. I couldn't really attest that it helped with my bug bite reaction either. I normally walk a mile a day and don't have any real aches and pains but my knee joint started hurting two days ago and after doing some research on Zertec I will never take this again. I have almost returned to my normal self, hopefully I didn't take it too long. | This product is just not worth the side effects to me. | F | 65 | 14 days 10mg 1X D | 5/30/2012 | 2 | allergies | easily angered, angry, near violently angry - I'm an old woman who likes people and I said MF... the swear word... for the first time in my life and then I sulked because I knew they didn't hear me... crazy mood swing... sleepiness and foggy brain (could be allergies), and piercing headache to forehead... I thought I was stroking out... | fortunately this is fourth time I've experienced a medication induced personality change/reaction.. I stopped the zyrtec immediately. I started on zyrtec because claritin ( 9 years of seasonal use) seemed to fail... something that happened with a previous med that I used seasonally for years. At the pharmacy, I asked for suggestions and was told to try zyrtec. It immediately did relieve my allergy reactions... which was nice... but the side effects were horrendous. Luckily for me, over the many years I have taken meds and did diets, I have had adverse reactions and knew after I thought about it ... that my personality change... extreme anger, vocal expressions of annoyance, and depression... was not ME. I am stun by my inability to control angry impulses over the last two days I took zyrtec. I only recognized the problem about 4 hours before I was goin' to take my next 24 hour pill. I was taking a over-the-counter dose.,,10 mg. and my adverse reactions started on the second day... I only used it for three days total. I'm goin' to be sure to include zyrtec on my med allergies | 64 | 3 days 10 mg 1X D | 5/22/2012 | 1 | Allergies | When I decided to discontinue taking Zyrtec, I experienced unbearable, continuous, incapacitating itchiness. My entire body was covered was covered with large welts and even loose clothing caused painful hives to erupt . There are no words to describe the suffering involved. I took cool showers and used cortisone ointment to no avail. I finally had to start taking Zyrtec again to stop the suffering, which was acute. | I called the manufacturer of Zyrtec for advice on how to get off the drug, but the representatives I spoke to on two occasions said they had never heard of any side effects from quitting the drug. In the meantime, I'd checked the Internet for information about Zyrtec withdrawal symptoms, and there were literally thousands of comments from other people who had suffered incapacitating itching when they they tried to discontinue---some after taking the drug for only a short period of time. Without any guidance from the manufacturer, I reduced the amount of the medication very gradually from three-quarters of a pill, to half. This took me about two years to accomplish. Now, three years later, I'm down to one-quarter of a tablet once a day. It has taken that long to almost get my system rebalanced! I hope I can get off this drug completely. I think it's criminal that there aren't warnings about discontinuing this medication Worst of all, I was offended and angered by the arrogance of the manufacturer who said through their representatives that they'd "never heard" of anyone suffering from discontinuing the drug. Apparently, most doctors have also been misled about Zyrtec and believe it's benign. Buyer beware. | F | 68 | 9 years 10 mg 1X D | 5/21/2012 |