Drug Ratings for ZYRTECAverage Rating: 2.1 (1624 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 26 27 28 |
Charts & graphs: Reviews Summary for ZYRTEC | Top 10 Adverse Effects (reported to FDA)
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 3 | Allergies/hay fever | Extreme tiredness, brain fog, very lethargic, extreme frequent urination and bladder irritation!! | It works on the allergies for the most part, but with icky side effects. Never feel right when I take it. Even a 5 mg dose does all that I've listed. What worries me the most is the extreme bladder irritation and frequent urination. Yet it gives me kind of a dry mouth. I've been taking it for over a month. | F | 45 | 1 weeks 10mg | 9/27/2015 | 1 | Allergies | Heart palpitations, extreme anxiety, depression to the point I would burst into tears at random times. | The active ingredient in this drug is cetirizine hydrochloride, and quite frankly it should be banned. I'm a confident social person and I took this drug for a month. During that month I felt like my heart rate was over 100 most of the time. I was depressed and had severe debilitating anxiety. I simply could not function and most mornings couldn't physically leave the house to go to work. When I was at work I would go into the toilet cubicle and be unable to walk out of there. It was frightening being like that. I would cry for no reason despite not being a crier. Normal situations were starting to cause extreme anxiety to the point where I would just want to shut myself away from the world all the time. It took WEEKS for me to get back to normal after taking it, so don't be alarmed if you're not back to your old self in just a few days. This drug gave me the worst month of my life. Please don't take it, especially if you are in any way an anxious person to start with. This drug completely changes your personality while you're on it and makes day to day life very difficult to cope with. It really should be banned. | M | 32 | 1 months 10mg | 9/9/2015 | 1 | for hives | Nausea and dizzy I cant go outside I fant every time I try..can eat cant sleep my nerves system cant stop shaking headache eyes blurry light headed cheats pain shortness of breath vomiting passing out fever and chills | We need to do something about this!! | M | 28 | 1 days 1 pill | 9/3/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | I could not believe when I found this site and read all of the comments. I've been experiencing all of the same symptoms but never contributed them to taking Zyrtec. I've gained a lot of weight, I'm always bloated and gassy, lethargic, depressed and moody. I haven't felt myself in quite some time. | A side note to this for all of the women out there, is that a lot of these symptoms are similar to those of Ovarian Cancer. My mom was recently diagnosed and had many of the symptoms we've experienced taking Zyrtec. So if you are able, please get that checked. It's called the "silent cancer" because it's symptoms are easily dismissed! | F | 38 | 9 months | 9/1/2015 | 4 | Seasonal Hay Fever | Dry nose, nasal crusting, blood in nose, mild drowsiness | This stuff works well on hay fever, maybe a little too well because I can only take half a pill and I'll be good for about 3 days. It does make me a little bit drowsy so I take it at night, sometimes I wake up and feel fine, other times I've felt a bit foggy but it wears off. It also dries up my nose because it's strong, I get a lot of crusting and blood due to the dryness. However these side effects are tolerable and better than having bad hay fever. | M | 27 | 3 months 2X W | 8/28/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | Daily drowsiness, severe funk, increased appetite. | I was so relieved when I came across this site! Just spent an entire weekend in a horrible funk!!!! It's Monday and I couldn't even work from home. It's like my brain was sleeping. I gave up and slept for 2 hours after a full 8 hours of sleep the night before. I am normally a high energy person so I thought I was losing my mind until I realized the only change is I started Zyrtec last week and was told by the pharmacist for best results take it daily. He said for best results take it everyday whether you're experiencing symptoms or not. When I woke up I decided to Google Zyrtec side effects and it wasn't until I found these consumer comments that I know to quit taking Zyrtec!!!!! | F | 45 | 7 days 10 mg 1X D | 8/24/2015 | 1 | Year round indoor outdoor allergies | Irritability, severe depression, lethargy. | On this for probably 15 years after trying so many others that either didn't do the job of muting the allergies or their side effects were completely unbearable from the start. While Zyrtec works for the most part, I did notice that my body wasn't responding to the anti allergy effect as well- still suffered on this. Went off a few weeks ago because the depression is changing who I am - and I feel like I actually went ON an antidepressant, it's that much of a difference being OFF this drug. Into week 2 1/2 or 3 without: hands are swelling, hot and itching like crazy- feet to a lesser degree. Been reading that this is common withdrawal. We take these pills for years like its nothing but the withdrawal is evidence that we've become dependent on it. | F | 40 | 10 years | 8/15/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | My son was experiencing seasonal allergies and rashes due to moving into a rental that previously had cats and dogs. After many sleepless nights of scratching himself to the point of bleeding, I took him to an allergist who recommended 5 mg of Zyrtec each day. I had him taking 1/2 of the dissolvable tablets with no noticeable side effects. A few days ago I switched to the liquid and he's been an emotional wreck. He's unable to cope with any changes or upsets. He has thrown several tantrums that last for an hour or mor, and he also started waking up in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares. My husband suggested it may be the Zyrtec and low and behold, I find this thread. I will never use Zyrtec or any other allergy medication after reading the experiences on this site. Thank you for all of your helpful stories. | M | 3.5 | 1 months 5mg | 7/29/2015 | 3 | hayfever symptoms | Itchy toes, others I'm not sure about. It also isn't absolutely successful in stopping hayfever symptoms, mine were only reduced. | I've taken a generic version of Zyrtec for about 3-4 years, often missing doses and only taking pills when I felt symptoms coming on, so I can't be certain of the links between it and my experiences. I also take it far more regularly in winter than in summer. I found many negative reviews about Zyrtec a couple of days ago, and many side effects described were eerily similar to what I've experienced these past couple of years. Bad temper, mood swings, depression, insomnia and sleeping too much were things I noticed in the colder seasons, which I used to always pin on just being a teenager/the weather etc. It's currently winter where I am, and to test my theory, I stopped taking Zyrtec yesterday. Today, I feel different, anxious, I woke up much earlier this morning than usual, and I think I have itchy hives on my toes, which I used to always take Zyrtec for after noticing it. I'll update this review later on. | F | 17 | 3 years 10mg 1X D | 7/16/2015 | 3 | Allergies | Drowsiness. | Could not stay awake with this medication. Would sleep for 10-12 hours and still feel tired after getting out of bed. I even tried splitting the pill to make 5 mg dose, but still felt very drowsy. This medication works, but the side effect is just a shame. | F | 26 | 2 days 10 mg 1X D | 7/13/2015 | 2 | Moodiness not sleeping well my friend asked about what allergy medication she was taking and now I think I have found the reason for her outburst. I am still going to have her see a therapist just in case it is so something else. I think the medicine has a lot to do with her outburst though and her lack of sleep | F | 11 | 1 years 30mg | 7/3/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies and dog allergy | WEIGHT GAIN!!!! | While this worked great for my allergies I have gained 20 pounds with refular daily use for the lasr year. Stopped taking it and am already shedding pounds after 1 week | F | 50 | 1 days 10 | 6/22/2015 | 3 | Allergies to several things | My daughter has statted Zyrtec for her allergies and she has always been our quiet and calm child. I have noticed though since she's been on it she has gotten worse with her attitude. She will scream at us, screams the hole time she is in time out, and will smack her sister for nothing. She just told me today she gets this feeling in her that makes her mad and want to hit people,scream,& throw things. This is not our little girl at all. I seriously think it is the Zyrtec because she was never like this until she was put on it. School she is stil quiet and shy but I am afraid she is going to start acting out and I do not want that for my child. I will be calling the allergy doc for sure after all these comments. | F | 6 | 1 days 8ml | 6/19/2015 | 1 | Allergies, dust mold mites dander | Zyrtec did not produce drowsiness for me. Also was ineffective at controlling symptoms of pollen, dust, mold or dander allergy. | ineffective | F | 6 months 10 1X D | 6/16/2015 | 2 | runny nose and cough | Made me so drowsy that it felt as if I was under anesthesia or about to pass out. During the day on the weekend, I would fall asleep and have bad dreams. Am so tired and dizzy during the day that I can't get anything done. Also caused painful headaches, agitation, irritability, and low mood. It is labeled as non-drowsy but it must cross the blood brain barrier because of the drowsiness and mood changes it caused. | F | 37 | 2 weeks 5 1X D | 6/15/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | My son took this for four days and instantly started having trouble sleeping ( started sleep walking, opening doors) he even said he hated his life and got aggregated while trying to get him back to bed .... This drug should not be used as a OTC!!!!! | M | 9 | 4 days 10MG | 6/5/2015 | 3 | seasonal allergies | Extremely dry skin all over especially on face ..flaky eyebrows and dry Cracks around my eyes and mouth....even dry.using vasceline on my face. Severe rash and itching on hands and wrists. My skin and body dry everywhere. | F | 56 | 4 months 10mg | 6/4/2015 | 1 | Allergies | SEVERE ankle and leg swelling - EXTREMELY painful. Was cranky and could not sleep very well. I do believe that I may also have RA, so this could be a factor. Stopped taking medicine on Saturday, and as of Thursday, most of the swelling is gone. What an AWFUL experience this was until I figured out what was causing it. | F | 45 | 45 days 10 mg 1X D | 5/28/2015 | 1 | allergies | horrible anxiety and irritability | I have worked in the mental health field for 23 years and now understand what my clients experience. Took a zyrtec and it sent me into a 48 hour funk that scared my wife and my kids. Thank god it was a long weekend or I would have had to call in sick on Monday. I thank my training and experience for totally not freaking out. I knew something was very wrong and that I needed to be alone so I would not act out against the people I love. Horrible drug that could lead to some very bad actions by the people who take it. Would much rather have allergies. | M | 46 | 1 days 1X D | 5/26/2015 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | Nausea, joint paint (especially hips and shoulders), extreme irritability, crippling fatigue, cannot concentrate, terrible ADD symptoms, brain fog, cannot get out of bed, anger/rage, deep depression, heart palpitations, horrendous weight gain, soul-less feeling, zero interest in life. | I began taking Zyrtec in March to battle seasonal allergies and did not realize until today all the horrible side effects I have been experiencing are from this pill! I take 1 Zyrtec at night, right before bed due to the extreme drowsiness it causes if I take it during the day. I am a certified nutritionist and adhere to an extremely regimented diet and exercise plan. I have a ton of self control when it comes to diet and exercise and typically maintain a weight of 115 lbs. Over the last 2 months I have gained 10+lbs without a single change to my routine. Over the last 2 months my weight has been slowly creeping up. So I have increased my cardio and reduced my calories even farther and my weight will not budge! I cannot even fit into my pants anymore! I was so desperate for answers that I thought I may have a thyroid disorder. Over the last week I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what is wrong, but now it all makes sense. Zyrtec really helped my allergy symptoms however it will ruin your life! Update: Stopped taking Zyrtec cold turkey. Day 1: terrible splitting headache and nausea with frequent urination. Day 2: Very bad nausea and vomiting, stomach upset, blurred vision, spacey feeling, itching. Feels as if you are coming off some crazy narcotic!!! This stuff should be taken off the market. | F | 32 | 2.5 months 10mg 1X D | 5/23/2015 History | 1 | Seasonal allergies | My 10 year old son. Has been having uncontrollable anger outburst. Also crying easily. I have been doing research to find a cause and help for my son. After reading this I am stopping Zyrtec TODAY notifying his MD. By the other post it seems zyrtec could very possibly be the cause. | M | 10 | 5 years 10 mg | 5/14/2015 | 1 | over active histamine response | Anger. Unreasonable, aggressive and uncooperative behavior | My 15y/o son started taking 24 hr Allegra prescribed by his pediatrician for an over active histamine response causing periods of extreme itching especially after showering. He took it for over a year without a problem and it worked well. The pediatrician suggested seeing an allergist who suggested switching to 24 hr Cetirizine, which is generic Zyrtec. My now 16y/o started taking 24 hr Cetirizine in Feb 2015. We saw an unbelievable change in his personality with escalating anger and finally rage. He was frightening, distructive and uncontrollable. After discussion with healthcare providers we discovered the change in his behavior coincided with starting Cetirizine. We stopped the 24 hr Ceterizine and restarted the 24 hr Allegra immediately. Within a day we saw his behavior retuning to baseline, which is typical teen behavior but the without the extreme anger and volitility. We did not tell my son why we were changing the medication but he was in favor of the change because he felt he did not get adequate symptom relief from the 24 hr Cetirizine. Our family is still recovering from our two month ordeal. Stay away from Cetirizine. | M | 16 | 2 months 10mg 1X D | 5/14/2015 | 1 | seaonal allergies | Worked at first my 10 month old son slept better and helped his allergy symptoms but after 1 month terrible nightmares all night long, extremely clingy and very emotional all the time. Fits of rage and bad mood swings.Loss of appetite, irritation of his throat. Stopped taking it and it took 5 days for my son to be normal again. DO NOT USE ZYRTEC IT IS TORTURE FOR YOUR INFANT/TODDLER | It should be taking off the market. | F | 2 months 2 ML/daily | 5/13/2015 | 1 | Hayfever | I have had Hayfever for many Years, most drugs do not seem to work for me, with the exception of this drug, its side effects are severe though, however, from my experiences, I would recommend that it be banned and certainly not sold over the counter, within hours of taking this drug, I become extremely aggressive, with paranoia, I struggle to keep awake, my personality changes, becoming very depressed, the mental side is severe, it also seems to lower my testosterone levels and I become bloated and my blood pressure goes up. I used to think I was suffering from a seasonal mood disorder, but now realise it is this drug, it can cure hayfever in 15 minutes, but the side effects are extremely severe. There should be studies into this drug, particularly around violence, suicides and accidents. Take this under extreme caution and only if you really have no other choice. | Very bad mental side effects, I have never done any drugs or have any other issues, but this drug, makes me psychotic. | M | 47 | 4 weeks 10 1X D | 5/12/2015 | 1 | Runny nose, itchy watery eyes | Good Grief....I took a Zyrtec 8:00pm last night and I couldn't get out of bed this morning for work. If I didn't know better I thought I mistakenly taken an ambien. I woke up like I was drunk or drugged. My equilibrium was off. It's now 9:45am and I can't keep my eyes open. Concentration is off. Nodding off. I still have the runny nose and watery eyes. I will NEVER take this medication again. I'll stick with Claritin or Benedryl. | F | 49 | 1 days 10mg 1X D | 5/4/2015 | 1 | Allergies | 9 yr old son took Zyrtec and now it takes up to 2 hours to awake him. When we try to awake him he fights (throws punches and kicks) all while he is still asleep. | M | 9 | 2 days 5 MG | 5/1/2015 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | If only I read this before taking this medication! I just googled Zyrtec and bad dreams and immediately I found this page , apparently I'm not just going through stuff in my day to day life ! This medication has put me on a roller coaster ride that I am now getting off! From fatigue ,restlessness ,waking up every hour ,bad dreams ,anxiety, weakness ,crazy dry eyes ,always thirsty ,stomach problems ,mood swings crankiness , short temper, blurred vision, lack of interest in anything ! Back to safe all Benadryl and here I thought that (Benadryl ) drowsiness was bad. Wow how wrong could one be nothing compared to this ! And yet with all the side affects eyes still itchy nose still running sneezing still their why in the heck was I still taking this garbage one only asks themselves! | Beware ! I do not recommend anyone to take this, it will flip your life upside down !thank goodness I only bought the Walmart brand for 13$ | F | 34 | 7 days 10mg 1X D | 5/1/2015 | 1 | seasonal allergies | I took Zyrtec for just about two weeks. As each day passed, a new side effect would arrive. The first thing I noticed was very vivid dreams... nothing scary or violent, but I never remembered my dreams before taking this medicine. Next, fatigue, irritability, drowsiness and I felt shaky and weak at times. I felt like I gained weight instantly. I was hungry all day long, to the point where I always carried around something small to eat because I was actually anxious and afraid of passing out. Finally, after about 10 days, severe anxiety and feelings of hopelessness and early signs of depression. I've never been a depressed person, but this medicine made me feel awful. | It's been 36 hours since I've taken my last dose of Zyrtec. I don't feel completely better yet, but definitely better than I did. I usually do my research before I take any medications, and I'm very disappointed in myself for not doing that with Zyrtec. I had no idea a simple OTC allergy medication could make me feel so awful. I've used Allegra in the past and I never had any of these issues. The only reason I switched to Zyrtec was because a doctor at the local walk-in recommended it over Allegra and Claritin. After this experience, I probably won't ever take an allergy medication again. I would rather just deal with the runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing. I'm hoping this Zyrtec gets out of my system soon. It's an overall terrible product. I would rate it a 0 if that was an option. | M | 22 | 2 weeks 10mg 1X D | 4/27/2015 | 1 | chronic urticaria | I was taking fexofenadine but my consultant recommended citirizine. After only 3 days my feet swelled so much that I could not walk. My skin stretched so tight, became bruised and turned red and purple. My urticaria turned into huge blood spots and the itch became more intense. I cried from the pain in my feet for the 3 days I was on this medication. I stopped using this on day 4. The swelling receded but left severe bruising all over my body. I regret taking it. | Please be careful. This is dangerous medication. | F | 37 | 3 days 30mg | 4/26/2015 | 3 | seasonal allergies | Although Zyrtec works great for seasonal allergies, after about a month of daily use both my husband and myself have experienced swollen joints, especially in our hands and feet. We stop taking Zyrtec and the swollen joints have subsided. | F | 42 | 2 months 10 mg | 4/19/2015 | 3 | Seasonal allergies | It works well for my itchy nose but made my stomach hurt and I have body aches and feel very tired. | F | 53 | 1 days 10 mg | 4/18/2015 | 2 | Seasonal allergies | Really bad stomach pain, almost immediate weight gain | I think Zyrtec slightly alleviated my allergy symptoms, but it's not worth the side effects. How can one gain weight that quickly..!! It also really upset my stomach. Rather take Benadryl gel caps. | F | 40 | 3 days 10mg | 4/8/2015 | 1 | seasonal allergies | body pain dizzines Weight GAIN anger issues | i was a model since the age of 16. i had a horrible allergies that i had to take zyrtec 10mg to treat. i started gaining weight from no where! and zyrtec was the only medication i was taking. and finally i decided to search about this med and i found out that every single negative symptom i had\have is because of this sh** med!!!! never ever taking it again! gained 40lb in 2 years had a serious anger issues | F | 19 | 2 years 10mg | 4/8/2015 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Age & gender are actually my husband's. This drug is ruining our marriage, my sweet, laid back, Godly man has turned into a demonic tyrant. We are so close to losing our marriage over sleeplessness, mood swings, & imaginations of malice. He hasn't been able to quit because the hives are so bad. But he has to quit now or our life will be ruined. He's down to 1/4 pill every other day. Those days are the demon days. The off days are when I get to see my husband again. | M | 34 | 2 years | 3/23/2015 | 3 | seasonal allergies | 1 days 10 mg | 3/17/2015 | 3 | Pet allergies | Totally exhausted like I haven't slept at all when I did - just dragging to get through the day - major brain fog. Body aches from head to toe. My mild mannered husband is also taking it and he has show restlessness, sleeplessness, and extreme irritability over small issues - so no like him at all!! | Bought the generic brand from Wal-Mart. So glad I didn't buy the huge bottle. It did help the stopped up hard to breath issues but it's not worth taking with all the side effects. | F | 47 | 7 days 10 1X D | 3/10/2015 | 1 | allergies | Can't breathe out of my nose at night. Fatigue, vomiting, and extremely craving sweets. Dry mouth and throat. Severley dry eyes | I will never take another zyrtec again and do not recommend for anyone. I am greatful to have found this sight or I would've kept taking it as many others on here have. | M | 38 | 3 days 10mg 1X D | 3/10/2015 | 1 | seasonal allergies and rash | irregular/racing heart beat, dizziness, headache, joint pain, depression, vivid often bad dreams | I wish I would have realized that Zyrtec was causing these side effects sooner. | F | 56 | 3 months 10 1X D | 3/9/2015 | 3 | Allergies | Weight gain, overeating, craving sugar, mild ear infection, dry mouth | I get GI disturbances when I go off this medication, my eyes have been red and dry ever since I stopped taking them. Allegra works better and it doesn't contain any lactose like reaction does. Reactine works better than benadryl for me however I don't like the side effects. Will start taking Allegra again or something natural instead. | F | 28 | 6 months 10 mg | 3/2/2015 | 3 | Allergic rhinitis | 25 lb weight gain, slowly over 5 years- last week I read something about Zyrtec causing weight gain and it finally clicked for me- I've been going mad trying to figure out the cause of this weight, despite eating a very clean/moderate calorie diet and exercising regularly- nothing else changed in my life to cause this. | Zyrtec actually worked extremely well for me- I'm a lifelong sufferer of allergies, allergic to everything, 8 shots/week for years- Zyrtec + Flonase at night gave me my life back. Was able to breathe through my nose again, didn't suffer wheezing/itching all the time, slept so well. But now that I've learned that it may be the cause of my weight gain, I stopped taking it one week ago to see if the weight will drop off. I feel awful- insomnia finally waning, wheezing, stuffy nose, and extreme histamine reactions to foods causing swelling of the tongue and throat- food I ate daily with no reactions whatsoever. If weight doesn't drop I'm going back on it. Either option is awful- fat or miserable. | F | 46 | 5 years 10 1X D | 3/2/2015 | 1 | Allergic Rhinitis | My 9yo boy was advise by his pedia to take Cetirizine for 7 days, 1 tab/day, and since he started it he's having a terrible nightmares, he almost told me he's not happy with his life anymore.. what the ***.. I was terrified and it's not his usual sleeping behavior.. so on his 3rd day I stopped giving him this tablet.. and he had a very nice sleep.. no nightmares.. i tried to give him again on his 4th day.. then he had the nightmare again.. so I believe it is the drug causing him all of these bad dreams and confusion... | BEWARE OF CETIRIZINE be it generic or branded like Zyrtec.. it gives the same worst side effects! | M | 9 | 4 days 10MG 1X D | 2/4/2015 | 4 | Watery eyes, runny nose | Zyrtec made me starve craving hungry!! I gained 5 pds in 3 days from over eating while taking this drug. It did not clear my watery eyes and runny nose. I bought children's Dimatap and it worked almost immediately. | F | 48 | 1 days 10mg | 2/2/2015 | 1 | Allergies | Feel like crap! Like I have the flu! Shaky and very weak | Would not recommend this. Going back to allegra | F | 34 | 1 days | 1/26/2015 | 1 | Cetirizine* for fluid in Ear | I was prescribed This for fluid in my ear. First day seemed ok, a bit dizzy but doc said that was from the fluid in my ear. Day 2 had a panic attack just sitting on my couch. Got very dizzy felt like all my air was taken away, then I got very cold and my legs began to shake, I fell asleep for about an hour and when I woke up I just didn't feel right. Like I was in a haze, almost like drunk and still feeling dizzy and my legs felt heavy. I didn't take anymore and it took almost three days for me to feel normal again. I thought I was crazy until readying these reviews, I'm pretty sure it was the drug now! | I would not recommend this drug. | F | 33 | 2 days 10mg | 1/11/2015 | 1 | post nasal drip | extreme fatigue | Zyrtec contains ethylenediamine, which always makes me extremely sleepy because I'm allergic to it, according to multiple allergy tests. Zyrtec didn't help my with my post nasal drip either. | F | 45 | 7 days 10mg 1X D | 12/27/2014 | 3 | stuffy nose | Sudden single pupil dilation..headache..dizziness | Doesn't seem effective...been taking zyrtec 10mg long term | F | 22 | 1 days 10 mg | 12/11/2014 | 1 | Originally for hives | Zyrtek is a toxic, addictive-like drug that should be ripped off of the market!!! I began taking it after a trip to the ER. It came highly recommended for my problems and I was completely allergic to Benadryl. Not only did I go from 112 pounds and pack on 20+ (Different each day due to severe water retention and swelling), but getting off this drug is torturous!!!!! Withdrawal symptoms include; more severe hives, angioedema, burning, all over and traveling itching, central nervous system taxation, chills with burning, need I go on????? | This product disgusts me. My life is highly affected by the I'll effects of the fact that Zyrtek wants you to Rely on it in order to live, but you cannot live freely. | F | 34 | 1 days | 12/4/2014 | 3 | ALLERGIES | gained 30 pounds(can't get the weight off no matter how much I work out), very tired all day, trouble sleeping, weird dreams, more hungry late evening/night | helped my allergies, but now that I have read about the awful side affects and realize my unusual weight gain is probably from the zyrtec, I am going to quit taking it and see if all of my exercising and diet will finally start showing results | F | 33 | 8 months 1X D | 11/7/2014 | 4 | congestion | Restlessness ,tossing and turning at night,waking up very often ,depressed | I will not ever take this stuff again | F | 38 | 7 days 5 - 120 | 11/5/2014 | 1 | Allergies | Doctor sais this will really help you. Ummm, NO! Felt like I was high! | Took this stuff before bed. Woke up and could barely get out of my bed. Felt completely out of it like I was floating. Sat on the couch and my partner asked if I was okay. I yelled at him! That is so not me... It took almost all day for me to get off the couch. It has been 15 hours since I took this and it is just now barely starting to wear off. Be very careful if you decide to take this stuff, I guarantee you I never will again, it's not worth it. | M | 51 | 1 days 10mg 1X D | 10/26/2014 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | Started Zyrec for seasonal allergies. The third day, my allergy symptoms were better. I was home alone, and stood up. Could not stand, as my legs and arms were heavy and the room was spinning. Terrified, I ran outside, so that a neighbor might see me and help. No neighbor around. I sat down, until it stopped, and stood up. Started again. Fortunately there is an emergency clinic about two minutes from my house. I hopped in the car, said a prayer, and drove there. They thought I was having a heart attack. Did an EKG. Nothing wrong. It was the stupid medication. Stopped it, and it took a couple of days before I felt myself again. Allergies returned, but I will deal with them naturally, as I cannot afford the medical bills that using Zyrtec, for only THREE days, cost me. DO NOT USE THIS DRUG. IT'S DANGEROUS. Should be taken off of the market. | F | 59 | 3 days 1X D | 10/9/2014 | 1 | Allergies | I recently moved to Texas and have been dealing with allergies for the first time in my life. I took half a zyrtec in the morning 2 days ago and FAINTED later in the day. It was terrifying but luckily someone caught me before I could hit my head on the concrete. I looked on the FDA site and read that 1.6% of users experience fainting as a side effect. | F | 27 | 1 days 15mg | 10/6/2014 | 2 | seasonal allergy | rage, anger, anxiety, panic attacks, headache, dizziness | F | 45 | 7 days 10 mg 1X D | 10/5/2014 | 1 | Severe allergies: pets & seasonal | Shortness of breath. Irregular heartbeat. Anxiety. Depression. Insomnia. Lack of focus. Drowsy. This helped with my allergy symptoms, but the side effects are not worth it. I felt like I was having a heart attack or asthm attack at times. Very scary. Beware of Zyrtec! | F | 23 | 7 months 10 | 9/23/2014 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | I stopped taking cetirizine 5 days ago, the first night was horrible, itch all over my body, I took one pill of allegra 180 mg and all the symptoms were one, I kept having 1 pill of allegra for the next 3 days but I want to stop it today, I am itching but not so bad now, I'll see what happen when I stop taking allegra. | I guess I can not take any medication at all, every time I take one I get so many symptoms that are way worse than the reason I am taking it. Anxiety, panic attacks, social phobia, and I also lost my hair, I feel like I have aged 10 years since I started this medication. Too bad I did not make the connection before. | F | 47 | 1 years 10 MG 1X D | 9/12/2014 | 1 | sinus | I haven't started taking mines yet and just hearing these comments, I don't think I want to take it now. Now my question is, is your zyrtec you're taking regular zyrtec or zyrtec D? | F | 42 | 1 days 10mg | 9/9/2014 | 5 | Rhinitis | Helped me with dry itchy eyes. And constant rhinitis. No side effects that I'm aware of. My right ear always had fluid in it during allergy season which makes me more susceptible to cold and flu viruses Zyrtec helps keep inflation to a minimum. | F | 50 | 10 years 10 Mg | 9/8/2014 | 1 | Allergies | Helped the first day. However the second day... HORRIBLE rapid, uneven heartbeat, random panic attacks before falling asleep (seemed to have zero control over), anxiety, jumpyness, restlessness. I honestly got no sleep at all the second night, and I am a college student so the next day was awful as well. Like the woman above said, I HONESTLY THOUGHT I WAS DYING. Doooo NOT take this! | F | 19 | 2 days | 9/3/2014 | 1 | Allergies | Horrible arrhythmia, short of breath, sea legs, foggy brain, lost sense of taste, dizzy, super lethargic, intense & dreadful panic attacks. I honestly thought I was dying. Thank God I ran into this site and read many with some of these effects! Have been off of it now 2 weeks and all symptoms are gone! Back to Benadryl! | F | 49 | 2 months 10 mg | 8/27/2014 | 3 | Bug bite | weakness, fatigue, depression, anger | I took 1 10mg Zyrtec gelcap two days in a row to reduce the swelling of a baseball-sized bug bite on my leg. I took each dose before bed, and the swelling was greatly reduced by the morning. I was feeling more tired than usual during the day, but I was out of town for work and chalked it up to travel exhaustion. I took one again last night (two days after the second dose) and felt extremely combative with my boyfriend and had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. This morning I still felt angry and was having lots of doom and gloom thoughts. The anger transitioned into depression and feeling physically like I had been run over by a steamroller. I wondered if I had caught the flu. I took a 2-hour nap and when I woke up, I could hardly move my body. Am feeling a bit better, although still a little off, almost 24 hours after the last dose. I'm disappointed because Benadryl tends to cause rapid heart beat and anxiety attacks for me, and I thought Zyrtec could be my go-to. | F | 27 | 3 days 10 MG 1X D | 8/15/2014 |