ZYRTEC Reviews

My son, experiencing restlessness, involuntary jerking of extremities, palpitations, wheezing, numbness of hands, stomach achee, overall feeling of illness.

I'm so hopeful these side effect disappear because they are worse then what zyrtec is supposed to do for my child. Everything put into you're body is a risk, but 2 weeks later I'm not interested in this medication and strongly advise you to think twice before using. Nothing scarier then your child gasping for air.
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My son was put on Zyrtec from his pediatrician. The first week he was good then the next week my son started breathing deep and said his heart was beeping fast took him to the ER twice his oxygen was good but they said keep a eye on him . He did not sleep well at night and took him forever to get to sleep. I took him off the Zyrtec to see what would happen and all of his symptoms went away. Then 2 weeks later I tried it again because his allergys were acting up . Guess what same thing deep breathes and his heart racing again. I will never give him Zyrtec again. Have to find something different!

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Depression, rage, complete personality change.

To be clear, I'm generally a very well adjusted person who has never suffered from psychiatric issues. It took me a few weeks to understand that my sudden personality change stemmed from this new allergy medication. It did relieve my allergies, and the doctor said it was best to take it consistently, so I was. While on this, I seriously thought about hurting myself, I thought about hurting my husband, and I had completely unreasonable thoughts and reactions to people. I have never been in such a dark place in my head. Soon after I stopped taking Zyrtec, I was back to normal. This is scary stuff, and I can't believe it's on the market. Allergies are nasty, but I am not willing to sacrafice my sanity to alleviate them.

None, it has work as supposed for me.

Pricey

Sleeplessness, vivid, frightening dreams, anxiety, and recently vertigo when sitting and looking down mostly. Also have had some ringing in ears and a clicking sound with some ear pressure.

I have had a number of symptoms for some time that I didn't think to attribute to Zyrtec as it is now OTC and my physician recommended it for seasonal allergies and sinus pressure. After reading a lot of these other posts I'm realizing it may be the Zyrtec causing them, especially the vertigo I've recently experienced. I am going to try a gradual withdrawal to see what subsides and what ensues.

I have year round allergies. My Dr. prescribed over the counter Zyrtec 10 mlgs 1 a day for year round allergies. I'm not one to take medication so I took it only when I felt I needed it. I took most of medication during the day and noticed with I took the first dose it made me feel anxious and my heart started to race a bit.. Can't take any decongestants because it makes my heart race. So I thought this was okay to take. Took it on another occasion at around 6 in the evening. When I went to bed around 10 and laid down to go to sleep I felt very nervous and anxious. Took my heart rated and it felt as though I was out jogging, About 4 in the morning my heart rate finally slowed to normal. Took the bottle to my Dr. and told him to put it on my allergy list. My do not take list.

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I began using this OTC drug for urticaria but it was mild. After 3 months I felt worn out, weak muscles and having a sense of confusion, tight pressure in my head and then the vertigo hit me two weeks ago today. I have stopped taking Zyrtec and never want to use it again.

Stopping Zyrtec is awful. The itching is so intense and a new one - my lips have been swollen all day. This is day 3 of withdrawal. On day 2 I noticed that I could see properly again - had not realised my eyes had been blurred. And my concentration has improved I was becoming confused. However the vertigo still comes intermittently especially if I lie down but triggers vary - a nightmare. I hope it isnt going to be permanent and that my lips will go back to normal. If anyone has had vertigo as a side affect of Zyrtec Id be interested to know how that's gone and if youve recovered. Has anyone had any permanent damage? As I burn and itch tonight am thinking of everyone else going tgrough this Thank goodness for your support - I wish you all the best.
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I began using this OTC drug for urticaria but it was mild. After 3 months I felt worn out, weak muscles and having a sense of confusion, tight pressure in my head and then the vertigo hit me two weeks ago today. I have stopped taking Zyrtec and never want to use it again.

Stopping Zyrtec is awful. The itching is so intense and a new one - my lips have been swollen all day. This is day 3 of withdrawal. On day 2 I noticed that I could see properly again - had not realised my eyes had been blurred. And my concentration has improved I was becoming confused. However the vertigo still comes intermittently especially if I lie down but triggers vary - a nightmare. I hope it isnt going to be permanent and that my lips will go back to normal. If anyone has had vertigo as a side affect of Zyrtec Id be interested to know how that's gone and if youve recovered. Has anyone had any permanent damage? As I burn and itch tonight am thinking of everyone else going tgrough this Thank goodness for your support - I wish you all the best.
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Lips became tingly and dry like severely chapped/ burned lips. Nothing helped to soothe them. Stopped taking med 2 days ago. and now lips are peeling. Hope this clears up soon.

Had more trouble breathing after taking medicine.

Symptoms after taking this black market evil drug during the day. We're extreme fatigue,more trouble breathing and almost like being impaired not being able to concentrate normally. I was itching very badly and trouble breathing so I figured Allergies during the Spring right????. Wrong my friend noticed they my diet consisted of to much Wheat. Like breads,pastas,soft shell tortillas. Etc wheat is in so Many things I didn't realize. So I stopped eating anything with Wheat in it for 3 days. My inching stopped never to return and my Allergies all went away, I feel so much better in every way now that my diet doesn't include Wheat. Sad part is I went to the Doctor for these Allergies over a year and a half. Giving me different Ned's to try and 4 different prescription creams and Never once did he mention about my diet or WHEAT. Lmfao. STAY AWAY FROM WHEAT BAD BAD STUFF NOW A DAYS. JUST READ THE PROBLEMS IT CAUSES.

Anger, moodiness, nightmares, hallucinations, confusion, drowsiness, loss of appetite, decreased urine output, rash, flushing, and the worst was stuttering and apraxia of speech. He went from advanced talking to not able to form words or speak with out severe stutter.

This medicine is horrible. Do not give it to your kids. Caused many symptoms with my son including speech problems and stuttering. After one week of being off this medicine his behavior was normal and his stutter was gone!! I will never use this medicine again. This is too strong for small children's brains. The worst part is no one ever warned me about these possible severe side effects. He was a completely different child on this medicine. So glad I did some research and figured out what caused his sudden change.
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Headache, dry mouth, dry eyes, fatigue, restlessness, sleep disturbance, difficulty breathing upon exertion (even walking up steps), rapid heart beat during cardio exercise

I took this medication after my loratadine did not work for my fall allergies. They have been bad this year and I needed to look for something new after not being able to control a persistent hacking cough for over three weeks. Right away I noticed this medication made me tired. Not unexpected and for the relief I needed I could deal with that. Then I noticed my mouth and eyes became extremely dry. Since it helped to dry up some of my congestion and seemed to offer me some relief, I thought "I can deal". I am a very active person and exercise (cardio, weights, biking and running) regularly and I noticed that the mouth dryness became pretty intense during exercise, no matter how much water I drank (and I usually have 64 ounces of water or more pre exercise). It felt like I had a dry sponge in my mouth. On top of that, when I was active I noticed I needed to take frequent breaks to catch my breath and to help the feeling that my heart was going to thump out of my chest subside. I felt winded even walking up stairs. No thank you to all of that! Plus, I quickly noticed that when I tried to sleep my legs felt restless and my sleep quality was poor. All of these things are very unlike me. I went off the Zyrtec-D three days ago and onto a natural allergy relief product and already feel a world better! I know my body well and just over a week of Zyertec-D was enough for my to know this OTC medication has serious side effects that may not be desirable.
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Frequent anger and murderous rage from a gentle, loving kid.

I attributed my son's marked personality change to problems at school. It took me a while to make the connection to Zyrtec. He was back to normal as soon he stopped taking it.
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Frequent anger and murderous rage from a gentle, loving kid.

I attributed my son's marked personality change to problems at school. It took weeks for me to make the connection to Zyrtec. He was back to normal as soon he stopped taking it.
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Extreme difficultly breathing and excess congestion. Also, jitters and labored breathing after the main incident, as well as a headache.

I woke up this morning with chest congestion, which is normal, and had a runny nose, neither of which wanted to clear by an early morning doctors visit. I was a first time patient and didn't want to go in and have everyone thinking I was seriously ill. I was also very tired, which made things seem worse. So, I took HALF of one of my mom's Zyrtec tabs. By the time we got home (roughly two hours later) my throat was tight and it was impossible to take a deep breath on my own. I would have been in the ER if not for my respirator that I have to use at night anyway. After a couple of hours I was able to breathe on my own again, but I still have tightness in my chest and more congestion than before I took this evil pill. I also became extremely cold, and the doctor did say my blood pressure was low. Now, several hours later, I am experiencing the "common" side effects: jitters, labored breathing and a headache. I will definitely be going back to my trusty Sudafed Non-Drying.
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Extreme anger after one day, used to take daily 4 pills, was agitated and angry.

This medication just took the edge off of my severe anaphylactic symptoms of allergy to the cold air. I was angry and irritated and sometimes anxious. Recently started taking it again after a severe reaction unmedicated. Got the same symptoms back.

It feels like my brain is still asleep the next day. Tiredness, Lethargy, Brain fog, Sadness

The morning after I took prescription Zyrtec I woke up extremely congested and irritated as if I hadn't taken an allergy pill. Apart from the fact that I still had all the allergy symptoms I had the added bonus of all the negative side effects of this medicine. I sat on my bed all day waiting for the side effects to wear off. I had a date later that evening and worried that I will appear depressed or miserable. This was so frustrating. I won't take this medication again 😔

Irritability, increased appetite/weight gain, lethargy, increased sleep, flat effect, brain fog, unexplained rashes, vision issues.....still figuring this out....

This drug should be only used in emergency & real allergy testing done immediately to rule out causes and focus on the real allergy, dairy, gluten or fake additives in our food, made worse by environmental triggers (aka indoor & outdoor allergies). Experienced extreme withdrawal symptoms while going off for 5-7 days to get allergy tested. Will never take again, was diagnosed with food allergies, so no need. Researched other alternatives if seasonal or indoor & outdoor allergies become bothersome.
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extreme somnolence, agitation, dry mouth, mild 'delirium'

Zyrtec is the only treatment ive found for Kimura's disease, a rare inflammatory condition Zyrtec is also very effective in treating my chronic conjunctivitis Zyrtec (cetirizine) is most effective with a healthy metabolic system. If you have metabolic problems it will increase the intensity of side effects such as extreme somnolence, agitation and dry mouth as the drug will stay in your system longer. Using the drug has been very effective over the years. I was originally prescribed this over 10 years ago for chronic red-eye and found it was, when taken consistently for a 1-2 weeks will improve inflammation and will remain effective for a period of upto a month. The problem with taking zyrtec for this amount of time is the side effects become much more noticeable and compound to the point where I have to decide on to continue or stop taking zyrtec for a time. After continual doses over a few days i become agitated, have confused dreams, and lose sleep. The immediate side effect is extreme somnolence that persists for hours or days after the last dose if i havent taken it for a period of time. Yes, zyrtec is a life saver for my conditions but it comes at a cost of effectiveness vs side effects. I am trying to stay healthy to improve the effectivness of zyrtec so I can take less of it and still get the benefits.

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.
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