ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1820 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ZYRTEC with similar:
Type: Over-the-counter Drug
|
Results are sorted by Date 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 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 |
More on ZYRTEC: Reviews Summary | FDA Adverse Event Summary
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Allergies | Fatigue, drowsiness, headache | Not sure that this drug is a good fit for me! I felt ok during my first dose yesterday -- a bit tired, but I think my allergies improved. My second dose today, however, made me extremely lethargic!! | F | 30 | 2 days 1X day | 4/23/2011 | 2 | Allergies | Extreme sleepiness for 24 hours after taking 1 Zyrtec. | My son, who was 5 at the time, had mood changes - was mean and crabby - when taking zyrtec. | F | 51 | 1 days 10 MG 1X day | 4/22/2011 | 3 | Seasonal Allergies | Stabbing headaches, drowsiness, stiffness in upper back and unable to get a good sleep. | I've been using Claritin for the past few years and decided to try Zyrtec for the first time this season. I don't like to take any meds unless I absolutely have to. It took a few hours for the meds to start working. It made me drowsy which is not unusual when you take any medications. For me it's always good to take the medication, wait and rest for it to start working. It worked okay for the most part, my nose stopped running and I stopped sneezing. One of the side effects is that I wake up with a dry nose and it's just a tad stuffed, but goes away. I took one pill on Saturday afternoon, by Sunday afternoon the medication should have started to wane, and I wasn't planning on taking another one. The side effect was that I started getting stabbing headaches that lasted for almost 24 hours. I'm not sure if it was the Zyrtec. So on Wednesday my allergies came back and I took another pill that afternoon. After 24 hours again, the next day, I started getting the stabbing headaches. Coincidence or side effect? I'm not sure if I want to tempt fate again, but I think....maybe I do it one more time, just to be sure. But not yet...I think I'll hold off...these headaches really hurt. | F | 47 | 2 days 1X day | 4/15/2011 | 2 | allergies | some drowsiness, dry eyes. Upon withdrawal the feeling of itching and pain in the eyes developed and has persisted for several days so far. It feels like there is something in the eyes yet eye exam shows nothing. Not sure it is from zyrtec withdrawal but there seems to be no other explination. | would not use it again for allergies. | M | 60 | 10 1X day | 4/15/2011 | 2 | seasonal/occupational allergies | i started out taking one zyrtec/day. at first they made me incredibly sleepy and i took afternoon naps if i could. also, i'd get a bad headache that would pound with my heart beat, have nightmares, and not be able to sleep soundly at all. | slowly, even after i decreased the dose from 1 to a 1/2 of a pill per day (to avoid the exhaustion/drowsiness and general "weird" feeling), i noticed myself feeling more disassociative and depressed. i started seriously contemplating suicide, and the detached thoughts about wanting to die increased with every day i took it, as though it was building up in my system like a poisonous depression in a pill. yeah, my allergies were completely gone, which was relieving, but what's the use of living without allergies if all you can do is cry, feel generally irritated with life, and want to die after taking an allergy pill? weird to feel so indifferent, almost enthusiastic, about the idea of dying...never really felt that until i started taking zyrtec...the 1/4 of a pill dosage seems to be most manageable for me, but even at that dose, i can't handle it for long periods of time...every few days i have to stop taking it to avoid the highly negative side effects, as the medicine builds up in my system. also, crazy heart beat (even at 1/4 pill) if i'm doing anything that involves physical exertion. thankfully, for me, 1/4 of a pill somehow keeps my asthma, itchy eyes, sneezing, etc at bay with way less exaggerated side-effects than a 1/2 or a whole pill seem to cause. | F | 31 | 20 days 1X day | 4/13/2011 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | Severe lethargy, depression, a numb feeling inside and out. No emotion, inability to make decisions, a feeling of despair, foggy brain, constipation, confusion. | Works for my allergies but not worth the horrible feeling that comes with it. | F | 52 | 7 days 10 MG 1X day | 4/12/2011 | 4 | hives | in the beginning, extreme drowziness, but the more I take it, the less fatigued I feel. I take it for hives, which I've had lately for over two months, cause unknown. I also take Singulair in the morning. I have noticed I am more hungry than usual, and do experience bizarre dreams. | I don't think this drug causes aggitation. The aggitation is from not knowing what causes the hives, which have come and gone for the past 6 years. I think it may be hormonal. They appear in the evening and are gone by noon. Also includes some episodes of angioedema. More hot flashes than usual, but again, can't blame this on the zyrtec. | F | 61 | 3 weeks 30 mg 1X day | 4/10/2011 | 3 | Nasal Allergies | none | Keeps me from having a full blowner but my nose won't stop running. | M | 48 | 2 years 1X day | 4/9/2011 | 1 | allergies | My 3 year old daughter had nightmares, stopped napping even though she hadn't slept well at night, and tantrums as soon as she started the Target-brand generic of Zyrtec. She is normally a very even-keeled child, and I can't believe it took me 4 days to figure this one out! Will never give her this again... | F | 3 | 4 days 2.5 mL 1X day | 4/9/2011 | 3 | runny nose, post nasal drip | I expereinced slow, steady weight gain with a very large appetite. Tried to cut back on portions and couldn't lose (and I'm a registered dietitian!). My dog died , so after a few weeks I decided to try and stop taking Zyrtec. All of a sudden I was able to lose weight and I didn't have such a voracious appetite. It's been great and I would never take it again, unless my allergies were very bad and even then only for a few days. Next pet will have to be hypoallergenic, because I am not taking it on a regular basis ever again. Feels too good to be thinner again! | F | 36 | 2 years 1 pill/day 1X day | 4/8/2011 | 1 | 2yr old taking for seasonal allergy | Was going to give my daughter Zyrtec tonight. Her doctor prescribed this for seasonal allergies. She was taking Claritin before given this and from what I am reading ,the Claritin was giving my daughter the same side effects: Mood changes, not eating, not sleeping, just not my same baby! She was very beside herself. After reading these reviews I will NOT be giving Zyrtec to her either. It is awful that young children have to go through such side effects for something that is supposed to be helpful. | F | 2 | 1 days 1 MG 1X day | 4/8/2011 | 1 | My 10 yr old son, for allergies | My son is on a number of meds to start with, including Prozac and Lithium, however, it is far too coincidental that 10 days into using Zyrtec daily, he went from stable and happy, to a wreck...depressed, anxious, panicky, angry, tantrums, nightmares, stomachaches...and the last two days, hearing voices. I remembered this time last year when Clartitin also had a bad effect in him, so my first thought this morning was to search...and found this forum (thank goodness!) No more Zyrtec for him! I think some kids are just especially vulnerable to chemically triggered mood changes, but a kid with a mood disorder already diagnosed might be even more at risk. I would urge all parents to monitor their kids behavior if starting this med, previous disorder or not. | M | 10 | 10 days 10 mg 1X day | 4/7/2011 | 2 | SEASONAL ALLERGIES | ESTREME FATIGUE - COULDN'T STAY AWAKE. WATER RETENTION | I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE ALLERGIES | F | 62 | 4 days 30 MG 1X day | 4/4/2011 | 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 day | 4/4/2011 | 1 | allergies | numbness of tongue, lost my sense of smell and taste, sense of touch was "odd" and unexplainable, depression, mood swings, fatigue, tiredness | F | 28 | 2 days 10mg 1X day | 4/3/2011 | 1 | seasonal allergies | anger, shouting outbursts, obsessive thoughts, long uncontrollable tantrums where he acts possessed and is unable to control is body or stop the tantrum | It took about 5 weeks for the side effects to build to where I was going to contact the school social worker, although his teachers said he was doing fine at school. Didn't think of the medicine right away because it wan't an immediate reaction. But then I thought I'd check if it could be the allergy meds he has been taking. Thank goodness for this website & comments. VERY HAPPY to report that 24 hours after his last dose he was soooo much better. 48 hours and I have my little boy back. I can hug him without him growling back at me. I just hope there are no lasting effects. He is still taking Flonase for allergies. | M | 5 | 6 weeks 5mg 1X day | 4/1/2011 | 4 | Allergies | The only side effect I had was major panic attacks.I quit taking it,I have never had another attack!!!! | F | 43 | 3 years 30 mg 1X day | 3/31/2011 | 5 | Itchy Hands and Feet | None that I can tell, except the relief from itching. | I've been reading all the negative reviews about Zyrtec because after 2 years I find I actually need to increase the dose to have the same effect. I spoke with my doctor first and went ahead with the increase. I decided to check what people were saying about it. For me, Zyrtec has been a miracle drug! Before I took it, I itched so badly that I couldn't sleep. It has completely removed all of my symptoms. My hands and feet (and ankles and wrists) used to itch so bad that I was scratching myself up trying to get relief. Now that I have Zyrtec (actually, I take the generic Aller-tec from Kirkland), I sleep at night and can wear my rings. I do get night sweats, but who knows if that is from this drug (I'm 47 years old). I'll take the night sweats over the itching if that comes from the drug. I take one 10mg pill every night. My only worry is that it will stop working one day. I used to take Claritin, but it became completely ineffective after about 6 mos of regular use. Zyrtec has continued to work for 2 years of regular use. So we'll see... | F | 47 | 2 years 10 mg 1X day | 3/30/2011 | 2 | eye allergies | I am so ridiculously happy that I found this forum. I have been hanging out with friends and should be having a blast considering the weekend but found myself not having fun as things progressed. I have had unexplained depression, definite anxiety, bizarre dreams, and mild panic attacks. I am certainly not feeling like myself at the moment. It's been bad enough that I've pondered asking for anti-anxiety drugs from my doctor. I started suspecting a problem with the medicine last night as I had a panic attack within 15 minutes of taking it. I'm not one to ever have a panic attack under any situation. Looking back, these problems started and have continued to get worse since being on the drug. | Other than the obvious problems which will keep me from ever taking the drug again, it did seem to help my eyes. | M | 34 | 2 weeks 10 mg 1X day | 3/21/2011 | 5 | Chronic Hives | I didnt relialize ther were any symptomes | My 3yr.daughter has been suffering with very puffy and itchy hives all over her body since last summer , I didnt know what to do or to give her. So we went to her doctor and she just gave her benyadryl and said it was a allergic reaction from something she ate. But they got worst evey day ,changing in size ,in color and in size. So they finally recomended me to a allergist but he just made me write a diary for 4weeks to see what she eats ,what type of soap she uses ,etc. And made me give her more benadryal but 4 times a day this time but the hives got 2 times worst , knowing something is wrong I stopped the medican realizing that she is allergic to benadryal ! (Long story short) - We finally switched her to zyrtec amd I really thanked God for this medican Because since the first.time she took it the hives completely stopped. BUT..... The last few months she has been going through the same thing that everyone else is going through on this site : Being out of control angry ! , can't sleep , night mares when she does , does not listen, . rapid weight gain . ( 5lbs in 1 month thats alot for a toddler) I thought it was just a faze she was going through a toddler stage maybe. But I recently stopped her from it, now knowing it was the carpet she was allergic to. And now I know that it was the zyrtec that made her act that way . I feel so bad that my baby had to go through this. Thanks for the site. But dont rule zyrtec out yet it did work fast just make sure you m | F | 29 | 6 months 10 1X day | 3/17/2011 |