ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1820 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ZYRTEC with similar:
Type: Over-the-counter Drug
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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 |
| 5 | year-round allergies | None | I've been throught every other prescription allery medication and they all stopped working eventually. I was on Claritin for for some years (when it was still on prescription), and it gradually stopped working. Now it's like popping a sugar pill. Zyrtec works very well for me. I take it at night so that I get a benefit from any potential drowsiness, though it doesn't seem to be a major factor. I've been on it so long that I've lost track, but probably 10 years. If I stop, I can go about 36 hours before the allery symptoms come back. And I agree with the comment about Zyrtec-D. I think it's pseudoephedrine that added to the zyrtec, and that completely spaces me out. I guess you have to figure out what works for the individual. | F | 55 | 10 years | 4/18/2008 | 4 | Allergies and related asthma | Withdrawal causes terrible itching. The drug works great for me. It stops allegic symptoms and does not cause me side effects. However, if I miss a morning pill, the itching begins by early evening. It starts on my palms and feet, and then spreads up my legs. If I scratch, it gets all red and itches worse. I went to an allergist who was skeptical that it could be withdrawal. She said that the drug might be surpressing underlying hives that return when the drug stops. But I have never had hives and it happens every time like clockwork. So, I am just staying on the drug for now. | M | 44 | 7 years | 4/18/2008 | 2 | sinus/allergies | At first, the drug was a godsend. I could only take it at bedtime, and I learned that the normal dosage for me was only 1/2 of a pill. If I took a whole pill at bed time, the next morning I could barely stay awake to drive to work. After taking the drug, seasonally, for about 3-4 years, I began developing new allergies. I once had an allergic reaction to two mosquito bites on the same leg. My blood pressure shot sky-high, but a dose of Zyrtec brought everything under control. I got so I could not sleep without it. Highly addictive for me in this regard. It took me four months to kick it. I spent many long nights awake. I finally weaned myself by taking half a pill on alternate days, then dropped to a quarter of a pill, then a quarter of a pill on alternate days. Finally, I am off the drug---Thank God! I am sleeping better than I have in years, and my allergies are much better. | Was paying $80. for 30 pills, then they made it an over-the-counter drug, wouldn't you know it, just as I was getting off the drug. | F | 60 | 5 years | 4/18/2008 | 1 | severe allergies/coughing | This was the first med that contolled my allergy related cough. I was thrilled. It took the drug for about three months. However, I began to feel that I was becoming very sad. It started so slow that I didn't realize it at first. I had achy bones, and was tired all the time. I thought I had a aerious illness. But worse than that was that over the three months I became more and more weepy and sad. Then I heard that Zyrtec can make you sleepy, so I stopped taking it. By the next day, I suddently realized I was happy again, I was my old self. Now looking back, I see how I was sinking into a deeper and deeper sadness, but didn't realize it. When on this drug, as the days went on, I went from being sad, having no energy, to crying over every little thing. For me, it was a slow progression into deep sadness. Looking back, i now see how bad off I was. So I will put up with coughing. I'm so glad I stopped it when I did. There is not telling how far down I would have gone. Please beware of this | F | 53 | 3 days | 4/18/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | slight depression, agreesion and irrationality | This medication only midly improved my runny eyes and nose. The side effects were that any small thing irritated me and after being on it for several days caused me to become aggressive (which is NOT my personality). I was somewhat irrational in my thought processes. Also suffered from feelings I can only describe as slight depression. | F | 37 | 20 days | 4/18/2008 | 2 | Allergies (no congestion) | Body aches, severe funk | I decided to try this out because I was sneezing and didn't want to be awake three hours after taking Claratin-D. While it did its advertised job, I woke up very tired and every joint throbbed. I also found myself going into Suicide Ideation. No problem, really (I've dealt with such thoughts over the years so I know how to get out of it) but I wouldn't want to keep going there, even with a clear sinus. | M | 43 | 1 days | 4/17/2008 | 1 | chronic sinus infections | sleeplessness, stomach pain, mood changes: defiant, aggressive, crying, nightmares, hyper | Last spring my son took Zyrtec for the first time. For two weeks he was out of control. Totally disrespectful, not listening or following directions, hitting and kicking at daycare. Took him off after 2 weeks and symptoms went away. A month ago, Dr. suggested back on it as Claritin was not working. Tried it again (thinking that maybe last years issues were caused by something else). Same thing happened. He cannot concentrate, refuses to do activities, hitting screaming kicking etc. He will stop taking it tonight after reading 105 pages of negative side effects of this drug. | M | 4.5 | 1 months | 4/17/2008 | 1 | allergies | aggressive / temper tantrums /emotional outbursts | This medicine should not be prescribed to children!! | M | 2 | 9 days | 4/17/2008 | 1 | allergies | severe stomach pain, nausea | I swapped my Claritin for my daughters Zyrtec because she said it didn't work as well as the Claritin did for her. The Claritin seemed to not be working as well for me so we went for it. I had no allergy symptoms on the Zyrtec but after a couple of hours I had severe stomach pain, nausea and a general sick feeling. It appeared to come and go throughout the day then diarrhea set in. I wont dare try it again with in light of what I'm reading here. | M | 43 | 1 days | 4/16/2008 | 1 | Allergies; Chronic Cough | Extreme drowsiness; irritability; mood swings | I'd been taking this drug at around 6 p.m for the past two days. I'd had a horrible time waking up in the mornings and a totally exhausted feeling throughout the day. My mental focus was way way, way low and I felt like a total zombie that was fighting just to stay awake. I was also very irritable and angry others. Meanwhile, my chronic cough was just as bad as it was before taking this medication and it did nothing for my itchy, watery eyes either. | F | 48 | 2 days | 4/16/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | VERY emotional and worried!!!! Easily frustrated and irritated!!!!! Some of the same side effects as mentioned. | DO NOT GIVE THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN! Thank God for everyone who shared thier experience concerning this drug because we did not find this information elsewhere! DO NOT GIVE THIS TO YOUR CHILDREN! | F | 4 | 1 years | 4/16/2008 | 2 | sneezing, itchy eyes, nose | depression | This is the first time I had allergies, and (looking back) was quite naive about treating it. I just went to a drugstore, picked up some zyrtec, and started taking one a day. Shortly after I became severely depressed. I have never experienced depression before, so I didn't even know what was happening to me. I thought I was stressed out or eating bad or tired or something, but then my wife said I may be having depression from the zyrtec. I stopped taking it, and immediately (the next day) began feeling a little better. I am improving day by day, instead of crashing day by day. This drug came close to really messing up my life. | M | 27 | 1 months | 4/13/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies | fatigue, vivid dreams, stomach pain, diarrhea | I am so glad to be off of this medication. I didn't have the withdrawls that some mentioned, but I couldn't believe how much better I felt after I stopped the meds. I was so refreshed in the morning and didn't feel like a zombie! I was worried I had irritable bowel syndrome or an ulcer, but the stomach pain and diarrhea stopped a week after I stopped taking Zyrtec. I'll stick with Claritan and Sudafed. | F | 40 | 6 months | 4/8/2008 | 1 | chronic (over 2 years) hives | severe leg aches, breast tenderness | I was prescribed Zyrtec to help control chronic daily hives. It didn't seem to have any effect at all on the hives and for the entire time I was taking the drug I felt like I had the flu with body aches that were particularly bad in both calves. All bad effects were gone the day after I quit taking it. | F | 53 | 21 days | 4/8/2008 | 1 | To stop allergy caused by antibitic | palpitations, feeling disconnected, euphoria, dizziness, hallucinations, weird dreams, mind racing, insomnia, reckless behavior, fast and uncontrollable rage, anger, epression | My doctor gave me zyrtec to stop a skin allergy I developed from antibiotics.. I took my first pill and the last: I started feeling really sad and then felt a sense of urgency like a tragedy was going to happen; started yelling at my husband to call 911 paramedic came, my heart was racing so hard and started crying horribly for no reason. I was loosinf my mind. This is a horrible drug..!! | F | 43 | 1 days | 4/8/2008 | 1 | Seasonal allergy | Took 1 24-hour tablet. Instantly effective on symptoms, but 4 hours later I became very drowsy, had trouble remembering things, and felt like I was in a mental fog. | I will not take it again, and cannot recommend it to anyone. | M | 60 | 1 times | 4/7/2008 | 1 | allergic rhinitis | my son has been taking claritin prn for the past few months for allergic rhinitis sxs. We did notice it made him hyper, especially if we gave it to him in the am. We switched to zyrtec last night and noticed that he was extremely irritable all day today, crying at the drop of a hat. We didn't thnk much about it , as he was also sick. However, tonight after his second dose, he woke up at midnight hysterically screaming. When we went to comfort him , he was aggressive and angry and very difficult to console. Had I not read the other comments on this site, I would not have believed it was the zyrtec. I will never give it to him again! We also noticed more aggressive and moody behavior when he was on singulair. He has been off that for 2 days now. We will go back to claritin and his flonase nasal spray. | Please call your pediatricians and allergists if you experience similar reactions in your children. If enough people make complaints , then action will be taken. | M | 2 | 2 days | 4/7/2008 | 1 | Spring Allergies | Extreme Irritability, Out of control behaviour, strange dreams. | I would never take this again. It was like being possesed. | M | 44 | 1 days | 4/7/2008 | 1 | Allergies | Extreme sleepiness and depression | I took my first and last Zyrtec pill last Friday to help me with unpleasant allergy symptomps. I should have explored this drug better! The first night I slept 11.5 hours and the whole day felt like I was under influence of heavy drugs. Sleepiness, detached feelings, depressed. I slept after lunch and in the late afternoon. Saturday night was not better, again, slept over 11 hours (I usually can't sleep longer than 7-8 hours) and got very depressed and angry. This is today and I hope that Zyrtec will get out of my system quickly. This must be a strong drug and people need to be warned. Especially those sensitive to certain medications, I am sensitive to Benadryl, but thought that Zyrtec does not have sedative effect. I hope I will be back to my old self quickly! | F | 42 | 1 days | 4/6/2008 | 4 | Year round allergies | None | I had been taking Zyrtec for many years until it went over the counter. I then switched to Allegra, but it didn't help my symptoms as much as the Zyrtec did so I'll be going back to the Zyrtec. | F | 49 | 7 years | 4/4/2008 |