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 |
| 1 | seasonal allergies with migraines | itched everywhere--scalp, back, arms, chest, legs, face. Face also felt like it was burning at times--felt flushed. | I started out by taking zyrtec every other day and about the beginning of the third week, I noticed I started to itch/face would burn. So, I quit taking it after four weeks and for the next couple of days, the itching was horible! So, I went back to taking claratin every other day. The second time I took claratin, I noticed that day I did not itch as much but the following day, I itched again horibly. The third time I took claratin, I did not itch at all that day but the following day, I itched although not as much. Anyway, I've taken claratin four times now (like I said, I take it every other day) but today, the day I did not take it, I DID NOT ITCH!!! I think it is out of my system and my immune system is back to normal. I will not take zyrtec ever again!! The itching was so bad it made my blood pressure go up! | F | 58 | 4 weeks | 10/24/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | I became very unfocused - to the point of scheduling an ADD/ADHD test. My sleep was very disturbed. | I was advised the drug could make you sleepy and it'd be good to take at night. For me it was not. | M | 46 | 4 weeks | 10/22/2008 | 2 | allergies, cold | My 20 month old daughter was having difficulty sleeping | Tonight my daughter finally went to sleep after not sleeping well the past few nights. I realized that tonight is the first night I have not given her Zyrtec in three days. She also had trouble sleeping several weeks ago when I was giving it to her for "allergies" (a clear runny nose that went on for a month or so) as the doctor suggested. My daughter almost always goes right to sleep when we've had a "normal" day and sleeps through the night. I thought maybe her teeth were causing her problems but her behavior these past few nights and a few weeks ago were very similar. She would stay awake until well after 11:00pm when she usually goes to be around 7:00. I'm not sure if her irritability the next day was due to lack of sleep or the medication. | F | 1.5 | 3 days | 10/20/2008 | 1 | Allergies, Sinusitus, Eczema | Extreme Fatigue, Confusion, Dizzyness, Blurred Vision, Inability to Concentrate, Forgetfulness, Severe Itchiness upon stopping | Worked great for two months then side effects took over. Was in a constant "fog", unable to concentrate, mistakes at work, unable to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, basically made me into a zombie. I've been off for 5 days now and now have severe itchyness all over my body (seen the term "Zytec Withdrawal", checkout - http://zyrtecwithdrawal.blogspot.com/) Not worth it. I will never will use again. | M | 35 | 3 months | 10/20/2008 | 1 | Allergies, Eczema | Extreme Tiredness, Insomnia, Mental Confusion and loss of concentration, Irritability, Lethargy, Prostate Problems | I have suffered from hay fever, rhinitis and eczema my whole life. I recently had a severe bout of eczema (which I never had before) - itching, redness, sweating and scaling skin. Started to take Zyrtec daily over the last four months to control it. Worked great in the first month then I began to experience severe side effects (which up until now didn't attribute to Zyrtec). This drug caused extreme fatigue for me 24/7. It was like taking valium and speed at the same time. The tiredness was so bad I was falling asleep in the afternoons and generally was in a mental fog at work (forgetful - thought I had early alzheimers) but could never sleep during the night. I could not get out of bed in the morning. The sleep depravation and general lethargy become so bad that I became depressed and irritable all the time. I would literally pray to God at night to help me sleep. Mentioned my Insomnia to my MD and he said I may have to go to a sleep clinic to find out the causes (ironicall | M | 37 | 4 months | 10/17/2008 | 1 | allergies | extreme itchiness when trying to get off of zyrtec. | please don't start taking it. you don't want to risk the side effect once you try to get off of it. | F | 30 | 6 months | 10/17/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allegies | Almost caused a major accident while driving!!! Difficulty focusing, irritable, lethargic, unable to feel joy in my activities. Very confused and very, very hungry. | Watch out. I'm going back to Loratadine (generic Claritin). Works much better esp. in conjuction with a prescription nasal spray. What a yucky day. | F | 30 | 1 days | 10/16/2008 | 1 | Daughter Eczema & Food Allergies | rash all over body, night terrors, relentless whining, hitting, stubborn fits, crying spells over small things, would not play well with others, circle around eyes, fear issues, and became very clingy | My daughter has extreme Eczema in the creases of her body (inner elbow, back of knees) which is the worse during the winter months. At first it did a great job of taking her itching away and I was relieved. Her skin went from scabs to normal. Then it came back with a vengeance. I gave her Zyrtec again but, this time it was as if she had become immune. I had to increase the amount given to her to work. She became a totally different little girl. The thing that was most concerning was the night terror which is as is half awake and someone was killing her. Screaming, kicking, crying but not really awake. Then she started hitting her little brother all the time and would not share at all. She use to adore him and pamper him. Instead of making it better she slowly got itchy bumps all over her body. The hard part is watching her itch all over now due the prolonged use of Zyrtec. I am taking her off immediately and looking at diet options instead like Gluten free diets. I am glad t | F | 3 | 6 months | 10/15/2008 | 1 | allergies | moody, trouble sleeping at night, agressive behavior, argumentative over the smallest requests | my son has been on zyrtec for 2 years on and off.He is moody and is defiant but I just thought it was normal 4 year old behavior.This week he started acting out, he hit two of his friends, he gets really angry over the littlest things.I was at my wits end and I just thought about looking up side effects and found this website and I am in tears over reading the other reports.I am taking him off zyrtec tonight. | M | 4 | 2 years | 10/13/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergys | DEPRESSION..poor sleep..thoughts of suicide..anxiety and heart palipataions..lethargy.. loss of concentration and focus..diminished sex drive.. | 1 yr ago i ended up in a psychologists office with severe depression and suicidal thoughts.. im a healthy male with proper diet and normal sleep habits.. after 1 yr of therapy im back to the same feeling.. the depression follows the use of this product and its cousin xyzal.. this morning i thought i was having a nervous breakdown.. thank God i found this web site and knew it was the drug causing my altered mental state. the dr put me on xyzal last month..with little results, so i switched back to zyrtek and the feeling grew unbearable.. | M | 48 | 3 years | 10/11/2008 | 1 | To clear nasal passages, hay fever | Itching all over body, esp arms and legs and face. Lethargy and slight loss of mental focus. Very uncomfortable. Will never use it again. | M | 56 | 4 days | 10/8/2008 | 1 | Allergies | Irrational moods... quick to anger, rage, flat affect, living in a fog, not myself, loss of sex drive, lethargic, sad, weight gain, itchy scalp and face and eyes, general crummy feeling. | It never occurred to me that Zyrtec could be a possible reason for these side effects. I literally had to start analyzing everything I was doing or taking to see if I could figure it out. The weight gain and mood and all symptoms coincide with length of time I've been taking it. I take the 24 OTC Zyrtec and try to wait a day between because I'm generally not the person to take any drugs at all... even things like ibuprofen. Birth control pills are the only other thing I take and have been on them for 3 years with no bad sad effects. I really hope that stopping the Zyrtec will make me feel like myself again. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 10/8/2008 | 3 | allergies | Low white blood count. | The drug works, but I do not want to risk walking around with a low white blood count. No Thanks! | F | 33 | 5 months | 10/7/2008 | 5 | sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes... | I can tell I have been bloated. Increase in appetite. A "little" bit of anxiety. | It works so well against allergies. I am happy to put up with these minor side effects for the month of September when my allergies are terrible in Los Angeles. Weeds I guess? It literally knocks these allergies out and that is usually hard fight for me. I have been getting allergy shots (imunotherapy) every week for a year. It cleared all the other allergies throughout the year, but when September rolled around I was still bad. Not as bad as last year. With Zyrtec it was Zero. Nothing else works. | F | 38 | 1 months | 10/4/2008 | 1 | Hives | SEVERE DEPRESSION, severe menstrual problems, anger problems / short fuse, low libido, constant tiredness and feelings of unwellness. | DETAILED INFO FOR THOSE WANTING TO QUIT>>>I am absolutely shocked at the state my health was in and the stark contrast to the good health I now have since I stopped taking Zyrtec, particularly my mental health - I just didn't realise how bad it was at the time. I am shocked enough to try and get the word out to warn others who maybe don't realise what taking Zyrtec could be doing to them by writing a detailed description of my experiences (including withdrawal) in a blog: http://zyrtecsideeffects.blogspot.com/ ***NOTE: Please do not mistake the horrific withdrawal symptoms of this drug as being the symptoms that it is 'fixing'. This is a common mistake.*** | F | 27 | 18 months | 10/4/2008 | 1 | allergies | complete fog and depression. i have been diagnosed as bi-polar but am not currently medicated for it. i am fine (not manic or depressive) if i keep my system clean. (meaning without drugs or alcohol of any kind). i started taking zyrtec two weeks ago and have non-stop crying fits, lethargy, thoughts of suicide and deep depression. i tried not taking it for a few days and realized my head was clear, (my sinuses weren't) and my mood was back to normal. i could function again and the crying stopped. I don't think it effects everyone this way. But I think if you have some sort of chemical imbalance to begin with, it sets off the depression. I would NOT recommend this medicine. | F | 27 | 14 days | 10/3/2008 | 3 | Environmental Allergies | Itching, skin irritation the day following taking the medication | Seems to work fairly well on the runny nose. I take it sporadically based on when I need it. I noticed that consistanty the day after I take it, I have get itchy all over, which is not a symptom I have experienced with my allergies. | F | 30 | 6 months | 10/1/2008 | 1 | allergies | excessive irritability, loss of concentration, zombie-like state, general stupid feeling, poor memory function, general foggy daze, excessive unrestful sleep - in other words why bother logging 8-9 hours when you wake up and feel like you need to go back to bed. take this and you will feel like a P.O.S all day. Get used to the affects of this drug and become a P.O.S. This drug hammpers quality daily life. I was more alert smoking bongs all day when i was in college. This drug is bad! Look for alternatives. | Something is wrong with this medicine! Everyone I have spoken to agrees or has similar stories. Everyone's comments on this web site are right on with respects to symptoms. The ones who do not have side affects may not realize they are having problems depending on their occupation, daily activities, etc. comments for healthy Zyrtec users: Children generally do not complain about things and dont know what is or should be or feel right. The same is true of individuals who do not know what feeling good or healthy is. | M | 39 | 24 days | 10/1/2008 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | DEPRESSION, sleepy | I've been trying to figure out what the heck was wrong with me. I was a very down to earth happy go lucky person until I started taking Zyrtec a week or so ago. I didn't know what was wrong. Thanks to all of you for actually taking the time to post. I won't take it anymore. | F | 44 | 10 days | 10/1/2008 | 3 | Itching and allergies | This medication worked at first however, after about a year I started to notice itchy red bumps on my skin, severe eczema which spread all over my body, mood swings, anger issues for no reason at all, mussels hurt, sore stomach, very sore breasts, hair loss and no sex drive at all. I also noticed that when you try to get off the drug you can experience up’s and downs with depression and feeling useless at times and yes intense itching that only Excedrin and benadryl helped! I have taken this off and on over a three year period. | I would not take this drug unless nothing else works for you and even then I would take it only as needed and not everyday. | F | 46 | 3 years | 9/29/2008 |