ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1816 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 | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | seasonal allergies | My 6 year old daughter had suffered severe side effects recently from singulair, so after those symptoms subsided we tried Zyrtec which created the same side effects which includes extreme confusion and anxiety, suicidal thoughts, bizarre sensations and hallucinations. Keep in mind that before these medications my daugher was care free. Unfortunately, the anxiety has not completely subsided. My daughter is not sure what is real and what is not anymore, and the worst part is after many tests and exams her pediatrician will not admit that the reactions were from these medications. | F | 28 | 7 days | 7/14/2008 | 2 | allergies | I am satisfied when I take it. When I STOP taking it, I get itchy skin that feels like bed bugs crawling all over me. | F | 31 | 1 months | 7/13/2008 | 5 | allergies, eyes especially | none | this is the best medicine I have used for allergies. | M | 55 | 3 weeks | 7/12/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | Dizziness, Eye pain, fogginess, headache, stomach pain, extreme weight gain | I have been taking Zyrtec for close to 4 weeks. It really does help alleviate the allergy symptoms, however, since I started having it I have had terrible eye pain and dizziness when I try to focus. I get so tired during the day I feel as if I will pass out if I don't lie down, I can't function normally. I have been eating well and excercising and gaining weight like crazy.... It just dawned on me today that the only thing that has changed in the past month is that I started Zyrtec. I am going to the doctor tomorrow to get my eyes checked and to discuss this with him, I just want to feel normal again. | F | 40 | 30 days | 7/6/2008 | 3 | allergies | Switched because OTC Claritan was ineffective at the suggested dosage. Zyrtec seemed effective, but I notice extremely dry mouth--right around the inner area of my lips and a salty taste on and around my lips. | M | 50 | 60 days | 7/3/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies, eczema | our 2 year old daughter was prescribed zyrtec for a bad eczema outbreak/seasonal allergies. after taking 2.5 mg for 2 days, her behavior became completely out of control. horrible tantrums, hyperactivity, screaming fits. much worse than her usual acting out. it was like a switch had been flipped. we are going back to benadryl. do NOT give this to your kids | F | 2 | 2 days | 7/2/2008 | 1 | Severe Hay Fever,possible dust alle | Extreme drowsiness, irritability, slightly depressed/self doubt, thinking something more serious was wrong with her, (ONLY 10 YEARS OLD), UPPER GI (chest) burning/pain, diarreah, just not acting like my daughter when on the meds. | Wow, what a nightmare! CAUTION! Please parents do not give your child this medication! I am going to stick with mucinex for her congestion, and proceed with more natural remedies,ex.(local honey daily,etc.) I'll probably never trust another allergy med with my kids after this! | F | 10 | 8 days | 7/2/2008 | 2 | seasonal allergies | extreme irritability | I had fairly immediate mood issues- everyone in the family noticed. I stopped taking it- mood issues cleared up- resumed taking it mood issues came back. I don't take it anymore! | F | 40 | 10 days | 7/1/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergy | Terrible heart buring and palpiltation! Sever sleeplessness; Ichying, nausea, burp | This is a very very dangerous medcine if so many people in the from report the similar side effect experience. I really do knwo how it can be OTC drug. | M | 29 | 10 days | 7/1/2008 | 2 | Seasonal Allergies | Drowsiness, headaches | Worked well for my allergy symptoms. Caused extreme drowsiness. I slept great at night, but I could hardly stay awake during the day. I have recently tried to stop taking Zyrtec. I am having major headaches (not normal for me at all.) | F | 25 | 4 months | 6/29/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Lethargy, sleeplessness, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat. | I started taking this drug because I was out of my normal presecription (Allegra) and I was travelling out of town. The result was a difficult few days as I tried to stay focused during meetings with little sleep the night before. The headaches and flushed feeling were constant. Upon returning home I took my blood pressure and it was through the roof. I would look carefully at your condition before considering taking this drug. | M | 56 | 4 days | 6/28/2008 | 1 | Sinus Infection | Went to the doctor with a bad deep cough that I had for about a week. I was told it was an upper respatory / sinus infection and was prescribed an antibiotic, eye drop, and an antihistamine. Went to the local drug store and was told insurance would not pay for the antihistamine because it was the same thing as OTC Zyrtec and that the drug store had a generic brand which was cheaper. Started taking it on a Friday night all went well until the following Thursday night at work. Arrived at work normal time when roughly one hour into my shift I notice sweating over my entire body, dizzy, and completely unaware of my surroundings, when suddenly I found myself passed out on a hard concrete floor with seizer like symptoms. I was taken to the ER were they performed CT scan, MRI, and very painful spinal tap. All came back clear. After a stay in the hospital Friday I was looking forward to being discharged Saturday morning when all of sudden it happen once again. I was very sweaty, dizzy an | M | 44 | 7 days | 6/25/2008 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | weight gain, depression, irritability, feeling in a fog, lack of focus, exhaustion, hand and feet tingling ect. ect. | I started zyrtec for my seasonal allergies, I just returned today from the doctors office because I thought I was severely depressed even though I had no history. As I was surfing for information on the SSRI I was prescribed I came across this and realized I had the same symptoms as other from taking this medication. I have missed doses in the past and would wake up in the middle of the night itching and grabbing the bottle. In eight weeks I have gained 10 pounds and truthfully I have an amazing diet, not to mention I am an avid runner but in the past few weeks I lacked the energy to go out and do it, to tired or depressed. I would avoid this medication if at all possible! | M | 34 | 8 weeks | 6/23/2008 | 4 | allergies | none | Zyrtec (cetirizine) works quite well for me, but it does not alleviate all the symptoms during allergy peaks. It works best for my eyes, somewhat for my nose and not at all for my throat and lungs. When I have a cold and a dripping nose, I combine it with phenylephrine (ingredient of Sudafed). I have taken Zyrtec a long time without (noticeable) side effects. Now I use generic medicins and capsules prepared at the local pharmacy that contain the active ingredients. Again, no side effects. After reading some other medicine ratings, it becomes clear to me that almost no one, from what must be millions of people, that have good results with 'rated' medicines, post on this site, which gives an overwhelming negative bias. Although no one can guarantee that *every* medicine works as described and is free of side effects or danger for *everyone*, it is too easy to make them a scapegoat for all your personal problems. If you feel insane after taking Zyrtec, I would put my money on the fact tha | M | 31 | 6 years | 6/22/2008 | 1 | Seasonal Allergies | I started taking Zyrtec to fight off allergies and it worked great. But about a week ago, I stopped taking it because I noticed my allergies weren't as bad anymore. BIG MISTAKE. The first day was fine. I didn't notice anything abnormal, but the second day was hell. I could barely stand up without feeling like I was going to throw-up. I was constantly dizzy and nauseous. I spent most of the day in bed, but I had trouble sleeping. At first, I thought I was getting sick, but I felt fine otherwise. Halfway through the second day of nausea, I was thinking about what could have caused this. My diet hasn't changed and I was exercising too, the only thing different was the lack of Zyrtec in my system. It's Day 4 now and I'm feeling much better. The nausea is still there, but it is not so severe anymore. | Zyrtec withdrawal sucks. Big time. Be careful if you suddenly quit taking it. | M | 22 | 20 days | 6/21/2008 | 1 | rhinitis from eye medication | Amnesia and confusion. I suddenly became aware I was driving on the wrong side of the median on a narrow road. I could not remember how i came to be there. I had lost about three minutes or four minutes of time. | This was exceedingly scary. It took a lot of research and reading of fine print on medical websites to isolate Zyrtec as the only thing I was taking that could have been responsible for this period of amnesia. | F | 66 | 4 days | 6/21/2008 | 4 | Seasonal Allergies | dry throat, sore throat, gasping for breath in the middle of the night | helped out a lot against allergy symptoms, stil feel like I have a lot of sinus pressure though in my ears and face | M | 3 months | 6/16/2008 | 4 | Seasonal allergies | None for the first four years. Now suddenly extreme drowsiness. | Most comments on this forum must by psychosomatic. They don't make any sense considering what's in Zyrtec, unless these people are actually referring to Zyrtec D. Also, the progressive increase in people attributing anxiety/depression/anger to the drug, when looking at posts over time from 2005 to 2008 suggests that people are simply convincing themselves that Zyrtec is to blame, as they increasingly see others claim this. Typical psychological response and a case of 'groupthink'. Simply compare early responses with latter ones. | F | 26 | 5 years | 6/15/2008 | 2 | seasonal allergies, sinusitis | interrupted sleep, strange dreams, waking up exhausted, extreme fatigue all day with intermittent bouts of extreme hyperactivity and restlessness, inability to concentrate, irritability, extreme frustration for no reason, anger, mood swings, anxiety, depression, both insomnia and hypersomnia. | Although Zyrtec definitely helped my constantly runny/stuffy nose and other allergy problems, I would not recommend taking it. The side effects caused more problems than my allergies. I would definitely recommend taking something else, Zyrtec is not worth it. | F | 21 | 5 days | 6/15/2008 | 2 | Seasonal allergies | Heart racing, shortness of breath, nausea | Zyrtec is the only antihistamine that has ever controlled my seasonal allergies, and I was thrilled when it finally went OTC (haven't taken it in a looong time because it wasn't covered by insurance and was too expensive). I've been taking it for 2 weeks now, and while my allergy symptoms are gone, I have had multiple episodes of heart racing and shortness of breath. After reading all these reviews, I will stop taking it immediately and hope I have not done any permanent damage. | F | 33 | 14 days | 6/14/2008 |