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 |
| 2 | allergies | low-libido, mood swings, irritability, depression, extreme exhaustion, migraines/headaches, weight gain | I am so glad it is not just me! I didn't take it last night for the first time in weeks and I woke up like I used to today. 5 am, HAPPY and ready for the day! I started taking Zyrtec OTC again last spring upon recommendation of my allergist. I took this medication ~10 years ago also. This time around- the first few weeks were ok, it really helped my increasing allergies to things including photo-sensitivity hives. However, I put on 8 pounds in the first 4 weeks and another 3 in the last 2 weeks. I started getting migraines and frequent headaches always at 530 pm (I take it at 10pm) I could never get enough sleep. I never felt awake and the past 3 weeks my libido went to the crapper. In the last week I started these mood swings, I felt like the world was against me, I yelled at strangers if the spoke rudely to me, I have been crying at the drop of a hat. Looking back to my experience from 10 years ago, I was 19ish and I chalked my migraines, sudden weight gain, crying and everything | F | 29 | 2 months | 6/13/2008 | 5 | seasonal allergies | none | I have never had any side effects as described on this page. Zyrtec allows me to be outside in the spring and fall, and not to miss work due to allergy-related secondary infections. My 3 year old daughter also takes it seasonally and she has had no side effects either. I find it very effective for seasonal allergies. | F | 32 | 5 days | 6/12/2008 | 4 | allergies | EXCESSIVE weight gain, constantly tired, hard to sleep. | I've been on Zyrtec for nearly 7 years. It is currently the only medicine on the market that helped me breathe...however I've gained nearly 80 pounds while on it. I still work out 3-4 times a week at the gym, and walk daily. It's like exercise effects in reverse. Since Zyrtec went OTC, my allergies are back in high gear and I take the Walgreens version which works like the Rx version of Zyrtec. My sister has been on Zyrtec for 5 years and not only did she hit the massive weight gain too-- she was the nicest person before taking it--now she's a nightmare--from nice and calm to violent rage in less than a second! My doctor blamed me turning 30 as the reason for weight gain and even put me on a high protien, low carb diet...did it work--absolutely not. The excessive weight triggers my asthma so then around the circle we go again being prescirbed steroids to calm my lungs down. While it works for my allergies great...it's not worth it. | F | 30 | 7 years | 6/12/2008 | 4 | allergies - grass/pollen | My 10 year old daughter has been on Zyrtec for 3 years it worked wonderful, finally a cure. As soon as it went over the counter it no longer works. I have her up to 20 mg a day, allergy nasal spray, allergy eye drops and 2 benadryl at night that subsides her symptoms just a little. I must note that my daughter has NEVER exhibited such behaviour that other posts are stating. Every child has tantrums, mood swings and bad behaviour simply because they are children, that is what they do. From personal experience, this medicine had no bad side effects on my daughter. No side effects such as drowsiness, negative emotional behaviour, seizures or any other effects. I believe the overall drug changed as soon as it went over the counter thus it no longer works. | Overall zyrtec has been a wonderful medicine but no longer effective once it went over the counter. In fact when it was a prescription she was on 5mg once per day,it worked perfectly and now when using the OTC she is up to 20mg and it doesn't work. | F | 36 | 3 years | 6/12/2008 | 1 | Allergies | Very tired, puffy eyes, rash/ dry patches on face (red, splotchy). A little moody but that has been a symptom of all allergy medicines. Side effects overshadowed any positive results from taking the medicine. | F | 49 | 1 weeks | 6/11/2008 | 1 | seasonal allergies (e.g. pollen) | Drowsiness!!!! The drug relieves allergies, for sure, but at the cost of passing out 3-4 times a day from exhaustion. It also appears to cause slight heartburn. Won't take again. | M | 29 | 4 days | 6/11/2008 | 1 | Severe allergies | My 4 year old daughter has severe food and environmental allergies. She was prescribed Singulair and Zytrec at the same time. She had only been on the medication one week and she started to act like she was possessed. She went from a sweet little angel to a child with sever behavorial outbreaks and was extremely emotional. After finding this site I called her allergist and they told me to stop the medications immediately. My question is.... Why wasn't I told this was a possible side effect in the first place????? | Do not give this drug to your child. | F | 4 | 1 weeks | 6/11/2008 | 4 | Yr round allergies cat,dog,dust etc | Drowsiness. Possibly a cause of stomach cramps and loose bowels after missing a pill. Possibly a cause of my paranoia. Please email me if you've had similar symptoms. | I started Zyrtec 6 yrs ago when claritin and allegra wore off for me. Its amazing for my allergies. 5 yrs ago I was also on an antibiotic for acne and I stopped the antibio after 2 yrs because i thought it was the cause of my stomach cramps and loose bowels, which happens variably. Recently, two seperate stomach incidents have happened the day after missing a zyrtec pill the night before. I also have noticed an increase in my paranoid thinking. I am going to stop the pill to see if my stomach prob and paranoid thoughts decrease. | F | 21 | 6 years | 6/9/2008 | 4 | seasonal allergies | As I read in another entry, I slept better than I have in years and my mood was much better than usual, feeling positive and confident, more so than usual. I also had vivid dreams which are unusual. | Due to worries about side effects I quit taking Zytec two days ago and am already back to not sleeping well. Oh, well. | F | 56 | 6 weeks | 6/8/2008 | 3 | seasonal allergies | swollen ankles and feet; weight gain; fatigue | I am a 52 year old female. I've been using Zyrtec for four months, at first PRN, then for the last eight weeks daily. I found it to take care of the allergy symptoms, but not for a full 24 hours. I also take Norvasc and Atenolol for BP. I was already experiencing slight swelling in my ankles presumably from the Norvasc, and I have been gaining weight steadily since starting the Atenolol in December. I have had overwhelming fatigue during exercise to the point that I can hardly finish a one hour Jazzercise class (which I have attended on a regular basis for over 20 years.) All symptoms I've blamed on the BP meds, especially the Atenolol. I began complaining to my doc about the symptoms and had a complete blood work up to rule out other diseases that cause these symptoms. He suggested Weight Watchers and increased exercise to battle the weight gain, and reduced the Atenolol to half dose to over come the these issues. I didn't think to tell him about the Zyrtec I had started taking | F | 52 | 4 months | 6/8/2008 | 4 | Allergies, nose congestion | Dry mouth, sleepiness | Constant desire to masturbate while watching golf on television. | M | 50 | 6 days | 6/7/2008 | 1 | allergy symptoms | Extreme drowsiness, irritability. | I took this because it's advertised as non-drowsy. Not. I can't even function when I take it and it lasts all day. Not until I looked at this site did I attribute my irritability to the drug. But now I realize my edginess and anger coincides with the taking of this medication. | F | 56 | 3 days | 6/5/2008 | 1 | son's hay fever could lead toasthma | Normally well-balanced 7-year-old son became emotionally unstable, crying and having tantrums every day. Vivid nightmares. This was when I used 5 mg instead of 10 mg as prescribed for my 50-pound child. | Tell everyone you know. Try to get the word out to the media (a la Singulair). I trusted the allergist. The doctors won't mention these effects. See the hundreds of posts from parents below! Be WARNED. What are these allergists thinking to ignore SUCH psychotic effects on children (like Singulair and who knows what else). We'll try Claritin if we have to have something. | M | 7 | 10 days | 6/4/2008 | 1 | 2 year seasonal allergy | Gave my two year zyrtec for seasonal allergies and it caused irritability and sleepiness. She would get up screaming at night and then be wide awake for a few hours before I could get her back to sleep. Should not give this to children. | F | 2 | | 6/3/2008 | 1 | relief from alergies | took one pill for the first time because it was recommended by lots of people. soon after i started getting very worried and a feeling of panic. very emotional. blurred vision! Do not take this drug. | M | 22 | 1 days | 6/3/2008 | 1 | environmental allergies | high blood pressure, weight gain, severe anxiety, aggression, unable to focus; when I miss a dose: migraine, severe nausea, heart racing | I have never been great about taking medications daily, so the symptoms kept coming and going. It was the nausea that finally made me look up side effects. After reading other symptoms on this site I was able to realize why I have been such "nut case" the last several months. I have been concerned about a sudden increase in blood pressure. I already suffered from migraines, but could not figure out why I was having them so frequently with no known triggers. I have been withdrawing now for two days; I am so sick. | F | 41 | 4 months | 6/2/2008 | 1 | sinus drainage, itchy eyes | irritability, sadness, depression, memory loss, lethargy, fatigue, quick to anger, | I really wish that I had researched this drug before I took it. It does work well, but the side effects were quite severe for me. I would not recommend it. It caused problems at home and work. I have been off it for about 5 days now, and I feel so much better. When I started forgetting things, I knew that I either had a serious health problem, or something had changed in the last two months. I narrowed it down to changing from Claritin to Zyrtec. I decided to switch back to see if it made a difference. It has made a huge difference. I will never take it again, and I am warning anyone who will listen about the very negative side effects of this over the counter drug. | M | 43 | 6 weeks | 6/1/2008 | 1 | Debilitating seasonal allergies | Fatigue, dizziness, diarrhea, bloating, irritability, sweating, headache, mood swings | The day I started my first dose I started feeling not so hot, I thought I was just coming down with a cold or caught a stomach bug, but after researching and reading up on ZYRTEC, I will NOT be taking it any longer! I have only sneezed a few times in those few days, but I'd rather deal with allergies then these side effects. | F | 25 | 3 days | 5/31/2008 | 5 | allergies | excessive weight gain! | Zyrtec really alleviated my allergic reactions (environmental and food allergies) but I gained approx. 15 lbs within a few months of being on it. | F | 36 | 500 days | 5/29/2008 | 1 | Spring allergies | Mood and personality changes | My husband, a normally gentle soul, became depressed, angry, irritable, and short-tempered within a week or two of taking a generic brand of Zyrtec. This medication had been recommended by a co-worker who also runs an allergy office. My husband stopped taking the medication. In speaking with another co-worker whose child was taking Zyrtec, she said her daughter was experiencing the same symptoms. | F | 56 | 2 weeks | 5/27/2008 |