ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)

Average Rating: 2.0 (1815 Ratings)

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 ANTIHISTAMINES

 Type: Over-the-counter Drug

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTECCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  Allergies Malaise, exhaustion, confuses dreams, depression Symptoms are listed at < 2% of population taking the medication. Am I just that lucky? M 51 1 months
4/24/2008
 1  allergies Instant change of mood to TOTAL RAGE & ANGER, especially with conflict. It is about 24-36 hrs after I stopped taking, am restless and cannot sleep. Had bad dreams when I could sleep. Same side effects (irritability, rage, restlessness, insomnia, and an extreme sense of urgency on insignificant things) I had from prescription drugs (Levaquin & others) for sinus infection. Heart hit harder (not severe), somewhat faster at times, but when I stopped taking it my heart felt like it wanted to jump through my throat. Did not put it all together until I finally reasoned through after it got repeatedly BITTER in my relationship due to my dramatic mood swings. Reasoning was easy, first I had to accept there was a problem. My girlfriend telling me I was irrational did not help but she was correct. It was tough to accept what was going on, I would just fly off the handle over nothing/everything. I seemed “fine” until the slightest insignificant conflict, such as not agreeing on dinner. I was not fine, I was a powder keg with a short f M 47 2 months
4/23/2008
 1  spring allergies breast tenderness, heart racing, trouble sleeping I took one pill yesterday around 8:00 p.m. I had trouble falling asleep because my heart kept racing and the heart racing kept waking me up if I did fall asleep. I noticed when I got up this morning that my breasts were tender. I don't usually have any of these problems so I decided to google side effects of zyrtec and found this website. No more for me. F 42 1 days
4/22/2008
 1  Outdoor Seasonal Allergies Depression, weakened reaction, mental strain, inability to focus, feeling extremly out of it, ect I had taken Zyrtec last year for spring allergies and it worked well for that, but i had forgotten i stopped taking it due to these side effects. So a year later my allergies were kicking in again and i bought a bottle of the newly over-the-counter drug. after taking it and heading off to school i began to feel very out of it; in an almost dream like or sedated state. With this very strong feeling i felt terribly depressed and even feeling a little suicidal, dizzy, mentally strained and an overall "zombie-like" high feeling. I could also not focus one bit on my school work and felt psychologically lost all day long. however it did work pretty well for my allergies, but i really would not want to spend another day on Zyrtec. terrible drug, how the hell is this over-the-counter? take this crap off the shelves. M 18 1 days
4/22/2008
 5  allergies Hives on my neck and scalp base. Very itchy could not figure what was wrong until I read all the comments. Does NOT say that on the bottle!! They should disclose this!!! Take allegra..... F 58 8 days
4/21/2008
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 2  common allergies tired, not motivated, weight gain (even though I doubled my cardio), weak, depressed, lack of sexual drive. I never put these symptoms with Zyrtec, but after reading these responses, I feel both good and bad. Good because I may have an answer to feeling so tired/weak. Bad because I just purchased 5 months supply. M 42 1 years
4/21/2008
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 1  seasonal and food allergies My 5-year-old son was experiencing seasonal allergies and also hives, we think from berries, and the doctor prescribed him with Zyrtec. We didn't notice any major behavioral issues but he did begin periodically to have what we thought were night terrors - wide-eyed, screaming nightmares so vivid that it was increasingly difficult to wake him. We stopped the Zyrtec when the hives and summer sniffles went away, and the nightmares stopped, too. We still didn't put it together until last week, when spring allergies started and we resumed the Zyrtec, and the night terrors began again. We call this drug "Nightmares in a Bottle," at least for our child. What a terrifying experience, for us and him. Please spread the word to parents. F 42 2 years
4/21/2008
 1  seasonal allergies My wife says the will divorce me if I take any more. It works o.k. on the allergies but- It makes you too critical of others and makes things blurt out of your mouth that you would not normally say. M 49 15 days
4/21/2008
 1  to reduce fluid in ear My once pleasant and polite 6 year old daughter turned into a she-devil. She began having attacks that were almost panic-like. She absolutely could not control herself. We did not immediately make the connection to the medication as she had been taking it for approximately 6 weeks prior to these symptoms. We started with behavior modifications and nothing worked then something clicked and I looked into drug side effects and was relieved to see that maybe it really wasn't something that she could control. She has extreme night terrors and completely freaks out. She cannot be controlled at these times. She also has been very mean to her younger sister and cousin. You cannot talk sense into her. She has been off the medication for 4 days now and last night was the first night in 2 weeks that she did not freak out when she woke up in her bed. She did wake up but only once with no behavior problems. I am hopeful that as the medication leaves her system our daughter will return! F 6 6 weeks
4/20/2008
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 1  5-yr-old daughter has allergies Mood swings, irritability, tearfulness, fatigue, sleepiness. My 5-yr-old daughter has seasonal allergies and we tried OTC Zyrtec for the first time. It worked great on her allergy symptomms, however her behavior changed and I couldn't tell why until weeks later a friend of mine told me about her daughter's experience with Zyrtec. My normally happy and sociable daughter was cranky all the time, and would have meltdowns similar to those of a 2-year-old. She was crying non-stop on some days, and just seemed overall miserable and depressed. I have stopped giving her Zyrtec 2 days ago and am hoping to see improvement soon. I am glad I stumbled upon this website and read all the comments. I'm not alone!! F 5 3 weeks
4/20/2008
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 5  Multiple allergies Extreme itching if went 36 hours without a dose I have been taking allergy medications for 40 years and went through several cycles of immunotherapy. Zyrtec was very effective (about 95%) in treating allergy symptoms and preventing recurring sinus and ear infections. In fact, I told anyone that I talked to with allergies that Zyrtec was the best thing since sliced bread. However, I was very concerned about the withdrawal effect (extreme itching) and felt the drug might somehow be affecting my immune system. I originally only used the Zyrtec seasonally, but for the past 2 or 3 years have used it year-round because of the itching I experienced when I stopped using it. I have developed some arthritis, dermatographia and gained 35 pounds since I have been on Zyrtec. All I know for sure is that I can attribute the withdrawal itching to Zyrtec. Since Zyrtec has gone otc it is an added incentive to get off of it. I tried going cold-turkey but went nuts with the itching. I am using Claritin which causes me headaches and drowsiness M 49 7 years
4/19/2008
 2  seasonal allergies temper tantrums, irritable, My 7 year old has spring allergies every year. We have used Claritin but last year noticed it was not working as well. We tried giving it to him, under doctors advice at the 18 hour point which did help. This bothered me, giving a child so much medicine each day. We tryed zyrtec this week. Today markes day 3 and I will not be giving it to him again. Yesterdy I noticed he was very irritable, unable to focus on his homework and cranky. Today he has had several temper tantrums and can not play with his friens. I am so glad I found this site and realized that Zytec may be the cause. I see that some have had trouble coming off the medication so before I give it to my child again I will stop now and go back to Claritin. F 44 3 days
4/19/2008
 1  Allergies Extreme fatigue and drowsiness VERY effective, but side effect of fatigue was not worth it. Used twice and I will not use this again. F 33 3 days
4/19/2008
 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
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