ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1816 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ZYRTEC with similar:
Type: Over-the-counter Drug
|
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 | allergies | Aggressive behavior and irritability in 5 year old son. He would become upset over small issues. | My 5 year old has taken Zyrtec on and off with colds and allergy symptoms over the last year. We always thought his aggressive behavior and irritability was due to the fact he was sick during the time he was taking the medicine. (He also takes Singulair, Nasonex and Pulmicort.) This makes it hard to determine what med is causing his problems. He is experiencing a very difficult allergy season now and his 5mg/day dose was not working as well as it once had. My pediatrician recommended increasing his dosage to 10 mg/day. I checked the internet to make sure this was appropriate for his age and came across this website. We took him off Zyrtec 2 days ago and have already noticed a significant difference. I am so relieved and what a joy to have my son's happy personality back! Now we just have to determine what medicine will work for him without the side effects. Any suggestions? We do have appointments with an ENT and allergist over the next two weeks. Hopefully we will get some r | F | 36 | 1 years | 3/28/2007 | 1 | Environmental allergies | I am both relieved and horrified that I am not alone in dealing with the side effects with our six year old son. He was recently increased to two tsp....coincindentally his anger and aggression doubled at this time. We took him off, only to deal with hives but I don't care. The change is so positive, we have a bright, happy, loving child instead of a crazy screaming irritable one. Some one should do something, esp. since so many ADHD and autistic children might be having symptoms aggrivated with this drug. | Anyone know how to get the word out on possible side effects for our little ones? | F | 42 | 6 months | 3/26/2007 | 1 | allergies | My 6 year old has been on zyrtec for a few months, and I am horrified to read the responses - the behavior, irritability, nightmares, intense anger, moodiness, yelling, just general nasty problems we've been having, our lives our upside down over this. A couple weeks ago, his dosage was increased to 2 tsp - the allergist said the only side affect was tiredness! I feel horrible, thinking the hell we've been through could be a result of zyrtec?! I am thankful I found this site today. Tonight I am dropping his dose to 1 tsp and then in a day or two 1/2 tsp, and then off, to see if his emotions improve. | F | 35 | 5 months | 3/25/2007 | 2 | Allergies | I was alert and awake the day before I started taking this. I slep t very well, but the next day I felt like I needed more sleep. On my second day I feel like I haven't slept right in over a week. I feel sleep deprived, but I have zero allergies. I don't think it's worth it. | I'd rather take Benadryl. Zyrtec makes me feel exhausted. Benadryl makes me drowsy, but not to such an extreme. | F | 30 | 2 days | 3/21/2007 | 5 | year-long allergies/sinusitis | VERY drowsy when I take it in the morning, so I take it in the early evening, though I'm STILL drowsy the next day, like I could just lay my head down and fall asleep anytime, I have a hard time wanting to get out of bed, feel lazier in general. BIGGIE~ 30 lb weight gain in ONE year, and ALWAYS hungry!! AGGHHH!!!! | For its intended purpose, this is the BEST antihistimine I have ever taken, started on Clartin, progressed to Allegra180, and now Zyrtec 5-10mg/day. It wipes out the itch in my eyes, post nasal drip I thought I would drown in, sinus pain and pressure and, also got rid of a 'big ball of fur' type of feeling in the back of my throat (probably irritation from Post nasal drip..). The weight gain is horrible, after losing 135 pounds and keeping it off for 5 years (before starting Zyrtec), to gain this much weight is VERY troubling to me, I have tried to get off of Zyrtec and wind up with horrible sinus headaches, so maybe some day I can wean slowly off of it.....!! Some day SOON | F | 37 | 1 years | 3/17/2007 | 5 | Recuring Hives - unknown allergy | Occasional drowsiness. | 1 pill/day 10mg taken in the morning. I have been very pleased with Zyrtec's ability to keep the hives away. I still get redness and hot patches (skin gets very hot to touch) where the "itchy hives" would have been. When the Zyrtec starts wearing off, the "itchy hives" come back. Occassionally, the hives falre up badly and I have to take an extra Zyrtec and a few times had to dose way up on Benedryl. Benedryl seems to help far better during severe cases when I get a snout full of whatever my allergin is. Zyrtec is not a cure. It is a suppressant. | M | 36 | 9 months | 3/17/2007 | 2 | severe allergies/sinuses | Totally lethargic - I could not get through the day without having to take a two hour nap; decreased sex drive; increased irritability | Not worth all the added side effects- I'll stick with Claritin | F | 24 | 2 months | 3/16/2007 | 2 | Allergies | Significant weight gain. Went from 145 when I started taking it to almost 170 when I stopped. This was over a 1 1/2 span of taking the medication. | It worked great for my allergies. I slept better and had increased energy. But I could not lose the weight. Went cold turkey in December 2006 and down 5 pounds since stopping. | M | 28 | 1.5 years | 3/12/2007 | 3 | itching | Forgetfullness, tiredness, brain fog, headaches, Weight gain | I have been taking zyrtec for over 2 years, nearly everyday. On several occasions I have tried to give this up, but by the 3rd day my itching becomes so severe that I am almost in tears. So back I go to Zyrtec. I have put on over 30 pounds in the 2 years, partly due to lifestyle but also, I feel, due to long term use of this drug. It's as if my metabolism has completely slowed down. I also walk about in a semi-daze for most of the day and find socialising is difficult as I am too tired to enjoy any event! Yes, Zyrtec works better than any other drugs I have taken in the same class. However, doctors have told me there 'should' be no side affects from taking this drug long term, but alas, I truly believe there are!! However, to stop all together is equally as frightening as the itching seems to come back much more than before.... | F | 44 | 2 days | 3/11/2007 | 1 | hives, itching, seasonal allergies | While I was on zrytec my appetite increased a lot. I gained over 20 pounds even though I exercised 5 days a week. I had always been very athletic and skinny and I am careful with my diet. Even on very healthy meals and with high levels of excercise I gained tremendous weight. I looked swollen and bloated. I also had high blood pressure and during doses I would get severe itching making me think I needed the zyrtec to stop the itching. I did not think it could have been the zyrtec that was causing or exacerbating it. I was always tired and sleepy. My mind seemed foggy. I thought these were symptoms of my allergies and that zyrtec was helping. Quite the contrary, zyrtec was in fact the culprit! | I came off zyrtec 7 months ago. I told everyone that I would write back if coming off helped. IT DID! The severe itching went away, my weight dropped off me almost immediately. My high blood pressure returned to normal. Clarity came back. Looking back on the experience, I could not believe that zyrtec could cause so much damage. No amount of exercise or diet would have prevented or reduced the tremendous weight gain. The other side effects (itching, feeling dreamy, sleepy) were due to zyrtec. As allergy sufferers we do not need these extra complications. Those symptoms are so close to your allergy symptoms you may not even realize they are side effects of the medication you are taking. Zyrtec is a dangerous drug. Ask your doctor to switch to something else. The relief from seasonal allergies is NOT WORTH the side effects of zyrtec. It should be taken off the market. It is a dangerous drug. | F | 31 | 8 months | 3/11/2007 | 5 | Allergies/post nasal drip | Zyrtec makes me a little tired, but I take it before bed and have no complaints. | I suffered from year round allergies which caused post nasal drip that lead to severe sore throats and swollen glands. Since taking Zyrtec I rarely experience sore throats and feel that my immune system is stronger since I no longer have to constantly fight with my allergies. I am also VERY sensitive to most meds and experience the full range of side effects, but not from this drug. | F | 27 | 2 years | 3/7/2007 | 1 | Allergies | Irritability, aggressive behavior, loss of appetite. After a couple of days on the drug, we had to take our son in for extreme drunk-like behavior. He walked around with a limp all day and was slurring his speech. At the time, I was thinking the worst, like a brain tumor or something. At the recommendation of his pediatrician, we took him off it for two days then started him back on it at half the original dose. He was walking and talking better, but we still definitely noticed increased irritability and moodiness, as well as having problems getting along with his friends, and he would cry at the drop of a hat. I felt like I was always disciplining him over his behavior, when all along it was the effects of this drug. Then we took him off it completely for about 3 days, and he got a rash all over his body, but his temperment was back to normal--we got our sweet, calm son back! | DO NOT PUT YOUR CHILDREN ON THIS DRUG!!! | M | 3 | 1 days | 3/5/2007 | 4 | Itching / hives | Mild sleepiness and not safe to drive for at least about 4 hours after taking it. While I may seem alert, my brain can just "malfunction" and cause me to run off the road. | While Zyrtec can cause some sleepiness, it is an angel compared to Ararax and Vistaril. In fact, 4 10mg pills a day (40 mg/day) of Zyrtec is MUCH less sedating than even 10-20 mg of Atarax, and has not led to near as many mistakes and memory loss. I found Zyrtec to be the most powerful drug that I've tried for hives, that doesn't screw up my brain royally. For my hives, it is proven to be 24-25 times as powerful as Allegra, milligram per milligram, and about 2-3 times as powerful as Claritin. If Zyrtec and Claritin together can't control my hives and itching, even when coupled with Zantac, an H2 blocker, I'll probably have to go back to the old and HEAVILY SEDATING crap, like Atarax. Mr. Itch, GO TO HELL! | M | 39 | 10 years | 2/27/2007 | 3 | allergies | Another story about the itching when you try to get off it: when I told my allergist I was experiencing itching, he insisted it means I have exema and the zyrtec has been suppressing it (I have never had a sign of exema). Could he really not know it's a problem? | F | 43 | 3 years | 2/26/2007 | 1 | ALLERGIES | reduced inching yes. Instigated ASTHMA attacks. did not help cat allergy! i am allergic to dust mites, oak, pine, ragweed, and cats. but ESPECIALLY CATS!! (that is really the entire reason i need an antihistamine) | I had been taking Allegra (and the generic) for about 9 years prior (claratin gave me dry mouth, drowsiness, and headaches). Allegra is GREAT!!! Zyrtec gave me no relief from my cat allergies, and actually induced an asthma attack. (I do not get asthma attacks often, maybe once every year or two) And after taking this I noticed it but thought that it was silly to think a pill could give me one. SO I took it two more times (in the presence of allergens of course) and sure enough both times I got an asthma attack that rapidly worsened - which is bad for someone with such rare asthma cause they don't carry an inhaler with them. | F | 23 | 3 days | 2/23/2007 | 4 | Nose and Eye allergies to pets | Iam tired if i take this medication in the morning.. So i take it at night. Sometimes i think its making me feel a little depressed or irritable. I went off the med for about a month and started taking it again for my horrible eye allergies. I guess the benefits out weight the side effects | F | 22 | 4 months | 2/15/2007 | 1 | Hives | Strong food cravings which caused weight gain, digestive problems and fatigue. | I do not recommend Zyrtec. I got stomach cramps and diarrhea. I had strong food cravings and therefore gained a lot of weight within only two weeks. I was also really tired during the day and had to take hour-long naps. I started taking Zyrtec together with Prednisone. After I stopped the Prednisone the side effects did not stop and acually got worse, plus the hives came back. After I stopped taking Zyrtec the sympoms dissappeared, but the hives were better than before I started taking any medication. My experience was that the hives were stress related and it has gotten a lot better since I accepted having the hives and do not have so much stress anymore. | F | 19 | 2 weeks | 2/13/2007 | 1 | seasonal allergies | incredible fatigue, inability to wake up in the morning, immediate weight gain | seems to work well for allergies, but side effects are dramatic. I was given 2 weeks of samples before getting a prescription filled. was finally able to sleep well at night (was on Allegra-D for 6 months prior and had difficulty sleeping more than 3 hrs at a time). However now i'm sleeping 10-12 hours and groggy and yawning all day long. Physically exhausted, not interested in exercise. In 2 weeks have gained enough weight so my pants no longer fit. I'd hate to see how much I would gain if I stayed on it. | M | 39 | 15 days | 2/9/2007 | 1 | Sinus Headaches | Heart beat is too strong and fast. Tired and Sleepy. I have been hungry all day. Just two days on this medicine and I already know I can't take it. Ringing in my ears. High pitch noises make me cringe. | Not worth taking it. There has got to be a better way to get rid of these sinus headaches! | F | 46 | 2 days | 2/7/2007 | 5 | Chronic allergies | The itching!!! As with others reported here, about 2-3 days without Zyrtec the itching starts. I thought I was nuts. After several times of purposely going off the medication, it was confirmed. The itching started and was unbearable. | I do get tremendous allergy relief, but I'm amazed nothing has been done to address the itching withdrawal condition. I take no other medications. | F | 41 | 2 years | 2/6/2007 |