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 | pet and pollen allergies | I took it for nearly a year before realizing that my insomnia and depression were caused by Zyrtec. I went off Zyrtec simply to get the antihistamines out of my body so I could be tested for additional allergies, and my mood lifted tremendously. So, I really inadvertently discovered that Zyrtec was causing my depression. I am so angry no one told me about this when I started taking it. It would have saved me so much misery. | F | 40 | 1 years | 9/8/2006 | 4 | Seasonal Allergies | Drowsiness, increased appetite, and dry mouth are the main side effects I have experienced. I went from a 10 mg dose to a 5 mg dose to combat the drowsiness but still find myself experiencing insatiable hunger. | I rated it a "4" because it really does control my allergy symptoms, but my appetite has been over the top. I'm only going to take it when I wake up with severe allergy symptoms. I can't risk the possibility of extreme weight gain. | F | 42 | 1 years | 9/6/2006 | 1 | We are investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | We are investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | | 9/5/2006 | 1 | Our law office is investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | Our law office is investigating the effects of Zyrtec on infants, children and teenagers. If you have a child who has taken Zyrtec and would be interested in speaking with us further about the adverse effects experienced while taking the drug, please contact Lisa Scherer or Harvey Franklin at 888/705-6800 between the hours of 8 and 5. We are located in California. | | 9/5/2006 | 2 | Sinus and throat allergies | TERRIBLE WITHDRAWAL - If I ever missed a dose (36+ hours), I experienced terrible itching. My solution was always to take another dose. Before long I was not taking the Zyrtec for my allergies, but rather to prevent the itching. I was told by a counselor friend of mine that it sounded like I was experiencing withdrawal. I researched, found this site, and have read that others have experienced similar withdrawal symptoms. I quit taking Zyrtec cold turkey and am experiencing frequent fits of INTENSE itching all over my body. I'm told that this should last about two weeks. So far it's one of the worst things I've ever experienced. A typical itching episode lasts from 45 minutes to 2 hours (of nonstop scratching)! I then usually get 30 minutes to an hour of no itching before it starts back up. | I gave a rating of 2 because I'm not satisfied with the withdrawal symptoms. However, when I first began taking Zyrtec, it relieved my sinus and throat allergies wonderfully. But all the allergy relief in the world is not worth what I'm going through. I would stay far, far away from Zyrtec. | M | 30 | 3 years | 9/3/2006 | 5 | general hay fever | Dry Eyes and Nostrils. Minimal side effects with a 5 mg dose. Significantly greater effects with the normal 10 mg dose. | I only use Zyrtec on an as needed basis about once per week most of the year and two to four times per week during the spring pollen season. A 5 mg dose works great for controlling my allergy symptoms. Both my doctor and pharmacist said it was okay to cut the 10 mg tablets in half, so, I am using a pill cutter to do that. | M | 62 | 5 years | 8/25/2006 | 5 | hives | Drowsiness, fatigue. I don't take zyrtec regulary, but whenever I take this med, I would have to stay home for 24 hours because I am very sleepy, tired and would want to stay in bed. I tried taking only half of the 10mg, but it doesn't work very well. | I only take zyrtec when I have a really bad allergy. | F | 51 | 6 months | 8/21/2006 | 1 | asthma and allergies | behavioral changes to the worse drowsyness irritability weight gain extreme hunger ect. ect. | some symptoms may have been relived but not all and it was not worth the side effects | M | 18 | 2 times | 8/21/2006 | 1 | asthma and allergies | mood swings irritibility you name it | TAKE THE DRUG OFF THE MARKET IT IS EVIL. | M | 1 years | 8/20/2006 | 5 | hives | I started developing hives about 7 years ago for no reason. my doc did all these test and I was fine. I even changed everything in my house that I was using to see maybe I developed an allergy to something. no immune problems either. I tried a couple of different meds and nothing worked. my hives were severe. They would start around my joints move to my hands and feet and wrist, then move to the rest of my body, even in my throat, my face and me eyes would itch. It was the worst feeling. zyrtec is the only thing that surpressed it. I take it every 3 days for the past 7 yrs.It literally saved my life. | I take the generic brand of zyrtec because its a whole lot cheaper and works just as good. | M | 32 | 7 years | 8/16/2006 | 2 | Seasonal Allergies | Weight gain, extreme irritability, overly sensitive, moderate depressive symptoms, extreme lethargy (I have been consistently late to work because it is so hard to get out of bed). | All it really did was get rid of my sinus headaches and the sneezing. I still had itchy, watery eyes and a really stuffy nose. | F | 25 | 25 days | 8/13/2006 | 5 | A ton of Allergies & Asthma | Drowsiness...didn't realize why I was always tired until I actually added on a new medication called Topamax for epilepsy this March (about 5 months ago) & combined the two meds and was really really tired and was almost falling alseep while driving...& then read the side effects of zyrtec and said to myself..."oh that's why I was always tired." | Zyrtec was my LIFE SAVOR!!! Saved me from going to an allergist. It is sad to say though I just got new Health insurance b/c I switched jobs and now my health insurance won't cover it...(I was dumb enough not to look into that) now I am worried that the new medicine won't work as well. (Claritin, also known as Loratadine) I was also on Allegra for 3 years but my body actually got immune to it, and wouldn't work anymore. I have felt that zyrtec works the best for me. It helped with the worst cases of itchy eyes, hives, runny nose, congestion etc. | F | 23 | 2.5 years | 8/11/2006 | 4 | severe rash/hives | Slight lethargy, but eminently bearable compared to Benadryl, which knocked me out completely. | I took this to help clear up a severe rash due to an allergic reaction to sulfa drugs, and it made the hives disappear fairly quickly, within 2 or 3 days. It was supposed to take a week, so I was very happy. However, my brother has taken it for hay fever, and it did not help him at all. It is also very expensive. I have 25 pills left and will try them for allergies in the spring, just so as not to waste $60. | F | 18 | 5 days | 8/11/2006 | 1 | environmental allergies | Allergies were better but noticed I put on 15 pounds and could not lose any weight. Mostly noticed in waist, hips, thighs. Now that I've been off for only 2 weeks I can tell my pants are fitting better, don't feel so "thick" in the middle. Now I realize my mind is much clearer and I have more energy! | I don't recommend this medicine if you're a woman who wants to avoid weight gain, or with concerns over feeling clear-headed. | F | 28 | 4 months | 8/10/2006 | 5 | Allergies | None | Worked wonders!! Expensive but well worth it!! | F | 28 | 4 weeks | 8/9/2006 | 1 | Suspected allergies | My almost-2 year old daughter started taking zyrtec because we thought that her coughing and sneezing was due to springtime allergies. Her personality totally changed on the zyrtec. She threw terrible tantrums, was completely irrational and unhappy, and became extremely moody. She would wake up at night screaming and crying and was very difficult to soothe. She became almost like a different person. Once I suspected the zyrtec was the root of the problem, I took her off immediately (she was only on for about 4 days). Within 2 days, she was back to her old self. I STRONGLY adivse parents who are prescribed zyrtec for their children to monitor them closely and look for behavioral changes. No one warned me about it and I am just so thankful that we realized it so quickly. My ped had no idea about the side effects (and I am not sure I was able to convince him of it). BEWARE! | F | 2 | 4 days | 8/7/2006 | 3 | Seasonal Allergies | weight gain/increased appetite, irritability, mild depression | Zyrtec didn't really work that well for me by itself so my doctor gave me a nasal spray to use with it. That helped, but it still didn't get rid of my symptoms completely. The side effects aren't worth it to me so I'm going off it. | F | 26 | 60 days | 8/1/2006 | 5 | Cat allergies | Didn't think there were any, but weight gain might be one. I stopped taking Zytec and switched to Allegra for 1 month when insurance wouldn't pay, and lost 10 pounds without trying. Allegra didn't work so am happy to pay extra for the Zyrtec. | This is my miracle drug - nothing else relieves my symptoms from cat allergies. However, this year for the first time in my life I had spring hayfever and even Zyrtec didn't help. | F | 39 | 4 years | 7/29/2006 | 1 | Sinus Infection | I lost the ability to sweat during the summer of 2005. It all started after I had a sinus infection. I was given a Z-Pack and Zyrtec-D, which got rid of the sinus infection. However, my feet began to itch shortly thereafter. I visited several doctors, all of whom prescribed different antihistamines (Allegra, Hydroxizine, and Zyrtec) to treat the itching. After a while, the itching spread, and I eventually stopped sweating. Instead of sweating, my entire body was covered with a painful “prickly” sensation, as if my skin were being pierced with thousands of pins. The pain was most intense whenever I tried to exercise, and I frequently broke out in hives. Giving up all hope, I stopped taking all antihistamines in October of 2005, but the pain continued for several months thereafter. At one point, I was investigating the use of steroids to improve my condition. After considering my options, I decided to wait it out. I am very | I have done some research and discovered that in October 2005, a medical journal published an article called "Adverse Cutaneous Reactions of Systemic Antihistamines" (Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents, Volume 4, Number 5, October 2005, pp. 521-529(9). I would love to read this article. It seems the medical community is just beginning to realize that their prized antihistamines may be causing much of the trouble they are supposed to be curing. During the course of my affliction I consulted with three allergists, and they all refused to consider that I was having an allergic reaction to a drug they so frequently prescribe (even when I suggested the possibility). I only wish one of them had advised me to stop taking everything, rather than prescribing the alternative antihistamines which worsened my condition. It is my hope that my experience will assist those who have similar symptoms. | M | 28 | 5 months | 7/29/2006 | 2 | Allergies | I have gained 20 lbs in one month, am tired all the time, my hips, knees, ankles hurt, along with my lower back, my periods keep coming earlier and earlier and I am having leg and foot cramps. I went to an internist who thought I might have rheumatoid arthritis but that test was negative. He referred me to a sleep specialist for possible sleep apnea. My regular dr. ran tests for lupus, lyme disease, ms, diabetes etc and no one can figure out what is wrong. After reading this site I am going off zyrtec and see if my symptoms get better. | F | 44 | 2 months | 7/27/2006 |