How To Get Over Zyrtec Withdrawal

Comment from: anonymous Female 1 to 6 months Caregiver Published: August 20

Used this otc because of a tick bite. I was prescribed OTC by my doctor. I was on it for 35 days. I am trying to wean myself off of it. When I don't take it I break out in hives. I now have itchy burning skin headache and it feels like something is crawling on me. This is terrible. I went from 10 mgs to 5 mgs. I am going cold turkey. My itching is awful. I googled the side effects of this OTC and see that a lot of people are having some of the same symptoms.

Comment from: No name 35-44 Female 1 to 6 months Patient Published: March 14

I began taking Zyrtec in the spring. It was very effective with relieving my allergy symptoms. I began spotting and bleeding irregularly around the same time. I did not attribute this to the Zyrtec at the time. I stopped Zyrtec over the summer and the spotting and irregular bleeding stopped. I began taking Zyrtec again in the fall when my allergies returned. As soon as I began taking the Zyrtec, I began spotting and bleeding irregularly again. I stopped taking Zyrtec and the spotting stopped. I havenâ??t had this issue since stopping Zyrtec.

Comment from: Jrm0914 25-34 Female 6 months to less than 1 year Patient Published: June 13

I have taken Zyrtec off and on. Never consistently until recently trying to remember to take it daily..especially with COVID-19 as I wanted to keep any allergies at bay.... but today I woke up with yellowish eyes. Apparently Zyrtec can cause severe liver problems and jaundice. Yeah.. no thank you. Now to figure out to heal my body from the damage Zyrtec has done.

Comment from: 35-44 Female 1 to less than 2 years Patient Published: August 29

Beware - once you start taking Zyrtec regularly, you are likely to experience addiction and be unable to stop it without significant withdrawal side effects. I have noticed that 24-48 hrs after taking Zyrtec, like clockwork, I experience extreme and uncontrollable itching and hives all over my body. (I never suffered from hives in my life until taking this drug.) This, of course, seems like an allergic reaction and makes you take more Zyrtec. I am extremely upset that the potential for significant withdrawal symptoms is not listed as a known drug effect. Johnson

Comment from: 45-54 Female 2 to less than 5 years Patient Published: August 21

I was happy that this product worked on my allergies but it came with a cost. My joints, legs, neck felt like I was 50 yrs older than I am. I walked like an old lady. After reading reviews I stopped taking it. Now I am uncontrollably itching everywhere. My hands, feet, scalp. It's horrible. I also gained 25 pounds on it. I won't be using it again. Nightmare. Gave me nightmares too.

Comment from: 45-54 Female 2 to less than 5 years Patient Published: August 07

After being on zyrtec for 3 years I decided to stop taking it to see if I could cope with my year round allergy to just about everything. After being off zyrtec for about 3 days I began getting itchy bumps all over my body and the feeling that I couldn't breathe. I thought I was just having an allergic reaction being hyper sensitive to whatever the medication had been blocking all those years. I decided to wait it out. After suffering for 2 more days my husband did some Internet searching and found to our horror that this was a side effect of the drug. So we went out, bought the smallest amount we could so I could taper off 4 days later still bumps, still itching. It is unbelievable that this information was not given to people and that doctors are pushing it on their patients as mine did. Something needs to be done about this. Thanks to zyrtec I now know how a junkie must feel.

Comment from: Monteguy1978 35-44 Male less than 1 month Patient Published: June 12

When I was first given Zyrtec it was a few years back and at the time I was also on xanax for anxiety so I thought the extra anxiety was just where my xanax wasn't working; well about a week ago I started taking zyrtec again after being off for 2 years. Here's where it gets interesting; my doctor had taken me off xanax the same day I was taken off the zyrtec. So I started again last week and today I woke up with a massive panic attack after feeling depressed for the last few days. Praying this stops. I don't want to be back on xanax again.

Comment from: DaC 45-54 Female 5 to less than 10 years Patient Published: May 22

Used in varying doses for years for allergies and inner ear problems. Did not make any conncetion between this medication and depression/anxiety symptoms. Stopped taking it completely for a while. Felt really good. Didnt think about it being the reason until seasonal alllergies started up again and I suddenly felt really down, anxious and like i wanted to cry. Took one this morning and felt the side effects kick in right away. I will stick to my nose spray. Its too bad because it does work very well.

Comment from: LauraM 25-34 Female 10 years or more Patient Published: May 08

I've been taking Zyrtec since high school for indoor/outdoor allergies. It was really helpful for my allergies, although I still needed to use a nasal spray to get rid of everything. Anyway, the withdrawal that people are mentioning is REAL. I don't know how or why it isn't anywhere on the packaging, but the itchiness is horrible. I have eczema, and tried to go off of Zyrtec before for an allergy test and had the worst itchiness of my life. For me, the itchiness feels like underneath my skin is itchy. No welts, no hives, just the overall feeling of itch. I went back on it thinking that it was allergies (I live in a major city, where smog, pollen, etc. make those without allergies - have allergies). My allergist also didn't know Zyrtec withdrawal was a "thing" either!! There are some articles out about how to cut down and they work, so I wanted to share it on this forum. You take your Zyrtec, cut it in half, and take a half dose every day for 5-7 days, then you move to taking that half dose every other day for 5-7 days, and then finally quit cold turkey. I did the half dose for a week, and then have stopped taking it. I'm having little to no itchiness (it's also spring allergy season, so that doesn't help - I've been putting local raw honey in my tea and honestly think that's helping), and I hope this helps others come off of this medication. If I had known this I wouldn't have started taking it, but I will be thrilled to finally be done with this drug!

Comment from: Earthgrow 35-44 Female 1 to 6 months Patient Published: May 03

I am a nurse who has been taking this for seasonal allergies and I wanted to write my observations on Zyrtec. I noticed depression in mood, weight gain, sluggish bowels and some urinary retention. All my seasonal allergy symptoms did not subside to my satisfaction. When getting off Zyrtec you may experience uncontrollable itching that you didn't have before taking the med, I'll tell you how to get off it without the itch. Start taking 10mg Claritin each night for two nights, then cut Claritin in half to 5mg and take for three more nights then stop taking Claritin, that takes the itch away and Claritin doesn't have the withdrawal itch. Once you stop Claritin and Zyrtec you will quickly lose any weight you gained and mood should improve. Hope that helps.

Comment from: Mike 35-44 Female 1 to less than 2 years Patient Published: April 17

I have took zertec for spring allergies and the days that I would have to cut my grass, because I get severe head pressure and pain from the histamine my body would produce. It seemed to work. I didn't take it every day because it is kind of expensive to me. A family member told me I can buy it at The Dollar Tree for a dollar a pack so I bought it and started taking it every day during the spring and fall allergy seasons. I would take it right before I leave the house. I have to drive around to different jobsite for work. But I couldn't drive any more. It was so hard. I was so confused. I could not dare even turn my head, only look straight ahead. I would seem to get better once I finally made it to the job site, and felt ok. Also I was having chest pain or pressure which seemed to be related to constipation.and then my knack started to hurt all the time. Tight and pressure. Also I would fall asleep right after supper every night, about 6 ocklock. It was like I was drunk and passing out. I forgot to take it one Friday and I felt so good, i was normal again..aturday I took it and I was miserable again. So I decided to stop taking zertec and I feel so good . I feel ten years younger. No kneck pain or chest pressure. No confusion. I see more clearly and think more clearly. No more constipation. Zertec is a powerful drug. Be careful. If you take it try stopping for a while. You may forget who you are or were. I did.

Comment from: Aubrey 35-44 Female 5 to less than 10 years Patient Published: April 05

I am doing this because I am currently trying to get off of zyrtec after taking it daily for many years, as prescribed by my dr. DO NOT TAKE THIS. Withdrawal from this drug is total hell. I don't know how to stop taking it. I cut my pills in half and took that for 2 weeks. Then I started every other day. Now my pills are gone, and I have hives and massive welts all over my body. I feel like my skin is bubbling. It itches and burns so badly. I can't sleep. It's hard to work. I look like a junkie or something. If anyone can help me, please let me know. I no longer have health insurance, and I have a hard time trusting doctors anymore.

SLIDESHOW

Prescription Drug Abuse: Addiction, Health Risks, and Treatments See Slideshow

Comment from: slysi 65-74 Female less than 1 month Patient Published: March 20

WOW after reading up on this med here ...I quit after 2 pills ! So scary that companies can put product on the market for over the counter use that can do things like people have encountered!

Comment from: _Hey_Dez 45-54 Female less than 1 month Patient Published: January 22

While helpful to alleviate my sinus pressure, this drug had terrible side effects. It started when I was hit with a debilitating dizzy spell right after taking the pill for the first time. This was only 4 days ago. The dizzy spells continued, with bouts of nausea. Later, I went into a tail spin of depression. I was unable to get out of bed, exhausted, sad, crying, and had the worst feeling of hopelessness. I quit taking the drug after only 3 days. Today, I am somewhat my old self, but would never take this again, or recommend. I basically spent 3 days in bed wishing I would die, that I will never get back.

Comment from: dabrink 55-64 Female 1 to 6 months Patient Published: January 08

I experienced persistent backache, headache, sleep problems, extreme fatigue, lethargy, zero motivation,depression,weight gain and INTENSE sore muscles especially neck, shoulders and back. I didn't realize it was this medicine until I forgot to take it two days. I felt like my old self and my body stopped hurting. A light went on and I thought that maybe the med was causing my issues...so i decided to do an experiment by taking it the next day...and woke up hurting, tired, and foggy and miserable... I'm done with this medication. I will be telling my ENT Dr about my experience. Perhaps he'll caution his patients when advising them to take it. I'm just so glad I figured it out. I think Zyrtec should add these other side effects to their list.

Comment from: Female Caregiver Published: December 06

I'm a writer looking to talk to people who have suffered adverse effects upon stopping regular Zyrtec use, in particular, the chronic itching that seems very common. Are you interested in sharing your story for my article? Let me know here: https://www.jessicamisener.net/contact/ Thanks!

Comment from: JayKaaze1 35-44 Male 10 years or more Caregiver Published: October 27

My son who is now 15 has used Zyrtec since he was 3-4 years; he has asthma, Eczema and certain food allergies; pediatricians have recommended that he be on 10 mg Zyrtec daily. He's addicted to the chemical and develops withdraws and severe outbreak of hives and swelling if he does not take it. He's had issues with anxiety, irritability, insomnia, nightmares, since elementary school. it's gotten worse in his middle school period to the point he has had to miss school excessively because of anxiety, lack of sleep and energy. His eating habits impacted; suffers from chronic constipation and diarrhea. He attended not even 50% of required days in his freshman high school year due to anxiety and depression, insomnia and hallucination, suicidal thoughts. But he's so gifted and managed to pass all his classes except Gym and History and remains in honors'class. He has lost interest in sports which he loved, wants to stay in his room playing or watching videos/ video games. I have sought help from psychologists, psychiatrists and other counseling SERVICES to no avail. He no longer is unable to attend school, can't sleep without the 10mg if Zyrtec, and has panic attacks every nights and mornings. I have tried to take the medication away, but his mom still insists that he needs it and must to take it to manage hives and swelling lips, hands and feet). Our lives have been turned upside down, i would do anything to get my son's health back, this medication is dangerously addicting and might have side effects not totally documented.

Comment from: Rich0814 65-74 Female 6 months to less than 1 year Patient Published: October 14

Nightmares after a few days. Depression, tiredness,stomach upset,laziness,achiness.

Comment from: Csavage 35-44 Female less than 1 month Patient Published: August 23

I used this medication yesterday as I was going to be outside all day. It made me feel very much in a fog. Later in the evening, we went to dinner and I had a beer with dinner and I got so sleepy that I slept for 2 hrs in the car and then went to bed when we got home. The following morning I felt Depressed and hopeless. I will never take again. Pretty scary.

Comment from: Obrienk 35-44 Female less than 1 month Patient Published: August 05

After one week of taking Zyrtec , I felt so depressed I was having suicidal thoughts . It quickly brought on MAJOR depression causing me to not want to get out of bed! Wow, Iâ??m so glad I made the correlation or Iâ??d probably be dead. Now back on Claritin d which made me feel sooo much better in just over 24 hours . Itâ??s amazing how some medicines react so differently to individual body chemistry . My boyfriend takes Zyrtec and it works like a charm for him.