Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 11)

I want to know how many are suffering from withdrawal from this drug that causes itching all over the body. At the people's pharmacy there is an article about this very problem, yet Zyrtec doesn't list the information on their web site. This is my third attempt to get off of this med and I'm going crazy from the itching.

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ive had the same problem i just half to keep takeing it or ich and go crazy === loyd

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Thank God I'm not the only one!!!! I thought I was going crazy. The itching is so bad and of course I have sensitive skin so I get red blotchy and get welts wherever I itch. Hope everyone suffering from this finds relief cuz it sucks!!!

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To get off of the zyrtec , instead of taking it, I took benadryl at nite when going to sleep for the nite, for a few days in a row, and then stopped that. Then after that I had very mild rare itching for about two days and then it was totally gone.

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Hi, I know your post was awhile ago, but just curious when the itching stopped , easily true it takes about 15 days?
Thank you

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Try going gluten free, I have just discovered that gluten is the cause of my 12 years of hives. I'm reading these posts because I am now going off Allegra since I don't need it.

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too bad zyrtec has such a bad withdrawal syndrome because for me, it works ten times better than claritin

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Thank you all! I've been taking allergy meds if one kind or another for 30+ years. Ceterizine (generic zyrtec) for about a year. I recently realized if I forget I get insanely itchy which is what woke me up at 2 a.m. this morning...I grabbed a pill and decided to look it up and found this post...realized probably explains the weight gain and declining hair health as well. More research and dosage reduction starts today.

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Day 9 zyrtec free, stopped cold turkey and itching is pretty much gone! Didn't think I could last and wanted to rip my skin off but persevered!! Be strong u can do it!! Btw: Johnson and Johnson baby oatmeal lotion helped. Also took about 400 mgs of ibuprofen throughout the day.
Bottom line, you have had ANTI histamine in you.... The withdrawal is your body trying to regain its normal histamine level .... Good luck fellow scratchers , persevere it will go away.! Stay away from zyrtec!

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My problems started 10 days after weaning down and then stopping Zyrtec for hives. I started getting histamine reactions after eating certain foods and feeling a complete dis-regulation of my body. The itching was internal as well. Ended up trying different antihistamines and nothing worked until I went back on Zyrtec. Still taking a baby dose every day. Susan

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I'm having the same withdrawal problem with zyrtec/generic. I've been on this meds for a few years ever since it went OTC. My doc wanted me to take it everyday. Some days I forget to take it and that's when I noticed the itching. When I take it, the itchiness goes away. I got worried and talked to my doc and she told me to go off of it for the winter since I'm not suffering from allergies right now. It's been a week since I've stopped cold turkey and the itchiness has not stopped nor improved and am worried that this will never go away, but there is no way I'm going back to a medication that would give me severe withdrawal like this. It's terrible that the company that's making this drug does not post any warnings of this. I feel for all of you out here who are suffering from this. Some people say it's normal but this is not right. I wish they would do something about this problem.

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Hi I have been on zyrtec since the spring for seasonal allergies
It helped but also made me sleep great
The other night I forgot to take it & I broke out into a sweat in the middle of the night & had severe insomnia
The next day it dawned on me maybe this was happening because I didn't take zyrtec
I looked on the web & sure enough I found a ton of info on the withdrawel symptoms
I'm not sure if I should wean myself off or stop cold turkey

I cut it in half & took it the past 2 nights I still have bad insomnia & I am itchy
My dermatologist said to take half for 1 week & then the second week take 1/2 every other day ...not sure if this will work
Any advice for me?..
I also reported this to the zyrtec company. They said they never heard of this problem.
Help !

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Lisa, don't bother to wean, I did the same. 24 hours after my last one, I wanted to rip the skin off my body from the itching , the insomnia , itching etc is withdrawal and you will have it regardless , but I promise if you can persevere it will end. I now on day 13 and it's pretty much gone. I had my hubby rub Johnson's baby vanilla oatmeal lotion all over. I kept putting in on and it helped. You will want to pull your hair out and scream but be strong , u can do it!!! You can try cortisone cream also. Good luck!

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Lisa, I agree with Sue on this one to go cold turkey, although I've had a Walgreens pharmacist suggest otherwise. I'm on Day 8 now and the itching is a constant phenomenon and it doesn't seem to be improving. If the withdrawal is lasting this long and is consistent after I stopped cold turkey, I don't see how weaning would help with the withdrawal. It seems to me, unfortunately, that the only solution is to wait patiently until the medication is completely out of my system and from what I've read on the net, this can take some people weeks to months. Like Sue said, hang in there and we will all get through this somehow.

Yuri, I've been wondering the same. Why hasn't anyone filed a case suit against Zyrtec maker? This medication needs to be banned or at least have an appropriate warning labeled. I don't want to see anyone else suffer from the withdrawal I'm going through. I want to take action against Zyrtec because if I had known this was going to happen, I would never have stayed on it for 3 years.

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I'm glad this conversation is still going. I had no idea about this until I experienced symptoms and searching online for answers. I too had been taking Zyrtec for 3-4 years and wanted to stop but itching was so bad that it could only be relieved by taking a half tab. I mistakenly thought I had developed a food allergy and that's why I needed the Zyrtec. I'm now on day 10 and itching is slowly subsiding.

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Thank you for the advice
Did you also get insomnia ? I haven't slept in 5 days That's my main symptom

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I didn't really get the insomnia that bad, mine was the excruciating itching. But I know it's associated with it, guess It depends on the person. As I told everyone I went cold turkey and dealt with the intense itching. I am proud to say its 95 % gone and it just challenging yourself to be as strong as u can be to get thru it, no matter what symptom ! I promise you will sleep!! And itchies will be gone. Weaning is crap, get this junk out of your system period cold turkey!

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I started taking Zyrtec 14 years ago for chronic hives and year round allergies as prescribed by my doc. Took them throughout both my pregnancies with no problems. This third pregnancy I have quit cold turkey and am on day 7 of withdrawal. The itching was very intense on days 4-6 for me to the point of crying, but day 7 it is much better. There is still lots of itching but I have found that staying busy during the day keeps my mind off the itchies and at night, I use palmer's cocoa butter as well as 12% ammonium lactate lotion to allow me some rest at night. Nothing steroidal about these two, just some natural goodness to help. The only drawback to the lubing up with lotion is the "sticky" feeling, but "sticky" is way better than "itchy". Because I have been on it for such a long time, I am expecting that the disappearance of withdrawal itching will be longer for me, in the months range. But everyday is a new day. Also note, that if you look at the Material Safety Data Sheet for Zyrtec, it is intended for short term usage, not long term, as it causes liver damage. That is one of the reasons I decided to stop. Knowing about this and going through this, I cannot give it to my children ever again. Just know that if you are going to stop taking zyrtec that it is not for the weak minded, and you can't half ass it. Go the cold turkey!

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I posted one year ago, and can report that quittng Zyrtec has helped me get away from thee nightmare of intense itching that I had experienced. I learned that my long time thyroid condition is Hashimotos, and that I needed to change my medication to Armour. I have eliminated gluten whenever possible. Havent taken any medication other than Armour thyroid for at least 9 months, not even aspirin or ibuprophen or tylenol. If I remember, I take a multiple vitamin, and some salmon oil caps. I am free of the insane itching but might get a spot that is tender and itchy where my garments rub, or there has been an irritation of some kind. Saw several doctors while trying to figure this out, and none of them had any kind of clue. It is important for us to let the doctors know what we have experienced. The guys who push PHARMA wont let the docs have any of this info. Good luck. You will have to go cold on the Zyrtec, and it will be critical to keep body and your insides hydrated. Find a was to de-stress...I read, and I love my acupuncture!

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EXACTLY !!!!!! I know I wasn't that crazy !!!!! The stinging itching all over, YES !!!!!!!
My eyes burn and the tears burn my skin also became so dry I felt I was turning to dust !!!
That,s why I took a break this is day 3. Thanks so much for you post. I now know what to do.

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I've read every post on this thread and can relate with ya'll and am so thankful to know that I'm not the only suffering!

I have dermagraphia, which causes me to get hives anywhere I scratch my skin. I had it for a couple years and didn't know what it was. At one stressful point, my ithcy skin got so bad that I finally got serious about a diagnosis and then treatment. Being one who avoids drug medications and supports the use of herbs and lifestyle changes, I wanted to find a natural cure. But the circumstances were inconvenient to obtain herbs and the information on the causes of dermagraphia were lacking. A doctor told me to take Zyrtec and what instantaneous relief it brought! That was 3 years ago. I have tried different diet changes and herbal remedies from time to time, each time trying to stop the medication for a bit to see if my remedy helped. But I have always been driven back to Zyrtec for fear I will go crazy with the insane iching. . . I do remember insane itching from time to time with dermagraphia, prior to ever taking Zyrtec. But I remember being able to live life.

Once my roommate observed me trying to go without Zyrtec for a couple days. Her comment was that I seemed to be addicted to my medicine! Anyways, it wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I googled something that brought up the common withdrawal symptom of itchiness that Zyrtec has. What a dirty surprise! No wonder I could never get off of the medication. No wonder nothing I ever did could take the place of my Zyrtec!

Well I waited until I could be at home without having to work, and then I stopped taking Zyrtec. That was 7 days ago. Little has changed from day to day. Most of the time I feel like I'm on the verge of going crazy. It's hard to concentrate. However, if I sit perfectly still in a comfortable position, the itching subsides and almost disappears. Any rubbing or touching of my skin makes that area become itchy with a pins-and-needles sensation. I am wearing long-sleeved cotton shirts and pants and keep my hair up. Scratching the itches only increases the itching and leads to an uncontrollable frenzy. I've learned a few things about coping during this withdrawal. Heat helps marvelously. A steamy wet washcloth gives instant relief to the itchy stinging and can help me prevent/stop a scratching frenzy. Same with an electric heating pad. I go to bed with a heating pad and during the day I keep it with me on the couch. I take a very hot bath every day, always soaking for a while after scrubbing before gingerly getting out and dabbing myself dry. Currently I am taking a strong tea of licorice, eyebright, thyme, anise, stinging nettles, and ginger, but it doesn't seem to help at all. Maybe it will help once the withdrawal has ended. . . I also have been exclusively gluten-free for 3 months and have been a vegan vegetarian (no meat, eggs, cheese, milk, etc) all my life.

I'm hoping that it will only take 10 days or so to get this drug out of my system, but we'll see. I'll post again in a few days to report progress.

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