Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 15)

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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Wow, glad I did a search! I have been taking the generic for Zyrtec for years. I started taking it because I tended to get a lot of really bad sinus infections. This med helped me to not get those anymore and if I did get a sinus infection it was very minor compared to how bad they used to be. Dr recently told me to stop taking any antihistimines because of heart palpitations so I quit taking it cold turkey. I have been itching all over so bad it's driving me NUTS!!!!!!

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Are we really that sue happy that any side effect makes us jump into a legal suit? No one forced anyone to take Zyrtec. If you take any medication for a long enough period of time you will develop a dependence. Itching isn't going to kill you. This is why healthcare is so insanely expensive.

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You obviously haven't experienced zirtec or read the whole thread. Zirtec doesn't mention itching as a withdrawal or side effect. I never had any itching before and took zirtec for a day and 3 years later still itching. I haven't sued but think they should have been by now. They should properly label their product and give sufficient warning so people who take this product know what they face and can make an educated decision before taking this drug.

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I actually take Zyrtec daily. I have gone without it and experienced the itching. It's horrendous. I still don't feel the need to sue every medical company that has an unlisted side effect. We take these meds on our own accord. No one is forcing us. We could always just deal with allergies.

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Hello everybody, i wish strength to all of you. 10 years ago i have started to take Zyrtec cause i had hay fever and few other allergies. I have been taking Zyrtec sometimes, not every day. After 2-3 years, hives and itches show up. Only antidote was Zyrtec. I was using it for 7 years. Every 3-6 months searching for a reason which cause hives. Spend thousands on tests, doctors, homeopathic bulls*** cures for it. And all the time using the real poison Zyrtec. I am very glad that i have found this discussion, which showed me that my thoughts are correct. I am amazed how many of us, have a same illness, which is caused by corporate f***s which care only about the PROFIT. And we are the junkies. I have tried to loose Zyrtec about 3 times, could not make it to day 5. But now i will find strength, since i was taking 10mg daily, i will try lower the dose till 5 mg or 2.5 mg, and the go off zyrtec.

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I have been taking Zyrtec for about 1 1/2 years & realized it was causing my nose to be a little too dry so I have stopped taking it about 2 weeks ago. I have all of a sudden started itching so bad all over my whole body & didn't know why. I have gone over everything in my house. Nothing has changed in my life other than this, so I have been doing research to see if this could be it & then I found this page. Thank God. Now I know what it is. I at least can call the dr. or figure out what to do. I've NEVER felt anything this bad before. THEY SHOULD DEFINITELY LIST THIS AS A PRECAUTION ON THEIR SIDE EFFECTS!!!!!

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Hi, thanks to all for sharing their stories. I was on Zyrtec for 2 years to treat chronic urticaria. I was taking as much as 30mg a day at one point but didn't seem to be helping so I reduced to 10mg. I decided I should just get off it all together and went to a 5mg taper for about 3 months. I stopped taking it entirely almost 2 weeks ago. I definitely felt an increase in my hives within a couple days of going off it, but now it seems like the withdrawal symptoms have mostly abated. Here is what might be helpful. First, I did a 2 day juice fast (4 pints of juice each day equally spaced out) the day I stopped taking Zyrtec. The goal is to get the drug out of your system as quickly as possible, and a fast is good way to detoxify. I also have been taking 2 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar (use bragg's), twice a day (before breakfast and dinner). It should be mixed with 8oz of filtered water. Finally, look into some organically sourced chlorella. It is an algae that is uniquely capable of binding to heavy metals in your system and flushing them out. Take a teaspoon with water every day. Can take with or before food. Doesn't really matter. Not sure if all these things helped, but I do know that my withdrawal symptoms seem like they were less severe and of shorter duration than most others here. Either way, all of these steps are healthy in and of themselves so why not give it a shot. Hope it helps.

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I have been taking Zyrtec for two years and last week I decided to quit it because it was making me feel drowsy during the day time even though I tried taking it at different times of the day. Three days after quitting I started having itches on my legs and arms to the extent that I almost tore into while itching with my finger nails.

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Hello. I'm from Portugal and for the last 10 years I am addicted to Cetirizine (Zyrtec's generic) due to the itchy withdrawal affects, as for the rest of you in this board.
The itching I've been subjected to is unbearable, UNBEARABLE! For several times I tried to stop taking Cetirizine but I just couldn't handle the horrible skin itching that seemed to get into my bones and burn my skin and eventually had to take the pill again. For those who could overcome the addiction - you are my heroes!!

I will write to Zyrtec and FDA to show my revolt as for the lack of listing the itching as a secondary effect and also to ask them for a solution to our problem. I beg all of you to do the same...

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I was prescribed citirizine hydrochloride by my doctor in 2010 when i developed itchy and split eyes for no reason? I never suffered from allergies before. This turned out to be a reaction to mold although it took me 2-3 years to figure that out. But anyway, everytime i didnt take a tablet, after a few days i would start to itch around my private parts and my face would get hot/burn, i thought at the time it was this new seeded bread i had started eating so i just took another tablet and it would stop within the hour. I tried stopping taking them because my first problem i had (itchy split eye lids) went away after a few weeks which coincidentally was because the wall in my house that had the mold on was fixed. I just carried on taking them thinking i was allergic to certain foods even though i never had been in the past, i experienced another mold problem which left me very weak with flu like symptoms, the doctor checked me over and couldnt find what was wrong..he suggested taking more citirizine which i did..still no change, i just felt fatigued constantly to the point i was climbing the stairs on my hands and knees. I finally solved that problem so decided to try come off citirizine again and everytime i did i would get extreme itching all over my body..so i read online and realised that its not allergies, its this friggin medicine or should i say poison. Ive read about allergies on a website called doctor yourself and he says about diet playing a big roll, he also mentions large doses of vitamin c help with a lot of different things, its a natural antihistamine. So this is what ive done, i have completely cut caffiene out of my life, i dont have any refined sugar except maybe what's in bread etc, and i started taking high doses of pure vitamin c which is 3000mg 3 times a day, i started taking that 2 weeks before i tried stopping citirizine, im on day 7 now which is the longest ive ever been, im awake at this time now because yes i have been itching which woke me up but its not nearly as bad as the last times..i used to shake, cough, my eyes would water, it was horrible. So now when i flare up i just have a big dose of vit c on top of my 3 doses and within 20 mins the itching is nearly gone, this lasts for a few hours. Sorry to go on but ive been plagued by this for nearly 4 years now and i know how frustrating it is, u think your the only person going through it. I also take a super b complex, a multi vitamin, flaxseed oil and try not to eat processed food and drink plenty if water. I just want my health back..Good luck. Remember high doses of Vitamin C powder :)

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Hi doses of vitamin c are helping me 3000mg 3 times a day and more when it flares up..

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This happened to me as well, back in the late 1990s and no reports of side effects on message boards like this one. I thought I was going crazy! The problem forced me to continue taking cetirizine just to stop the horrible under-the-skin itching. The worst was the scalp, behind the knees, abdomen...just an awful withdrawal reaction. I did a very slow taper, like many of the other people who were able to get off this drug. 10 mg daily, then 5 mg daily, then dosing every other day at 5 mg. Down to 2.5 mg every other day, and the last hurdle was sucking up the itching for about 3 days. Fine ever since and that was about 12 years ago.

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Sorry...I should mention that the tapering took MONTHS. I tried to rush it over several weeks but it was miserable and I had to let my body get accustomed to the lower minimum dose before stepping down further. Patience! Good luck!

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Thank you for the hope that you offer. I have lowered my dose to 5mg and will stay there a few months. I tried going too quickly to 2.5 and the itching came on within 3-4 days. My hopes are to eventually be free from this drug. Thanks again for taking the time to help others find their solution.

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I also had severe itching after reducing zyrtec ...I also had severe insomnia for over a week .... At first I tried to reduce the dose and it didn't work ... Then I went cold turkey ....things that helped me were ....Sarna anti itch cream .... I substituted 1/2 of a Benadryl instead of the zyrtec when I could not tolerate the itchiness It lasted for about a month then subsided. I am now off zyrtec completely It takes time ... I also reported it with the company. But they said they had no similar claims ...I will never take it again !,, good luck to you !

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This may sound weird but please try it. I am typing this message now as I'm doing it. What I'm doing to cool down the itch is wearing polyester pants (one for my arms and one for my legs). My grandma showed me this trick when I was a kid. It was my last resort and it actually worked! I noticed that my itch always come back when I stop using Zyrtec (the generic brand). I recently bought Allegra, but I refrain from using it. They used to work well before but then I noticed that my eyes always dried out to the point it was uncomfortable, so I discontinued allergy pills and it helped. However, it made my body itches became worse. Tried drinking vitamin C, taking cold showers, and aloe gel lotion but it only helped very little. After putting on my grandmother's polyester pants (as ridiculous that may sound) it is actually soothing my skin a whole lot better. Hope this helps all of you out.

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thank God for the internet and thank God for this forum.
around 6 months ago i was given cetirizine by my doctor for a questionable allergic cough. my doctor told me to take it for 90 days "then we will see from there". my cough disappeared after a week but then i took the drug for a month "just to make sure". then i decided to stop the drug on my own because i truly suspect what i had is just a cold cough. then i saw my doctor for a follow-up appointment but i didn't tell him i just stopped taking it. guess what, he told me to take it the rest of my life since "it's working". well who wants to argue with his doctor? so i just said "ok doc". now i'm glad i decided to stop it cause as soon as i stopped it, i developed allergies i've never had before. like allergies to seafoods, allergies to scents, even allergy to onions. i love onions but now i have to make sure there's not a tiny bit of onion in my plate. i'm also having this severe itching in my scalp which i never had before. i've tried all kinds of anti-dandruff shampoo but nothing worked which only confirmed my suspicion that it's not dandruff... it's allergy, and it's from cetirizine withdrawal .that's the only logical explanation, i've never had these allergies before!. i was still confused until i decided to google it and finally confirmed my suspicion knowing that it's not only me who's having the problem and who believe it's from that drug.
the scalp itching now is improving although it's still bothering me a little bit but i'm still phobic to onions, seafoods, and alot of things because the problem with me is whenever i develop allergies, it involves swelling of my throat and i'm scared i would choke. anyway now i know i was right and i know what to do. whenever i get an allergy that's severe and i feel i have to take an antihistamine, i take benadryl (a first generation antihistamine i believe) instead, and just the lowest dose, for only one or two days, and only when i really need it (when i feel choking). now i'm more confident the weaning is gonna work and i'm hoping my body will get back to it's natural state, meaning still with a few allergies but not allergic to almost everything.
i can't believe we have to figure it out ourselves. i just lost my faith in our FDA.

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Sorry to hear ur state! That's awful. Thinking of going to the health store or google some natural ways of getting the itch away, like herbs or something. I'm still using my grandmother's polyester pants just to sooth the itch. It's helping but the itch is not completely gone. I'm afraid of what will happen when I take it off. I refuse to take the any allergy pill........that will be last resort.

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Withdrawing from Zyrtec now. Went for about 6-8 weeks cutting pill in half and skipping days here and there. After 2 days of nothing, I am fairly itchy but doesn't seem to be quite as bad as cold turkey.

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For several years, I suffered from seasonal allergies and took Claritin/Claritin D as needed. Around this time last year, I went to the doctor for a sinus infection and she told me to switch to Zyrtec. I did so without question because she was a doctor. I took Zyrtec in all for just under a year; during this time, I gained 30 pounds and suffered from depression. In October, I stopped taking the Zyrtec and started itching like mad! It didn’t occur to me that the Zyrtec could have been causing this, so when I went back to the doc and she told me to go back on the Zyrtec, I did so without question. By December, I thought for sure I could come off the allergy medicine, so I stopped taking it and again started with the itching; however, this time, I also broke out in a rash on my legs. By January, the rash and itching were so severe I went to see a Dermatologist. She told me I had eczema, prescribed me with a steroid cream and recommended I go back on the Zyrtec since it was clearly keeping my eczema at bay (Note I am 36 and have never suffered from eczema in my life). After going back on the Zyrtec, my itching stopped and the rash went away. Last month, I decided I wanted to know exactly what I was allergic to since I was now breaking out in rashes as well as being congested, so I made an appointment to see an allergist. Prior to the appointment, I had to refrain from taking all antihistamines for 7 days. These 7 days were the worst days of my life! I started itching the day after stopping the Zyrtec, by day 3, I was covered in a rash from my neck down and was suffering from anxiety attacks that were so severe I could not go to work. When I arrived at the allergist, she examined my rash and could not tell me what it was from; she did however, let me know that I was only allergic to two things, which did not require year round allergy medicine. Her recommendation…go back on the Zyrtec. At this point, I had found several sites regarding Zyrtec withdrawal and was fairly confident this is what was going on with me. When I mentioned it to the allergist, she looked at me like I was out of my mind, prescribed a different allergy medicine and sent me on my way. I am now on day 27 of being off Zyrtec and have been suffering daily with the horrific itching in addition to a rash that comes and goes and seems to travel around the body. There is nothing that relieves the incessant itching! Last week I returned to the Dermatologist for the rash, who tried to tell me I had scabies and wanted to treat me immediately. I refused and told her I wanted her to take a biopsy to confirm before I would take any medication. They did the biopsy and found that I do not have scabies (duh) and said they would run additional tests, but in the meantime to go back on the Zyrtec. In all, I have seen four doctors, had numerous tests and spent an exorbitant amount of money on creams, soaps, lotions, vitamins and detergents with no avail. For anyone taking this medicine STOP and for anyone contemplating taking it…don’t do it! This past year has been the worst of my life; depression, violent mood swings, insomnia coupled with extreme fatigue, hives and there is nothing worse than the itching that seems to never end! To those of you in the process of quitting…hang in there, hopefully, there is a light at the end of this incredibly dark tunnel.

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