Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 31)

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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Would you please share how you did it? I went cold turkey 5 days ago. I have been taking probiotics, nettle, and using essential oils. I also take naproxen sodium to relieve the headaches. What did you do? What did you experience and how long before all of the horrible after effects subsided? Thanks

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It will be the worst on days 5-8, but if you can tough it out it slowly gets better. Gold Bond green bottle body lotion helps! I also bought an Aveeno shower gel for itching skin. . I take MSM during the day which helps, zinc, vitamin c. I bought a bottle of quercetin Friday last week, I took 1 pill but found it made me tired.

Now I still have some itching but so much less. If you are like me, you'll have one night of hell that will be the worst.

I was so determined not to take any antihistamines that I was willing to go through it all and that saw me through the rough parts. I wanted off this stuff

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Day 5 and still itching all over. I have allergy testing next Monday. Hope this gets better. If I can stop itching I'm not going back on it. Also cloths and the heat make it worse. Too bad I'm not a nudist! Now I'm just miserable. Even the palms of my hands itch

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I am going to share to help anyone who suffers in this hell. Thanks for anyone sharing info to get rid of this horrible drug. I will provide as much details as I can to help you overcome it.

I am a 27 year old male. I have taken the Zyrtec for about 8 months. I noticed that If I missed a dose, I itched. I may notice too late to stop this toxic product. I searched the posts that I found over hundreds case just like me and the company refuse to say it is one of the side effect or they are already noticed and still sell in the market?

In my case it is the worst on days 3-7. I am currently on day 8 and the itch is bearable. I started quitting cold turkey and drank so much water to relieve the itch on days 1-4 and got some vitamin C supplement to take in the morning (better around 8:00am and 2:00 pm) -I found someone it is said to be effective.

Day 1 - not much itch and bearable
Day 2 - it got worse lots of hives and itch
Day 3 - more worse cannot sleep (hives/heat/burning)
Day 4 - the worst day in my life (hives/heat/burning)
Day 5 - same as Day 3 but less hives and still very itchy (less hives/heat/burning)
Day 6 - similiar to Day 5
Day 7 - (less hives/less heat/less burning)
Day 8 - Today

Please note that I could not concentrate to work from Day 3 to 7.

I took vitamin C supplement at 8:00am because it can relieve the symptoms from 9:00am to 1:00pm. So I can relieve these symptoms during my work.

Note: I did excessive exercise (running) on day 4 to get this chemical out of my body, drunk much water and sweat a lot. I had not experienced any hives/itchiness during running.

If you need to work,you better take leaves to plan for that. It is not easy to overcome it as you know that you can take the Zyrtec to relieve it in one day.

I am on day 8 now and I can concentrate on my work.

Day 10 and day 11 is the weekend. I will share more on whether I can get rid of the toxic products successfully.

Good luck for anyone who suffers from a similar case and shares their story with more people! Please tough it out on these days :)

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After 3 years of torture and full-body itching, it is FINALLY STARTING TO FADE AWAY. I started off taking Zyrtec every single day, to every other day, to half a pill every other day and so on.... all the way down to 1/8th of a pill every 3 days.

IT HAS NOW BEEN 16 DAYS WITH NO ANTIHISTAMINE. It was only a few months ago that I couldn't go 3 days without wanting to tear my hair out -- now it has been over 2 weeks and I've only experienced mild itching here and there (mostly right after a shower).

I think Denise's post (Post #547) helped the most except that I didn't do it for her short period of time, I did it until the bottle was empty! It wasn't until about 2 months after doing this that the itching started to subside -- it wasn't an immediate fix. I still itch here and there, but it's now mild and I no longer need to take any pills.

One thing I would recommend everyone do is look into LEAKY GUT SYNDROME. I believe I have/had this. I worked with my Nautropath who put me on a no-gluen, no-dairy, no-sugar diet for about 6 months, along with various supplements such as Vitamin C, Ultra MFP digestive enzymes, and 2x 50bil probiotics every night.. I think this helped a lot. You may have a damaged gut lining from poor diet or a history of antibiotics. Talk to a naturopathic doctor, do some tests, you may find that you have gut damage. Leaky gut is when food does not fully digest properly, and instead it "leaks" through your gut lining and into your blood stream, causing your body to go crazy and release histamine, which causes itching (among other symptoms).

I'm grateful to be slipping away from popping pills everyday. I hope to be full itch-free very soon, but for now, my new record is 16 days without any pills... amazing!

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I took cetirizine this summer to ease hay fever symptoms and stopped taking it for one day and had the most uncomfortable itching so had to take another pill to counter it. This week, after research and finding sites like this, I stopped again as I do not want my body to be addicted to this. It is only day 2 for me today the itching was unbearable. I spent most of my morning in the loo at work scratching my arms, tummy, legs, back. I ended up having to leave work early in the end as I couldn't work, went home and sat in the bath for ages. This helped and whilst in the water the itching seemed to subside a lot. I have had to slap on loads of moisturiser in the hope that might help, but I am still itching on my neck,scalp,hands and back. I just can't believe this stuff is so easy to get hold of, but so difficult to stop taking. I am determined though not to let it win and I am going to be off this crap by the end of the week.

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Good luck!
The first year I had this problem, my hair fell out and I gained
20 pounds. But when I started taking it again at the next seasonal
allergy time, the itch and such went away, until I tried to stop after the season.
Then the itching came. I weathered the torture for about three months, and tried
all the holistic approaches, and drained my wallet, only to conceded, I had to take
this crap, because I can't live like that. I have to work, and can not stay curled up in fetal position in bed all day and night.

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Hi there...what did you use as a natural histamine? thanks!

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I took 1500 mg per day vitaman C and drunk a lot of water.
Omega-3 and -6.
Please prepare the side effect should be worst appropriate on day 3.

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Thank you! Yes I got to say three and was like WTF!!! Day five I couldn't take it and took half a reactine. Nothing today. Have taken 2000mg vitamin c as I have 1000mg caplets, and have taken my omegas.

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I am now on day 32 of being zyrtec/cetirizine free. I went cold turkey. As I mentioned previously, I had horrible itching, for the first couple of weeks. In addition, my nails began splitting and my skin became very dry. The itching and dryness were mainly about my face. I have been taking alfalfa, burdock root, probiotics, and vegan dha supplements. I also take naproxen sodium and for some reason it helps with sneezing fits. Lastly, I have found tea tree oil and essential oils in a humidifier has done wonders for my congestion. I use a diffuser at home, in my car, and have a diffuser necklace. While I think all the side effects of withdrawal are gone, I still rely on the natural supplements to cope with my allergies. I am beginning NAET therapy next month and will keep everyone posted.

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Another things will relieve the symptoms
1. have a bath if you feel very itchy
2. ask someone clean your bedroom every two days.
3. stay at home if you can.

Finally please endure at least 10 days :)

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This is my second attempt at stopping Zyrtec. The first time was on accident because I didn't replace since I wasn't experiencing symptoms. I'm 2 days without a dose and my heart is racing and my scalp, face, neck, chest, shoulders and arms are ridiculously itchy! It doesn't help that on top of that I have YOPD (young onset Parkinson's Disease) so my tremor and anxiety is worse than normal! I HATE that I ever decided to take this medication!!

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Re: Anna (# 613)

Please try to taper off. Break the pill in half and use it for a few days/weeks, break it again, and again, until you're taking a crumb. Much easier to stop taking a crumb than a full pill.

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Re: Edwin Chan (# 612)

Does it stop after ten days? Please say it does. I'm on Day 4 of cold turkey after taking 5mg/day for almost a year (and varying doses regularly for almost a decade). I think I will try the tapering off method listed here:

Source - "Zyrtec: Quit without itching like crazy", fiveminutebookclub.com. Web.

I'm Itching in all sorts of random places does make it challenging to go out and be normal.... To think I just saw a Zyrtec ad on a bus yesterday.......... (ironies of life)

It is quite remarkable that this is not widely buzzed about. Wish me luck! And to all the fellow Zyrtec takers out there - coraggio! :)

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Me too- Day 4 or 5 of having cut down to 2.5mg per four days. Tried cold turkey but now the itch is too distracting to function normally. I have classes to give. My sinus is acting up more than usual, not sure if this is from lack of sleep or withdrawal. When I was on it for 5mg/24hours I used to wonder why i would itch immediately after taking the medication. Now i know......

It's a relief to discover others with the same issue and the same hope of getting over it eventually - and to know we're not alone. Thanks for posting this! And for all those who responded. Can you believe there are over 600 replies to this thread!!!

And Zyrtec is still advertising, on buses, in pharmacies, at least in my country.

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Re: Celynne (# 615)

It will last about a month in my case.But it is worst on first 10 days.
Much better after 17th days.
I think you need to plan as it will greatly affect your social activities and work.
I am already recovered =) currently is one and half month

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I followed the advice on post 577 - cold turkey. I'm 6 weeks Zyrtec-free and feeling so much better! I am a little itchy but so much better and it does not spread anymore.

The heat helped so much, which was a huge surprise! And when I had to work, the long sleeves helped too (I can keep my office a little cooler and wear long sleeves where I am). I took about 2g vitamin C powder (I used the one off of Amazon that that post referenced) every time the itching started to get bad and that really helped.

The itching was really really bad until 2.5 weeks were gone. Then it started to improve quickly. Hang in there! You can do it! Just try to remind yourself that you will make it, it all turns out okay in the end.

Added benefit of being Zyrtec-free - my mind no longer feels as foggy and I am sleeping so much better. I did not realize Zyrtec was causing this. So glad I am off this poison.

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Re: Grateful (# 618)

See post 495 or 497 for details as to how to get off this drug relatively itch free. I have been Zyrtec free over 6 months and I love it. My seasonal allergies have never been BETTER. Zyrtec was causing me to be hypersensitive to environmental allergens. I even wheezed at night! No more. Now for the occasional itchy nose, I take a natural supplement called D-Hist (available at Amazon). Great stuff, not addictive. Good luck to all. {affiliate link added}

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I am going absolutely insane with hives and nausea. I started to notice that if I missed a night of taking zyrtec I would feel nauseated the following day. I ORIGINALLY STARTED TAKING THIS BECAUSE OF ASTHMA TO SEE IF IT WOULD HELP. After like almost a year I've decided to stop and I have been soo nauseas for 5 days now and I can't stop itching all day and everything itches. This is insane. I was never like this before taking zyrtec. How is this not on the label. I GOOGLE AND EVERY ONE IS SAYING THEY WENT THROUGH THE SAME WITHDRAWAL.

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