Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 5)

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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I too am suffering from the dreadful itching after stopping cetirizine 4 days ago. I had been taking it for around 4 months. I am worried that it may go on for a long time and I may be forced to return to the tablets. My only daughter gets married in 1 month and a red and itchy mother is not a great look or the photographs!

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Thanks everyone for your post. I am going through the same thing. I took Zyrtec all Summer long and stopped about two weeks ago. I can't stop itching, it is awful. Has anyone experienced developing a skin rash after stopping using zyrtec? I have developed some type of skin rash that resembles eczyma on my face. Not sure if it is related or not.

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I have taken generic Zyrtec daily for the past 3-4 years or so. I used to only have to take it occasionally, and only in the spring/summer months, but my allergies progressed, and I eventually needed them daily.

I tried to stop taking Zyrtec 4x in the past year, and all 4x, like clockwork, 3 days after stopping cold turkey, I would get crazy intense itching, primarily on my hands and fingers, but also wrists, arms, and legs.

The 5th try, I was taking only half of a 10mg pill. After stopping this reduced dosage cold turkey, I would only get one day before the intense itching kicked in and I needed to take another dose.

6th time has been somewhat of a charm....so far. I started by taking one half of a 10 mg Zyrtec, every day, for 2 weeks. Then, I would alternate the half a Zyrtec with an Allegra every other day for 2 weeks. (So half a Zyrtec one day, Allegra the next, etc.) Then, after two weeks, I stopped taking the Zyrtec completely and took Allegra only, once a day, one tablet, for 2 weeks. After the 2 weeks, I stopped taking the Allegra completely.

It took a while for the "rebound" or "withdrawal" itching to rear its ugly head, maybe a week? I thought I had beaten the "itchies," but was disheartened when they came back after being off of the Allegra for 2 weeks. The itching is pretty much all over, hands, nose, neck, arms, legs, wrists, scalp, anywhere my clothes or hair brush... And it gets worse when I get hot and/or sweaty - then I get prickly itching. I have been soldiering on, dealing with the itching the best I can.

The kicker is I still have allergies. I still need an antihistamine of some sort. Nose is runny and stuffy at the same time on a daily basis. Often one nostril is completely plugged and can't be used for breathing at all. But I don't know if getting back on the wagon is worth it, when the withdrawal is so horrendous...

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Hi C C C
I also took zyrtec for 3 to 4 years and stopped cold turkey 6.5 months ago. Like everyone else I would miss a few days here and there and the itching would start and I would quickly take a pill thinking it is my allergies getting worse. What is happening is the withdrawal from this horrible drug. Our bodies become so dependant and addicted that the allergy symptoms escalate. My experience since going off has been extreme itching, painful dry sinus pain, dry eyes, dry hair, also damaged hair and hair loss, ( hair loss is listed as a side effect) anxiety, joint and muscle pain. dizzy spells. I am still recovering. Please don't take any antihistamines unless you have no other choice. I went to the ER 5 days after going off and the Dr put me on steroids. I guess it helped. What I do now to feel better is Eat a very good Diet. I have learned that processed food, bad carbs, stuff like that caused inflammation and sets off the nerve endings and the itching increases to a great degree. I have read one post from a women saying it took her almost a year to fully recover. I wish all of you the best and stay strong. Your recovery will come. Good Luck

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I've been off the zrytec now since april this year and I can't say enough about how much better I feel. My memory is coming back, the depression and constant low grade hopelessness is gone, the shakes and sweating, and of course the intolerable itching, all gone. (the intense itching lasted 3 weeks from cold turkey) my allergy symptoms are much better, though I do have to use my rescue inhaler from time to time, and I had to eliminate dairy, wheat, yeast, and some other food sensitivities. It has been entirely worth it.

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Thanks for the kind words Dee. I am glad this group/site exists.

My friends and family that I have been sharing my struggles with initially thought I was a little cuckoo and was making it up or exaggerating, or that something else was wrong, but thanks to this site, I know I'm not alone, and hopefully others will spread the word that this drug (aka poison) is not to be messed with.

I wish medical professionals would take note. I wonder if it would do any good to print all the pages of this group/site off and mail it to my health care provider and her group of doctors...

QUESTION FOR OTHERS/ANYONE:
Has anyone gone to an allergist to find out what exactly their allergies are and to establish a treatment plan?

(I'm trying to determine if seeing an allergist would be worthwhile. And usually an allergist will have you stop all your antihistamines for a period prior to the appointment, so for those of us detoxing, it is awful, but it might serve a great good and allow the allergist(s) to properly diagnose?)

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im goin thru this itchy crap too,,it is worse when im boxing or working out really hard,,, i also take lyrica for my amputated leg so i think this zyrtec has really messed me up,,, i quit cold turkey last yr and thought something was wrong when i was nearly ripping my scalp out while sweating in the boxing ring and gym,, i immediatley got back on that night and it went away,,several weeks ago i stared taking 1/2 zyrtec pill at night then went to just a little nibble of one and now im on zero pills for 2 whole days,,nights have been rough with the feeling of fleas but it si slowly getting better ,,this sucks!! this yr when pollen comes out ill just take a daytime benadryl! this crap is a real deal problem,,i beleive your body stops producing histmines due to taking antihistamines for so long so when you get off your body has to start making what it stopped making ,,,certrizine works but has god awful side effects!!!itching and lack of sleep while my body is trying to get back to normal with out a frkn pill in my mouth every night!!

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i had posted a question regarding mazetol 100. i am taking this twice daily for the last about 5 years. when can i stop this medicine. any side effects of mazetol 100. eagerly looking for a reply.

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Hi C C C
I will share with you my experience with going to the allergy Dr, . I was 2 weeks off of zyrtec and still going crazy with the worst itching, we all know how that feels. She told me it was fine to continue with my test because it only takes 3 days to get out of my system. All of the test were negative. I have food allergies, shell fish, and was possitive for dust mites 5 years prior, those allergies just don't go away. I read several other posts on here that said the same thing. Their tests were coming back negative. This zyrtec has such a long lasting negative effect on our body's natural histamine level that I would wait as long as possible to have any testing done. Good Luck.

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Hello All,
I have a long history with zyrtec; more than 20 years! I like someone else here was diagnosed with chronic urticaria when I was about 30 years old. It started while on vacation and I thought I was getting bitten with bugs in the beds so we changed hotels. Within a few days we had to cancel the rest of our vacation because what had started with itchy little bumps had turned into massive welts all over my body! At first they thought I had lupus. I was young enough to not understand how devestating that disease is and after 2 tests to confirm lupus ... they were both negative. Hence the diagnosis of Chronic Urticaria. At University of Michigan I was told that they can go internal and was given steroids as well as zyrtec. I took the steroids for about 6 years and was finally able to manage with just the 10 mg. of zyrtec once a day. The steroids were very hard on my bones and I have since had to have fusions on my cervical spine and lumbar spine. Zyrtec is by no means a drug without side effects as I have read each and every one of your posts. However it is much better than a steroid for long term use! My urticaria has gotten much better over time, so there is hope for urticaria. There is no hope however for long term steroid use! After weaning off of the steroid I took only the zyrtec as needed. I can not tell you if at that time I was treating the urticaria or the itching that came with the use of zyrtec but I can tell you that I started using it only when I needed it instead of a daily regement. I still use zyrtec when I need it but take at the most ... 3 or 4 tablets a month. This medication saved me from continueing to take the steroids that were so devestating to my bones for any longer than I did. Lastly, I weaned myself from the steroids against the advise of my doctor because I wanted to have another baby! I only wish that I had done it sooner! Please don't get me wrong, I feel for each of you that are going through this terrible itching as I too know what that feels like. I agree that there should be more information on the bottle so that everyone can make the best choice for their situation! This drug however does have its purpose! For the person who is suffering with chronic urticaria .... do everything possible to stay away from long term use of steroids! Best of Health of all of you!

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I was taking 10 mg 2 times a day for years and reduced to one pill in the evening. I only felt some minor it hung during the day on my chest. I have been taking 2 quercetin and bromelain twice a day for 6 weeks. Do you think that kept me from having a bad itching reaction? I am weaning off the Zyrtec with allergy docs supervision. But I had forgotten to tell her my naturopath put me on the quercetin and bromelain.

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It is comforting to see some people going through the same thing that I am.

I started using Zyrtec 6 years ago to control my urticaria, which was due to an unknown cause, after trying a slew of other ineffective drugs. The Zyrtec worked, and it controlled my symptoms fine up until a year or two ago.

Over the past couple of years I started having cyclical mood swings, a general lack of energy, and a near-constant feeling of emotional and physical apathy. It progressively got worse, and it got to the point where people would try talking to me and I just wouldn't respond due to the lack of energy or desire.

I recall trying to quit Zyrtec a few years ago, but after one day of itchiness I went straight back on it. I feared that it was my urticaria coming back.

I was in the middle of a depressive episode a few days ago, and I decided to stop taking Zyrtec. The next morning I woke up with an insane amount of energy, almost as if someone had given me cocaine in the night. I noticed some odd itchiness and sensitivity to my skin, but I figured it was just my mind and body coming out of the Zyrtec induced numbness. Sure my skin is itching a bit, but my mind is no longer numb and I can finally think clearly and I feel like I have the energy to interact with life rather than just watching it.

My itching doesn't feel anywhere near as bad as what is being described in this thread, but it is there. I've also noticed a few other changes in my body over the past few days. I now have an appetite, my sinuses don't hurt, my nose isn't red anymore, and bright lights don't make me sneeze.

I feel like I've won myself back since stopping my use of Zyrtec.

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i posted nearly a week ago and im still itching here and there and last night pretty bad but the itching has drastically gone down from a week ago,,and im also taking nearly no lyrica(25mg) a day for my leg,,i also have more energy for my lifting and boxing and my power is goin back up as im goin up 10lbs about every 3 weeks on bench and back to 425lbs bench monday,,,i am telling these things bc i want people to know if you take an allergy pill (antihistamone) daily and try to get off it is going to be hell (withdrawals) but it is so worth it!! i am 39 and in the best health of my life especially having a prosthetic leg!wow!antihistamines=itching bad when you stop taking them!wtf!

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i had chronic hives for close to a year, and the only thing that changed was me stopping zyrtec. Zyrtec for me is dangerous as it makes u seem like your life depended on it, but it doesnt! Even when it seems that Zyrtec is helping you, for me, my body has probably healed by itself of the hive problem but zyrtec is the one that is still causing it to happen! beware of its withdrawal symptoms and if you have to take it, take a minuscule amount of it, and try to wean yourself off it as soon as possible. If you have been taking it long term, i suggest reducing the dosage as much as you can and slowly get off it (i.e. let your body adjust to it) YOU WILL NEVER KNOW IF YOU HAVE RECOVERED until you get off this evil drug! For me I went almost cold turkey, it itched like hell but once I got past that, I found that I do not have the original Hives again

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Hello Carole. My iching has now (I think) died after a number of months. I've had (yes had) horrible skin ripping itching. I had to sit down close my eyes and ENDURE the torture. My problem now is not to be tempted to take the makers of the cetirizine into a room filled with the strongest skin irritant, see how they feel! But I didn't waste energy on that. I stopped taking it, took vit b12 and theanine. And ate organic. THAT ALL WORKED. For your body to heal itself feed it good food. PEOPLE THIS IS CONQUERABLE, SUFFER THE WITHDRAWAL FOR A WHILE, CHECK OUT EXCELLENT SITES LIKE THIS, EAT WELL. LIVE WELL. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR POSTS OTHERWISE I WILL STILL BE TAKING THOSE DAMN PILLS NOW!

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I've had a similar result: 2 lbs lost in 3 days and reduced urge to snack. However, the itching was too much. I've asked my doctor how to manage it and how best to go off zirtec to minimize withdrawal.

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And did you eventually stop the Claritin too? If so, what was the result?

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loyd still can't get off zyrtec 10-31-2012

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I was on Aller-Tec (Costco) for almost two years. Decided for the past few months, it was not doing the job for my seasonal allergies...so I stopped. 3 days later the itchy, stabbing feelings/aches, headache, nausea, and cloudy feeling took place. I was ready to call the doctor and decided to Google my symptoms only to find this site. Thank you for the many suggestions on relief. I have decided to continue the cold turkey approach. I have found that using fresh aloe from my garden works wonders on relieving the itches. I do need to reapply every few hours. The smell is awful but so very helpful. I just hope this goes away very soon. Took back a brand new bottle of unopened Aller-tec to Costco and got a refund. I spoke to the pharmacy department and asked if anyone else ever had complained about withdrawing from this OTC drug. NONE but she did say it made sense and to ride it out or call the doctor. I have alerted everyone in my family and friends about this drug.

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Hi Nancy, I printed out many of these comment and gave it to my pharmacist. I was pleased to see he was interested in the information. It seems everyone's situation is different, but as for me, I only took Zyrtec for 1 week. After going off the stuff, I only itched on my wrist and that was bad enough. It took 7 months for the very painful, deep, stabbing, electrified, aching to disappear (Oct 2011 to May 2012).

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