Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 12) (Top voted first)

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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Just an update, I've been taking a half of an Allegra every day in the hope that weening may work better than cold turkey, which as we all know, leads to unbearable itching. I haven't had any hives or itching in over a month and am preparing to ween further, perhaps cutting the Allegra into thirds.

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I also thought I had developed an allergy to my dogs and discovered it as I was coming off of Zyrtec (I've only had them for a month). So glad I found these posts, I thought I was going crazy. I never had hives until coming off the meds. I was going to continue taking it and put up with the other side effects I had so I didn't have to rehome my dogs because this is absolutely unliveable, and I refuse to rehome my fur babies - so glad that this is just a rebound effect from the meds. It's terrible, but it's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel where this may stop and it's common.

I'll be one of the few trying to hold out on taking it again, though it's proving difficult.
Thanks everyone!!

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It took 3 weeks but my itching is gone as are most of the hives. I found a small anti anxiety pill for. Few nights got me thru the second week which was the worst. I also put peppermint oil on all the most troublesome spots And it helped the nerves to quiet. Good luck to you all. Never going back on it again

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Continued from previous posts...I had to take a long business trip, far away, so I started taking generic Claritin, I didn't want to deal with it over there. No hives, no itching. Took it for 2 weeks daily, and then I stopped when I got back home. I have not had any symptoms for 4 days, but last night, day 5, I got some hives on my knee. I wonder if it took that long for the Claritin to get out of my system, or if I have introduced an allergin back into my life, after my travels. I refuse Zyrtec, but Claritin seems to be ok. I still have the DAO to finish, and I still think the quercitin works well, but it is so expensive comparatively. About $15 for 30 days, and the Claritin generic at Costco is $11 for 365, a year.

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I have not taken any antihistamine since the end of October. I have had maybe three days with hives, but they were all very mild. I had one day where the hives were pretty intense, all of both legs and my stomac and sides, completely covered. I had a neal that nihht night that had a large amount of Asiago cheese, and I wonder if it was the antagonist. Anyway, I took a claritin at about 2am, the hives were gone by 4am. The next day, no hives, and none since then, been about a week. I feel like I have finally been freed from the hives getting me every night.

The things I have to continue to watch are high temp and tight clothing. They both get me itchy and light hives and after about 15 minutes of removing them, yhe itch and hives go away. I am going to try the Asiago cheese again some day to see if it results in hives, so I will post more when I do that.

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I did the same thing and after the 7th day of being miserable in the worst of ways, I decided to lower my dosage to taking a half tablet of the cheaper brand that Walmart sales. I am now taking only half a tablet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I hope to be only be taking it on Mondays and Thursdays soon. Good luck

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What is the longest that anyone has had this continual itching from getting off this pill? I was prescribed hydroxyzine hcl 50 mg (Atarax, something very similar to Zyrtec) and was on it for almost 10 years. I only needed to take this pill about once every 3-4 days. After reading up on the symptoms on this site and others, I decided to go cold turkey. I haven't touched a pill since 6 September (135 days and counting) and still itch. The first week was definitely the worst, but I still do occasionally get the super painful and annoying itches. I hope in the coming months this itch will simply disappear.

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I'm on day 10 of the Zyrtec withdrawal. It has been a nightmare. I'm constantly itchy and sometimes have to take Benadryl just to get it to stop. It's mainly
My hands and feet, but sometimes is my arms and scalp also. I did find that if I ignore the itch on my hands it will go away. I'm hoping the symptoms will subside soon. I will update this thread when I get further and hopefully the itching stops. I took it for about 5 years so we will see how long it lasts!

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look at a suppliments called quercitin and bromelain, they helped me a bunch.

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To Gloria, my thoughts are to take another antihistamine, not Zyrtec but one of the older ones like Claritin or Allegra to get you through exam period. Reason I say this is that I know how distracting and exhausting this withdrawal is (not to mention painful and crazy-making). For what it's worth. Good luck on your exam.

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It's day 4 today, and i couldnt sit still long enough to read a page without itching. As suggested by joey, i went out and got some benadryl which helped alot. Thank you Joey.

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I had to wean off very very gradually. I was down to grains on a tea spoon which I would dip the end of my finger in and have a tiny tiny amount each day then my husband washed the spoon and I wasn't going to grind anymore. I still had terrible itching and rash but not all over like when I went cold turkey (thought I was going to die). I took it initially for Urticaria (hives) in the first place and was advised to take a Zantac (ranatadine not sure of the spelling) its an indigestion medicine. This works on the histamine in the stomach (H2) which in turn helps the skin. I found this to be invaluable during my illness and I found it useful during withdrawal, it reduced the itching a lot. You can buy Zantac over the counter. I advise you try it if you are suffering.

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So I took Xyzal/Atarax (similar to Zyrtec) for 7-8 years as a result of some itching episodes. I soon reduced the intake to half a pill (2.5mg) every two or three days.
I took my last pill a week ago and two or three days later it came back and I decided to not take it again.

The first two days of itching were bad but I took an Aerius and did some hot baths, had one last episode leaving the shower and never had it again.

I think my fast withdrawal came from having only half a pill for so long.

Two things I started noticing:
-I have more energy than before (though during withdrawal I was jittery)
-I have less appetite and can control portions better. Definitely looking forward to some weight loss.

Hang in there people, you can do it.

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Oh man this post is shocking to me! I looked it up because I recently heard something about a rebound effect of Zyrtec, which I have been taking for 2.5 years. I initially started taking it for hives I developed while doing hot yoga. But every time my Zyrtec wore off, my hives returned, and my allergist said my body just thinks it's allergic to something that isn't really there. So I took the pill daily. Finally decided a few months ago to come off the medication to find out what I'm allergic to. At the same time, I started taking a bunch of histamine reducing vitamins like C and B12 and Quercetin with bromelain and expensive DAO pills. My hives were few and far between after a week and I felt great. But I felt like I had histamine issues, if I ate the wrong foods. Then after a few months, I took Zyrtec again for 3 days because of strong hay fever allergies. Went on vacation and didn't bring all my vitamins along, since hives were no longer a big issue. But when I didn't take my Zyrtec on day 4, my hives came back with the worlds biggest itchy vengeance. Especially on my scalp, neck, palms of my hands and feet. Day 5 was worse, and so was day 6, until I finally took another Zyrtec and I was better within the hour. Now I find this page! I'm going to go off the meds again but take all my vitamins along with it. I think the Zyrtec really screwed with my DAO production and my histamine production. I will have to watch my diet and stay away from my triggering high histamine foods and keep my stress levels managed and also make sure I don't take very hot showers or overheat. Hope this next withdrawal attempt goes better.

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You just have to wean and goth rough the motions. I went through 2 weeks of withdrawal and it's taken a year to somewhat normalize the effects it had on my body.

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It has been about 2 months now since i got off zyrtec and i still itch, although not as severe as the first two weeks of withdrawal. However, my BF went to the Dr. today for his asthma and the Dr. added Zyrtec to his medication list. He told the Dr. what has been happening with me from taking zyrtec and the Dr. said he has never heard anything like that about Zyrtec. How is this problem still not widely known??? Ughhhh

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To Gary, check any other meds you take to see if they contain any sort of antihistamine. Something similar happened to me after 6 months of horrible withdrawal. I was occasionally taking Tylenol PM to sleep and was having returns of itching that I recognized all too well. I didn't know that the sleep med in Tylenol PM is Benadryl, so I was unwittingly putting antihistamines into my body again. I guess after waking up this phenomenon with Zyrtec, now I am sensitive in that way to other antihistamines. The return of itching put me so low mentally that after over a year I have not mustered the strength to withdraw again. I take one Claritin every morning. Let me know more about your case.

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I've been trying to get off of this for about 3 weeks now. What has worked for me she is taking freeze-dried nettle, 4 capsules 3 times a day as recommended by my herbalist. I'm also taking Garden of Life dr. Formulated probiotics once-daily women's which has strains of the bifidis in it which is supposed to help with dust mite allergies which is what I have. I'm also taking curcumin. With these things I've been able to cut down to half a pill twice a week of the Zyrtec. Which is pretty amazing, considering that just a few weeks ago I had to take a pill every day or I would have horrible itching and sneezing. I would recommend the same regimen, and find a probiotic that has strains of bacteria that helps support that function for whatever it is that you are allergic to. A local herbalist or naturopath may be able to help with that, I found someone very knowledgeable at the local Natural Grocers. Best of luck, I hope this helps :-)

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I've found that half a loratadine works if it really gets too bad, which only happens if I've had some alcohol. The rest of the time however, I take Solgar Nettle Leaf extract 3 times a day and it works almost as well. It makes it bearable. I also take Quercetin and a high dose vitamin every day. Hope you feel better soon, it is a miserable experience this.

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My allergy doctor prescribed me to take zyrtec 6 years ago and I have taken everyday since. My body will not alloweven to stop taking it. If I go more that 24 hrs w/out taking it is immediately start itching in the most uncomfortable places. When the itching begins I have to go and take a zyrtec immediately to relieve my symptoms. I want to get off so bad, but the withdrawals are almost unbearable. I no longer know what to do.

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