Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 15)
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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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So, it's been 2 years since I stopped Zyrtec cold turkey! I had horrible itching for 2-3 months straight and then occasionally till about 3-4 months ago when the itching cane back full force! I'm not sure it has to do with something else or if it could still be Zyrtec related. I cannot sleep and it's driving me crazy! Anybody else out there who has struggled with this for this long?

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I am glad to announce that i am itch free now. I feel soooo happy to be over this hurdle. Although the itching reduce continously, last week i drank a bottle of GT Organic raw Kombucha Original Enlightened, and it seems it was a system cleanse because my itch came to a complete end after that. For those still going through the itch, hang in there, i swear it gets better :)

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To Joey, I have taken Benadryl 2 or 3 times since my itching stopped. Purely because I was sick and it triggered hives a couple of times :s but I don't think it has anything to do with this occurrence, for timing reasons. But who knows? Good news however, itching seems to have stopped and I've been pretty much itch free for a few days :) hoping it continues. Sorry to hear about your story though :/

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What has helped me is taking 4 capsuls of freeze-dried nettle 3 times a day, as well as curcumin, and Garden of Life probiotics for women with this strain called bifidus which is supposed to help specifically with dust mite allergies. I went from having to take a full pill every day to only having to take two half pills each week. And I've only been doing my new regimen for about 3 weeks, so for me it's been a huge Improvement :-)

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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 too have chosen to take, in my case a half of a claritin per day, simply can't fight the fight any longer. One day, just not right now.

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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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After finally getting sick of itching every time I forgot to take the stupid pill I decided it was time to just get it over with and cleanse myself from this evil drug. I went cold turkey and after 20+ days the dreadfulness finally stopped, I was so relieved! Occasionally I'd get little tickles here and there that felt the same as the horrid withdrawal itches but they would go away in just a scratch. 4 months later, the itching returned....I was furious. They were not full-scale like before...but still enough to be a nuisance. It's been about 11-12 days since they started again. But the last 4 or so days has been quite better, not sure why but it's been strictly on the tops of my hands and on my fingers, as well as tops of my feet/ankles and toes. Rarely here and there on my arms. It's unusual compared to how it was those 4+ months ago; the itching didn't cling to specific areas for 4 days at a time like this. Starting to wonder if now there is another problem -_- The first 8 days of its return were exactly like how it was at first, just less intense. I'm thinking it's a sort of post-withdrawal stage occurring. Thought I was rid of this for good after 3 weeks of a nightmare. Hope anyone else with this problem can get off this and never itch again >.< Once this stage is over...I pray there isn't a third waiting for me in the future.

Side note: I never supplemented the pill for another brand or another drug during the withdrawals at all, was torture but you just gotta breathe and distract yourself as best as you can if you decide to do this as well. Good luck!

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Just go through the pain of the itch and you will get off the drug. Promise.

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OMG. Thank you for these posts...I am learning a lot reading about this tonight. Looks like I am your newest member, and have a ways to go. But like so many before me, I am so glad to see that maybe I'm not crazy and all this itching problem is not just in my head!

I had an allergic reaction (hives) to a medication in December. It is now May, so I've been on Zyrtec for 5 months. I have been trying to wean myself off of it for about a month, and have been taking 10mg every 2 1/2 days...I can't seem to make it to the 3rd day without the itching coming back in force...always starting on the scalp, then moving to the hands and feet. Thanks to all your advice from this site, I now plan to decrease the dose gradually and try the vitamin recommendations and probably alternative antihistamines as suggested. I was blown away tonight by the revelation that Zyrtec has been the source of my problem all these months...but now it makes complete sense! Thank you, all!

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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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Sorry, I meant just over 1 week!

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Use Loratadine instead. No rebound from this. Its been 2 weeks since I've had any cetirizine and the itching is finally calming down. I've not had any Loratadine in 3 days either and my sinuses are fine! They weren't initially, but they are now. So I guess, it was the cetirizine all along in my case.

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I was starting to wonder if I was the only one. I had a crazy amount of itching the other day- but I tried to chalk it up to dry skin.
I've only been taking cetrizine for about 6 months but at a 20mg dose. I first came off it in January for allergy testing and felt sick to my stomach, bad headaches and sinus congestion. I tried using a neti pot to relieve the sinus congestion but it didn't help much. This time now April coming off the medication again for another round of allergy testing I got the headaches, nausea, sinus congestion, and itching and made the connection that it was clearly from coming off this stuff. I may be avoiding going back on it, knowing this... which is a tough thought in the spring with alll that pollen. But feeling sick to my stomach for a few weeks doesn't feel worth it.

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It's been 24 hours since I learnt that my hives and itching are due to cetrizine and not allergies as I believed. Been taking this stuff for 16 years now, daily. I had a snotty nose and I was sneezing a lot and cetrizine made most of it go away. Like everyone else on here, I itch like mad after about 2 days of not taking it and like everyone else, I thought it was allergies coming back and took another pill. I've never been alergic to anything! Ok, so now I know and I'm glad its the drug and not me. Now starts the journey of withdrawal.... I've got Quercetin, vitamin C and a pack of Loratadine, which I believe does not have the rebound effect and which I hope will keep the itching at bay until the cetrizine is out of my system. I'm only planning to take it if it gets bad. Any other advice from those who have successfully kicked it?

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Just curious if you are itch free now? I've been off Zyrtec for 5 full months now and still get occasional itchiness where I have the lasting red streaks on skin. I got exercised induced asthma also as a result of 18 months of Zyrtec. Both asthma and itchiness has gradually improved each of the 5 months I've been Zyrtec free but still very much a part of my daily life. Would love to hear more about your story since you've been off it longer. Steady improvement?
Thanks!
Matt

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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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I have posted my same effects on this site as far back as August 2015, telling my story of Zyrtec nightmares. The vitamins you mention worked for me, too. Finally, if I have a bonafied alergic reaction to anything bringing on hives, I take Claritin, and I do not have any rebound effects.

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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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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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