Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 22) (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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What were your doses of prednisone? I've been on 60 mg of zyrtec and a slow taper of prednisone to manage the hives. It didn't work so I have an appointment with an allergist and they want me 7 days off zyrtec so 2 days ago I stopped. I had a massive breakout of hives this morning I took 22 mg of prednisone about 3 almost all cleared up. I used some cortisone and a few hours later I felt nauseous and then started itching with a few bumps. So I took 5 mg of prednisone which makes 27 mg in 24 hours, might be a little too much.

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I am having this very same reaction right now. I took zyrtec every day from April on until three days ago and now I'm itching itching itching. UGH! So I just took one to stop the itching. How frustrating!

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I took Allertec for an year, and got severe itching whenever I stopped it. Finally, went cold turkey and took Benedryl during the night since that's when I get most itching and can't sleep. That didnt help much either, and I had rashes all over my body. Finally saw a dermatologist today, she gave me steroidal cream and heavy hydrating cream. Said body needs to wean by itself, which should happen in 2 weeks. Never did I expect Allertec (certrizine) to give me such bad side effects after stopping it. Terrible.

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I have been taking zyrtect 10mg every night for 3 months now, When it was about 1 month after I started taking this pill, I thought my allergy was getting better so I just stopped taking it. And from the next day,I started getting hives on my elbows, knees, thighs, backs, toes...etc ALL RANDOMLY! I couldn't figure out what caused it, So I suffered from the crazy hives depending on benadryl for 5 days. Those 5 days were like Hell. I was going nuts and when I started taking zyrtec again all my symptoms just disappered in 12 hours. It was like magic... I started looking up side effects of zyrtec and I realized there were so many people that's experiencing the same thing as I did. So far, I tried to quit taking this demon pill three times, and I failed everytime. The itching is just.....horrifying. Uncontorollably itchy and it literally made me go crazy. I still don't know what I should do to quit. I would like to know if there's anybody that suceeded from quitting. Why didn't anyone file a case suit for this company? 'cause obviously there's NO info or whatsoever about this withdrawl. :((

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I took one Zyrtec for congestion and it knocked me out for a good 13 hours couldn't work the next day still too craugy, ended up sleeping another 8 hours and then started itching like crazy all over. Never had itching issues before that day and its now been 2 years and i still itch. As soon as imy heart rate rises when i work out i beeak out in an itchy rash. i have certain areas of mybbody that itchball the time. 4 doctors, 2 specialists and 1 accupuncturist and no one can figure out the cause. I've been tested for allergies, diseases, nutrient deficiencies, candidae and thyroid... All negative. All I know is I had a bad reaction to Zyrtec and the next day I started itching and it has not gone away. I'm very aware of what I put in my body and know the difference started with Zyrtec.

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Yay, I've posted previously a few times that PREDNISONE got me off Zyrtec and see that some folks are finding success as well!!! It was a week long regimen for swelling after a concussion. I wasn't even aware that I was off until I realized that I had forgotten to take my zyrtec for a week and a half and I wasnt itchy.... ask your doctor!

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ive had the same problem i just half to keep takeing it or ich and go crazy === loyd

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Thank God I'm not the only one!!!! I thought I was going crazy. The itching is so bad and of course I have sensitive skin so I get red blotchy and get welts wherever I itch. Hope everyone suffering from this finds relief cuz it sucks!!!

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Hi, I know your post was awhile ago, but just curious when the itching stopped , easily true it takes about 15 days?
Thank you

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Try going gluten free, I have just discovered that gluten is the cause of my 12 years of hives. I'm reading these posts because I am now going off Allegra since I don't need it.

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too bad zyrtec has such a bad withdrawal syndrome because for me, it works ten times better than claritin

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Thank you all! I've been taking allergy meds if one kind or another for 30+ years. Ceterizine (generic zyrtec) for about a year. I recently realized if I forget I get insanely itchy which is what woke me up at 2 a.m. this morning...I grabbed a pill and decided to look it up and found this post...realized probably explains the weight gain and declining hair health as well. More research and dosage reduction starts today.

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I'm having the same withdrawal problem with zyrtec/generic. I've been on this meds for a few years ever since it went OTC. My doc wanted me to take it everyday. Some days I forget to take it and that's when I noticed the itching. When I take it, the itchiness goes away. I got worried and talked to my doc and she told me to go off of it for the winter since I'm not suffering from allergies right now. It's been a week since I've stopped cold turkey and the itchiness has not stopped nor improved and am worried that this will never go away, but there is no way I'm going back to a medication that would give me severe withdrawal like this. It's terrible that the company that's making this drug does not post any warnings of this. I feel for all of you out here who are suffering from this. Some people say it's normal but this is not right. I wish they would do something about this problem.

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Hi I have been on zyrtec since the spring for seasonal allergies
It helped but also made me sleep great
The other night I forgot to take it & I broke out into a sweat in the middle of the night & had severe insomnia
The next day it dawned on me maybe this was happening because I didn't take zyrtec
I looked on the web & sure enough I found a ton of info on the withdrawel symptoms
I'm not sure if I should wean myself off or stop cold turkey

I cut it in half & took it the past 2 nights I still have bad insomnia & I am itchy
My dermatologist said to take half for 1 week & then the second week take 1/2 every other day ...not sure if this will work
Any advice for me?..
I also reported this to the zyrtec company. They said they never heard of this problem.
Help !

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Lisa, I agree with Sue on this one to go cold turkey, although I've had a Walgreens pharmacist suggest otherwise. I'm on Day 8 now and the itching is a constant phenomenon and it doesn't seem to be improving. If the withdrawal is lasting this long and is consistent after I stopped cold turkey, I don't see how weaning would help with the withdrawal. It seems to me, unfortunately, that the only solution is to wait patiently until the medication is completely out of my system and from what I've read on the net, this can take some people weeks to months. Like Sue said, hang in there and we will all get through this somehow.

Yuri, I've been wondering the same. Why hasn't anyone filed a case suit against Zyrtec maker? This medication needs to be banned or at least have an appropriate warning labeled. I don't want to see anyone else suffer from the withdrawal I'm going through. I want to take action against Zyrtec because if I had known this was going to happen, I would never have stayed on it for 3 years.

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I'm glad this conversation is still going. I had no idea about this until I experienced symptoms and searching online for answers. I too had been taking Zyrtec for 3-4 years and wanted to stop but itching was so bad that it could only be relieved by taking a half tab. I mistakenly thought I had developed a food allergy and that's why I needed the Zyrtec. I'm now on day 10 and itching is slowly subsiding.

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Thank you for the advice
Did you also get insomnia ? I haven't slept in 5 days That's my main symptom

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I didn't really get the insomnia that bad, mine was the excruciating itching. But I know it's associated with it, guess It depends on the person. As I told everyone I went cold turkey and dealt with the intense itching. I am proud to say its 95 % gone and it just challenging yourself to be as strong as u can be to get thru it, no matter what symptom ! I promise you will sleep!! And itchies will be gone. Weaning is crap, get this junk out of your system period cold turkey!

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I started taking Zyrtec 14 years ago for chronic hives and year round allergies as prescribed by my doc. Took them throughout both my pregnancies with no problems. This third pregnancy I have quit cold turkey and am on day 7 of withdrawal. The itching was very intense on days 4-6 for me to the point of crying, but day 7 it is much better. There is still lots of itching but I have found that staying busy during the day keeps my mind off the itchies and at night, I use palmer's cocoa butter as well as 12% ammonium lactate lotion to allow me some rest at night. Nothing steroidal about these two, just some natural goodness to help. The only drawback to the lubing up with lotion is the "sticky" feeling, but "sticky" is way better than "itchy". Because I have been on it for such a long time, I am expecting that the disappearance of withdrawal itching will be longer for me, in the months range. But everyday is a new day. Also note, that if you look at the Material Safety Data Sheet for Zyrtec, it is intended for short term usage, not long term, as it causes liver damage. That is one of the reasons I decided to stop. Knowing about this and going through this, I cannot give it to my children ever again. Just know that if you are going to stop taking zyrtec that it is not for the weak minded, and you can't half ass it. Go the cold turkey!

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I posted one year ago, and can report that quittng Zyrtec has helped me get away from thee nightmare of intense itching that I had experienced. I learned that my long time thyroid condition is Hashimotos, and that I needed to change my medication to Armour. I have eliminated gluten whenever possible. Havent taken any medication other than Armour thyroid for at least 9 months, not even aspirin or ibuprophen or tylenol. If I remember, I take a multiple vitamin, and some salmon oil caps. I am free of the insane itching but might get a spot that is tender and itchy where my garments rub, or there has been an irritation of some kind. Saw several doctors while trying to figure this out, and none of them had any kind of clue. It is important for us to let the doctors know what we have experienced. The guys who push PHARMA wont let the docs have any of this info. Good luck. You will have to go cold on the Zyrtec, and it will be critical to keep body and your insides hydrated. Find a was to de-stress...I read, and I love my acupuncture!

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