Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 25)
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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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I have a long stretch of days off and decided to get off my 10mg nightly year round dose of Zyrtec. I experienced the typical side effects of watery eyes and dripping nose, increased mucus, coughing on the first two days. Today, the third day, I had a wheezing sound when I tried to breathe deeply and that came with an urge to cough. It felt like I was not able to breathe properly...and made me wonder if that is what asthma feels like. This was the absolute worst day so far. Day 2 and 3 I felt increased itching but this evening it increased after I took a hot shower.. Actually it started to get BAD while in the shower.... After I got out, I could not stop itching everywhere!!!! It was so intense, I felt that my scratching was not doing anything and I wanted to cry... it was that bad. I am not sure why the hot water made things so much worse!!!!

I finally caved and took another Zyrtec!! I could not handle it anymore!!! Now I am royally pissed that I have been on medicine year round for 10 years that I can't live without. I am not sure what I am going to do now.. keep taking it for life??? I am going to research more about this and will report back. This is so miserable and so messed up!

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I though I was going nuts! So it's my Zyrtec D causing this itching!!! And I know it caused my sever dry eye, and lately severe dry mouth. And I am betting it is the reason I have this always "slightly dehydrated" issue!!! I use the generic Zyrtec D in the morning (12 hr), and take a half pill of the plain one at night. The 24 hr "D" caused me to be so hyper I couldn't sleep. Now I also realize why I am so tired if I forget to take the "D" in the morning!! I recently had an ear infection and was given an antibiotic that, afterwards caused colitis (had this happen before), it lasts for like 3 weeks. It is the pits. I cut down my Zyrtec D to a half pill... I figured I better cut down since I have a dehydration issue even when I am well. I forgot to take the half pill of the regular Zyrtec at night for 2 nights, and yesterday took no half pill of the "D". I am ITCHING!!! I KNEW it was a withdrawal from the Zyrtec!! I have been on this stuff for more yrs than I can count, only because it was cheaper than the other allergy meds I was on...my insurance stopped covering the Allegra and Allegra D "because of my age". I tried to go "homeopathic" with the allergy meds as per my nutritionist back in late November of 2012. I was itching like crazy especially at night...hands and feet mostly. I thought is was THAT med making me itch, and stopped it after a week because I was about to get married and didn't want to be itching like a loon on my honeymoon. LOL I filed a report with the FDA a few mins ago. People...I was on Singulair yrs ago...and I wasted 9 yrs of my life being diagnosed with "medication resistant depression". I was on EVERY antidepressant there was...all having their own wacky side effects. The day after I read that it can cause depression....I was off it...and back to my normal cheery self. My 13 yr old has been on Zyrtec since she was 4. WE are about to be itching together....we are off this junk!! BUt we need SOME kind of allergy medication....we have SEVERE allergies. I have to find something. At least it is winter and our really bad allergies aren't flaring up. I am allergic to EVERYTHING. And I need the Decongestant in the allergy meds big time. Good thing God blessed me with a good sense of humor!!!

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It will get better It takes about a month Another good cream is sarna anti itch cream it worked wonders for me ... I also took 1/2 of a Benadryl pill for the nights I couldn't take the itchiness Good luck It will pass I'm glad there are other people out there that are experiencing these horrible withdrawel symptoms from Zyrtec When I tell people they think i am crazy

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I have been taking Zyrtec for almost three years and just the past couple of months have tried to get off it. Every time I did I would suffer from horrible itching that just about drove me bonkers. Especially my hands and feet. The areas that I would scratch would become raised marks. Well I found something that would stop the itching. It's called Heel Tastic. It's for cracked feet. I believe it's all natural. But I am now three days off of the Zyrtec and it's working. I'm not in the medical field but I am so happy I found something. Even though it's kinda weird it Works!!! Good luck to all.

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Just a heads up to everybody still dealing with this - the previous comments are correct, it does get better.

My timeline was the following - the first 2 days the itchiness starts to ramp up; on days 3-9, it's quite unbearably itchy; on days 10-18, I was still very itchy, but there were signs that my symptoms were starting to abate. I would say by day 21, my symptoms are 85% gone. The key is surviving the 2 week period where you're constantly itchy and wondering if it gets better - it does in fact get better, so just hang on!

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19th day of withdrawal. . . I had dermagraphia prior to taking Zyrtec, so I'm not very sure where the withdrawal ends and the dermagraphia begins. I still itch a whole lot. . . but the burning sensation that I got after barely touching my skin is a lot less now. Like now, I can use the bathroom, or change my jacket, without setting off a burning-pins-and-needles reaction. It also seems to be a little better in the mornings and get worse at night. Before, it was just bad, bad, bad all the time. Since the start of the withdrawal, I have been loosing a lot of hair. I have tried to avoid scratching my scalp, but have broken down and scratched a number of times. . . I'm not sure if that's why I've been loosing hair, but it seems like every time I brush or wash it, I loose about 3x what I consider normal.

I feel more alert and rested now! I think I was just sleepy and tired as a dumb side effect of that medicine.

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I am 2 years out from ceasing my daily dose of this garbage. Virtually symptom-free, though I get hives when my skin is scraped or scratched sometimes. Take her advice folks, whatever you do DON'T SCRATCH. You will have iron-clad willpower after.

Ceterizine is clearly a drug that has withdrawal symptoms in some and it is not right that patients aren't told this.

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Yesterday at Day 15 was when I realized at some point during the day that I hadn't been itching all day. I had some itchiness on the soles of my feet in the afternoon but it was mild enough for me to ignore them and it eventually went away. It's taking time but I do feel like the itchiness is ebbing away overall... Today I'm more itchy than yesterday so I expect I'll have some good days and not so good days but that the number of the good days will increase as time goes on. Day 4 was the worst especially in the evening where I broke out in hives. The itchiness seems to come more at night in general. I still haven't had a day where there was absolutely no itching but I think I'm getting there. So, those of you out there, I promise it'll get better. Just hang in there!

Some tips: I've found that keeping my skin moisturized helps to prevent the itching and hives from forming. Also, when I get the itch, I try not to scratch it as that exacerbates the itchiness. Instead, I gently rub the area and the itchiness seems to go away faster.

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Welcome to the club Thomas.

Today is day 8 of withdrawal for me. Itching didnt seem to respond to my heating pad last night. Miserable and itchy, my legs especially. Woke up this morning with a somewhat puffy and swollen face, even though I know I didn't scratch it. I've been mostly laying/sitting and reading these days. If I get an itchy spell, I sing a hymn or recite a Bible verse or pray until the itch goes away. Hoping it will get better soon!

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I'm also very happy I found this site. I had been on generic cetirizine for 3 years, and thought that I was getting itchy if I went too long without taking the drug because of some allergy. Since finding out this was a withdrawal symptom, I stopped cold turkey and am currently on day 6. Day 3 was bad, days 4-5 were worse (I was extremely itchy), and today seems like it'll be pretty bad as well.

Fortunately, itchiness is the only side effect I'm dealing with - based on some of the feedback from others, it seems like it could be worse. I've had to put my life on hold the past few days, and I'm hoping this ends soon!

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No itchy allergies before taking Allertec (Costco brand). Had been taking for two years per MD suggestion for sinus/seasonal allergies. The only reason I stopped was because I felt it wasn't working anymore. I'm so glad to be off this med. Hang in there.

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Be careful with the relief of the hot showers or baths, and always apply a very good moisturizer. Otherwise you poor skin will get too dry and the itching will not subside. This is my experience. It is sure no fun to have to be constantly on guard for irritation, but it can get better. If you have a good way to relax, it helps a lot.

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Hi Esther ... My dermagraphism is worse now that I am off the zyrtec .. . It would always flare up now & then. But not how it is now ..... I am hoping it will calm down & my body will go back to normal soon ..... I don't ever want to take zyrtec again ...I can't believe the withdrawel symptoms.... And no one has ever heard of them either
I also had insomnia for a week ...thank god that is better now ...good luck to you

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I keep posting the same thing because I was on Zyrtec for dermagraphism for 5 months this past year and when I went off I had the worst histamine reactions. The hives came back, angioedema and then I started getting all kinds of weird symptoms and found out about Mast Cell Activation Disorder and Histamine Intolerance ( Google it ) . I must have gotten some weird rebound affect from being on the Zyrtec so long. I had a million tests all healthy. Tried the natural route and did not work. I was forced to go back on the Zyrtec and now I take a very baby dose of the children's oral formula. My body is healthy but very dis-regulated and I wonder if the Zyrtec is causing depression now. Wish I never started this drug!!!

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Glad to "meet" you Lisa. That's interesting that we're both at about the same day/stage in the withdrawal and also have dermagraphia. Few people even know what dermagraphia is. . .

I'm curious if your itching right now with the withdrawal is similar or worse than what you remember your dermagraphia to be before Zyrtec. I think the withdrawal is worse. At least I hope it is, because I'm not sure if I can face life if it remains like this!

One of the main reasons I'm pushing myself to get off this med is because someday I would like to be married and have children. I would never consider taking any kind of medication while pregnant, especially not Zyrtec!, even if the company insisted it was safe. There's too many people whose entire lives are affected by a "safe" medication their mother took during the helpless 9 months they spent in utero.

Thanks for the words of hope Nancy. And yet, it scares me to think that you are still itching some a whole year after quitting Zyrtec. Did you have an "itchy allergy" prior to Zyrtec?

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Wow I feel like your twin .... I too have dermagraphism
I was taking zyrtec for 6 months
I tried to wean off but it didn't work
I am now off zyrtec 6 days & I am so itchy
Especially at night
If I can't tolerate the itchiness I will take 1/2 of a Benadryl & that seems to work
I'm not sure how long this will last ... I think my histamine levels are out of wack from bing on the zyrtec so long & now coming off of it ... It has caused the dermagraphism to come out again
Hopefully tis will calm down soon

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Hang in there Esther! It has been one year since I have stopped Cetirizine/Zyrtec/Allertec....cold turkey. I feel so much better and my allergies are a minimum. I haven't felt this good in 30 years! I still feel regular plant allegeries during spring, summer and fall but it seems to clear up in a day or two and I can live with that. I have increased my bike riding to 6 days a week, 100 miles and believe me that has helped. Use Aloe plant for the itches and pray! It took me almost 9 months to get this drug out of my system. By the way, my MD had no clue about this drug when I told her about it but she said she would check on it. My next appointment is in December and I will ask her about it and repost the results.

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I've read every post on this thread and can relate with ya'll and am so thankful to know that I'm not the only suffering!

I have dermagraphia, which causes me to get hives anywhere I scratch my skin. I had it for a couple years and didn't know what it was. At one stressful point, my ithcy skin got so bad that I finally got serious about a diagnosis and then treatment. Being one who avoids drug medications and supports the use of herbs and lifestyle changes, I wanted to find a natural cure. But the circumstances were inconvenient to obtain herbs and the information on the causes of dermagraphia were lacking. A doctor told me to take Zyrtec and what instantaneous relief it brought! That was 3 years ago. I have tried different diet changes and herbal remedies from time to time, each time trying to stop the medication for a bit to see if my remedy helped. But I have always been driven back to Zyrtec for fear I will go crazy with the insane iching. . . I do remember insane itching from time to time with dermagraphia, prior to ever taking Zyrtec. But I remember being able to live life.

Once my roommate observed me trying to go without Zyrtec for a couple days. Her comment was that I seemed to be addicted to my medicine! Anyways, it wasn't until a couple weeks ago that I googled something that brought up the common withdrawal symptom of itchiness that Zyrtec has. What a dirty surprise! No wonder I could never get off of the medication. No wonder nothing I ever did could take the place of my Zyrtec!

Well I waited until I could be at home without having to work, and then I stopped taking Zyrtec. That was 7 days ago. Little has changed from day to day. Most of the time I feel like I'm on the verge of going crazy. It's hard to concentrate. However, if I sit perfectly still in a comfortable position, the itching subsides and almost disappears. Any rubbing or touching of my skin makes that area become itchy with a pins-and-needles sensation. I am wearing long-sleeved cotton shirts and pants and keep my hair up. Scratching the itches only increases the itching and leads to an uncontrollable frenzy. I've learned a few things about coping during this withdrawal. Heat helps marvelously. A steamy wet washcloth gives instant relief to the itchy stinging and can help me prevent/stop a scratching frenzy. Same with an electric heating pad. I go to bed with a heating pad and during the day I keep it with me on the couch. I take a very hot bath every day, always soaking for a while after scrubbing before gingerly getting out and dabbing myself dry. Currently I am taking a strong tea of licorice, eyebright, thyme, anise, stinging nettles, and ginger, but it doesn't seem to help at all. Maybe it will help once the withdrawal has ended. . . I also have been exclusively gluten-free for 3 months and have been a vegan vegetarian (no meat, eggs, cheese, milk, etc) all my life.

I'm hoping that it will only take 10 days or so to get this drug out of my system, but we'll see. I'll post again in a few days to report progress.

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EXACTLY !!!!!! I know I wasn't that crazy !!!!! The stinging itching all over, YES !!!!!!!
My eyes burn and the tears burn my skin also became so dry I felt I was turning to dust !!!
That,s why I took a break this is day 3. Thanks so much for you post. I now know what to do.

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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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