Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 34)
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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 for a week I halved my 5mg, then quartered for a week, then quit this past Tuesday (the 26th)
The itching is still there, but now as bad as when I just stopped from the full 5mg. Itching was bad yesterday, but has not been a problem yet today, so maybe the worst is over.
My doctor finally got back to me yesterday and agreed that dosing down is the best way to go if you have this side effect.
Your mileage may vary.
Good Luck!
JHBZP

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Success - Finally, no more itching! Yippy! It took 7 months to disappear (Oct 2011 to May 2012) though I only took Zyrtec for one week. I only itched in my wrist and that was bad enough. But it was a very painful, deep, stabbing, electrified, aching itch. I can't even imagine what the rest of you are going through. If you scroll back, I did postings #10, #13 and #35. Good luck!

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I am glad that I found this site. I have been off from Zyrtec for one week. The itch still there but it is lesser now. I hope that I will be back to normal after two weeks cold turkey. Another week to go...

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After stopping Zyrtec and experiencing the itching associated with withdrawl, I spoke with my pharmacist looking for a solution. His advice was to ignore anything you find posted on the internet and discuss the problems with your doctor. Your doctor can best treat you and has the knowledge required to weigh out any options consistant with your personal medical profile. He also said most antihistimines are now available OTC and that in his experience, Allegra and Singulair were the two most commonly prescribed however, there are many available to which they each have their own pros and cons.
I pointed out that I had read several online articles suggesting 1000mg of Vitamin C to help subside the itching to which he felt there was no medical evidence he had heard of supporting that theory! He also felt the online articles have hidden agendas many times and suggested it's not a good place for medical advice!

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I was prescribed this last fall for seasonal nasal allergies, and continued to take it throughout the spring since I usually suffer then as well. I was on 10mg/day. About 2 weeks ago I started skipping a day, and all still was OK. But I took my last one Saturday, and I've been itching like mad the last 3 days. Otherwise I feel fine, as I usually do in the summer.

I love the way it works, but if I manage to stay off it, I will not go back on it. I'll go back to whatever they had me on the year before, I need to go look that up.

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As a child I had very severe asthma living in the northeast requiring frequent hospital visits. After treatment for desencitation and a surgical proceedure snipping the Arnolds Nerve I basically considered myself cured........no more attacks! I was allergic to just about everything from dust,plants, animals, molds.........you name it!
I went along 30 some years without any asthma attacks having lived in the northeast and the northwest. I retired an decided no more winters.........moved to Florida, which my doctor has informed me is an allergy suffers worst mightmare! As soon as I moved here, I could feel a chest tightness consistant with my former bouts of severe asthma, eye watering, itching, sneezing and many other symptoms.
Decided to see a doctor who of course informed me that Florida is nothing more than a swamp with unknown amounts of allergens.......somethings blooming all the time! He also informed me you do not outgrow asthma and seemed suspicious of my past treatment. I can only say that I went from severe asthma to no asthma.......the prominent doctor wouldn't be so prominent if his patients weren't seeing results!
Now this new fellow in Florida decides I need Zyrtec at 10mg daily............have been doing it for about 3 years now. I noticed several things..................
First, if you miss a dose be prepared for immediate side effects, itching, leg jumps, sleep deprivation among others I have read online.
Secondly, I noticed that it only works well for a short period and then begins to fail at serving it's purpose. I was not really looking to start at 10mg and increase to some massive dose over a short period so I explained to my doctor that I felt the drug wasn't performing as well. His reply........."Then stop taking it".........no explanation as to how.........just cease using it.
Immediately the side effects began, the itching the most annoting. My itching usually gets worst in the evening..........starts in my toes like athletes foot, then travels slowly up my legs into the no show zone which can be pretty embarrising if out in public! Then I get a little bit of itching on my stomach area and then it seems to jump right out to my fingers again, like athletes foot and slowly moves up my arms to my neck and head.............all the time driving me insane!
It appears to me, this was another "rush to market let's grab those billions" kind of deal! I have read hundreds if not thousands of the very same complaints however, I don't find adequate warnings on the label informing patients of these side effects????? Maybe it would have hindered sales........who knows??? We live in America, the 21st century, where corporate profits supercede any intelligence of the non existant kind!

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Hi Jen,
Please, please go see an Integrative Medicine group. Please. There is a cause for your Urticaria. I too had this. 6 different doctors, 4 trips to ERs. I was taking 13 different antihistamines a day. Guess what? It was just masking the problem.
After 14 months of nonsense, I finally met with a doctor tht had answers. With a few small changes to my diet, perfect supplements, I am now hive free and med free. I have never felt so great.
You need to take charge of your health. Western medicine is not the long term solution you are looking for. GO INTEGRATIVE!!!
Best of luck,
Beth

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I have been suffering with Chronic Urticaria and now have also developed Ageodema. I am recently getting over an awful cold and chest infection and the Urticaria has become very generalised. I woke with a swollen lip and swollen closed eye and my throat seemed a little tight.
I am taking cetirizine 10mg 3 times a day and now i have to start taking singulair tonight. If this does not dappen the immune system down I will be on steroids again from tomorrow.
Previously I was on Fexafenadine and this made my heart race to the point that i could hear palpitations in my ears. I have had several blood tests done and they show borderline thyroid which is not being treated at the moment. Also very anemic and deficient in B12. Therefore i am taking supplements. There is no other cause that I can think of for the Urticaria other than having a 3 in one flu jab on the 31/12/2010 and being in hospital 8 days later with Angeodema of the Tonge.
So I am trying Green Tea today and will also be purchasing Vitamin D as this is supposed to help the Immune system. If anyone wants to discuss any issues relating to the above then email me direct as well.
Thankyou for reading this.
Kind regards Jen.

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Hi everyone,

Wow! I really had no idea what I was in for by taking zyrtec. I started taking it about 45 days ago, and ran out last weekend, so I've been off about 5 days. The itching and mild rash started a couple days ago, but I too experienced depression and weight gain, and mild anxiety. Now it makes sense. My allegries are really bad now, and zyrtec did a really good job of handling those, but I can see the side effects are too severe to have stayed on it. Thank you for all your stories! Best, m

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So i've been off zyrtec now for three weeks only occassional itching. Met with allergist this week and is suggesting that i have allergy shots once a week and take allegra only as needed. Does anyone know of any side effects from doing this? I don't want to make the same mistake. Thanks

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Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I am going to try, starting now, to not take it the cetirizine. I will not scratch.

The D-Hist looks like it is for nasal and sinus? The main reason I started taking the cetirizine is because I started itching out of control suddenly the first winter I moved to CO and then later (now) NV, both very dry climates. The Dr. told me my histamines were out of whack. So will the D-Hist help to lessen the itching or is it for sinus allergies?

I will start the weaning process (will be looking into getting the accupuncture for itching and anxiety - thanks for that). I will report back on how i am doing (unbearable, crying or tolerable to make it to another day).

Thank you very much for your suggestions and support. It really helps to know that you all have made it through!!!

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It the sixth day for me without Zyrtec. The first four days, I had the intolerable itching, but it has subsided greatly today and yesterday.

All I have done differently for these two days are (1) drinking coconut water, diluted in filtered water, and (2) taking a probiotic tablet.

I don't know if these things are helping me, or if the itching is just wearing off on its own. I took Zyrtec (cetirizine) for about four years. I was not taking it for skin allergies in the first place. I was taking it for pollen, etc. (environmental) allergies.

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I feel for you. I am now at 3 weeks today off of zyrtec. I still have terrible itching, but I went to an allergy center yesterday and I am going wheat and gluten free and I am sure that is going to relieve the itching. I started to take allergy meds because of itching, nothing like i have experienced with this horrible withdrawal. the doctor told me that zyrtex has the worst withdrawal and allegra is the most mild and you should not have the same symtoms with that drug. I only wish i had known that 5yrs ago.I heard it takes 3 weeks so I am really hoping I am coming to the end of this nightmare. Best of luck to all of you and don't give in to this drug.

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yes, I agree you can do it......it took me 8 days of itching from head to toe.....yes, try not to scratch, it will go away important when it starts to try to distract yourself. I went cold turkey after 8 years. Now itching has stopped. I started taking it for severe allergies, itchy eyes, throat and sneezing etc....now that's back full force. I am so afraid to take anything for it, but it's pretty unbearable. I have appt Monday for allergy testing, will see what the allergist has to say. Good luck with this, you can do it.......you are correct you do begin to build up a tolerance to it, best to get off it now.

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Hi Amy,
I am 4 weeks clean of this beast. I'm fine now.
Here's what you need to do:
Start to wean
Start taking D-hist
Start acupunture for itching and anxiety
(Zyrtek causes anxiety issues as well)
You will get through it.
When you do the above, the only thing you need in addition is to not itch the itch. Don't touch it and it goes away In a few seconds.
You can do this. I did. I went from 40 mg/day ( drs orders) to nothing.
You can stop. You must. There are alternatives. Just get the D-hist. NOT the D-hist D.
Good luck. It's worth it.
Beth

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I really want to wean myself off, however I am terrified of the itching pain. I have been taking the generic (same ingredients as zyrtec) for about 7 years now and zyrtec for 3 years prior. Until I found this information, I thought I was taking it to control my histamines -- which was causing me to itch. Since taking the zyrtec relieved the itching (caused by my histamines being out of whack and the extreme dry climate), I didn't think the zyrtec was causing the itching. I am really still confused. How did you figure out it was the zyrtec causing the itching and not the reason you started taking it in the first place?

Also, how are you able to work at all during the weaning process. I guess I need to know how I will cope if put my fears on the back burner. Should I expect to develop soars all over during this process. I am afraid of the pain and I am 98% convinced that I cannot do it. However, I really, really want to do it, I am just terrified. If I go more than an hour into the itch mode I freak out. I count my generic zyrtec to make sure I don't run out. My concern of taking this stemmed from the fact that I know I can't take this for another 20-30 years (because its effectiveness is starting to wear off (I have to take it more often now). This is what prompted me to find something else i could do, and that is how I stumbled onto all of this information about zyrtec (and the generic) being the bigger issue, I had NO IDEA. I will check back to see your responses.

Terrified, Itchy and Confused in NV.

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ive come to belive that they put the iching in zyrtec to keep you on it so ypu can't just stop taking it its a big money making pill

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I stopped taking Zyrtec (the 10 mg generic cetirizine hydrochloride tablets) two days ago because I recently heard that antihistamines, including Zyrtec, can cause weight gain. I started taking cetirizine for nasal allergies about three to four years ago (not long after Zyrtec went OTC), and I actually put on six pounds over a period of two months the year I started taking it! I did not make the connection at the time, and just attributed the weight gain to other things then, but now I believe it was the cetirizine. There has been a study that links antihistamines to an increase in appetite:
fyiliving.com/research/antihistamines-may-cause-weight-gain


Now, after two days of no cetirizine, I have been experiencing the crazy itching that everyone else here has described. I suspected the itching might be a withdrawal symptom, so I googled it and found this forum. It is a relief to know the cause of the itching. I am trying to go cold turkey, and I hope the itching goes away within a few weeks. However, I've read about people five months out who still have occasional itching.

On the bright side, I am happy to report that my urge to snack has decreased, and I actually lost two pounds! This might seem like a coincidence, but I don't think so.

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Since my last post I have gone back to work, it is now day 17 and I am still itching, not as bad but my mornings are the worst. btw I have also suffered severe hairloss over the last few years and I am now convinced it is because of this drug. Took me a while to put all the pieces together. I can only hope my immune system is able to repair itself after the damage zyrtex has caused my body.

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So it took me 8 days of intense itching to get this out of my system. Have been told it's because I had been on it so long that once I stopped the histamines in my body went crazy. So I got through the itching, I still break out when I work out or exert myself at all. But now, since I'm not on it my allegies have gone crazy. I have to wait another week for testing, then hoping they can take care of those without putting me on zyretc. Zyrtec certainly helped the allergies, but I really don't want to go on it again after what I went through to get off of it.

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