Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 36)

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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EC (# 693) --

Need some advice. My son has tapered down to 0.4ml daily. My plan is to discontinue at the start of his Christmas break so he can have a couple weeks at home to withdrawal. But he's been having a lot more break through itching this week. Sarna helps while he's at school. But this week his scalp has been itching & he needs to put an ice pack on it. He checked out of school today bc the itching was so bad. At this point, I wonder if it'd be better to discontinue at thanksgiving break (in 3 weeks). He'll only have 1 week of vacay to withdrawal at home. Then he's gotta go back to school. He's got finals & the ACT test in Dec. I hate to have him withdrawal during those tests.
I guess my question is - how did your withdrawal after discontinuing compare to the break through itching while you were on the meds? I feel like waiting til Dec to discontinue is like pulling the bandaid off slowly. I want him off the meds, but I want him to be able to function. Help!

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Re: LG (# 701)

I hope your son getting off went better than the experience I had. I never could get the itching to stop.

If you have success... please post back here... I would love to hear of someone actually weening off, rather than a lot of take all these vitamins, costing a lot of money, leading to just taking the Zyrtec to stop the itching, hair loss from scalp itching, weight gain, did I say itching?

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Re: Snoopy (# 702)

I have successfully been off Zyrtec about 8 months now (so it is possible!). It was very difficult for about 2 months but now I very rarely have the intense itching. I gradually reduced my pills from 10mg to 5mg and then down to 2.5mg over the course of about a month before stopping entirely. I also took Quercetin, Bromelin, Vitamin C, and Fish Oil which all seemed to help with the itch. If my allergies get really bad, I'll take an Allegra which my allergist said suppresses allergens differently than Zyrtec. I'm still terrified of becoming dependent on allergy meds again so I only take a pill if its absolutely necessary (2-3 times a month). I hardly every have that internal itch that I used to have. Occasionally my scalp itches but again, this is all a million times better than how it once was. Good luck everyone!

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Re: LG (# 701)

Hi, when I discontinued the medication altogether, I had been on 0.1 mg/day for one or two weeks. There was not much difference in the actual withdrawal as in the occasional breakthrough during tapering. Two times it was bad enough that I took a swig of children’s Benadryl with immediate relief. I highly recommend that your son be on 1000 mg ester C vitamin C daily and N-A-C sustain release daily as he gets close to withdrawal. It will greatly ease the transition and allow him to function. The other great help is just keeping a heating pad plugged in while at home and applying the heat to any itchy spot. The relief is almost instantaneous.

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Re: Allie (# 703)

I tried all of those natural remedies for six months or more, all to a lot of expense, and no relief :( I'm angry at this and especially upset that I may have to take this pill and suffer these horrible effects forever :(

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Re: Snoopy (# 705)

I don't know if this is a workable idea or not. Some people may find it easier to wean off another antihistamine rather than the one they are currently taking. For example, I have a relative who tried for years to wean off antihistamines and the one he was able to finally wean off of was Atarax.

As you know every person has a different physiology so this method may or may not work, and if it could work it could be with one antihistamine drug or another. So in this particular person's case Atarax was the one that he was able to withdraw from permanently. It has been 24 years with no issues after withdrawal.

Atarax is a drug that must be discussed with your medical doctor, of course. For the record I am NOT a medical professional.

Thanks.

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Re: EC (# 704)

Thanks everyone! He's been taking 1000mg ester C vitamin C for a couple weeks. Prior to that he was taking a different brand vitamin C. Almost immediately I could tell a difference with the ester C. Definitely decreased the breakthrough itching. Still researching NAC. I found some articles that said in some ppl it can increase histamine, so I've been hesitant to give it to him.

Yesterday he checked out of school bc the itching was constant. He came home & put ice packs on different spots. (For him, ice feels better than heat). He said the ice takes away the itch quickly. I need to figure out a way to send ice packs to school with him.
He said the breakthrough itching usually isn't too bad. At home he ices it & then he's good to go. But at school it's more difficult bc he doesn't use ice.

Before this week, he wasn't itching everyday. But he's had a lot of stress this week, & stress can make him itch. I may start giving him quercetin. I've been holding off until it was absolutely necessary. He took it a couple times a few weeks ago for bad allergies. It helped clear up his nose & helped w the itch. I'll keep you posted on his progress.

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Re: Amy (# 20)

I am in the same itchy boat from Allegra... ?? I'm on 48 hours without taking anything and I'm miserable.. I will never take another antihistamine as long as I live

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Re: Allie (# 703)

I'm currently having massive itching withdrawal from allegra... So I would be very sparing with it.. Just thought I'd let you know..

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Re: EC (# 704)

My son is down to 0.25ml. He takes it every morning ab 7am. He has breakthrough itching everyday. It's tolerable but uncomfortable. Tomorrow he's taking an ACT prep class from 9a-12p. I don't want him itching during the class or he won't be able to concentrate. I was thinking about sending him w half of a Benadryl (12.5mg) to take if he needs it. If he takes it, that means he will have taken the Claritin just hours before the Benadryl. I hate to double up on antihistamine, but I need a guarantee that he won't itch. Or I could skip the Claritin tomorrow morning & just give him a whole pill of Benadryl at 7am. What do you think would be best?

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Re: LG (# 710)

Sorry about the late reply!! The Claritin may well be throwing a wrench into your son’s ability to withdraw from Zyrtec. This is just my opinion, but I think that chronic use of all these antihistamines eventually backfires and makes the body hypersensitive/hyperreactive to any allergen exposure. In other words, they end up having the opposite effect of what was intended. Would work on SLOWLY weaning off the Claritin with the help of Ester C, omegas, NAC, etc. Occasional Benadryl for intolerable breakthrough probably ok, though I could only take it in very small amounts because it made me so sleepy.

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I stopped Zyrtec cold turkey six months ago, and the withdrawal symptoms started to lessen about three weeks ago. I thought I was crazy - first deep itching, then deep pins and needles (described as some as thousands of bug bites), sensitive skin, photosensitivity. My scalp still itches some days, and I still have some skin sensitivity on parts of my body. Doctors are no help - I saw every specialist possible - because none of them believe there can be a withdrawal.

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Re: Bert (# 712)

The withdrawal is brutal and prolongued. I have been Zyrtec free well over a year after tapering off. For months after the itching stopped I would still itch after showering and changing clothes after work at night. Annoying, but not horrible. Consider taking 1000 mg of ester C vitamin C Helps with allergies and the residual symptoms you are experiencing.

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Re: Steve (# 12)

My symptoms are starting to abate after six months, but I still have some itching daily. Many of us have filed a report with the FDA and reported it to the manufacturer (who claims not to have ever heard of the withdrawal). I understand there is a law firm taking names for a class action but I don't know the firm name. Hang in there, it really does end sometime.

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I can thankfully say I have overcome those horrible effects of going off zyrtec cold turkey. For those of you still suffering, please hang in there and consider taking some of these steps for at least a month as you go off anti-histamines.

- Start healing your gut and stay away from eggs, dairy, processed sugar, processed meats, fermented foods, and gluten as much as possible.

- Eat freshly prepared foods as often as possible, and eat more vegetables.

- if you can, drink celery juice every morning for this period. It is a great healing food that helps to reverse inflammation.
- Take 1000mg of ester c twice daily (morning and night) for immune support.

- Take Mullein leaf and/or Stinging nettle leaf supplements twice a day, then taper down to once a day when you feel better. They are absolutely great for sinus health.

- Take Oil of Oregano. You can mix 6 drops of this in water and use it to swallow your supplements. It is a wonderful seasonal support supplement.

- Finally, I'd also recommend MSM powder or supplements. The sulfur helps to block the receptivity of histamine and may also rid the body of Candida, a fungus notorious for contributing to sinus and allergy problems.

-You can also help your liver by drinking dandelion tea with your meals.

I wish us all well as we pursue good health and wholesome lives.

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Re: AsiLeD (# 653)

I am on week 4 of the horrific withdrawal itching , burning and pure torture. It is gradually getting better . The past week it has gotten better to the point I’m having the red hives now only about once a day if I scratch the itch. Painful Red streaks have been appearing when I scratch . It has been terrible. I will never take this poison again . I tapered down for months before stopping taking it but it did not seem to help with lessening the withdrawal because when I stopped the medication the severe side effects started exactly 2 days later with vengeance . I am praying that within another 2 weeks the side effects will be gone but that will be 6 weeks. You will just need to be strong and mind over matter . Hot showers would help when it got terribly out of control . Ibuprofen seemed to help some also .

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I am on week 4 of the horrific withdrawal itching , burning and pure torture. It is gradually getting better . The past week it has gotten better to the point I’m having the red hives now only about once a day if I scratch the itch. Painful Red streaks have been appearing when I scratch . It has been terrible. I will never take this poison again . I tapered down for months before stopping taking it but it did not seem to help with lessening the withdrawal because when I stopped the medication the severe side effects started exactly 2 days later with vengeance . I am praying that within another 2 weeks the side effects will be gone but that will be 6 weeks. You will just need to be strong and mind over matter . Hot showers would help when it got terribly out of control . Ibuprofen seemed to help some also .

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