Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 4) (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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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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I'm on Week 8 off of Zyrtec and I think my withdrawal is almost gone. I do need to keep my skin (pretty much my entire body) moisturized a few times a day which I've never had to do to this extent in the past, but this week is definitely better than last week. Last week was better than the week before but I noticed occasional itchiness on my soles pretty much everyday. This week, however, I haven't experienced that at all (knock on wood it stays that way). It's possible that it'll creep back up again but as I've said before, it's getting better and better as weeks go by. For those of you trying to quit, the first few days thru the second week is probably the hardest but if you can get past the first 2 weeks it'll get better little by little. Remember to keep moisturizing and do not scratch if you can help it and instead rub it down gently. Hang in there, everyone!

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Nick,

I am interested in finding out if there are any legal case suits for Zyrtec or Cetirizine as well. It's been a little over 2 months for me since I've been of this medication and while my withdrawal is 95% gone, I still have some itchiness on my feet from time to time. At this rate, I'm not sure if it'll ever go away. My own doctor has confirmed that she herself has withdrawal problems from it. This site alone is a proof of the issue that should be addressed. I've tried some light research on the issue on the net but haven't been successful which I find surprising. Please do let us know if you find any information on a case suit for this medication.

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Wow... I thought I was going nuts. I have been on this med for more than 5 years because of allergies to cats...but since my heart attack, I've been prescribed a lot of meds so I decided to cut on those whom I don't need.

My question is... how long do I have to endure this? I feel like a junkie in rehab.

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You obviously haven't experienced zirtec or read the whole thread. Zirtec doesn't mention itching as a withdrawal or side effect. I never had any itching before and took zirtec for a day and 3 years later still itching. I haven't sued but think they should have been by now. They should properly label their product and give sufficient warning so people who take this product know what they face and can make an educated decision before taking this drug.

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I was prescribed citirizine hydrochloride by my doctor in 2010 when i developed itchy and split eyes for no reason? I never suffered from allergies before. This turned out to be a reaction to mold although it took me 2-3 years to figure that out. But anyway, everytime i didnt take a tablet, after a few days i would start to itch around my private parts and my face would get hot/burn, i thought at the time it was this new seeded bread i had started eating so i just took another tablet and it would stop within the hour. I tried stopping taking them because my first problem i had (itchy split eye lids) went away after a few weeks which coincidentally was because the wall in my house that had the mold on was fixed. I just carried on taking them thinking i was allergic to certain foods even though i never had been in the past, i experienced another mold problem which left me very weak with flu like symptoms, the doctor checked me over and couldnt find what was wrong..he suggested taking more citirizine which i did..still no change, i just felt fatigued constantly to the point i was climbing the stairs on my hands and knees. I finally solved that problem so decided to try come off citirizine again and everytime i did i would get extreme itching all over my body..so i read online and realised that its not allergies, its this friggin medicine or should i say poison. Ive read about allergies on a website called doctor yourself and he says about diet playing a big roll, he also mentions large doses of vitamin c help with a lot of different things, its a natural antihistamine. So this is what ive done, i have completely cut caffiene out of my life, i dont have any refined sugar except maybe what's in bread etc, and i started taking high doses of pure vitamin c which is 3000mg 3 times a day, i started taking that 2 weeks before i tried stopping citirizine, im on day 7 now which is the longest ive ever been, im awake at this time now because yes i have been itching which woke me up but its not nearly as bad as the last times..i used to shake, cough, my eyes would water, it was horrible. So now when i flare up i just have a big dose of vit c on top of my 3 doses and within 20 mins the itching is nearly gone, this lasts for a few hours. Sorry to go on but ive been plagued by this for nearly 4 years now and i know how frustrating it is, u think your the only person going through it. I also take a super b complex, a multi vitamin, flaxseed oil and try not to eat processed food and drink plenty if water. I just want my health back..Good luck. Remember high doses of Vitamin C powder :)

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This happened to me as well, back in the late 1990s and no reports of side effects on message boards like this one. I thought I was going crazy! The problem forced me to continue taking cetirizine just to stop the horrible under-the-skin itching. The worst was the scalp, behind the knees, abdomen...just an awful withdrawal reaction. I did a very slow taper, like many of the other people who were able to get off this drug. 10 mg daily, then 5 mg daily, then dosing every other day at 5 mg. Down to 2.5 mg every other day, and the last hurdle was sucking up the itching for about 3 days. Fine ever since and that was about 12 years ago.

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Dear friends,

I am living in chennai, its a one of the biggest city in india.

I have itching problem for every 2 days.So i am always taking citrizine tablet whenever itching occurs.

who are all affected this itching problems. pls dont take citrizine medicine always.

Please take the following HOMEOPATHY medicine

Step 1: Take Nux Vomica - 200 - 5ml (liquid). Add one drop in water take 4 times per days (Morning,afternoon,evening,night). You should take for 2 days. It will clear previous medicine chemicals in your body.

Step 2:Take Apis Mellifica - 30 - 5ml (liquid). Add one drop in water take 4 times per days.(Morning,afternoon,evening,night). You should take for 2 days. It will helps to prevent itching & swelling in your body.

Step 3: Bio Combination Salts -No. 20 - 100 grams.

For Adults: 4 tablets every three hours or four times a day.

Children: Half of the adult's dose.

It cures:

Acne, chaps and cracks, whitlow, eczema, eruptions on the scalp, seborrhoea, psoriasis, herpes, and similar eruptive diseases. It is also indicated in post-operative adhesion and sycotic excrescences. After taking the above medicines.
Finally you will be cured permanently without taking citrizine.

Homeopathy is the slowly curing medicine.But its give permanent solution. Dear friends Pls pass this information , who are all affected by itching, swelling & Citrizine users.

Regards,
Abdul k. DECE, BCA, MBA,
{edited for privacy}
Country: INDIA
Current city: Chennai

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Hi I have been off zyrtec for over a year now....I started by reducing my dose to half for a while & then when I reduced it again ( half of a half ) I was severely itchy
I stopped the zyrtec & took benadryl
I also used Sarna anti itch cream
The itchiness lasted for over a month
But I never took zyrtec again
I have dermagraphism ( hives)
When I get bad hives I will only use benadryl
Good luck
I know the itchiness is unbearable & is definitely a withdrawel from the zyrtec
Lisa

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Hey Bridget,

I am delighted to say that YES I believe I have beaten it. I am not itching at all any longer and will never take another antihistamine if I can avoid it.

Good luck everybody and stick with it.

G

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Severe itching, hives and red blotches after stopping Zyrtec. I had only been on it for 4 days. Never again will I take this poison

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Glad i decided to look this "issue" up. Thought i was going paranoid , laying in bed itching like mad, i kept thinking theres a bedbug infestation. So, at least i know whats causing this crazy itching. its a good money earner take ceterizine to relieve (mild) itching for a few weeks, stop taking the tablet and BOOM , you're in itching hell. how to relieve it? take some ceterizine.

I never had this problem with promethizine (otc in uk). I'm going try phenergan as a quick taper substitute

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I have been taking cetrizine hydrochloride for a number of years to stop intense sneezing and a runny nose. Last week I was advised by a doctor that he doesn't prescribe this medication as it has bad side effects. He suggested that it was one of the reasons that I had a sinus infection. I have now been off it for five days and a covered with a fine rash. I thought that I was going mad as it is so itchy. Last night my hands and feet were on fire. I am so relieved to find the reason and now just have to try and keep going to wean myself off. I am so mad with the doctors that originally got me using this medicine!!!

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I am on Day 18. I haven't had any antihistamines (apart from Beconase for hayfever, but that makes no difference to the itching anyway) at all, and in the first 10 days did an Organic Pharmacy detox to rid my body of the medication, and I also found some freeze dried nettle on iherb, as it's supposed to help. I have no idea if any of it did. Days 1-7 were absolute hell, and since then it has been very (VERY) slowly getting better. The overall, constant burning of that first week has gone and now I get itchy in different places on my body, but it is so much more manageable. The last 2 nights I have slept through with no itching. My itching is definitely worse in the evening than at any other time, and if I can, I don't itch it or put Hope's Relief cream on and the itch/burn goes away. I feel like I could cope with this for life if I had to (although I expect it to continue to decrease over time). I am so thankful for everyone's discussion postings here, as it got me through the first week (I have read every single post)! I will post again if there is a significant decrease. Stay strong everyone!

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Just wondering if anyone on this blog knows how to initiate litigation. Not that anyone has time, that's probably the biggest problem. But I also suffered extremely from withdrawal, mine took a year with varying levels of itch throughout but in the 1st 6 months crazy-making, withdrawal also cost me big bucks what with doctor visits and trying every anti-itch product on the market (we all know they do nothing). And all doctors ever say is get back on Zyrtec. I agree with everyone here that says the makers of Zyrtec need to pay. I currently have poison ivy, which many of us know is pretty horrible but I would rather have 100 poison ivys than one Zyrtec withdrawal. If anyone wants to talk legal action please respond. I work 40 hrs but am willing to give as much time as I can to any effort.

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This worked for me to get off Zyrtec and all antihistamines, finally. Come spring I will want to tear my eyeballs out of my head, stick a sharp stick down my throat or in my ear to get that itch you can’t reach, and carry a bucket around to catch the nasal drip. But I won’t do any of those things because I know those things are better than being hooked on antihistamines against your will. I will be empowered in my misery, and that will go a long way. So here’s what it took:
1. I replaced Zyrtec with Claritin and took it every morning for six months. This prevented the itching and gave the Zyrtec time to work out of my system. It takes a while in my experience.
2. At six months I cut down to one Claritin every other day, for another three months.
3. At nine months I went to half a Claritin every other day.
4. At one year I started taking half a Claritin only when some itching started up and felt like it was ramping up. I ignored the occasional short-lived itchies, which did happen a few times a day.
A month later I was free. Itch free, addiction free.
It seems to me that other antihistamines (other than Zyrtec that is) also have the ability to keep you coming back whether you like it or not. My sister is addicted to the old-school Chlortrimeton, she has tried to quit but got severe itching when she did. My theory is that Zyrtec is the most effective antihistamine and is therefore bound to have the hardest withdrawal.
I hope very much that this regimen works for someone else. Let me know if it does. Or doesn’t. Thanks.

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SEVERE unbearable itching all over but most pronounced in weird places like in between the fingers, scalp (I thought I had lice), eyebrows; I also developed hives and hypersensitive skin that developed a rash where the collar of my shirt or my necklace touched my skin. It was awful... I have never had hives or problems with itchy skin prior to Zyrtec withdrawal. I took Zyrtec for seasonal allergies.

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KRobinson... not sure, but you may have a life time of Zyrtec ahead...

I have no idea how to get off this stuff. It's like having a chronic disease to deal with, now. This is so not right, for a medication to do this to unsuspecting consumers. We need a legal suit!

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Sorry, I accidentally hit enter on my phone before I was finished with post below. Continuing - The Natural D-Hist contains:Vitamin C, Quercetin, Stinging Nettles Leaf
Bromelain and N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine. I started taking this once I went below 5 mg a day of Zyrtec. For the Zytect taper, I went down every four days on the following amounts 5 mg, (switched to liquid) 2.5 ml. 1.25 ml, 1 ml, .75 ml, .5 ml and finally .25 ml where I am today. (That is the equivalent of 1 pill every 40 days) I am still on the Natural D-Hist loading directions of 2 pills 3x a day. I have itched some, especially at night, but I didn't get the itch until I hit the 1.25 ml. I have found that heat is my best friend when it hits. Either hot bath, shower, or my newest friend- a heated corn bag. Just hold it where it itches for a few minutes and it clears. At this point, I have yet to hit the itch level I had when I would forget to take it a day. After taking Zyrtec for over 12 years, I am happy to say I am going to win this battle. I will have my last dose this week (It may have even been last night if I convince myself I can do it tonight) and will be sure to come back and report how I did. Anyways, wanted to think post #497 EC. Great recommendation!!

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2-3 weeks. It will diminish gradually in that time frame, but I saw a huge improvement 3 weeks out. Besides children's Benadryl, high dose vitamin c (1000 mg/day) and Les Labs sinus and seasonal pills (all natural - I buy from Amazon) will help you get through this tough time. You many also notice itching flare up at night after removing your clothes. A heating pad takes care of any itchy spots almost immediately. Good luck. {affiliate link added}

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