Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (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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I just found out that intense itching is a withdrawal symptom from stopping zyrtec . . . even in its generic form!! I'm going cold turkey because I don't want ANY MORE of that stuff in my system. I'm told that the itchiness lasts about fifteen days. Hopefully I will remain sane until then.

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I'm in the same boat- I've been on Zyrtec for years now and every time I try to quit, I itch uncontrollably and forced to return to the drug! I've only tried doing it cold-turkey, so now I'm thinking about weaning myself off slowly. Makes more sense, actually.

For those of you who've tried that, did it work?

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The itching is not random, but definitely related to zyrtec withdrawal. The drug maker pretends to not notice that its cash cow causes addiction (does anyone remember cigarette companies with similar amnesia/deception tactics?). I have been toughing out cold turkey withdrawal for about three weeks now after almost 10 years of use, and it leaves me feeling that I will either beat this demon or go bonkers trying. The best advice I can give is that every time the urge to itch surfaces you have 2 choices: either give in and start scratching like a pathetic fleabag until the impulse temporarily goes away (this can take a long time) or refuse to give in to the urge and be aware that it will (again temporarily) go away if you do not scratch. I have good luck deliberately diverting my awareness to another task but you need to stay aware and avoid the stealthy itch impulses that sneak up on you , because it only takes a couple mindless scratches to intensify the sensation and that can lead to an extended bout of scratching.

The drug companies deserve hellish consequences when enough people finally catch on and make demands of restitution for their profit driven "health care". Meanwhile, I will report back once this side effect goes away since there is so little reporting of successfully having stopped and how long it takes to be rid of the itching after stopping.

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After multiple failed attempts at discontinuing cetirizine over two years with the cold turkey approach, I am finally free of the medication and withdrawal free. I want to share how I did it in the hope of helping others who -- like me-- tried and failed to suddenly stop taking this medication due to itching so severe as to make it impossible to function at work and as a parent. This is a kinder, gentler way to do it, but it will take a few weeks.

Week one- decreased my usual dose from 5 mg at bedtime nightly to 2.5 mg. I also started taking 1 gram a day of vitamin C, 1 pill daily of Les Labs Sinus and Seasonal supplement (I bought this at Amazon - contains Quercetin, Nettle Root Extract, Bromelain, and Butterbur Root Extract), and NAC Sustain (from Jarrow Formulas - also purchased on Amazon). The supplements are to support healthy histamine levels naturally. No Itching.

Week 2- changed to liquid Cetirizine dosed orally with a syringe so that I could precisely decrease the dose. Decreased dose to 2 mg at night and continued Vitamin C, NAC, and the Sinus and Seasonal supplements as above. No itching.

Week 3 - 1.5 mg nightly plus the supplements. No itching.

Week 4- 1 mg nightly plus the supplements. No itching.

Week 5- decreased dosed rom 1 mg by 0.1 mg nightly and continued supplements. I thought I was going to withdraw without any side effects. After all, I weight 120 lbs. this medication could certainly not be strong enough to be having any effect on my body in such small amounts, right? RIGHT? Wrong! As soon as I went off the cetirizine, the itching started within 12 hours of the last dose. It was markedly decreased from previous withdrawal (by about 80%), and manageable, but still bothersome: unpredictable patches of itching and burning skin affecting scalp, and strange areas like the eyebrows, and between the fingers and toes. I also found that my skin became hypersensitive- localized hives where my hair touched my shoulders, the neck line of my shirts. I had to stop wearing a necklace because I would break out where the pearls touched my skin. I also had flare ups of itching after showering, at night when changing clothes, and during changes of temperature. Of note, I have never had hives or suffered from sensitive or itchy skin before taking Zyrtec. I carried around with me Benadryl vials that can just be torn open and taken on the spot. The first week I took three when the itching got bad at work. All itching gone within 15 minutes of taking the Benadryl and did not return for 24 hours. The second week I only took Benadryl once. I have not needed any since, the itching essentially went away day 15 after I stopped the medication. I now feel great. I continue taking the vitamin C, NAC, and Seasonal and Sinus natural supplement since I do have allergies.

One thing I found extremely helpful was a heating pad. I don't know why, but applying the heating pad to itchy skin made my itch stop almost immediately.

Good luck. I encourage everyone who has withdrawal symptoms to report it to the FDA, as I did. This medication is too powerful to be over the counter and needs to carry strong warning against long term use.

{Editor's note: amazon affiliate links added}

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i have been taking zyrtec every night for 3 years following severe allergies and a skin condition i caught from my dogs.I stayed on it at Drs. advice. No where was there any info about withdrawal or the intense itching it would cause when i stopped taking it.Unbelievable and impossible to stop- lotion, cortisone cream, calamine lotion, a scratcher and anything else i could think of- There really should be a warning on the label. Very Lax on the company's part.

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Thank God I am hearing about this from you guys, I thought I was going nuts! I have been off Zyrtec for 2 days, and the itching is unbelievable. Everywhere. You name it, it itches. Out to the store tomorrow to pick up a pack and cut the dose in half and wean off - I can't keep this up for 2 weeks. Thanks all, hope you get better.

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I am so grateful I saw all of these posts. Thought I was going crazy itching so much. I stopped Zyrtec about a week ago due to finances. The next day I am itching,it seems worse when I lay down at night too. I was getting worried I was allergic to my dogs or something. Thankful this will pass!

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I have had the same problem with withdrawal from Zyrtec - severe itching that lasted about 3 weeks. That was in September/October. Now I get a rash/hives whenever I exercise or when I get cold. Doctors say hives are caused by too much histamine. I feel that Zyrtec somehow caused an imbalance of histamine in my body. I urge everyone to file a complaint with the FDA - this can be done online. Just go to fda.gov, go to MEDWATCH, and file an report.

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I am going thru the same thing. I'm on day 5 of withdrawal from cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) and I am going crazy with severe, SEVERE itching. I don't know if I can last 15 days, but I'm going to try my best. I feel just awful. I wasn't on it that long either.

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Re: Brenda (# 622)

Brenda, thanks for sharing the link to this article. The European authors seem to think that the unbearable itching is uncommon after cessation of Zyrtec, and I find it rather disturbing that similar reports do not abound in the American medical literature. I myself filed an adverse reaction report with the FDA. Do you think I ever heard back?? I encourage everyone in this forum to file a similar report. There really needs to be a warning in the package of these medications warning potential users to limit use to a week or so or only use occasionally. Of course, this is a billion industry and such limited use would impact the bottom line...

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I don't know about withdrawl symptoms, but I'm researching itchiness due to TAKING this medication.... I gave my daughter a first (and only) dose last night, and will NEVER give it to her again.... she is so itchy all over I've given her benadryl and she STILL can't go to school today for scratching. I'm afraid it wil freak out toher kids, lol. Obviously we won't be taking this medication again. I can only assume that the withdrawl symptoms of itchiness are temporary, but sure am oping my itchy little nine year old will stop itching soon! No more zyrtec for us!!!

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The Zyrtec Itch
11/04/11
It sounds as though a lot of you people are really in a nightmare with this Zyrtec itch thing. ÂI'm surprised we haven't heard of a class action suit yet. ÂHas anyone called the manufacturer to see if they have any suggestions about how to get off of Zyrtec without getting the itch side effect?

Hot water stopped my localozed itch. I've only been taking Zyrtec for one week - 10 mg every 12 hours. After only five days on the stuff I cut my dose to 10 mg once a day. ÂLast night about 9 hours after taking only the 10 mg dose my right inner wrist started itching like crazy. After having just read all the forums about the Zyrtec itch I knew exactly what it was. Tonight again, about 9 hours after my morning dose, my wrist started itching again. This must be some sort of withdrawal or half life wear off sort of thing. So, like bug bites that itch, I ran the hottest water on my wrist that could tolerate. I kept it there for a while and kept turning up the heat. Yippy, that worked but I don't know for how long yet. So far it's been a couple hours and no itch. For those hard to get under the faucet places on your body I suggest a VERY HOT washcloth.

Instead of Zyrtec, I'm going to try some Activated Quercetin with Bromelain to see if that will do me any good.

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In January of this year I had a legitimate allergic reaction to Minocycline - not anaphylaxis - what the doctor called "serum sickness" - hives, joint swelling, etc. Went to the local walk in, they put me on prednisone and daily Zyrtec. Prednisone helped and hives and joint swelling went away, but as I tried to stop the Zyrtec, I noticed the itching would come back. Assuming it was still serum sickness, I continued to take the Zyrtec every day as instructed. But I HATED it. I was always tired, my eyes and throat would be dry in the morning, and I gained 15lbs in 3 months. Since I couldn't quit the Zyrtec without the itching or dermatographia, I figured I would take smaller doses to lessen the side effects. I started taking 5mg nightly and that seemed to help lessen the effects. Then I realized I could take 5mg every other night and that would keep the itching at bay. Eventually I saw my allergist who told me I had chronic idiopathic urticaria, had a 50/50 shot of beating it, and should just continue the Zyrtec. Additionally, he did a ton of bloodwork that all proved I was a perfectly healthy 34 year old woman. This saddened me beyond belief because I believed I could not stop the Zyrtec without having the itching and hives come back.

Interestingly enough, I started feeling really crappy - bouts of nausea, dizziness, feeling run down, just generally off. I never realized this was a part of the Zyrtec withdrawal as a result of my tapering schedule. After having my bloodwork come back normal, I sent out on a quest to understand why I was still itching. As an anesthesia provider, drugs are something I understand VERY well. It's 95% of what I do for a living. And feeling nauseous and dizzy is not something you're afforded when taking care of patients undergoing surgery. So I did a literature search to find anything I could, and guess what I came across....THIS PAGE, other pages, a multitude of complaints and stories all matching mine. Of course its the Zyrtec! Why didn't I think of that? For someone who understands drugs pretty well I felt pretty stupid never even considering the possibility that it could be the drug itself and not some underlying condition - unfortunately I try to use the most updated literature to educate myself and to date I can only find ONE study with a handful of case reports describing this phenomenon.

After reading through all your messages, I went back to my allergist and requested a taper of Prednisone to get through the worst of it and finally get off the Zyrtec. Prednisone is not a benign drug, but it certainly has a place in a recovery like this. Maybe because of my medical background, the allergist agreed despite telling me he'd never heard of such a thing as "Zyrtec withdrawal"...fair enough, just gimme the script doc!

I waited out the itching as long as I could...I made it three days and then started the unbearable itching. I took Prednisone for 10 full days and tapered off. That was a month ago...I still have a random moment daily where the itching starts and stops in about 20 minutes, but it gets better every day. For those who can't seem to get through cold turkey, consider taking a short course of corticosteroids to make the initial withdrawal period more manageable - it's a lifesaver.

I hate this drug, I tell all my colleagues about the ill effects, and I'm interested in conducting research so there is REAL hard data out there that PROVES this drug has a wicked rebound effect.

To all who are still fighting, keep fighting the good fight...

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Yes, I was on out for about two years and after about a month and a half I'm 100% itch free. Don't give up. I know everybody's body make up is different but I'm 100% zyrtec free and itch free going on 1.5yrs.

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I keep getting itching after this. Not had it before, but it's the first time I've taken the medicine for more than a month (around 3 months this time).

I'm fiding that taking a half dose is enough to suppress the symtoms. I intend to drop it by half again next week and see if i can come off that way.

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I have been taking Zyrtec for about 4 years due to allergies and its been very effective. When We decided to try and concieve I came across information recommending you stop taking antihistamines as they dry Cervical muscus making it difficult to conceive. with that information I decided to stop taking it with intentions of getting back to it after I concieved. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a big problem.... I started experiencing what seemed like a hangover the 1st day off zyrtec followed by alot of nauseous, headache, and nightly sweats extremely hot at night for the 1st couple of nights on the 2nd day I started getting really itchy but by the 3rd day I was so itchy and since I had an important meeting I decided to take the zyrtec within a short time the itch was gone. however by thur which is the 3rd day again the symptoms of itchiness were so severe I decided to look it up and it seems like the symptom are just starting. I dont know how long this will last. I hope I dont have to deal with this too long. this side effect should be listed. i was taking 10 mg every night.

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I am ready to start a lawsuit. I'm looking for a lawyer that has experience with pharmaceuticals. I started taking Zyrtec-D last April and I took it for four or five months. The itching started after a couple of days afterward (mainly my scalp, but legs, back), but I did not see the connection with Zyrtec. I thought it was a new lotion or body wash I was using. After I tried everything, I started searching the Internet and found Zyrtec to be the culprit. I tried stopping cold turkey for about three months, but the itching continued.

So, I went back on Zyrtec (non D) and the itching stopped. I took one every two or three days for the past month or so. However, this time, I went into serious depression. My wife suspected the Zrytec, but I did not believe her until I did searches on Zrytec and depression (try it and you'll see). Then we both discovered that the mood changes started last April. I stopped taking Zyrtec on Monday and by Wednesday, the depression went away and the itching came back with a vengeance.

Tonight, it was five times worse than it has ever been and totally intolerable. I vowed tonight to sue them. This is crazy. I don't know what I'm going to do in the meantime. I have tried herbal remedies and took a Benadryl tonight, which has only worked lightly. I can't go back on Zyrtec because of the depression. If it were not for that, I would just go back on it, the itching is that bad.

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I have been on certirizine for over ten years and like thousands I would get terrible urticaria any time I stopped. I thought my allergies were getting worse so I returned to taking it. Thanks to so many testimonials online, I am on week 4 of cold turkey, I am still itchy with hives all over but my depressed feeling (never had depression before) is gone. I am also not having heart palpitations like I used to. Doctors could never find what was causing them. All the money spent, as this drug isn't cheap and what a shame on not being myself. I am determined to do this cold turkey. At times, I feel like I'm going into anaphylactic reaction. I really hope the Flood Group Lawyers take this on. There should be research studies, warnings on labels and maybe a legal suit because of the systemic level negative effects. Thanks again everyone for your comments.

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I quit taking Zyrtec over 5 years ago. Using Claritin daily. The itching has never stopped! So disgusted! And angry at my allergist who literally laughed when I told him the problem. It should be taken off the market. Maybe a legal case needs to be filed!

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Guys, it's not all in our heads. Here's an official case study: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5124431

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