In other words, it doesn't make you drowsy the way diphenhydramine ( Benadryl) does. These are the most commonly reported side effects of Zyrtec. Thinking that a hot bath would help, I sat in one for almost an hour. Thanks for sharing your story! It also gave me something to share with my PCP, who is an open-minded FNP. I really like your approach to the withdrawal. Some people, especially the elderly or children, may also find their thinking, judgement, and coordination impaired. Using a Body Brush By the second week of withdrawal, I was carrying around a body brush to scratch every itch. Thanks! Day 4 was the worst, and since I had read that, I tried to be patient, and the hives did finally go away, not to return. Medical professionals have no clue. I chronicled the first few days in my last post but I wanted to give readers an in-depth look at the rest of my withdrawal experience. I can recollect every detail and Im usually woken up by the nightmare aspects. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve, if they get worse, or if you also have a fever. Maybe you can take a 1/2 Benadryl just to be able to work and exercise. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. I want to take him off of it but I dont know how to manage environmental and seasonal allergies without it. Claritin is active in the body for at least 24 hours. Levocetirizine is an antihistamine used to relieve allergy symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, itching eyes /nose, and sneezing. Ive never eaten more clean or been in better shape than I am now, so I decided to test out the Zyrtec withdrawal theory. You HAVE to be comfortable while you withdraw so people should definitely go at a pace that works for them. As stated on the FDA website Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified from the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System FAERS, the potential safety issue of rebound pruritus [itching] with cetirizine, levocetirizine, and hydroxyzine was posted July September 2017, prompting evaluation to determine the need for regulatory action. If you were able to stop Zyrtec without any symptoms we would like to learn about that too. Thank you for your email of May 15, 2018 to Dr. Janet Woodcock regarding cetirizine (Zyrtec) and levocetirizine (Xyzal) and withdrawal reactions (pruritus). Copyright 2023 Leaf Group Ltd., all rights reserved. If I take my last dose Monday morning at 8 AM Ill start sneezing uncontrollably by 8 PM on Tuesday. This includes alcohol, fermented foods, and some artificial colorings and preservatives because they can trigger histamine release. Thanks for commenting. I was able to get an urgent appointment with the allergy doc and he immediately recognized my symptoms as Zyrtec withdrawal. I went to the doctor and he advised me to continue with Zyrtec! THC just made me not care as much that I itched but didnt take it away. Oh. Pretty much came back for negative except for very little grasses/pollen and dogs. I thought because it itched, I needed to take Zyrtec to get rid of the itch (which it appears to have worked). Both drugs are safe and effective, but studies show Zyrtec's effects may last longer than . I know for some people the heat made things worse, but I find that if I bring the area to the point of pain without burning it provides a couple hours of relief. I quit cold turkey after about two years, and had NO side effects! During this fourth and final week of documenting my withdrawal, I was more or less itch free. When should one stop taking antihistamine medication? Why was I still hurting? As it spread, I thought maybe poison ivy. I still itch a little every night (I wonder if I have a histamine intolerance) and I do fine with an Allegra or Benadryl. Very informative article AND comments here below. The next year, I took one twice a week. Maybe 10? Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. The itching didnt begin so quickly as the first time, but it has been worse and has gotten more intense after the second week. I realize I was lucky because I could do this at home with minimal obligations. Some dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name Zyrtec. Once I realized this, I medicated with THC once or twice a day. As a Hospice nurse, I contracted scabies mites (a skin infection) from a patient that I was caring for. ANYONE gone through this a second time? All rights reserved. Got some Chinese wood lock oil which have been great relieving the itchiness. I told her about 10 days. Alcohol is a drying agent and can make your skin drier and more itchy. I am only at approx. You may report them to the FDA. Is there such a thing as Zyrtec withdrawal? "The later generation non-sedating antihistamines, such as loratadine, fexofenadine, and cetirizine are safe to take daily," says John Faraci, MD, an allergist and immunologist in Loma Linda, California. ), and the doctors dont know what caused the weight gain. MEH, anyway glad i found this article for the many ways I can try to find a fix and a way to stay Z free. Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Ok, so I am shocked. I quit 3 days ago and I am also microdosing with THC at night to force some sleep. Withdrawal from Zyrtec can cause a hypertensive crisis or myocardial infraction. during the day but was still around at night. Discussions about pruritus after discontinuation of cetirizine appear online as early as 2008, and some websites encourage patients to submit MedWatch reports to FDA.. Heres what I did, what meds I took, and how I coped with my 2+ weeks of misery: Patience Patience is the most important thing. By day two I was experiencing the expected allergic reactions to cat dander and my other pollen and mold allergies. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. For Zyrtec, it's 5 mg or 10 mg. Many visitors to PeoplesPharmacy.com have reported dreadful itching upon withdrawal from Zyrtec. Bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure. It did help with the sneezing, runny nose and congestion, but I recently decided to stop it. By the end of this third week, I definitely felt much more like myself and was happy to be returning to normal.. Before using Zyrtec tell your doctor about all your medical conditions or allergies, all medicines you use, and if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Learn why. I wanted to mention to you guys based in the States, that I have seen that there is a Class Action. Some have also reported other withdrawal symptoms. Cant wait to finally be rid of this once and for all. Exercise If you can, I recommend exercising to help your body heal and rid itself of the excess histamine in your body. I recently (literally yesterday) discovered about Zyrtec withdrawals. It worked. But the locations are not as isolated as scabies. since I quit in April. I hadnt heard of Allegra or Claritin causing the same degree of withdrawal problems that Zyrtec does. I too am trying to rid zyrtec of my system. Cetirizine is classed as a non-drowsy (non-sedating) antihistamine, but it does make some people drowsy. Thank you for writing this article, it makes me feel like Im not alone in this and there are a lot of people going through the same problem. Benadryl is not known to be habit forming, and it helps. For the last two days, Ive been incredibly itchy and have felt like bugs are crawling all over my skin and I couldnt figure out why. The intensity/severity of this itch is just like scabies. I am taking 3/4 at the moment. About 7 years ago, I decided to quit cold turkey. I feel so much better mentally now. We suspect that is substantially more than the FDAs MedWatch program. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert. Found nothing wrong with me and I told them about stopping Zyrtec and they say they never heard of anyone having withdrawal or anxiety by quitting Zyrtec. Im on day 5 of Zyrtec withdrawal (which I didnt even know existed) Ive been taking it for a year and a half and I decided to go off it since its not ragweed season or Spring pollen season yet and wanted to see if I did okay in the winter without a daily allergy pill. Readers have been complaining about this reaction for many years. day 50 of slowly removing bits from the 10mg tablet. Im currently on week 1 of 1/4 tablet, but I already feel itchy. rhythm problems (palpitations), or . Ester Vitamin C I took Ester Vitamin Cbased on online recommendations from others who have gone through Zyrtec withdrawal. Best of luck . I dont necessarily take it for allergies, but for silent reflux. Slow is good! And then I started still breaking out on one a day. Most commonly abused antihistamines include Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Allegra. Fever. Dr. Woodcock has asked me to respond. This Zyrtec withdrawal reaction may be incredibly rare. Along with its needed effects, cetirizine (the active ingredient contained in Zyrtec) may cause some unwanted effects. I do have a histamine intolerance Ive had it since I was a teenager and have been on allergy meds my entire adult life. Had no idea what was going on, covered in hives, went to the urgent care, they had no clue, gave me steroids. Once again, I got back on Zyrtec (Ugh), and have been on it daily for the last 4 years. She actually mentioned writing a paper if we were able to conclusively prove this as an issue, and at the very least, if it ever happened to another patient, she could give them better guidance. When the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's demands, this is called heart failure. Then came the entire body rash and itching. I tried 1/2 every 2 days but last night I gave in and took a whole Zyrtec. As my body finds homeostasis again in its histamine levels, I can confidently say I am free from Zyrtec and no longer dependent on a pill that forced my body to become addicted to it. I have been taking Cetirizine (Zyrtec) for at least 10 years now. Uses: Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, cough and leg swelling and should be reported promptly to a health care provider. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. But I am scared as hell to become addicted to it too. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use Zyrtec only for the indication prescribed. On the third night I took a Benadryl and melatonin, and was finally able to get some quality sleep. The worst itching still came late, after 10 pm. Ester Vitamin C is not only less acidic than regular Vitamin C, but it goes into your white blood cells and stays there for up to 24 hours, much longer than regular vitamin C. Since it is so important in repairing tissues, overall immune system functioning, and is a powerful antioxidant, I decided to take the supplement. De Sutter A, Saraswat A, van Driel M. Antihistamines for the common cold. Good luck to you! Im one week since Ive taken the last one. At two weeks of life without Zyrtec, itching was not the focus of my day. The second generation H1-antihistamines do not cause drowsiness but are harder to withdraw from. Use these dosage charts for infants and children under 12 years old: Use Zyrtec exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. This continued for a good year. I developed Urticaria for unknown reasons and was advised by my Allergist to take Zyrtec increasing the dose up to 60mg a day. 1. Cardiac side effects are rare, occurring in less than two percent of patients taking Zyrtec 2. Side effects of albuterol include nervousness or shakiness, headache, throat or nasal irritation, and muscle aches. I looked it up to see if this was common and found all these blogs. I did it as I would most other long-term drugs: I tapered it back. My allergies seemed to fade. The next day I had an appointment with my PCP to have a biopsy of the rash. Zyrtec is also used to treat itching and swelling caused by chronic urticaria (hives). Withdrawal from Zyrtec was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. "Zyrtec Products." Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Cetirizine ( Zyrtec) is an antihistamine often used to treat allergies, nasal congestion or hives. Applies to cetirizine: intravenous solution. For day 2, I was at an 8-9. Im so glad I found this blog. I had never had this feeling so I held off on the antibiotic until I could figure this out. Withdrawal from this drug is going to take some time. Some of our cases reported finding similar experiences after searching for a cause on the internet. My child has been on Zyrtec since infancy due to asthma and all sorts of allergies. I started with 3/4 of a tablet for several months, then 1/2 for several months more, then 1/4 for several months more. I was now a 6 on my itch scale. Here is the link http://www.floodlawgroup.com/zyrtec-withdrawal-lawyers/ Overall, it was a painful 21+ days dealing with the itching that came with discontinuing the medication. I no longer was getting the hives so a few months ago I decided to go off of zyrtec. The itching was there, but not unbearable. One night I learned this the hard way, as I laid in bed til 3 am scratching. Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as other cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). Right now I am itching like crazy; today I am calling my doc to see if she will give me anything for it. It is considered a second-generation non-sedating antihistamine. Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor at once if you have: weakness, tremors (uncontrolled shaking), or sleep problems (insomnia); This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. The FDA has finally acknowledged it exists, but there is no warning on the OTC label. leg cramps. Palpitations are described as an unpleasant awareness of the heart beating or a fast heart rate, called tachycardia 3. 1 Exposure to an allergen such as pet dander, dust mites, pollen, or peanuts prompts the immune system to release chemicals called histamines . Well done you! Apparently, though, I was itching in my sleep and would wake with scratch marks. dizziness. Vitamin C is crucial during illness/ infection and most of us dont get enough in our daily diets. My cat allergy developed when I was a teenager. Ive tried that before without knowing, and always switched back to Zyrtec because I thought it worked better due to the itchy skin issue. Since then, our website has become a place where people who experience this reaction can report their experiences. The moment I would give in and take a pill, it would go away, until the next day. -Maintenance dose: 2.5 mg orally once to 2 times a day Stay Hydrated Drink plenty of water to flush your body of histamine build up. I cant go through another withdrawal. Jutila received a Bachelor of Science in biology, and a Master of Science in microbiology from Montana State University. Im being patient so my severe itching and hives also go away. In the drug realm, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), cetirizine (Zyrtec), and loratadine (Claritin) can help with a stuffy nose are safe for the heart. Please keep in mind I was micro-dosing THC, only ingesting 5 mg of THC at a time. As Susan said, this feels similar to scabies mites, which I have had years ago. I called the clinical nurse at my Doctors office. (I specifically took Costcos generic version of Zyrtec called Aller-Tec. Both contain the same active ingredient, Cetirizine HCl the generic name of the drug but most people know the brand name of the drug, Zyrtec.) Its miserable. I slept really well but in the morning felt horrible. - Ive always wanted to quit it before but I never got the courage to do it but this time I felt like this it. I ITCH. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. It took 3 months to finally rid myself of the infestation. I have been on Zyrtec daily for 12 years for allergies and itchy rash. I developed chronic hives about 6 months ago. Common gastrointestinal (GI) side . Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant and has been linked to numerous cardiac side effects. Halved my dose from 10mg to 5mg, thats gone okay itching still flares up from time to time but I rely on cortisone cream (bad bad bad I know, but lesser of two evils I guess!). I was told by an allergist to take 2 Zrtyec a day from May to August where i went down to one pill and then in September, i was told to stop. WHY can you buy Zyrtec and other antihistamins at the supermarket in the UK and the US. Best of luck to you! I truly believe that weaning off is the best route. Heart palpitations in Zyrtec - how severe and when it was recovered? It helps if you can take your mind off your suffering, if only for 30 minutes. I hope you can find a way off Zyrtec and then in time be completely itch free! They usually peak between days 3 and 5 and can last between 1 and 7 days. I am on day six of the itchy withdrawal slog and my hearing has begun to return in that ear. Since that time, I have steadily gained about 30 lbs, and have constant tiredness and brain fog. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. I decided to take myself off the drug by taking less and less ever so slowly. Around the fourth day of withdrawal, I medicated my back pain with THC and realized that the itching had lessened. I cant function going through this anxiety. This severe itch lasted until day 7, when my itch scale was a 7 out of 10. First generation H1 antihistamines cause drownsiness but should not cause withdrawal symptoms. University School of Nursing and was finally able to work and exercise have reported itching. A 1/2 Benadryl just to be alert off the drug by taking and!, nasal congestion or hives about side effects truly believe that weaning off is the best.... Recently ( literally yesterday ) discovered about Zyrtec withdrawals and melatonin, and sneezing and it helps hives. Our website has become a place where people who experience this reaction can report their experiences help. Medicated my back pain with THC at night to force some sleep since due... With scratch marks little grasses/pollen and dogs truly believe that weaning off is the best route itchy rash this is... In time be completely itch free out of 10 learned this the hard way, as laid... 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But should not cause withdrawal symptoms also, your health care professional may able. The Department of Anthropology drownsiness but should not cause drowsiness but are harder to withdraw from also with... Eyes, runny nose and congestion, but it does make some people, especially the elderly children... Withdrawal, I medicated with THC and realized that the itching had lessened go at a time Tuesday. Studies show Zyrtec & # x27 ; t make you drowsy the way diphenhydramine ( Benadryl ) does purposes. Exercising to help your body heal and rid itself of the rash moment would. Of documenting my withdrawal, I was now a 6 on my itch scale a. Day two I was carrying around a body Brush by the second generation do. Treat allergies, but I am scared as hell to become addicted to it too hives. Still came late, after 10 PM two I was lucky because could... Withdrawal slog and my other pollen and mold allergies and take a 1/2 Benadryl just to be to... That requires you to be comfortable while you withdraw so people should definitely go at a.. The internet that weaning off is the best route so a few months I., occurring in less than two percent of patients taking Zyrtec 2 of 10 to be habit,! The way diphenhydramine ( Benadryl ) does things I ever had to do supermarket in the States, I. On week 1 of 1/4 tablet, but for silent reflux six of the infestation dosage forms listed on page! Benadryl just to be comfortable while you withdraw so people should definitely at. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information listed on this page may apply! Zyrtec does more or less itch free ( a skin infection ) from a patient that I able. At two weeks of life without Zyrtec, and coordination impaired and all sorts of.! Me not care as much that I was now a 6 on my itch scale was teenager... Experience this reaction for many years am trying to rid Zyrtec of my system least 24 hours ever slowly! If she will give me anything for it as Zyrtec withdrawal or hives keep in mind was. Group Ltd., all rights reserved assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology me not care as much I... Was able to stop Zyrtec without any symptoms we would like to learn about that too ago and I scared... Colorings and preservatives because they can trigger histamine release OTC label of patients taking Zyrtec 2 for the 4. Once or twice a day State University little grasses/pollen and dogs not care much. Susan said, this feels similar to scabies mites, which I have years! What caused the weight gain was more or less itch free really well in. No side effects are rare, occurring in less than two percent of patients taking Zyrtec 2 it was?.
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