Xyzal Side Effects
Generic Name: levocetirizine
Please note - some side effects for Xyzal may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA.
Side Effects of Xyzal - for the Consumer
Xyzal
All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Xyzal:
Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Xyzal:Drowsiness; dry mouth; sore throat; tiredness; weakness.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); burning, numbness, or tingling; dark urine; difficult or painful urination; dizziness; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; mental or mood changes (eg, aggression, agitation); nosebleeds; seizure; shortness of breath; vision problems (eg, blurred vision); vomiting; yellowing of the eyes or skin.
This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
Xyzal Solution
All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Xyzal Solution:
Seek medical attention right away if any of these SEVERE side effects occur when using Xyzal Solution:Constipation; diarrhea; drowsiness; dry mouth; sore throat; tiredness; weakness.
Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; unusual hoarseness); burning, numbness, or tingling; dark urine; difficult or painful urination; dizziness; ear pain; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever; hallucinations; mental or mood changes (eg, aggression, agitation); nosebleeds; seizure; shortness of breath; vision problems (eg, blurred vision); vomiting; yellowing of the eyes or skin.
This is not a complete list of all side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, contact your health care provider. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. To report side effects to the appropriate agency, please read the Guide to Reporting Problems to FDA.
TopXyzal Side Effects - for the Professional
Xyzal
Use of Xyzal has been associated with somnolence, fatigue, and asthenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].
Clinical Trials Experience
The safety data described below reflect exposure to Xyzal in 2708 patients with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis or chronic idiopathic urticaria in 14 controlled clinical trials of 1 week to 6 months duration.
The short-term (exposure up to 6 weeks) safety data for adults and adolescents are based upon eight clinical trials in which 1896 patients (825 males and 1071 females aged 12 years and older) were treated with Xyzal 2.5, 5, or 10 mg once daily in the evening.
The short-term safety data from pediatric patients are based upon two clinical trials in which 243 children with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis (162 males and 81 females 6 to 12 years of age) were treated with Xyzal 5 mg once daily for 4 to 6 weeks, one clinical trial in which 114 children (65 males and 49 females 1 to 5 years of age) with allergic rhinitis or chronic idiopathic urticaria were treated with Xyzal 1.25 mg twice daily for 2 weeks, and one clinical trial in which 45 children (28 males and 17 females 6 to 11 months of age) with symptoms of allergic rhinitis or chronic urticaria were treated with Xyzal 1.25 mg once daily for 2 weeks.
The long-term (exposure of 4 or 6 months) safety data in adults and adolescents are based upon two clinical trials in which 428 patients (190 males and 238 females) with allergic rhinitis were exposed to treatment with Xyzal 5 mg once daily. Long term safety data are also available from an 18-month trial in 255 Xyzal-treated subjects 12-24 months of age.
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trial of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.
Adults and Adolescents 12 years of Age and Older
In studies up to 6 weeks in duration, the mean age of the adult and adolescent patients was 32 years, 44% of the patients were men and 56% were women, and the large majority (more than 90%) was Caucasian.
In these trials 43% and 42% of the subjects in the Xyzal 2.5 mg and 5 mg groups, respectively, had at least one adverse event compared to 43% in the placebo group.
In placebo-controlled trials of 1-6 weeks in duration, the most common adverse reactions were somnolence, nasopharyngitis, fatigue, dry mouth, and pharyngitis, and most were mild to moderate in intensity. Somnolence with Xyzal showed dose ordering between tested doses of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg and was the most common adverse reaction leading to discontinuation (0.5%).
Table 1 lists adverse reactions that were reported in greater than or equal to 2% of subjects aged 12 years and older exposed to Xyzal 2.5 mg or 5 mg in eight placebo-controlled clinical trials and that were more common with Xyzal than placebo.
| Adverse Reactions | Xyzal 2.5 mg (n = 421) |
Xyzal 5 mg (n = 1070) |
Placebo (n = 912) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
| Somnolence | 22 (5%) | 61 (6%) | 16 (2%) |
| Nasopharyngitis | 25 (6%) | 40 (4%) | 28 (3%) |
| Fatigue | 5 (1%) | 46 (4%) | 20 (2%) |
| Dry Mouth | 12 (3%) | 26 (2%) | 11 (1%) |
| Pharyngitis | 10 (2%) | 12 (1%) | 9 (1%) |
Additional adverse reactions of medical significance observed at a higher incidence than in placebo in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older exposed to Xyzal are syncope (0.2%) and weight increased (0.5%).
Pediatric Patients 6 to 12 Years of Age
A total of 243 pediatric patients 6 to 12 years of age received Xyzal 5 mg once daily in two short-term placebo controlled double-blind trials. The mean age of the patients was 9.8 years, 79 (32%) were 6 to 8 years of age, and 50% were Caucasian. Table 2 lists adverse reactions that were reported in greater than or equal to 2% of subjects aged 6 to 12 years exposed to Xyzal 5 mg in placebo-controlled clinical trials and that were more common with Xyzal than placebo.
| Adverse Reactions | Xyzal 5 mg (n = 243) |
Placebo (n = 240) |
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Pyrexia | 10 (4%) | 5 (2%) |
| Cough | 8 (3%) | 2 (<1%) |
| Somnolence | 7 (3%) | 1 (<1%) |
| Epistaxis | 6 (2%) | 1 (<1%) |
Pediatric Patients 1 to 5 Years of Age
A total of 114 pediatric patients 1 to 5 years of age received Xyzal 1.25 mg twice daily in a two week placebo-controlled double-blind safety trial. The mean age of the patients was 3.8 years, 32% were 1 to 2 years of age, 71% were Caucasian and 18% were Black. Table 3 lists adverse reactions that were reported in greater than or equal to 2% of subjects aged 1 to 5 years exposed to Xyzal 1.25 mg twice daily in the placebo-controlled safety trial and that were more common with Xyzal than placebo.
| Adverse Reactions | Xyzal 1.25 mg Twice Daily (n = 114) |
Placebo (n = 59) |
|---|---|---|
|
||
| Pyrexia | 5 (4%) | 1 (2%) |
| Diarrhea | 4 (4%) | 2 (3%) |
| Vomiting | 4 (4%) | 2 (3%) |
| Otitis Media | 3 (3%) | 0 (0%) |
Pediatric Patients 6 to 11 Months of Age
A total of 45 pediatric patients 6 to 11 months of age received Xyzal 1.25 mg once daily in a two week placebo-controlled double-blind safety trial. The mean age of the patients was 9 months, 51% were Caucasian and 31% were Black. Adverse reactions that were reported in more than 1 subject (i.e. greater than or equal to 3% of subjects) aged 6 to 11 months exposed to Xyzal 1.25 mg once daily in the placebo-controlled safety trial and that were more common with Xyzal than placebo included diarrhea and constipation which were reported in 6 (13%) and 1 (4%) and 3 (7%) and 1 (4%) children in the Xyzal and placebo-treated groups, respectively.
Long-Term Clinical Trials Experience
In two controlled clinical trials, 428 patients (190 males and 238 females) aged 12 years and older were treated with Xyzal 5 mg once daily for 4 or 6 months. The patient characteristics and the safety profile were similar to that seen in the short-term studies. Ten (2.3%) patients treated with Xyzal discontinued because of somnolence, fatigue or asthenia compared to 2 (<1%) in the placebo group.
There are no long term clinical trials in children below 12 years of age with allergic rhinitis or chronic idiopathic urticaria.
Laboratory Test Abnormalities
Elevations of blood bilirubin and transaminases were reported in <1% of patients in the clinical trials. The elevations were transient and did not lead to discontinuation in any patient.
Post-Marketing Experience
In addition to the adverse reactions reported during clinical trials and listed above, adverse events have also been identified during post-approval use of Xyzal in other countries. Because these events are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Adverse events of hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis, angioedema, fixed drug eruption, pruritus, rash, and urticaria, convulsion, paraesthesia, dizziness, aggression and agitation, hallucinations, depression, visual disturbances, blurred vision, palpitations, tachycardia, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting, hepatitis, dysuria, and myalgia have been reported.
Besides these events reported under treatment with Xyzal, other potentially severe adverse events have been reported from the post-marketing experience with cetirizine. Since levocetirizine is the principal pharmacologically active component of cetirizine, one should take into account the fact that the following adverse events could also potentially occur under treatment with Xyzal: suicidal ideation, orofacial dyskinesia, severe hypotension, cholestasis, glomerulonephritis, and still birth.
TopSide Effects by Body System - for Healthcare Professionals
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular side effects have rarely included palpitations.
Dermatologic
Dermatologic side effects have rarely included angioneurotic edema, pruritus, rash, fixed drug eruption and urticaria.
Gastrointestinal
Gastrointestinal side effects have included dry mouth (2.6%), and have rarely included nausea. Vomiting has also been reported.
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity side effects have rarely included hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis.
Nervous system
Nervous system side effects have included somnolence, headache, fatigue, convulsions, and asthenia. Paraesthesia and dizziness have also been reported.
Hepatic
Hepatic side effects have rarely included abnormal liver function tests.
Ocular
Ocular side effects have rarely included visual disturbances.
Respiratory
Respiratory side effects have included nasopharyngitis, pharyngitis, epistaxis, cough and rarely dyspnea.
Psychiatric
Psychiatric side effects have included aggression and agitation.
Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal side effects have included myalgia.
Genitourinary
Genitourinary side effects have included dysuria.
TopMore Xyzal resources
- Xyzal Prescribing Information (FDA)
- Xyzal Monograph (AHFS DI)
- Xyzal Advanced Consumer (Micromedex) - Includes Dosage Information
- Xyzal Consumer Overview
- Xyzal MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)
- Levocetirizine Prescribing Information (FDA)
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