Zyrtec for Allergic Rhinitis User Reviews (Page 2)

• lit...
• March 11, 2009

"As another poster reported, many people who try to quit taking Zyrtec end up with uncontrollable itching all over. I am one of those people. It stopped helping my allergies, but every time I stop taking it, I itch all over. I never itched before taking it, I only had sinus issues."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 21, 2016

"Zyrtec knocks me out. Period. I took a pill at noon, and by 2:00 pm, I lay down, virtually passed out. I slept for two hours straight. In the middle of the day. When I awoke, I could barely function. Brain fog, lethargy, no energy. To tell the truth, I was so spaced out for so long that I couldn't tell if it helped my sinus condition or not. I wouldn't dream of taking it if I had to drive. It would make a great sleeping pill."

• DAr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 28, 2020

"Allergy triggers have been ruthless this year, so I had to bring the ol' Zyrtec out of the cabinet. Everything was great at first, but then I started experiencing nausea that grew worse as the weeks went on. In between weeks three and four, I decided that it was becoming unbearable and also remembered this as being why I stopped taking Zyrtec when I got this bottle last year. My last dose was three days ago. I, like most here, developed the burning/itching withdrawal symptom about 48 hours after my last dose, but it has not been as severe as some describe, nor was it the last time I stopped. My guess is that most reporting intense experiences have taken Zyrtec long-term while I was only a month in this time and roughly two months the last time I took it. I can imagine how bad it could get if it's as noticeable as it is for me after only a month, though. My advice would be to not use this stuff regularly if possible, or at all if you can avoid it altogether."

• Sal...
• July 30, 2014

"I was suffering really bad with my sinuses over the weekend and could find any relief. The doctor told me in the past to take Claritin, but it has never helped. I was at work this morning and my coworker told me about Zyrtec. Actually, she had one for me to try, and within 30 minutes, I could feel the pressure letting up in my sinus areas, and what a surprise, I could breathe so much better, no sneezing, dripping, coughing, horrible pressure in my sinuses. I was astonished that this little pill could work so effectively. I have to say that I feel like a totally different person today, thanks to Zyrtec. If you haven't ever tried it, be sure to, it is the best of the best. I love you, Zyrtec!"

• Mal...
• June 27, 2017

"My eyes had been bothering me so much, they are constantly red and irritated, gritty feeling no matter what I do from the moment I wake up until I go to bed. I decided to try Zyrtec because my eyes were so bothersome, and antihistamine eye drops didn't work. I've been taking it for 2 weeks, and I have never seen my eyes so white and feeling so good. I don't have to use eye drops at all now. However, there is one downside: Zyrtec makes me feel exhausted. It's not like when you take Benadryl and you feel like you could fall asleep standing up, it's more of a foggy feeling, and you just feel like you could go for a nap, but the feeling never goes away even if you do nap."

• Mic...
• April 6, 2018

"I took Zyrtec on Wednesday at bedtime, and I'm still drowsy now on Friday at 8 pm. I woke Thursday morning to severe drowsiness. I had breakfast, lots of water, and some glucose to combat this feeling of everything spinning around me and wanting to faint. I vomited twice so far. Trying diuretics and lots of water to get it out of my system, but I'm still drowsy, and any sudden movements leave me holding onto walls and furniture. I took 5 mg. I have taken it before with no side effects. I'm never taking Zyrtec again. Stayed out of work and going to my GP if I feel the same tomorrow. Most unusual, though."

• FPR...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 24, 2022

"Been taking Zyrtec for 4-5 years. I started because I was having allergies, and I just continued taking it because I felt it helped, or maybe in my head it did. For years, I’ve had anxiety, depression, weight gain, and high BP. I have come off all other meds and still have these issues. My therapist found out I was taking it and said, 'You need to come off that right away, it’s not good for your anxiety or adrenals.' So I tried to stop taking it, and right away, I started itching like crazy. I googled it, and sure enough, a lot of people have this issue (Zyrtec withdrawal). People actually have gone to rehab to come off this and detox. So I decided to wean off slowly to hopefully help the itching. I went from a whole pill to half to 1/4. Each time I lowered, the itching started. Wheezing, neck ache, headache for days, anxiety, BP went up. The itching is less, but this is horrible. Today was my first day w/o any. I’m hoping this is over soon. I refuse to take it again."

• Ami...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2014

"Zyrtec works well in combating allergies as well as allergic rhinitis. The best I've found. I take it at night about an hour before bedtime and sleep like a baby all night. Love it. First time in years I can say I feel great and not congested from allergies."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 8, 2021

"Severe itching when trying to stop taking the medicine Zyrtec. Hives that covered my whole body kept me from sleeping and caused me to feel like I had arthritis in my joints. Only mild relief from allergies. Not worth the pain."

• JLa...
• May 6, 2020

"I have had seasonal allergies starting about 15 years ago until now. I have also had sinusitis since I was a teenager. Both the generic and brand name cetirizine work the same for me, but the generic is significantly cheaper! As soon as I start getting itchy or watery eyes, sneezing from an unknown source, etc., I will take a pill, and 95% of the time I will start getting relief within 30 to 45 minutes. As far as my sinusitis goes, I will have to take Zyrtec-D or my headaches from the sinus pressure will not subside or go away. I have no itching or heart palpitations on regular cetirizine but did notice occasional palpitations or increased heart rate with Zyrtec-D. This is somewhat expected since Zyrtec-D has pseudoephedrine in it (the stuff used to make methamphetamine). I would suggest that if anyone is having heart palpitation issues when using Zyrtec, make sure you're not taking Zyrtec-D as they are not the same thing."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 19, 2021

"I can't stop itching. I've tried cutting pills in half to 5 mg. I went down to 2.5 mg after that, and then trying to stop taking Zyrtec. Guess what? I still can't stop itching. It's been several days, and no matter what I do, it doesn't go away, and it's all over my body. Please don't take this medicine, you may get rebound itchiness when you stop it."

• Anonymous
• March 15, 2012

"Zyrtec worked well for my nasal allergies, but when I tried to stop taking it after several years, I got the skin itch/rash that many have reported. It was worst for the first few days, but now even a year later I still frequently get a skin rash when I get warm (cholinergic urticaria). I can't say for sure that the cholinergic urticaria was a side effect of stopping Zyrtec, but skin rashes were never a symptom of mine until I stopped."

• Anonymous
• June 4, 2020

"I was prescribed Zyrtec by my doctor when I was very young for my seasonal allergies. A few years later, I started taking it every day, and this kept going on for 4 years (daily usage). I will not deny the fact that Zyrtec is the most effective allergy pill I have EVER taken, and that even though it doesn’t completely relieve me from ALL my allergy symptoms, it is fast and effective. However, nothing is perfect. I decided to stop it because I’ve become too dependent on it. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough journey, but I’m willing to do this for the sake of my body. It makes you drowsy, affects your sleep (I have always been a light sleeper, but Zyrtec made it impossible for me to feel like I slept well), causes depression, and worsens my anxiety. I also read that it causes weight gain. I was 60 KG before and was noticeably slimmer. I gained 10 KG in the span of 4 years. Itching is better than being physically dependent on something as strong as Zyrtec."

• Joa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 17, 2019

"We just moved to Texas, and this March, I started experiencing my first spring/pollen season. Pollen counts were super high, and I was miserable. Go outside for five minutes with the dogs, come inside, and sneeze and blow my nose for an hour. My nose was red and sore from all the blowing. I don't like taking pills if I don't have to, but I needed something. Tried Allegra, but it just barely took the edge off. Claritin did absolutely nothing. As a last resort, I decided to try Zyrtec. It was the only thing I hadn't tried. I gave it a 3 out of 10 because it did make my symptoms stop. No more sneezing, no more itchy nasal passages. But the fatigue is overwhelming. I feel like a walking zombie. I am so tired. Slept for a solid 7 hours last night. Was awake for 2 before I started falling asleep sitting up. Took a 2-hour nap, and I'm still tired. I can't function like this, so I won't be taking it again. At least Benadryl wears off by the time I wake up in the morning."

• lgs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 21, 2012

"I just took Zyrtec for the first time yesterday. It did make me drowsy, but I also didn't get much sleep the night before. I took it because my eye was so itchy and watery it had become swollen, and I was having trouble breathing. I have had allergies for over 15 years but never took anything before this. Well, I don't know if this is an unlisted side effect, but I woke up in my sleep cracking up and could not stop laughing for a few minutes even after my husband woke me. I wonder if anyone else had intense dreams while on this medication. I don't take anything else that would cause this."

• Liz...
• December 1, 2018

"Three years ago, I started taking Zyrtec for nasal allergies that included sneezing and a stuffy nose. I was previously on Claritin, but it wasn't giving me all-day relief, so the doc switched me to Zyrtec. The full dose made me very tired, so I started taking a half dose at bedtime. I have had sleep issues, and taking this medication solved that and relieved my allergy symptoms. A winner, right? The problem is, I became dependent on this med to get that sleepy feeling. I ignored that I was waking up very groggy and not functioning without a strong cup of coffee. I also developed severe mood swings. I convinced a doc to give me allergy skin testing. I stopped the Zyrtec for 5 days prior. The first day, I could hardly get out of bed, but by day three, I noticed a huge difference in my mental clarity. I told the doc, no more Zyrtec for me. Turns out I am allergic to cats and dogs, not trees. I am going to practice avoidance and stay off this drug!"

• Bun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 7, 2019

"It is an awesome med for allergies. But it made me depressed. Even with taking the children’s liquid and using a small amount, it still did. I worry about people taking this and not realizing it can make them depressed. In prescriptions, it has to tell you to watch out for changes in mood and sadness, but not for over the counter. As for drowsiness, taking the children’s liquid helped with that."

• Tik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 22, 2020

"Zyrtec did stop my sneezing, and it only took 2 days for total relief. After two weeks on a whole pill each day, I gradually started getting vertigo and mild visual hallucinations (patterns danced). About a year later, I tried again, this time on a half pill each day. A month later, the vertigo started. I have stopped taking it, and I'm having symptoms like a mild migraine, but the vertigo is fading."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 6, 2020

"After taking Zyrtec with a cough medicine, I became so lightheaded I thought it was the end of me. My neck got stiff, and my head was hurting on top, and lightheaded, unable to drive. I was sure I’m having a stroke. I stopped taking it for 2 days, and all those symptoms are gone."

• SMa...
• June 15, 2016

"I have firstly severe seasonal allergies, and I purchased Zyrtec in hopes that it would be superior to Allegra. The allergy symptoms improved slightly, but the fatigue was terrible. It was so bad that I thought I was coming down with the flu. I slept for five hours straight in the middle of the day after my second dose. This is not acceptable."

• Anonymous
• October 22, 2011

"I have been taking Zyrtec for about 2 years for hay fever. I have noticed that it doesn't seem to be working as well for my symptoms as it did at first. I stopped taking it 3 days ago, and now I am experiencing severe itching on my hands and feet."

• Jen...
• July 18, 2015

"I have been taking Zyrtec for almost 6 years. I was first prescribed Zyrtec to combat my allergies during pregnancy. It worked well except to make me a little drowsy. I only take it seasonally, and it still works well for my symptoms, but the fatigue and drowsiness have gotten worse over time. When I started taking it again for my spring/summer allergies this year, the first week was horrible. Even taking it at night, I felt so fatigued the next day my muscles ached, and I had to fight to stay awake during the day with my 2 little ones at home. I would fall asleep as soon as my husband got home and sleep 14-15 hours. After about a week, my body seemed to adjust and the drowsiness isn't as bad anymore."

• Pir...
• July 20, 2016

"I have been trying to deal with drippy eyes and nose (saturating multiple tissues in a couple of hours), and upon awakening, clearing my throat for over 20 years since moving from the East Coast to CA. I finally decided that I had enough, and the doctor told me to try Zyrtec. I started it a few days ago... yep, the drips improved, BUT I feel exhausted, falling asleep, no energy. I think I may have to deal with the drippy symptoms and tell Zyrtec to take a hike!"

• All...
• January 26, 2018

"Stayed at my friend's house who had a cat. I knew I was allergic, so I stayed far away from it. It still got to me enough to where the symptoms bothered me. Sore and itchy throat, itchy, watery eyes, coughing, etc. I decided to take a 10 mg Zyrtec. I normally don't like taking pills. This one said non-drowsy, so I thought it would be safer. BIG mistake. I was so drained that after I woke up from an 8.5-hour night sleep, I was so tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. It was so scary that I ended up going to the ER. They gave me fluids to flush it faster, but I still suffered the rest of the day. Never again. Although it did help my symptoms, the side effects were not worth it."

• Yub...
• February 6, 2009

"This medicine works, but you start having different side effects. When I was taking Zyrtec, I started having pain in my back and then stabbing pain in the spine, and also an irritating pain in the knees and non-stop twitching of the eyes. I just recently discontinued my prescription of Zyrtec due to the above side effects. Now I have no pain but have started itching all over my body. I prefer the itching to the pain."