Fexofenadine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Reg...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 2, 2020

Fexofenadine for Allergic Rhinitis "It took me 5 years to realize Allegra was making my life a living nightmare. I have bad allergies and take it year-round. Prior to starting Allegra, I had never experienced anxiety. Overnight, I started having panic attacks. My ears started ringing all the time, and I started getting this tingling/numbing in my left arm. I also started waking up with swollen hands, feet, and face. I saw many doctors for these symptoms, I was in my mid-20s. Nobody could figure it out. I recently had been talking to a new allergist about all the issues and realized the correlation between days I take the med and waking up swollen, so I Googled the side effects. I was horrified to see the reviews!! One lady even wrote an entire article about the tingling issue. I stopped the medication immediately and am starting to feel like my old self again. I'm angry that I've been dealing with this for so long and could've stopped it had I known....."

• Sku...
• February 23, 2021

Fexofenadine for Allergic Rhinitis "I’m a 25-year-old female whose allergies have recently decided to screw me over. I’ve been on Claritin for a couple of months now, and it works “okay.” Three days ago, I broke out with hives and went to the hospital and got prescribed Allegra. The first day I took it, it worked great! Now I’m on the second day of it, and I’m having panic attacks, anxiety, diarrhea, and dehydration. It is a shame because it does so well in treating my allergies, but I don’t think these side effects are worth it."

• Dee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2020

For Urticaria "I was prescribed fexofenadine 180 mg daily for severe itching due to eczema, but I also suffer from hay fever too. Initially worked great for the itching (I was taking it every other day at this point), however, when hay fever season started, I upped this to one tablet per day and began to experience horrible symptoms. I had heart palpitations, anxiety, and had panic attacks for weeks before I realized that it might be caused by these tablets. I also have a heart condition (mitral regurgitation) and thought this was getting worse as the palpitations were horrible, so I was very concerned. After stopping the medication, I felt better within a few days, although the anxiety did linger for a week or so. Very scary experience!!!"

• Anu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2020

For Allergic Rhinitis "Very bad experience with fexofenadine. I started getting too many side effects. I was having stomach discomfort, nightmares, heart palpitations, and panic attacks out of nowhere. I started having anxiety issues and felt very scared. Very horrifying experience. Took only 7 tablets of these (180 mg)."

• Tir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2022

For Urticaria "Took Telfast 180 mg. Gives some relief for allergies, but the side effects are horrible. Severe headache, anxiety, agitation, dry eyes, intense nightmares, insomnia, aches and pains, exhaustion. I was a terrified, angry mess on it that could not sleep or focus."

• Tan...
• April 10, 2021

For Urticaria "Effective for my dermatitis or eczema and hives. It does take away the sneezy, watery nose and itchy eyes. I have been taking it for two weeks daily. Currently, my allergies are so terribly bad that I itch everywhere, even in my groin; it is embarrassing. So I am stuck with this 180 mg med. I used to have UV light therapy, which helped greatly. Now I live away from my dermatologist. I don't know what is worse, the anxiety side effects or my constant itching and redness on my skin, which sometimes turns brown when scratched. Pinetarsol soaks in a bathtub help temporarily. Any heat and sweatiness bring the urticaria back. Some pred cream prescribed doesn't really solve the problem. I really wonder what is the cause, and the immunologist, dermatologist, and GP can't tell me. Just saying that it's pollens, creams, food, and a host of other stuff causing it, plus stress. I wonder whether I can take the COVID vaccine with such a problem. It's been 10 years of suffering."