Cetirizine / Pseudoephedrine Dosage

Usual Adult Dose for Allergic Rhinitis

1 tablet (5 mg-120 mg) orally twice daily.

Usual Pediatric Dose for Allergic Rhinitis

12 years or older:

1 tablet (5 mg-120 mg) orally twice daily.

Renal Dose Adjustments

CrCl less than 30 mL/min: one tablet orally every 24 hours.

Liver Dose Adjustments

Dose for patients with hepatic impairment is one tablet orally every 24 hours.

Precautions

Due to its pseudoephedrine component, cetirizine-pseudoephedrine should be used with caution in patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemia heart disease, increased intraocular pressure, hyperthyroidism, renal impairment, or prostatic hypertrophy.

In clinical trials, the occurrence of somnolence has been reported. Due caution should therefore be exercised when driving a car or operating potential dangerous machinery. Concurrent use of alcohol or other CNS depressants should be avoided because additional reductions in alertness and additional impairment of CNS performance may occur.

Tablets should be swallowed whole and not broken or chewed.

The FDA has not approved use of over-the-counter cough and cold medications to children aged less than 2 years, and proper dosing for children in this age group has not been studied. Clinicians should be aware of the risk for serious illness or fatal overdose from administration of cough and cold medications to children aged less than 2 years. Clinicians should be certain that caregivers understand 1) the importance of administering cough and cold medications only as directed and 2) the risk for overdose if they administer additional medications that might contain the same ingredient.

Dialysis

Dose for dialysis patients with CrCl < 7 mL/min is one tablet orally every 24 hours.