Brand name: Xyzal
Drug class: Second Generation Antihistamines

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com on Jan 27, 2025. Written by ASHP.

Introduction

Second generation antihistamine;³⁴ R-enantiomer of cetirizine.^{1 2 3 4 5 7 14 15}

Uses for Levocetirizine

Allergic Rhinitis

Symptomatic relief of seasonal (e.g., hay fever) and perennial (nonseasonal) allergic rhinitis.^{1 5 12 15 32 37 38 39 40}

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Symptomatic treatment of uncomplicated skin manifestations of chronic idiopathic urticaria.^{1 5 13 14 41}

Levocetirizine Dosage and Administration

Administration

Oral Administration

Administer orally once daily in the evening without regard to meals.¹

Tablets are scored and can be broken in half (each half providing a dose of 2.5 mg).¹

Dosage

Available as levocetirizine dihydrochloride; dosage expressed in terms of the salt.¹

5-mg dose administered as oral solution containing 2.5 mg/5 mL is bioequivalent to 5-mg tablet.¹

Pediatric Patients

Allergic Rhinitis

Seasonal

Oral

Children 2–5 years of age: 1.25 mg once daily (as oral solution).¹ (See Pediatric Use under Cautions.)

Children 6–11 years of age: 2.5 mg once daily.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: 5 mg once daily; alternatively, 2.5 mg once daily may be adequate for some patients.¹

Perennial

Oral

Children 6 months to 5 years of age: 1.25 mg once daily (as oral solution).¹ (See Pediatric Use under Cautions.)

Children 6–11 years of age: 2.5 mg once daily.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: 5 mg once daily; alternatively, 2.5 mg once daily may be adequate for some patients.¹

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Oral

Children 6 months to 5 years of age: 1.25 mg once daily (as oral solution).¹ (See Pediatric Use under Cautions.)

Children 6–11 years of age: 2.5 mg once daily.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: 5 mg once daily; alternatively, 2.5 mg once daily may be adequate for some patients.¹

Adults

Allergic Rhinitis

Oral

5 mg once daily; alternatively, 2.5 mg once daily may be adequate for some patients.¹

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Oral

5 mg once daily; alternatively, 2.5 mg once daily may be adequate for some patients.¹

Prescribing Limits

Pediatric Patients

Allergic Rhinitis

Seasonal

Oral

Children 2–5 years of age: Maximum 1.25 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹ (See Absorption: Special Populations, under Pharmacokinetics.)

Children 6–11 years of age: Maximum 2.5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: Maximum 5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Perennial

Oral

Children 6 months to 5 years of age: Maximum 1.25 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹ (See Absorption: Special Populations, under Pharmacokinetics.)

Children 6–11 years of age: Maximum 2.5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: Maximum 5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Oral

Children 6 months to 5 years of age: Maximum 1.25 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹ (See Absorption: Special Populations, under Pharmacokinetics.)

Children 6–11 years of age: Maximum 2.5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Children ≥12 years of age: Maximum 5 mg daily; higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.¹

Adults

Allergic Rhinitis

Oral

Maximum 5 mg daily;¹ higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.^{1 15}

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Oral

Maximum 5 mg daily;¹ higher dosages associated with increased risk of somnolence.^{1 15}

Special Populations

Hepatic Impairment

No dosage adjustment required.¹

Renal Impairment

Children 6 months to 11 years of age: Use contraindicated.¹ (See Contraindications under Cautions.)

Adults and children ≥12 years of age: Adjust dosage based on degree of renal impairment. (See Table 1.)

Geriatric Patients

Select dosage with caution (usually starting at low end of dosage range) because of age-related decreases in hepatic, renal, and/or cardiac function and concomitant disease and drug therapy.¹ (See Geriatric Use under Cautions.)

Cautions for Levocetirizine

Contraindications

• Known hypersensitivity (e.g., urticaria, anaphylaxis) to levocetirizine or any ingredient in the formulation, or to cetirizine.¹

• Adults and children ≥12 years of age with end-stage renal disease (Cl_cr <10 mL/minute) or undergoing hemodialysis.¹

• Pediatric patients 6 months to 11 years of age with renal impairment.¹

Warnings/Precautions

CNS Effects

Somnolence, fatigue, and asthenia reported.^{1 7 12 13 15} Avoid performing hazardous activities requiring complete mental alertness or physical coordination (e.g., operating machinery, driving a motor vehicle).¹ (See Advice to Patients.)

Specific Populations

Pregnancy

Category B.¹

Lactation

Expected to distribute into milk (since cetirizine is distributed into milk).¹ Use not recommended.¹

Pediatric Use

Safety not established in children <6 months of age.^{1 36}

Efficacy of 1.25-mg once daily dosage (in pediatric patients 6 months to 5 years of age years of age) and 2.5-mg daily dosage (in pediatric patients 6–11 years of age) for management of allergic rhinitis is based on extrapolation of demonstrated efficacy of 5-mg daily dosage in pediatric patients ≥12 years of age and on pharmacokinetic comparisons in adults and children.¹

Efficacy of 1.25-mg once daily dosage (in pediatric patients 6 months to 5 years of age years of age), 2.5-mg daily dosage (in pediatric patients 6–11 years of age), and 5-mg daily dosage (in pediatric patients ≥12 years of age) for management of chronic idiopathic urticaria is based on extrapolation of demonstrated efficacy in adults and/or on pharmacokinetic comparisons in adults and children.¹

Risk of overdosage and toxicity (including death) in children <2 years of age receiving OTC preparations containing antihistamines, cough suppressants, expectorants, and nasal decongestants alone or in combination for relief of symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection.^{a b} Clinicians should ask caregivers about use of nonprescription cough and cold preparations to avoid overdosage.^a

Geriatric Use

Insufficient experience in patients ≥65 years of age to determine whether geriatric patients respond differently than younger adults.¹ Select dosage with caution because of age-related decreases in hepatic, renal, and/or cardiac function and concomitant disease and drug therapy.¹ (See Geriatric Patients under Dosage and Administration.) Periodic monitoring of renal function may be useful.¹

Hepatic Impairment

Pharmacokinetics not evaluated, but clearance unlikely to be decreased.¹ (See Elimination under Pharmacokinetics.) Dosage adjustment not necessary.¹

Renal Impairment

Decreased clearance, resulting in increased risk of adverse effects.¹ Dosage adjustment necessary based on degree of renal impairment.¹ (See Renal Impairment under Dosage and Administration.)

Common Adverse Effects

Children 6–11 months of age (with 1.25-mg once daily dosage): Diarrhea,¹ constipation.¹

Children 1–5 years of age (with 1.25-mg twice daily dosage): Pyrexia,¹ diarrhea,¹ vomiting,¹ otitis media.¹

Children 6–12 years of age (with 5-mg daily dosage): Pyrexia,¹ cough,¹ somnolence,¹ epistaxis.^{1 6}

Adults and children ≥12 years of age (with 2.5- or 5-mg daily dosage): Somnolence,^{1 5 15 32} nasopharyngitis,¹ fatigue,^{1 5 15 32} dry mouth,^{1 5 15} pharyngitis.^{1 32}

Drug Interactions

No formal drug interaction studies with levocetirizine to date; studies have been performed with racemic cetirizine.¹ (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)

Does not inhibit CYP isoenzymes 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2A1, 2D6, 2E1, or 3A4.^{1 5} Does not induce UGT1A or CYP isoenzymes 1A2, 2C9, or 3A4.¹ Unlikely to produce or be subject to pharmacokinetic interactions associated with metabolic enzyme systems.¹

Specific Drugs

Levocetirizine Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

Bioavailability

Rapidly and extensively absorbed following oral administration, with peak plasma concentration usually attained in 0.9 hour (tablets) or 0.5 hour (oral solution).^{1 5 18}

Onset

Antihistaminic effects occur within 1 hour.^{1 2 7 19} Symptomatic improvement observed as early as 1 day after initiation of therapy for allergic rhinitis^{1 7 8 15} or chronic idiopathic urticaria.^{13 14 33}

Duration

Antihistaminic effects persist for at least 24 hours.^{1 2 6 7 8 15 19}

Food

A high-fat meal reduces peak plasma concentration by about 36% and delays time to peak plasma concentration by about 1.25 hours, but does not affect AUC.¹

Special Populations

In patients with renal impairment, AUC is increased by 1.8-, 3.2-, or 4.3-fold in those with mild, moderate, or severe impairment, respectively; AUC is increased by 5.7-fold in those with end-stage renal disease.¹

In pediatric patients 6 months to 5 years of age, plasma concentrations following administration of 1.25 mg once daily are similar to those observed in adults receiving 5 mg once daily.¹ In pediatric patients 6–11 years of age, peak plasma concentration and AUC following administration of 5-mg dose are approximately twice that in adults.¹

Distribution

Extent

Average apparent volume of distribution is 0.4 L/kg, which represents distribution in total body water.¹

Expected to distribute into milk.¹

Plasma Protein Binding

Approximately 91–92%¹ (mainly albumin).^{5 33}

Elimination

Metabolism

Metabolized to a limited extent (<14% of dose) by aromatic oxidation, N-dealkylation, O-dealkylation, and taurine conjugation.¹

Elimination Route

Excreted in urine (85.4%) (via glomerular filtration and active tubular secretion) and in feces (12.9%).^{1 18}

<10% of dose removed by standard 4-hour hemodialysis procedure.¹

Half-life

Approximately 8–9 hours in adults.¹

Special Populations

In patients with renal impairment, half-life is increased by 1.4-, 2-, or 2.9-fold in those with mild, moderate, or severe impairment, respectively; half-life is increased by fourfold in those with end-stage renal disease.¹ Total body clearance also progressively decreases based on severity of renal impairment.¹ (See Renal Impairment under Dosage and Administration.)

In pediatric patients 6–11 years of age receiving a single 5-mg dose, total body clearance was 30% greater and elimination half-life 24% shorter than those observed in adults.¹

In geriatric patients receiving 30 mg once daily for 6 days, total body clearance was 33% lower than that observed in younger adults; however, levocetirizine disposition appears to be dependent on renal function rather than on age.¹

Stability

Storage

Oral

Tablets and Oral Solution

20–25ºC (may be exposed to 15–30ºC).^{1 33}

Actions

• Exhibits selective antagonism of peripheral histamine H₁-receptors.¹

• At half the dosage of cetirizine, appears to be as potent as cetirizine in inhibiting histamine-induced sneezing,⁴ increased nasal airway resistance,^{3 4 5} and skin wheal and flare.^{2 3 5}

• Has been shown to exhibit greater and more consistent inhibition of histamine-induced wheal and flare compared with other antihistamines (e.g., desloratadine, fexofenadine, loratadine).^{5 7 19} Clinical relevance of histamine wheal skin testing is unknown.¹

Advice to Patients

• Importance of taking only as prescribed; do not exceed prescribed dosage because of increased risk of somnolence.¹

• Risk of somnolence;^{1 7 12 15} avoid performing activities requiring complete mental alertness or physical coordination (e.g., operating machinery, driving a motor vehicle).¹

• Avoid concomitant use with alcohol or other CNS depressants.¹

• Importance of informing clinicians of existing or contemplated concomitant therapy, including prescription and OTC drugs and dietary or herbal supplements, as well as any concomitant illnesses.¹

• Importance of women informing their clinician if they are or plan to become pregnant or plan to breast-feed.¹

• Importance of informing patients of other important precautionary information.¹ (See Cautions.)

Additional Information

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. represents that the information provided in the accompanying monograph was formulated with a reasonable standard of care, and in conformity with professional standards in the field. Readers are advised that decisions regarding use of drugs are complex medical decisions requiring the independent, informed decision of an appropriate health care professional, and that the information contained in the monograph is provided for informational purposes only. The manufacturer’s labeling should be consulted for more detailed information. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. does not endorse or recommend the use of any drug. The information contained in the monograph is not a substitute for medical care.

Preparations

Excipients in commercially available drug preparations may have clinically important effects in some individuals; consult specific product labeling for details.

Please refer to the ASHP Drug Shortages Resource Center for information on shortages of one or more of these preparations.

Frequently asked questions

• Is Xyzal available over-the-counter?

Medical Disclaimer