Itching Withdrawal From Cetirizine Or Zyrtec (Page 12)

I want to know how many are suffering from withdrawal from this drug that causes itching all over the body. At the people's pharmacy there is an article about this very problem, yet Zyrtec doesn't list the information on their web site. This is my third attempt to get off of this med and I'm going crazy from the itching.

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Hang in there Esther! It has been one year since I have stopped Cetirizine/Zyrtec/Allertec....cold turkey. I feel so much better and my allergies are a minimum. I haven't felt this good in 30 years! I still feel regular plant allegeries during spring, summer and fall but it seems to clear up in a day or two and I can live with that. I have increased my bike riding to 6 days a week, 100 miles and believe me that has helped. Use Aloe plant for the itches and pray! It took me almost 9 months to get this drug out of my system. By the way, my MD had no clue about this drug when I told her about it but she said she would check on it. My next appointment is in December and I will ask her about it and repost the results.

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Wow I feel like your twin .... I too have dermagraphism
I was taking zyrtec for 6 months
I tried to wean off but it didn't work
I am now off zyrtec 6 days & I am so itchy
Especially at night
If I can't tolerate the itchiness I will take 1/2 of a Benadryl & that seems to work
I'm not sure how long this will last ... I think my histamine levels are out of wack from bing on the zyrtec so long & now coming off of it ... It has caused the dermagraphism to come out again
Hopefully tis will calm down soon

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Glad to "meet" you Lisa. That's interesting that we're both at about the same day/stage in the withdrawal and also have dermagraphia. Few people even know what dermagraphia is. . .

I'm curious if your itching right now with the withdrawal is similar or worse than what you remember your dermagraphia to be before Zyrtec. I think the withdrawal is worse. At least I hope it is, because I'm not sure if I can face life if it remains like this!

One of the main reasons I'm pushing myself to get off this med is because someday I would like to be married and have children. I would never consider taking any kind of medication while pregnant, especially not Zyrtec!, even if the company insisted it was safe. There's too many people whose entire lives are affected by a "safe" medication their mother took during the helpless 9 months they spent in utero.

Thanks for the words of hope Nancy. And yet, it scares me to think that you are still itching some a whole year after quitting Zyrtec. Did you have an "itchy allergy" prior to Zyrtec?

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I keep posting the same thing because I was on Zyrtec for dermagraphism for 5 months this past year and when I went off I had the worst histamine reactions. The hives came back, angioedema and then I started getting all kinds of weird symptoms and found out about Mast Cell Activation Disorder and Histamine Intolerance ( Google it ) . I must have gotten some weird rebound affect from being on the Zyrtec so long. I had a million tests all healthy. Tried the natural route and did not work. I was forced to go back on the Zyrtec and now I take a very baby dose of the children's oral formula. My body is healthy but very dis-regulated and I wonder if the Zyrtec is causing depression now. Wish I never started this drug!!!

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Hi Esther ... My dermagraphism is worse now that I am off the zyrtec .. . It would always flare up now & then. But not how it is now ..... I am hoping it will calm down & my body will go back to normal soon ..... I don't ever want to take zyrtec again ...I can't believe the withdrawel symptoms.... And no one has ever heard of them either
I also had insomnia for a week ...thank god that is better now ...good luck to you

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Be careful with the relief of the hot showers or baths, and always apply a very good moisturizer. Otherwise you poor skin will get too dry and the itching will not subside. This is my experience. It is sure no fun to have to be constantly on guard for irritation, but it can get better. If you have a good way to relax, it helps a lot.

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No itchy allergies before taking Allertec (Costco brand). Had been taking for two years per MD suggestion for sinus/seasonal allergies. The only reason I stopped was because I felt it wasn't working anymore. I'm so glad to be off this med. Hang in there.

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I'm also very happy I found this site. I had been on generic cetirizine for 3 years, and thought that I was getting itchy if I went too long without taking the drug because of some allergy. Since finding out this was a withdrawal symptom, I stopped cold turkey and am currently on day 6. Day 3 was bad, days 4-5 were worse (I was extremely itchy), and today seems like it'll be pretty bad as well.

Fortunately, itchiness is the only side effect I'm dealing with - based on some of the feedback from others, it seems like it could be worse. I've had to put my life on hold the past few days, and I'm hoping this ends soon!

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Welcome to the club Thomas.

Today is day 8 of withdrawal for me. Itching didnt seem to respond to my heating pad last night. Miserable and itchy, my legs especially. Woke up this morning with a somewhat puffy and swollen face, even though I know I didn't scratch it. I've been mostly laying/sitting and reading these days. If I get an itchy spell, I sing a hymn or recite a Bible verse or pray until the itch goes away. Hoping it will get better soon!

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Yesterday at Day 15 was when I realized at some point during the day that I hadn't been itching all day. I had some itchiness on the soles of my feet in the afternoon but it was mild enough for me to ignore them and it eventually went away. It's taking time but I do feel like the itchiness is ebbing away overall... Today I'm more itchy than yesterday so I expect I'll have some good days and not so good days but that the number of the good days will increase as time goes on. Day 4 was the worst especially in the evening where I broke out in hives. The itchiness seems to come more at night in general. I still haven't had a day where there was absolutely no itching but I think I'm getting there. So, those of you out there, I promise it'll get better. Just hang in there!

Some tips: I've found that keeping my skin moisturized helps to prevent the itching and hives from forming. Also, when I get the itch, I try not to scratch it as that exacerbates the itchiness. Instead, I gently rub the area and the itchiness seems to go away faster.

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I am 2 years out from ceasing my daily dose of this garbage. Virtually symptom-free, though I get hives when my skin is scraped or scratched sometimes. Take her advice folks, whatever you do DON'T SCRATCH. You will have iron-clad willpower after.

Ceterizine is clearly a drug that has withdrawal symptoms in some and it is not right that patients aren't told this.

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19th day of withdrawal. . . I had dermagraphia prior to taking Zyrtec, so I'm not very sure where the withdrawal ends and the dermagraphia begins. I still itch a whole lot. . . but the burning sensation that I got after barely touching my skin is a lot less now. Like now, I can use the bathroom, or change my jacket, without setting off a burning-pins-and-needles reaction. It also seems to be a little better in the mornings and get worse at night. Before, it was just bad, bad, bad all the time. Since the start of the withdrawal, I have been loosing a lot of hair. I have tried to avoid scratching my scalp, but have broken down and scratched a number of times. . . I'm not sure if that's why I've been loosing hair, but it seems like every time I brush or wash it, I loose about 3x what I consider normal.

I feel more alert and rested now! I think I was just sleepy and tired as a dumb side effect of that medicine.

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Just a heads up to everybody still dealing with this - the previous comments are correct, it does get better.

My timeline was the following - the first 2 days the itchiness starts to ramp up; on days 3-9, it's quite unbearably itchy; on days 10-18, I was still very itchy, but there were signs that my symptoms were starting to abate. I would say by day 21, my symptoms are 85% gone. The key is surviving the 2 week period where you're constantly itchy and wondering if it gets better - it does in fact get better, so just hang on!

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I have been taking Zyrtec for almost three years and just the past couple of months have tried to get off it. Every time I did I would suffer from horrible itching that just about drove me bonkers. Especially my hands and feet. The areas that I would scratch would become raised marks. Well I found something that would stop the itching. It's called Heel Tastic. It's for cracked feet. I believe it's all natural. But I am now three days off of the Zyrtec and it's working. I'm not in the medical field but I am so happy I found something. Even though it's kinda weird it Works!!! Good luck to all.

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It will get better It takes about a month Another good cream is sarna anti itch cream it worked wonders for me ... I also took 1/2 of a Benadryl pill for the nights I couldn't take the itchiness Good luck It will pass I'm glad there are other people out there that are experiencing these horrible withdrawel symptoms from Zyrtec When I tell people they think i am crazy

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I though I was going nuts! So it's my Zyrtec D causing this itching!!! And I know it caused my sever dry eye, and lately severe dry mouth. And I am betting it is the reason I have this always "slightly dehydrated" issue!!! I use the generic Zyrtec D in the morning (12 hr), and take a half pill of the plain one at night. The 24 hr "D" caused me to be so hyper I couldn't sleep. Now I also realize why I am so tired if I forget to take the "D" in the morning!! I recently had an ear infection and was given an antibiotic that, afterwards caused colitis (had this happen before), it lasts for like 3 weeks. It is the pits. I cut down my Zyrtec D to a half pill... I figured I better cut down since I have a dehydration issue even when I am well. I forgot to take the half pill of the regular Zyrtec at night for 2 nights, and yesterday took no half pill of the "D". I am ITCHING!!! I KNEW it was a withdrawal from the Zyrtec!! I have been on this stuff for more yrs than I can count, only because it was cheaper than the other allergy meds I was on...my insurance stopped covering the Allegra and Allegra D "because of my age". I tried to go "homeopathic" with the allergy meds as per my nutritionist back in late November of 2012. I was itching like crazy especially at night...hands and feet mostly. I thought is was THAT med making me itch, and stopped it after a week because I was about to get married and didn't want to be itching like a loon on my honeymoon. LOL I filed a report with the FDA a few mins ago. People...I was on Singulair yrs ago...and I wasted 9 yrs of my life being diagnosed with "medication resistant depression". I was on EVERY antidepressant there was...all having their own wacky side effects. The day after I read that it can cause depression....I was off it...and back to my normal cheery self. My 13 yr old has been on Zyrtec since she was 4. WE are about to be itching together....we are off this junk!! BUt we need SOME kind of allergy medication....we have SEVERE allergies. I have to find something. At least it is winter and our really bad allergies aren't flaring up. I am allergic to EVERYTHING. And I need the Decongestant in the allergy meds big time. Good thing God blessed me with a good sense of humor!!!

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I have a long stretch of days off and decided to get off my 10mg nightly year round dose of Zyrtec. I experienced the typical side effects of watery eyes and dripping nose, increased mucus, coughing on the first two days. Today, the third day, I had a wheezing sound when I tried to breathe deeply and that came with an urge to cough. It felt like I was not able to breathe properly...and made me wonder if that is what asthma feels like. This was the absolute worst day so far. Day 2 and 3 I felt increased itching but this evening it increased after I took a hot shower.. Actually it started to get BAD while in the shower.... After I got out, I could not stop itching everywhere!!!! It was so intense, I felt that my scratching was not doing anything and I wanted to cry... it was that bad. I am not sure why the hot water made things so much worse!!!!

I finally caved and took another Zyrtec!! I could not handle it anymore!!! Now I am royally pissed that I have been on medicine year round for 10 years that I can't live without. I am not sure what I am going to do now.. keep taking it for life??? I am going to research more about this and will report back. This is so miserable and so messed up!

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I'm on Week 8 off of Zyrtec and I think my withdrawal is almost gone. I do need to keep my skin (pretty much my entire body) moisturized a few times a day which I've never had to do to this extent in the past, but this week is definitely better than last week. Last week was better than the week before but I noticed occasional itchiness on my soles pretty much everyday. This week, however, I haven't experienced that at all (knock on wood it stays that way). It's possible that it'll creep back up again but as I've said before, it's getting better and better as weeks go by. For those of you trying to quit, the first few days thru the second week is probably the hardest but if you can get past the first 2 weeks it'll get better little by little. Remember to keep moisturizing and do not scratch if you can help it and instead rub it down gently. Hang in there, everyone!

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I am nearly a year out from my last dose of Zyrtec as prescribed by my doctor and I am still having problems with itching and hives. My scalp and neck are always itching and if I scratch my skin turns bright red within minutes. This was not something I experienced prior to taking the drug. The horrible itching that I initially felt when I stopped taking the drug is gone, but I feel that my body's chemistry has been permanently altered. I don't understand why there has been no legal action concerning the symptoms that so many people seem to have as a result of this drug. Why is there still no warning on the label that you could could suffer permanent side effects and why when I visit my doctor does he seem totally unaware of the suffering that this drug can cause. Has anyone filed some sort of claim against a manufacturer or found an attorney to take a case? People should be made aware of the risks of Zyrtec and other generics containing the same active ingredient. Please comment on this if you have had any success in finding representation for a similar issue.

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Hi I also had withdrawal symptoms from zyrtec. It lasted about a month. I had dermagraphism ( constant hives ) Prior to taking zyrtec. .....and also now It really flared up after stopping zyrtec. But is now under control. When I first came off I called the zyrtec 800 number & asked if this was ever reported. The rep said that thy never had anyone report these s symptoms ...itchiness .... insomnia ( for a week ) ... Withdrawals. They reimbursed me by sending me a check for the last box I bought & they sent me a questioner in the mail Nothing further happened. I believe that they have had other people complain about theses symptoms , and are not sharing the information. Do you think you have dermagraphism ? When you scratch yourself does a big welt appear ? Maybe you should go to a dermatologist. I now take 1/2 of a Benadryl when I get hives. I will never take zyrtec again!

Good luck, Lisa

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