I was prescribed Zyrtec a few years ago for allergies. I also hav...

I have been taking Zyrtec for many years. I recently move to a high desert and do not think the same allergens will be resent. I stopped taking Zyrtec and my skin has gone crazy with itching. All over especially the thighs and back. I have tried to stick with it but it has been 3 days and it does not seem to me any better. I may try to take one 10 mg pill every other day and see if I can get relief and slowly try every third day. Too bad there is not more medical information on withdrawal from Zyrtec on the web.

I have been trying to get off Zyrtec for years. Right now i only have to take a half a tablet every other day. I keep trying to extend the time between pills .... but no luck . I get uncontrollable itching and hives. I wish someone had an answer for this. I tried the benedryl route with no luck.

I have been using Zyrtec for a few years (3) as well. I forgot to take a dose recently and had unbearable itching the following day. My symptoms were so signficiant that I decided to research on the web only to find out that this is the withdrawal symptoms of the drug. BUMMER too, because I am now weaning myself and my 10 year old son off of this drug. We were both taking 10mg and are now taking 5 mg....he does not appear to be having the withdrawal effects, but even at 5 mg I notice that by night time (as I'm approaching 24 hours) my hands and feet are itching. I wondered if maybe a cortisone shot would work through the withdrawal period. Will discuss with my allergist. We are also taking quercetin (a natural herb, which helps with allergies). I'm thinking to load us up with vitamins and herbs first, while taking the 5mg trying to boost our immune systems, then go off of it completely and take some type of detox herbal combination....

God help us....this is a nightmare!

Hi, I have some info regarding the Zyrtec withdrawal, my doctor finally believes me that it is indeed Zyrtec withdrawal and she has come up with a step down plan for 6 weeks so far, and I will have to call her at the end of 6 weeks for more info, she is researching it she really has never heard of it before and is giving me a step down plan that she has used for other withdrawals. she wants me to take 10 mg one day and 5 mg the next for three weeks then the fourth week she wants me to 10 mg Mon- Wed- and Friday and then 5 mg Tuesday,Thurs. Sat. & Sunday. Then to call her after the six weeks and then she will hopefully have more info for me and a continued step down plan. She said she was going to research it and I know she will. She is the head of a good Hospital and she sounded very concerned. Hopefully she will get me off this medication sooner then I could do it myself. So Far I have been doing it and I am ok. I'm not sure how I will be on the fourth week when I go from 10, 10 ,10 to four days of 5mg but I am going to try really hard. I will keep you informed and let you know how it goes each week. My fingers are crossed and I am praying to God it works. Maybe with the help of God and this good doctor it will. Also there is a really good cream called Sarna anti itch cream it works great, it is the only anti itch cream that really worked. And Take cool showers not hot. Also there is another website called Quit Zyretec get itchy google it. You will be amazed at all the information you will get off this site. This lady Amanda has put alot of research into it from her experience and many others. Let me know what you think of it.
Maria

Did you ever get over the withdrawal? We are trying to wean our son off and were down to 1/4 pill (2.5 mg) and then we stopped that 2 days ago and by last night he was in full hives and had to take 1/2 a pill. I don't know what to do.

I am sorry your son is going through this. I had to stop the step down for now because I am fighting a new battle, I now have Lyme disease.
I would try to cut those tiny little pills in half again and give him that, then I would do that for like a month then I would try one day on one day off for a month then the next month I would try two days off one day on of course with the lower dosage. I am not a medical doctor, and this is only my experience witht the drug. You can also try to get him a cream for itching called SARNA cream it is really good for itching. They sell it at CVS or any other pharmacy. I wish you luck in this battle. And please consult your sons doctor when you are stepping down from his medication.
Good luck and God Bless.

I am miserable right now with the side effects of getting off Zyrtec that I took for four + years. Hot showers take the edge off, and I try to distract myself so I don't think about the itching.
From what I have been reading, cold turkey is the way to go. It takes about seven days for it to get out of your system--I am on day five--and another week for the immune system to stablize. This is a nightmare. I had NO idea what I was doing to my body. I am calmer and happier now, even with the itching. I sleep through the night, and I use a neti pot that works to clear away nasal allergens.

To those trying to get off Zyrtec - hang in there. The withdrawals are horrific but it is totally worth getting off it!! It was exactly a year ago today that I stopped taking Zyrtec - the initial 6wks of withdrawals were some of the worst weeks of my life but the other 46wks since have been fantastic! No more depression, no more itching, no more menstrual issues etc, etc, etc. The website Askapatient has a lot of people sharing their experiences both being on and getting off the drug. There are also a couple of blogs written by people who have managed to get off Zyrtec: zyrtecwithdrawal (lots of advice on how to handle withdrawal and lots of feedback from people in the comments) and zyrtecsideeffects (my story in full) are both Blogspot blogs. I will include direct links at the bottom of this post but don't know if they will be allowed. Try googling 'zyrtec withdrawal' and following various links. The information and support is out there it is just a bit tricky to find. Good luck!

http://zyrtecwithdrawal.blogspot.com
http://zyrtecsideeffects.blogspot.com/
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=19835&name=ZYRTEC