Zyrtec side effects

My 4 1/2 yo daughter has SEVERE allergies since 6 weeks old. Our specialist prescribed Zyrtec and she has been taking it every night for 3 1/2 years. We haven't noticed any obvious side effects as others have. She is certainly not drowsy (in fact the opposite!)A couple of times we have run out and she has missed it for 1-2 nights, and she has started itching ALL night. We have assumed that she needed the Zyrtec and rushed out and bought more. As I am getting concerned about the long term effects, started researching and found this site. Maybe we should consider that this was withdrawal symptoms and not the allergies. Does anyone know how long the withdrawals last? Thanks to all the posts for all the relevant information.

Okay I need some help from all you people. I have been on Zyrtc and Singulair for about 10+ years. This past Monday was my last pill for both. Tues and Wed did pretty well. Thursday and Friday not so much. I can handle the sneezing and watery eyes what I can not handle is the ITCHING!!! Driving me crazy. That started about 3 this afternoon. My doctor does not want me to take any antihistamine. How long is the withdrawal take from these meds? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated

I was taking Zyrtec for the past 8 years and I am also on Antidepressants ( Effexor) and on Singulair. I had to stop taking the zyrtec 72 hrs prior to being re-tested for my allergies. I had done this once before and knew that the withdrawals were pretty intense, with itching so bad it made me want to go to the hospital. This time I looked up Zyrtec withdrawals and was shocked at the information I discovered. I stopped cold turkey and I am miserable with the itchiness. I also discovered that I don't get so short of breath( I run ) during my exercise. never going back on that stuff again. I still have allergies and get shots every 3 weeks but haven't had any problems not taking the zyrtec in relation to my allergies.

I'm a male in my mid 50's. I started Zyrtec and Nasacort on the recommendation of my MD to deal with itchy, red eyes and other general allergy. Most other meds hadn't worked. These did and stopped the symptoms cold. However, I started noticing that I'd pretty much lost any desire to exercise and that I felt very lethargic in the mornings. I decided to drop the Zyrtec. The first day off, I had a mild case of hives. The second and third day I've had itching. I figured it had to something to do with Zyrtec so I started searching the internet and found this site. I don't plan on going back on Zyrtec unless I have a serious allergy flare-up. Even then, I may consider shots instead of meds.

Just started my six year old son on Zyrtec again. The dr. said he could take the adult pill now 10mg. The last few nights he has wakened with terrible nightmares/night terrors. And after reading these posts i remember taking him off for the winter (he was on the liquid 5mg) and i remember him always itching his arms and legs. i remember giving him oatmeal baths. Now i know it is from stopping the Zyrtec. I am calling the doc tomorrow about these nightmares. He was also on Singulair 4mg for 1 1/2 years then one year ago was upped to 5mg. Within one dose we noticed he was very depressed and cried easily. After a week called the doc about it, stopped it then had our son back in a few days. Will Never give Singulair again and now stopping Zyrtec. All these meds are so scary. A part of me feels these meds are created because it is a HUGE business. They have side effects then you have to take other meds for those side effects and it is a never ending circle i feel purposely created by pharmaceutical companys to make money. And we are all suffering because of their greed. Shame on them

Been on Zyrtec for 4+ years for allergies/asthma. Quit cold turkey ~3 weeks ago. Insane itching all over body. Feels like I want to crawl out of my skin. Scalp, torso, legs, shoulders and face itch all the time. If itch, then itching becomes more intense, red and hot.

My 2 year old daughter was prescribed zyrtec 24 hour infants formula and after giving it to her once it caused her to pass out and be unconscious for 30 minutes and was non-responsive. She was rushed to the hospital and is ok. She was only given the .5ml as prescribed and this was given the night before this occurred. It was an adverse after effect from the medication.

I will NEVER give my child Zyrtec again. This medication is not safe in my mind.

My 13 year old son was taking Singulair for several years and had developed, over time, depression and anxiety. I didn't put the two together until the news stories came out a couple of years ago. Since then he has been taking Zyrtec. Over time the depression and anxiety has returned. He does not take the Zyrtec everyday, just as needed. I believe that it has built up in his system to cause the side effects. Can anyone give me an idea of how long it takes to get out of his system so that I can tell if this is what is causing the problems or if I should look for some other cause.
Thanks

I been taking zyrtec in tha last 2 months since I ran out my benadryl and singular prescriptions. Doc so far away i grab counter stuff till i can get to the doctor.. I to been having funny things going on with rhythm of heart.>LIke a lurching feeling ! Not often.. But like a fluttering slow to fast, then the lurch .. Then it quits? Hard to dechifer all my meds.. I narrowed to nsaid naproxen, advair I started most recent, albuterol I started last year.. The hair loss I started getting faster and faster.. Got me to searching med side affects.. and ran across this site !

I just took it today for the first time. I am taking it to stop my hives and it is working very well. I have had hives everyday for 1.5 months. Benadryl was working only so-so.

The Zyrtec makes me feel very calm and a little drowsy, but also very mellow and relaxed.

I am concerned about the poor reactions posted here. On the other hand, at this moment I have no hives, no angioedema and that makes me very happy.

Does anyone else find the Zyrtec to make them feel relaxed and happy?

I hope someone feels ok about this drug, or I maight have to stop it. Thanks for any comments.

Wow! My husband and I have thought recently maybe I should stop using Zyrtec. Maybe it is causing my lethargy, weight gain, difficulty sleeping, inability to work for more than an hour doing anything, intense hunger. I have taken Zyrtec year round for several years since living in Santa Fe where I developed bad allergies. There I took it in conjunction with Nasonex. After leaving there I couldn't afford it so I switched to day hist but I started sneezing and had an itchy nose constantly. Sinus infections also. So I started Zyrtec full time a few years ago. I can't lose weight to save my life and have no energy. Depression-yes. I would never have thought I would experience that. My journals are full of it. But I thought it all was because of "the change" because I was under the impression there weren't any side effects. But I am all organic and still struggling with trying not to gain anymore weight. I have a terrible time just trying to clean one room without feeling wasted! I don't look forward to stopping but I have got to see if this is affecting me this way, Thanks to all. I want me back!

I have been taking a combination of Pataday, Zyrtec, Nasonex and Advil for the last 4 years for my seasonal allergies. After last years pollen season I found out that I could not get off Zyrtec due to itching. So I have been taking it ever since once every 3-4 days. Now that I found this site, I dont care if I itch for months, I am quitting. I will never again take a Zyrtec tablet in my life. I'd rather take a few weeks off and go south in May, then end up like this.

I just found out about the hives issue when going off Zyrtec. The incredibly annoying thing about this is that the reason I went on the Zyrtec is because of hives so now that I'm trying to see if my hives are gone by going off the drug I can't tell because that's the withdrawal symptom! I used to have to take up to TWO pills a day to deal with my hives and now I can go about three days since I started using traditional Chinese herbs (through a practitioner) to work on my hive issues. Part of me thinks that the herbs are working but it's impossible to know because of the withdrawal issues. I would not have taken this drug for hives if I had known that was what would keep me from being able to stop taking it. I'm really aggravated!

I have been taking Zyrtec for about a month to treat my seasonal allergies. I have noticed about once a day a shortness of breathe and my heart is beating very weird. I thought this was all in my head but now I am not so sure. Has anyone else experienced this? If so did it stop after stopping the medicine?

I have been taking Zyrtec for about three months. Doctor suggested I take it for a month after bad sinus infection. I was still all choked up after a month so I kept taking it.... I also take an antidepressant, Citalopram, that I've been taking for years. I have wondered since taking Zyrtec if there are any long-term side effects. After reading the postings above I found several symptoms I've been experiencing lately that others contribute to Zyrtec. I stopped taking Zyrtec tonight and will see if anything changes. I definitely have little energy and wake up with excruciating back pain, but I had a fair amount of back pain before I took Zyrtec. I have pain in my upper left arm that is getting worse each day. Heartburn at night. I had very weird dreams lately - I was on "drugs" that made me completely loopy, dizzy and out of it. I woke up dizzy and realized the dream was partly reality.
I have had some headaches and racing heart. I just thought I was getting old and falling apart!! We'll see...
Will keep you posted.
ST

I had only been taking zyrtec for the past few months and ran out a few days ago and decided that i really didn't want to continue takin it i have been off of it for almost 3 days now and have started itching like crazy. Going off zyrtec was the only thing that had changed so i started researching it and found it is a common effect when quitting. I will never go back on it and am trying to get family and friends to quit taking it as well after seein all of the negative side effects and withdrawal problems. I'll be stickin with treating my allergies with OTC tylenol or advil sinus. Any help that zyrtec may have isn't worth all the negative points for me

I started taking zyrtec a few days ago for seasonal allergies. I had tried the claritin (loratidine) before and it didn't seem to really help me much. I was avoiding the zyrtec because I knew it could potentially make me drowsy and I didn't want to be tired if I was working. I'm a pharmacist so I decicded to try it knowing the potential side effects. It works really well for me - but I started having really vivid strange - and disturbing - dreams. It has only been a week and they havent been too bad so far - but I am going to monitor it and if they get worse I will stop and try something else. The reason this is so strange is I don't normally dream much at all. I maybe remember bits and pieces of a dream - these are wierd and strange and make absolutely no sense. These dreams seem so real and are so clear - I can remember every detail of what was done and said.

I began taking Zyrtec 2 months ago. It controlled my allergy symptoms very well, but I noticed increasing fatigue and depression. I became a "couch potato" barely able to get through my day. I began having suicidal thoughts and gained weight...probably due to the lack of activity. In the last 2 days, I have gone back to my old allergy medicine (Allegra) and am feeling like myself again.

Has anyone experienced Zyrtec withdrawal? I've been taking Zyrtec for at least 4 years and whenever I try to quit I develop hives, stomach pains, and it becomes difficult to breathe. I want to try and quit for good, but it will be difficult.

I wish I had found this site a year ago. My 9 year old son was prescribed Zyrtec for his nasal allergies. He took it each day for over 6 months. He began to have problems in school - withdrawing from class participation, moody behavior at home, depression, lethargy, anxiety, worry, feelings of despair, told me that he would be better off dead! I started to panic but never associated the Zyrtec with his mental state. Took him to a counselor who said that he seemed like a normal, well-adjusted little boy who was sensitive. Realized that the Zyrtec was not really fully controlling his nasal allergies so decided to stop taking it for a while. Not much change in the allergies but the emotional change was amazing! I had my little boy back in only a few days after stopping the Zyrtec. First thing I noticed was that he was no longer mopey and lethargic and wondered if the Zyrtec had been making him tired. Then when the rest of his emotional issues disappeared magically I began to suspect the Zyrtec but the ped. dismissed my fears. A few months later he began to have bad allergies again so again tried an anithistimine for him. Zombie-like state returned right away. For some reason he is hyper-sensitive to all anithistimines and we avoid them all with him. What I learned from this is that doctors are not open to admitting that these drugs they so casually prescribe have serious side-effects.

I really did not notice any side effects with the Zyrtec alone. I have allergies to mice (which I work with in my job). The zyrtec really helped when I took it once a day at first. It stopped the sneezing and I did not feel funny (nothing I can think of). Then the zyrtec seemed to stop working after 12 hours, so I felt like I needed to start taking more of them. At one point I was trying to take 3 a day, almost like I was weirdly addicted to them? I went to the doctors b/c I knew something was wrong, and they put me on Zyrtec and Singulair cocktail. The Singulair has made me feel nausea, I have had extreme diarrhea, lower back pain and headaches. I think I want to try to stop taking all of the medicine and see how I feel! I don't know how bad the zyrtec is, but I know the Singulair made me sick!

I have allergies to dust mites, and started taking Zyrtec to help get over a sinus infection. It worked great at first. Then I started to feel not myself, and my thoughts were out of control. I have depression, and it magnified it. I stopped taking it, and started taking Claritin, which made me feel speedy and gave me heart palpitations.

My 2.5 year old son was on this for a little over a week. We noticed him start to have rapid eye blinking and head twitching every other minute or so. Took him to ER, doctors said possible pink eye even though there was no redness or discharge in his eyes. Followed up with his pediatrician and was told no pink eye but possible reaction to Zyrtec and to discontinue the med. Also advised that it takes up to 6 weeks for medicines to be completely out of the system. Pediatrician is also scheduling appointment with neurologist in case this "tic" doesn't go away in a reasonable amount of time. I wish I'd known about this site and others prior to giving my son this medicine recommended by a doctor. There should be a warning label on every bottle of medicine both prescribed and otc to direct people to websites such as these or a 1-800 number to advise about any and all potential side effects.

I had been somewhat depressed for a while. After 2 days of being on Zyrtec, I was nearly suicidal. I continued to take it for a few more days because it did help with my allergies. I wasn't sure that it had anything to do with my depression until I stopped using it (after a week). Being off of it for 2 days changed my complete outlook on life. I am much happier and positive. I only tried Zyrtec because my insurance company refused to pay for Allegra, which works very well with no side effects.

my 8 year old son was taking singulair and zyrtec for 6 years. I forgot to give him his medicine for a couple of days and noticed how mellow he was. I started thinking about it and realized that it might be the medicine. He was 2 when he started taking singulair and zyrtec so i thought this was just how a boy was supposed to act like, i have four daughters too. He has always had trouble in school just barely passing each grade, his teachers all told me to have him tested for adhd and i knew in my heart he did not have that. the last few months have been really bad with his attitude, yelling, wining, hitting his sisters, and talking back to me like i am a piece of crap. I am so glad i forgot to give him his medicine, he does not take anything anymore. I hope that when all the medicine is out of his system he will be even better.

My son is in second grade and has been on Zyrtec and singular since he was four years old. He was diagnosed with asthma and peanut and tree nut allergies. He has always been the sweetest kid. However, we noticed in first grade that he was spacing out and not always focused. he became easily frustrated, did not want to do his homework, cried for everything and gave up easily. This year in second grade we are noticing the same thing in addition to talking back, being aggressive with his brother, rolling his eyes and having a nasty disposition. He is negative and complains a lot. His grades have been suffering greatly. He rushes through his school work and does not pay attention or try.
I am so happy for the reading that I am seeing on this site. My son is coming off the singulair and the Zyrtec first thing in the morning.

I ve been taking this since it became over the counter and have every 3-4 day felt like I was getting a urinary tract infection I've done everything they say to avoid these because its an awful thing to have and I think I'm going to drop the zyrtec I'd rather be stuffy

My son was on a cocktail of Singulair, Zyrtec, Astellin and Nasonex. Like a miracle, his severe allergies cleared up almost immediately. Months later, behavioral changes started to surface. Extreme irritability, major meltdowns over nothing, problems in school and pulling out his facial hair including eyelashes and eyebrows. We stopped the medication in April and he improved. By mid summer, the hair pulling stopped. When his allergies started up again about 10 days ago, I put him back on the Zyrtec, because I was certain the Singulair was causing most of the problems. Within 3-4 days, the emotional outbursts started, panic attacks that never happened before - he said he couldn't breathe. Now the hair pulling is back. Everyone thinks I want to blame medication for his problems, but I am certain that Zyrtec has something to do with these problems in addition to Singulair. We have taken him off Zyrtec 2 days ago. We have a dr. appointment in 2 days and we will discuss all of this with him. In the meantime, his allergies are back and he is miserable. I would rather him be physically sick than mentally at this point.

my 11 year old son became lethargic and had a loss of appetite almost immediately but what concerned us most was the tic that he developed on day 3 and 4 of using Zyrtec we discontinued use as of 3 o,clock yesterday (day 4) he has been sleeping for 14 hours we of course check on him constantly Please do not use this product if you see any of these side effects we never had any of this with clariton but will not take our chances We are going to try just the nose spray prescribed by the doctor no more over the counter meds for us.

I never thought an allergy med would have a reaction with my esophagus, but I guess everyone can discover something new! I used to be on RX Zyrtec many years ago and never really noticed any issues with it...I have taken Claritin OTC for some time now, but it doesn't seem to last long enough to cover the 24 hour day as it says, so I decided to try the Zyrtec OTC...by the third day I seemed to be having very tight and sharp esophageal pains in the middle of my chest and for the whole week I was on Zyrtec, the symptoms continued and became very intense...I stopped Zyrtec 3 days ago and have noticed a VAST improvement in the pain diminishing and I wondered if anyone else has had any of the same issues as I faced with this!

I have been on Zyrtec for three years (Every day) haven't noticed mood swings in myself? My mother also takes them every other day and is not particularly moody. Although she has trouble sleeping which she attributes to the menopause But if i don't take one within 24hrs I get very itchy and hive up..now that I'm breastfeeding I've just noticed my daughter is very irritable..and am beginning to think it's related to the zyrtec. I'm changing to claratyne in the morning to see if there's a change..very,very interesting and scary reading all the side-effects!!

My personal experience with Zyrtec was so awful that I decided to document it in a blog in great detail to try and help other people: http://zyrtecsideeffects.blogspot.com/

I suffered severe depression, menstrual problems and other health issues whilst on Zyrtec. The depression literally disappeared overnight when I stopped taking Zyrtec. I suffered horrific withdrawal symptoms for 6-7 weeks after stopping Zyrtec which I have documented in my blog.

My son was getting in trouble with his new Kindergarten teacher almost every day. He went from being a bright, well behaved little boy to being labeled a troublemaker with learning issues almost overnight. At school he was crying all the time, poked another kid with a pencil, threw something at another child and wouldn't listen to his teacher. He had been in a very structured Pre-K program and we had never had any issues like this with his behavior. During a lengthy conversation with his teacher, she mentioned that he didn't behave this way every day. He actually had some days when he was "very good". I was at the end of my rope. When we asked him why he was doing these things he told us, "My brain told me to and I couldn't stop." Scary thing to hear from your 5 year old. After talking to my mom about the problems, she suggested that I look up the side effects of Zyrtec and I found this site. Many things matched up with what the teacher was telling us. The fact that he had some good days at school makes sense because he was only taking it on the days he needed it for seasonal allergies. Because he took it right before bed and the side effects would wear off by the time we picked him up from school we weren't seeing the full effect of what this medication was doing to him. We haven't given him Zyrtec for over a week and he hasn't gotten in trouble a single time at school! He's been much easier to put to bed at night and much more pleasant to be around in the evenings. We will never give him Zyrtec again and will be MUCH more aware of possible side effects from medicine.

I have been taking Zyrtec for about 2 weeks now to help with an inner ear problem that I just recently realized was due to allergies. I ran out of Zyrtec yesterday and I think I am going to try Claritin for a day or two now. Zyrtec was giving me random shortness of breath spells (only about once a day and my asthma inhaler would usually help the shortness of breath). I also have been having nightmares and my attitude has been very apathetic. I don't feel like my happy self when I'm on Zyrtec. It's better than being dizzy yes, but I am in a relationship and I don't want to feel like I am wasting happy time with my significant other.

My 5 year old daughter was started on Zyrtec about 10 days ago (Dr.s orders) and WOW... not good. We can not see any changes in her allergies but her moodswings are way off. Last nite she told me "daddy that clear medicine I take now, makes me feel busy and funny". When we ask her why she is acting rude and being ugly, she says she doesn't know. She has been taking Singlar for about 2 months and Nasonex for about 1-2 years. HELP!!!!!

I have been on Zyrtec for at least 4 yrs and I have to stop to have some allergy test done again.I am 53 yrs old and asthmatic. I have to be off them for 7 days prior to the tests. I can't believe the withdrawal I am getting. I am itching all over and feel as though I am crawling out of my skin. I will take the shots for my allergies and never go back to Zyrtec again. Works great for allergies but don't try to get off them.

This is my first time taking Zyrtec D. It was recommended by my local pharmacist. I have had a terrible sinus infection which has lead to a massive ear infection. The ear infection is getting worse . every time I blew my nose, I felt like my ears were going to pop right off my head. Anyhow, the only thing that has made me feel better is Zyrtec D however the side effects I am experiencing from this are far more worse and are not worth it. I am very anxious to the point where my muscles ache. I also have excessive crying spells and I also have been super angry all day. I have taken 2 pills in the past 24 hours. My ears are still clogged but my nose is clear. I am also experiencing shortness of breath and increased heart rate. I also can not sleep and I keep waking up with horrible dreams. I have been searching the internet now to figure out how to get this drug out of my system. Although I can now breath, the side effects are not worth it. I would rather have a stuffed nose then ever take this again.

I have been on Zyrtec now for 4 years, since I have been taking Zyrtec I have had severe depression along with anxiety, and at times completely isolated myself from my family and others. This drug is very dangerous, and I have wasted a lot of time being unhappy because of it. although it does treat ones allergies, it isn't worth it to spend your life alone and unhappy!

My daughter was taking a deadly cocktail of Zyrtec, Advair, and Singulair. She was on these medications for three years. At the time we thought that it was fantastic that her severe asthma and allergies were finally under control. After about six months of being on the medications we saw her slowly decline into a state of depression and withdrawal, she had constant headaches, she couldn't sleep, she was no longer interested in any of her friends or activities. She went from a loving and sweet girl to an angry and bitter person. In 2003 she committed suicide. Six months after her death reports started to come out about the links to Singulair and depression and suicide. Perhaps it was the combination of the three drugs in her case. If we would have had any idea what the effects of these drugs were we would have taken her off of them immediately! Please spread the word about the dangers of Singulair, Zyrtec, and Advair. Go on to the other sites and read what people have been posting and you will be shocked. The Singulair survivors are banning together to try and get this medication pulled. Do what you can to spread the word!

I was taking Zyrtec every day for the last 3-4 weeks. It is the best OTC medication for my mild, but annoying allergies. I stopped taking it yesterday for the first time and had the worst migraine with nausea and vomiting that I've ever experienced in my life. I didn't take it again today. I'm feeling a migraine coming on, and would rather take the Zytec than go through that experience again.

My daughter who just turn 7 has been on and off Zyrtec for the past 6 months. This last time it finally clicked... She was on it for about 3-4 weeks and I notice her mood changed and she was now very angry at anything and started hitting her sibblings and throwing things at me out of anger. She also was waking up at night either with bad dreams, or couldn't sleep. My husband and I realized that this all started about the time we put her back on Zyrtec. Two days ago, I took her off it and the next day she was an "Angel" compared to before. WOW what a difference. I did notice today (day two) she was sneezing more and didn't feel as well physically. So we are not out woods yet.

She also has been taking Singular for several years and I have been reading more about that medicine as well. I am not sure if needs to be taken off that yet, and will do an experiment. The timing isn't the best since school starts in just two weeks, but it might be worth it to have a happy child again.

On a side note, last year in school, they diagnosed her as having social anxiety. She is "extremely" shy and closed off in school. It would take her hours to do her homework which should have taken about 30 min. I am curious if stopping singular would help clear her head and make her less anxious. (She was on Zyrtec as well during that time).

This would be such an answer to prayer if it works. My two sons are so much happier than my daughter and I always wondered why. This may be the answer!

This stuff is pure poison and should be pulled from the market. I am very healthy except for seasonal allergies. I started using this drug in early June this year and within a few days I was experiencing dizziness (which I attributed to the allergies), panic attacks, cardiac arrhythmia and shortness of breath. Twice I ended up in Emerg only to be told that all my vital signs were excellent.

Since I've stopped taking Zyrtec those side effects have diminished greatly, although they haven't gone away completely. It could take weeks for the body to rid itself of a poison.

This drug needs to be re-examined with better controls on the testing, and serious consideration should be given to removing it from the market. The FDA has been to hasty in approving dangerous drugs over the last few years and Zyrtec is just another example of this haste. Remove it before someone dies!

Started taking Zyrtec after following the advise of my pharmacist. BIG MISTAKE!! I have never had symptoms of depression before. After one week on the medicine it took everything in me just to make myself get out of bed. The last day I took the medicine I felt that there was nothing to live for and everyone would be better off if I was gone. Never before had I ever thought about suicide. Until then. It took about three days with no Zyrtec before I started feeling this "blackness" lift off of me.

I have been taking zyrtec for 5 days. I bought a kitten and have mild allergies to cats. I thought this medication would keep the allergies at bay, however the side effects are not worth it. I would rather the runny nose i think. The headaches and fatigue are awful. I feel very unwell. I wont be taking it tomorrow or ever again

I have had the worst arm and shoulder pain after I took Zyrtec for only a few days to clear up some seasonal allergies. My upper arms hurt so bad, especially when I slept on them, which also led to some shoulder pain. My arms hurt for about 2 weeks after I stopped taking the Zyrtec. The pain started while I was taking Zyrtec. After not taking Zyrtec, the pain is finally subsiding. I will not be taking Zyrtec again; the arm pain was awful!

I started using Zyrtec about 8 weeks ago for seasonal allergies, runny nose, congestion etc. It did help but I recently have noticed that I have had lower back pain, feeling extremely tired and irritable. I did not consider these symptoms as being related until recently when I began wondering why I was having lower back pain. Since Zyrtec is the only med. that I have been taking, I decided to do a search on side effects and have read many testimonies like mine. I am a 38 year old female. To me the side effects out way the benefits of this drug. I am not going to take it any longer and see if these symptoms go away.

I love the fact that Zyrtec works wonders for my allergies, but not how it makes me feel. It effects everyone differently that is for sure.
I have been severe with my mood swings and soooooo tired even if I have taken it at night. I can't recall any weight gain over the past year because I have been on a diet. I have had the heart flutters, nausea and dizziness. The worst I can say though is the aggressive behavior, very easy to snap and crazy thoughts. This is not good when you are a stay at home mom with a 3 year old and 1 year old. I have recently taken myself off of it and feel happier and so do my kids. If you or someone you know has to take it please take notice if any of these side effect occur and switch meds. It affects not only you, but the ones you love around you.
I would rather sneeze.
As for withdrawals; I get severe headaches, sleeplessness, and itchy.

I have been taking Zyrtec for about 2 months. I am now experiencing facial sweating. My eyebrows and upper lip are constantly sweating. I have never had this problem before. I have noticed that when I take a dose of Zyrtec by the end of the day, the sweating has dried up. But if I skip a day which I did today then it is back. I have decided to stop taking the drug. Has anyone ever experienced this? Do you know how long it takes for this side effect (sweating) to go away?

I'm glad my friend sent this link to me. My son was diagnosed with asthma almost two years ago. He was put on Singular and albuterol inhalers. He stayed with that for about a year. We didn't at the time have any health coverage and could no longer afford the Singular. We started giving him Zyrtec about three months ago. My son, he's 7, started going into these rages about this time last year and we had no clue as to why. We chalked it up to his age and being a boy. The raging has now stopped but he's still combative and lashes out easily physically. He's never been one to act violently before he was diagnosed with asthma. I'm now wondering if this is due to the medicine. After reading these posts we'll be taking him off the Zyrtec and trying something new.

I am a 52 year old female. I've been using Zyrtec for four months, at first PRN, then for the last eight weeks daily. I also take Norvasc and Atenolol for BP. I was already experiencing slight swelling in my ankles presumably from the Norvasc, and I have been gaining weight steadily since starting the Atenolol in December. I have had overwhelming fatigue during exercise to the point that I can hardly finish a one hour Jazzercise class (which I have attended on a regular basis for over 20 years.) All symptoms I've blamed on the BP meds, especially the Atenolol.

I began complaining to my doc about the symptoms and had a complete blood work up to rule out other diseases that cause these symptoms. He suggested Weight Watchers and increased exercise to battle the weight gain, and reduced the Atenolol to half dose to over come the these issues. I didn't think to tell him about the Zyrtec I had started taking OTC.

I began careful monitoring of calorie intake and increased my Jazzercise classes in an attempt to lose weight with no success. In fact, the weight continued to increase.

This week, the swelling in my ankles increased to the point where you can not recognize them and the swelling has now included my feet. They are so puffy the toes are connected and you can make a deep impression with your finger in the skin. I decided to stop the Zyrtec and found the swelling to stop immediately. Even the slight ankle swelling has abated.

I started searching the web for contraindications between Zyrtec and the BP meds. None of the drug sites offer any negative side effects The Zyrtec site gives no info at all. After reading the many experiences here and on another site, I think the Zyrtec is to blame for all of my symptoms. I have not asked the doc about his opinion, but will inform him at my next appointment.