Zyrtec and benadryl

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.

I am a 37 year old female ~185lbs already under treatment for clinical depression with two medications. I used to take Alavert (loratidine) for seasonal allergies but found it had "stopped working" well for me. Since Zyrtec (certirizine) went over-the-counter, I decided to try it.

I took it sporadically at 10mg daily for a period of 2-3 weeks, and then, during a particularly bad allergic exacerbation, began to take it consistently at 10mg daily. My depression, which was previous well-controlled on medication, worsened to the point of severity. Extreme despair, emotional detachment, and loss of interest in pleasurable activities--well, in ANY activity beyond sleep.

I am a pharmacist, and on a whim, I decided to do some research into interactions with my other medications, and found several anecdotal reports of depression onset and worsening in Zyrtec users. This particular side effect of Zyrtec was unknown to me, nor have I received any educational materials or reports in my trade literature listing depression as a possible adverse effect.

I have discontinued the medication in both myself and my three year old daughter (5mg daily). I can already see a difference in her disposition, and I am starting to crawl out of my pit of gloom. I'm using Alavert again, as I never had one issue with it, and I'm supplementing with Benadryl (diphenhydramine) at night as needed for exacerbations.

I think the hardest part - for me - was even to concieve the idea that Zyrtec has all of these side effects.

I've been taking Zyrtec on a daily basis for about 90- 110 days a year due to really bad allergies. We live in the NY area which produce alergans most of the year.

After trying almost every antihistamine, Zyrtec seemed at the time as the best drug since it handled the allergy while eliminating the drowsiness almost completely for me. Being happy that I was able to maintain normal life during allergy periods was almost a new concept for me and I was really grateful for finding this drug.

Unfortunately, being almost blinded by the allergy-fighting success, I neglected the attention to the side effects. I guess I'm falling into the unlucky 2%. I had almost every side effect: Irritation, mood swings, gaining weight, dry mouth - just name it.

Recently, my wife did some research because we got to the point where I would fight with her over anything. I can testify that my tolerance level hit the ground. Anyway, she got my attention for her research results which turned a red flag for me. In addition, this year my body seemed to not respond anymore to the drug and doing my own little research revealed that it is very likely that you need to rotate different drugs every few months.

So I decided to get off Zyrtec and switched to Benadryl Allergy which I take every 4-6 hours. Yes, it does make me drowsy for about 15-20 minutes but it works. What's more interesting is, I've been about 10 days off Zyrtec and I am shocked to realize that I'm slowly getting rid of all the side effects associated with Zyrtec.

That being said, I would like to emphasize that this was my own individual experience and it may not be the same for someone else. But it is pretty disappointing for me that i cannot use this drug anymore on a regular basis.

I am trying to get off Zyrtec after having taken it for the last four months. I am having a hard time doing so. I've taken Zyrtec every spring for about 10 years. Every time I go off of it I develop terrible insomnia. It takes about three months to get over the insomnia. BUT this time around, I have developed a terrible itching. The itching goes away if I take one-half of a Zyrtec pill. It comes back if I don't take another pill within 24 hours. Come to think of it, I have developed this itching before when I went off Zyrtec and used hydrocortisone cream to stop it, but I never before contributed the itching to the Zyrtec. It is definitely some type of withdrawal symptom.
Also, my husband has noticed that I get terribly moody, depressed, cry a lot, and become critical of everyone when I am on Zyrtec -- and go back to my normal self when I am off of it.
AND I have begun to notice that my appetite goes wild while on Zyrtec. When I go off Zyrtec, my appetite goes back to normal. I have gained almost 50 lbs since I was introduced to Zyrtec.
I would like to say that I will never take it again, but it is the only antihistamine that completely controls my springtime allergic asthma. I need to be able to breathe.

I began taking Zyrtec for seasonal allergies. I had taken OTC benadryl but it makes me very drowsy so dr. recommended Zyrtec. Took it every day for a week and noticed shortly (within an hour) after taking, I developed a pronounced rash on my hands and feet. Red circular bumps that itched. I did not immediately associate the rash with taking Zyrtec. I had recently purchased new hand soap so I attributed this change to the rash. I stopped taking the Zyrtec and eliminated using the soap at the same. 3 days of no bumpy rash. This morning, took a Zyrtec after a particular rough sneezy morning. Within an hour, the rash is back! The Zyrtec is the ONLY THING that can be causing this reaction as it is the only variable present at the same time the rash is!

I started doing research online and am shocked at the reactions people have to Zyrtec. I have never been one to take medicines as I don't trust the pharmaceutical companies and this justifies my position!

my 7 year old son has started breaking out with a funny rash since he started zyrtec. kind of looks like ringworms. is this a possible side affect?