Zyrtec and seasonal allergies

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 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.

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.

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!

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 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.

Hi, I'm a 25 year old male. I've had severe seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember. I'm to the point where the coming of spring usually means that I'm going to be visiting the emergency room inside of a few weeks. I've been involved with Zyrtec since the spring of 2003. During that season I experienced what could only be described as a near complete nervous break down. I had an issue involving administration at the college that I was attending losing some paperwork regarding a semester withdrawal ... as a result I ended up with 7 F's and owing the university around $4,000.

I ended up crashing. My family describes me as the guy "with a big heart" ... but I began getting into screaming matches with my parents that ended with me breaking down and weeping / sobbing almost hysterically while holding the door shut to my bedroom. I became incredibly "anxious" (that's how my families General Practitioner {GP} described it), but I'd describe my behavior like more along the lines of a parody of a guy that just smoked a ton of REALLY cheap pot and therefore began to think that everyone was out to get them and that no one had their best interests at heart. My GP decided that I must be on the verge of a nervous breakdown and put me on paxil in an effort to calm me down. In a way it helped keep me calm and drastically reduced the extreme emotional spells that I was having. I pulled myself off of Paxil (for another slew of side effects that I'll be posting on that tab) during the late summer and fall when I don't have as severe an issue with allergies and as my season approached I found a new doctor and when I brought up how I had eventually decided Zyrtec D was making me feel he told me that I was right on the money. He ran through the almost all of the side effects that are listed on this page and I was floored ... I couldn't believe that no one had told me about them. He put me on Astelin and since then I haven't had any issues. As a matter of fact, I'm totally psychologically sound now and I haven't experience a "heart flutter" since ... where as a few years ago I was on the verge of committing myself while on Zyrtec D.

As a little note: I'm currently taking Astelin along with the OTC Zyrtec on a once a day basis and the only side effects that I've seen show back up are: slight paranoia, a loss of energy and general virility, and a significant weight gain (about 20 pounds in the past 3 months that could be attributed to my near complete loss of energy) ... which is an ENORMOUS improvement coming from the prescription strength Zyrtec D.

I'd also like to mention that I don't have any disorders like bipolar disorder or severe depression ... but when I take Zyrtec I acquire a lot of the symptoms associated with those medical conditions ... the symptoms slowly subside when the season draws to a close and I stop taking the medication.

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!