Loading...Q. I took cetirizine (Zyrtec) for about four months, and when I stopped I started to itch horribly. First my feet, and then my hands and scalp acted up.
I didn’t know what was wrong until I read on your website about other people suffering withdrawal from cetirizine. I had all the symptoms.
I would use a hairbrush to scratch the itchy spots without breaking the skin. I also took vitamin C and probiotics, since others suggested they might help. Acupuncture got me through the worst of it.
Nighttime was torture, but now that I am on day 20 of my cold-turkey withdrawal, I finally slept an entire night without scratching. My advice to others is to tough it out.
A. Neither the label nor the medical literature warns that stopping cetirizine suddenly can result in unbearable itching. Nevertheless, visitors to PeoplesPharmacy.com have reported that the hives and itching can be agonizing and last for weeks.
Some people have reported success with gradual tapering of the dose. To do this, some divide the tablets into ever smaller pieces until they eventually are able to phase off without itching. Others report that taking vitamin C supplements can help ease their symptoms.
referencegirl
MO
Thank you for this article and to everyone for commenting. I have been taking doxylamine (Unisom), which is an antihistamine, for a couple of years, every night, usually between 50 and 75 mgs. A couple of days after I stopped taking it I started itching and also felt like bugs were crawling on me. It was so intense that I took off all my clothes a couple of time looking for the bugs. And I started to wonder if I had lost my mind. I wound up taking a benadryl for the itching. Now I understand that the benadryl “worked” because it was arresting the withdrawal. I’m in day two of my second cold turkey attempt and can already feel the itching coming back. Now that I know what is causing it, the only option I see is to power through this, take a lot of vitamin C, and never take another antihistamine for the rest of my life.
I am truly horrified that this withdrawal symptom is not listed on any drug inserts. Shame on the pharmaceutical companies – shame!
B
California
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40800-016-0041-9/fulltext.html This is the link to a peer-reviewed medical journal article that came out in November 2016 about unbearable itching after Zyrtec withdrawal. In short, the phenomenon is real: “Long-term treatment with antihistamines can decrease H1R gene expression to the basal level” — which means your H1 receptor gene correlated with allergies becomes depressed due to all the antihistamines you’re taking, and get flooded with histamine as soon as you stop, which makes you itch.
Hope it makes everyone out there feel less crazy. I think we should get the media/lawyers on Johnson and Johnson for making Zyrtec with no warning label on the bottle. This is a serious mental and physical health issue.
I am on Day 6 of withdrawal and still experiencing the awful itchiness everywhere. Hoping to use homeopathic antihistamines instead of Zyrtec to get some relief. Heat pads seem to help.
Rina
MA
What about the antihistamine in Coricidin HBP which is Chlorpheniramine maleate 2 mg. If you had reaction to Claritin with severe itching, can you take Coricidin HBP for a cold??
Jill
Colorado
wow….I’ve been going through this for years and just now found this site. Nobody mentioned swelling but my hands and feet itch so bad my fingers and toes swell up.
Before an allergy test, the doctor had to put me on prednisone it was so bad and said he had never seen anything like it. Don’t know if this is my problem but it’s nice to know I’m not alone and now I have something to try, by weaning myself off.
Mardi
Washington
To help with fall tree allergies, then spring allergies, I took Zyrtec for over a year. I wanted to stop using it. After the first day without it, strangely, my belly button, stomach and palms starting itching. That felt odd. Wondering if it might impact my breathing, I immediately went back on it, and symptoms promptly disappeared.
Reading online about antihistamine withdrawal symptoms, particularly from Zyrtec, I learned I wasn’t crazy, and there seemed to be two good options – gradually reduce the dose or switch to Allegra for a week or two, then go cold turkey. The latter worked for me. The itching was noticeable but never unbearable.
A month after quitting Zyrtec, some back and scalp itching continues but I have confidence it will dissipate. I’ll also increase vitamin C to help reduce the histamine. Good luck to you all finding relief from this surprising and undocumented drug side effect!
Kumar
London
When I was about 22/23 I would have periods that when I wake up and rub my nose in the slightest I’d start sneezing and sniffing for about 4 hours until it calmed down down. Then it used to last the whole day. And then by the time I was 25 every 2 days I’d have suffer from a sniffing/sneezing attack that would literally take over my whole life! I wasn’t ill like a fever or anything but my eyes felt tired and I just felt exhausted. I got a test done and I was told I’m allergic to dust and started taking antihistimines.
I took the cetrizine hydrochloride ones because they seem to work best. I finally felt like I had my life back, each time a day came where I needed to sneeze I’d take the ‘pill’ and I’d feel great. I was conscious that I was becoming addicted so I tried to miss a few days more than 2 usually. But then I found this weird itch on my arms, and palms. I’d never experienced it before and had no idea. I was stubborn and didn’t want to take the pill until I started sneezing and when I did the itching reduced.
So for the last 2 years I’ve been living off this pill. Problem now is that I have to take the pill every other day to stop the sneezing. But the only place I itch is my head and that’s usually 24-36hours later. Even. Ow my head wants to be itched and it drives me mad. I feel like my body is dependent on these pills. I refuse to take it until 48hours have past because I don’t want to give in to it.
I regularly clean my room and remove dust but no matter where I am I still get it. What is wrong with me??? I can’t even dream of going cold turkey, I’d have to go on sick leave from work and even then I don’t know how long for and reading from the comments above it just feels like I’d have to take it once more then I’d be back to square 1 again. These antihistamine pills are bad! And not enough is being done to educate people about the side effects. If anyone has any ideas on how I can reduce this itching in my head then please let me know. It’s not even normal it’s like deep inside my head and unbearable :(
Henry
Georgia
I have the same problem now. I just cold turkey so I can go take my allergies test. I have unbearable itch and I have hives all over my body. I call the doctor they stated that I need to go through with it if I want to take the test. I got to go off the med for 4 more day. Thank everyone for this information.
Joey
Bloomington, IN
I used to take Claritin for seasonal allergies and stop when allergy season was over. Then in 2003 my doctor said Zyrtec is better so I thought ‘great’ and took Zyrtec. But without putting two and two together, while on Zyrtec I kept having itchy skin problems which resulted in spontaneous itchy bleeding sores on my back, chest, legs, and arms. Hands, feet, head also itched a lot, but without wounding. Anyway it seemed to go away when I’d take Zyrtec again, so I thought the Zyrtec was curing it…NOT CAUSING IT. It took me 7 years to figure this out. I quit cold turkey and like everyone else here, it was an unbelievable experience that you cannot find the words to explain. “Itch” doesn’t cut it. “Pain” isn’t quite right. It’s deep, deep itching, far away from what any scratching can help. It consumes your body and brain. Mine was relentless for six months, then I had “ghost” itching for another six months. After a year I felt I had come out the other side and said Never Again. Then when allergy season came around, and I was very stuffed up, I took Claritin for three days in a row, remembering that it never caused me any problems. Well guess what. I’ve been on it now for a year because I can’t get off Claritin now because of the sever itching and rash! I am so terrorized by the idea of going through all of it again that I haven’t the courage to quit again. It was so so so so horrible! I’ll write again if I get brave enough, or if anyone has any advice for me.
Lesley
Massachusetts
Vitamin C actually reduces histamine in the body. I went through the same symptoms, itching on my scalp ?? Hives and burning itch when nothing was there!! Get rid of the cats? The pine trees? Maybe I have lice!!!
Yeesh,antihistamines, STOP taking them, take lots of Vit C (like 500 Mg every hour), buy cheap drug store brand, get your body back to eating grapes and apples …thank God for the internet!!
Peg
Ohio
I have been on Claritin for 3+ years and for the past 2 years have been taking one in the morning and one in the evening due to my allergies being so bad. I see an allergist and it was his assistant who told me it was ok to go ahead and take 2 a day. I have allergy testing coming up this week and was told I needed to be off of Claritin for at least 5 days before the testing. The evening of the 1st day that I was off of it I started itching a little, just random places, not so bad. I just figured I had dry skin so I used some lotion but it didn’t help much. I’m now on day 3 and the itching is absolutely awful. My scalp, hands, legs, torso, just random itching absolutely everywhere. I’ve learned that scratching it just makes the itching worse. So all I can do is try to keep my mind busy and not focus on it which is incredibly impossible to do.
The only thing I can figure is that it must be from no longer taking the Claritin because that’s when the itching began and I haven’t used any new soaps, no new foods, etc. I have a call in to the allergist and hope to hear from him soon because this is making me nuts.
Thanks for everyone’s posts. I don’t feel so crazy anymore. I don’t know if I’m having withdrawals from the Claritin or maybe it’s some weird thing I’m just not aware of. I do think it is the Claritin though. Who would have thought something so small and innocent as a Claritin could cause this much havoc?!
Monica
Florida
I am getting allergy testing in a couple days and have been experiencing these skin itches also from stopping antihistamines. I have other symptoms like headache, belching and I even vomited from nausea. I was looking forward to getting the testing done so I could resume my OTC antihistamines as the prescription doesn’t help me. But after reading this article I am thinking about backing off some and find more natural ways to treat. It’s gotta get better than this, I don’t want ti be addicted to anything even antihistamines, if I can help it.. Thanks for informing us in this. ..Now to find a good article on what leaky gut is and it’s association to allergies.
Viola
San Francisco
A good way to taper off these meds is to stay on a low histamine diet for about a month. Antihistamines deplete DAO (histaminase), which is an enzyme that breaks down histamines in the body. Taking supplemental DAO can help too.
Vicky
USA
I took daily Claritin for years. Then it seemed to be losing its effectiveness, so I switched to Zyrtec, and it seemed to work great. Then I just started thinking, I don’t want to take this stuff every single day for the next 50 years. I at least need to try and give my body a break once in a while. It’s winter right now, so no pollen, so this is a good time to try and quit cold turkey.
Thankfully, I didn’t have some of the terrible withdrawal symptoms others have had, but I had several nights where I couldn’t sleep at all, which was torture, and I’ve had randomly itching palms and scalp, but nothing too terrible. I’ve also had what feels like blood pressure issues, where I feel light-headed and like I can’t focus; I guess that might be the “anxiety” that others have described. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since my last Zyrtec, and I sure hope I start feeling normal again :( I’m NEVER taking Zyrtec again. I have Benadryl for emergencies (it makes me REALLY sleepy, so I can’t take it often), and I might consider going on Claritin again when spring allergy season starts, but we’ll see.
I agree that this is a very serious issue that needs to be exposed and talked about! Doctors, allergists, and pharmacists need to be informed about this problem. I encourage everyone to tell their doctors about their symptoms, and maybe give them a list of websites and forums like this one, where many people are experiencing very real withdrawal symptoms from Zyrtec.
I wish us all the best in finding relief!
Alexa B
Australia
Thank goodness, I am not just going insane. My first itchy feet, palm, scalp and back started 3 yrs ago when I came home from the hospital after giving birth to my son. It came out of nowhere :( one night, the sole of my feet started itching then my palms and etc. I didn’t sleep that night. It drove me insane, I was in tears and thinking what I eat.
The hospital didn’t give me any meds because I gave birth 100 natural. Like most of you, nothing changed at all. I know I have very sensitive skin as I can easily get irritated. But this itching was on an another level.. scratching doesn’t even give relief. It was burning itch. 3 days later doctor said take Telfast which is similar to Zyrtec but I think Telfast 180mg is a lot stronger. I have to take 1 pill on the spot every night otherwise I will get the itch. Needless to say, I have been on this for 3 yrs now. I had a schedule allergy test start of this year but couldn’t last 2 nights without taking pills.
Now I rebooked as I really need to find out whats wrong as the itch is escalating plus now im also having rushes of dry skin in every part od my body. Enough is enough. But now on my 3rd night as I need to be off this pills for 5 days before the test. I just want to take the pill to end my misery :( the itching is so bad…I’m irritated.. I’m tired because of no sleep. I’m about to have a nervous breakdown. My husband thinks it’s all in my head…I really need to do this test and last 5 days without my pill. I don’t know how…I’m at my wits end. Please help me!!!!
reeniepoo
usa
Oh yes. Anti histamine withdrawal is very real. I thought I was going crazy at first, until I put two and two together. I ran out of anti hist, and the itching began. A little here and there at first, but by day 7, I couldn’t even sit still. My scalp and feet were the worst. Nothing written on the box. Thank God I had only taken these on a daily basis for about 4 months…
NYGaL73
The same goes for OTC Sleeping Pills. They are primarily histamine blockers that cause the drowsiness, which help you fall asleep. Forgetting this little nugget of info, I stopped taking OTC Sleeping pills that I had been taking for a while, (to take generic Lunesta prescribed by my Dr.), and let me tell you! SNEEZING like CRAZY & itching all over! It is just AWFUL.
I find it so frustrating & quite pathetic, that most, if not all Western Dr.’s & Pharmacists have no knowledge of this. They should REQUIRE a Course in Med School, specifically on Withdrawal Symptoms from ALL types of Meds. Don’tcha think? They should also Print it on the Bottle, so the Consumer is aware of the possibilities. But, that would surely dampen $ales – So not going to happen. Ridiculous.
The same thing happened when I stopped Benedryl, only MUCH worse. I was taking it to fall asleep for a long period as well. It can become quite addictive. You get addicted to that numb, drowsy feeling, or at least I did. Stopping it was a a complete nightmare – itching all over, sneezing like a Mad Person.
Now, I’m wondering about the generic Lunesta I’m taking??? Uh, the anxiety of the unknown. I have to take something, or I will not Sleep. Then, I can’t function at all. I’m hoping to one day not have to take anything! I have tried Calcium & Magnesium, but it only relaxes me. Melatonin only works for about 4 hours at a time & leaves me seriously groggy the next day. So what to do?
Separate, but somewhat related: Xanax is what you would give your Enemy. Seriously. I was only on it for aprox. a month, and boy is it addictive & BOY does it have HORRIBLE HORRIBLE (that’s double) withdrawal symptoms. I thought I was going to die! Nobody should take that. EVER.
At first it’s great. Yeah. It makes you feel so good, calm, numb. Great for an addictive personality (NOT). It certainly helps you fall asleep. Withdrawing from this is what it must feel like to withdraw from Heroin. (ok, I do exaggerate) – I am not kidding, though. Then, the Dr.’s gave me something else to help (can’t remember the name right now), which caused more problems. It’s a lose lose situation & I stopped smoking too – So, I know about all sorts of withdrawal. NOT FUN, any of it.
So, the lesson here folks, is: Don’t take anything! LOL, except MAYBE natural supplements & even then, some people react differently to different things..So, isn’t this great?!
Leslie
So thankful to find this site! After a pharmacist recommended Zyrtec for a wasp sting, I began using it for other allergies. I stopped taking it a few days ago and the itching is driving me nuts! Yes, it worked great for the wasp sting and the swelling was reduced, but to avoid the itching I would take the zyrtec every other day. I thought that maybe I had suddenly become allergic to other things. So happy to find this info! Thanks people! No more Zyrtec for me! Going cold turkey!
Christian
I cant believe I’m reading what I’m reading.
Like others never had any problems with detergents, shampoos, deodorants but when I happened to change my washing powder and I started to have unbearable itching for 2 and a bit weeks I thought it had to be that.
Then reading this I thought “hang on, I asked my doctor to provide something for hay fever and pet allergies…he prescribed me cetirizine for over the summer when I went home from uni…when did the itching start…as soon as I got back and immediately stopped taking the medicine.”
I’m kind of concerned that even though I can go a few days without taking a pill for relief of the itching (which is no where near as bad as it was) if I stop taking them I’m going to suffer like I did even for the short period of time that it was. It seems to provide relief of my symptoms immediately but I feel my doctors sent me down a bit of a dodgy path by the sounds of other comments.
Jo
Soooo glad I found this article. I thought I was going crazy. I have been on a daily dose of Reactine (Canadian cetrizine) for years. I had to go off for five days in preparation for an allergy test and by day two, I thought I would go through the roof. I kept telling people it was the soles of my feet and my palms and then the itch would creep up my shins and wrists. No rash, just itch. Then came the scalp. I am counting down the hours to my allergist appointment so I can take it again. I never want to go through this again. Never mind my environmental allergies that I take the drug for in the first place… my eyes are watering, can’t stop sneezing, stuffed up. Hell!!!
BHB
While going thru a stack of old newspapers I came across the article regarding Zyrtec. OMG!!! I have been taking Zyrtec, at the instructions of my allergist, to calm some skin irritation due to bug bites, working in my flower garden and my reactions to my allergy injections. He told me to take it everyday until I was itch free for 30 days. My problem area is on my back, where you can’t reach. I took it for months and my skin finally calmed down.
I stopped the Zyrtec and within a week my skin started in again, ever so slowly. I started the Zyrtec again but it did not calm it immediately. I was blaming shampoo, bath gel, laundry detergent, and fabric softener sheets, all of which I have used for years without changing. I stopped using all of those products. That was about a month ago now and things are calming. Now I am thinking it is the Zyrtec. I will be weaning myself off very slowly and see what happens. Thank you for this information. You may have saved me from driving myself crazy with itching!
Boo
OMG……I would never have put the two things together. My head, hands and back have been driving me crazy….off to take a Benedryl and buy more Zyrtec to taper off…can’t deal w this any longer.
Love PP…. Wish column were in paper everyday.
Mary V.
It seems to me that one should not even start this medicine. There are other antihistamines that are effective without the side effect of severe itching when you stop taking it. I take Claritin as I need it periodically for seasonal allergy with pretty good results and had just bought Zyrtec to see if it would be more effective for sneezing, and runny nose. I won’t take it knowing I may have this side effect. Thank you for this information.