I think the happiness I was experiencing off the Zyrtec helped a lot as it provided me with a major incentive not to go back onto it. The itchies continued unabated, as did the bad hives and I also had swollen feet that day and the insomnia continued - I couldn't get to sleep despite being exhausted and was waking every single morning at 4am. I was still in a good frame of mind, particularly considering the circumstances.
The itchies were still there. The insomnia was still there but it was a particularly interesting 4am wakening as it was accompanied by my bottom lip being very painfully swollen. Later in the day my feet and fingers also swelled, a horrible experience I would not wish on my worst enemy. It was starting to crack me up how ironic the situation was, I was in constant pain had not slept right in over a week and yet was the happier than I had been in years.
Bad hives, itchies on my right arm, insomnia. Still happy. Sound familiar? Now things get a bit more interesting. All I have written in my calendar for this day is 'bad nausea, felt really off all day'. I am sure that I was itchy at some point in the day with one thing or another otherwise I would have noted with great surprise that I wasn't itchy in the calendar!
Oh yeah, and 'woke at 4am' is still there too. This day was a turning point for me. I felt very sick and nauseous in the morning and really struggled with fatigue - even more than normal. I ended up going home from work at lunchtime as I couldn't handle it all any more. I promptly karked it on the couch and slept very deeply for 3 hrs. When I woke up I felt really good, the nausea and fatigue were gone and I felt refreshed for once. That night I fell asleep quicker than the usual couple of hours it had been taking me to sleep, however I had very intense nightmare s all night and woke the next morning with a swollen lip.
Apart from the swollen lip the nausea was back. No mention of itchies in my calendar! Nausea and hives were what bothered me most this day. Mildly nauseous, swollen fingers and hand. No itchies or insomnia! Week 4 - Days Insomnia every night. Week 4 - Day 6. Week 4 - Day 7. Swelling in my fingers and feet.
Hives on my right arm. Week 5 - Day 1. Swelling in my throat - down the bottom of my throat. Constant burping, seems related to the throat swelling somewhat. Unable to get to sleep easily because of the burping. Bad case of hives develop on torso overnight.
Week 5 - Day 2. Hives still there. Burping mostly gone. Idling just brings more misery. I try to take my mind off the itch and just keep wondering how long this will last. People say withdrawal from Zyrtec is dependent on how long you were on it. Fortunately, I have not had to do that…yet. Ice cold water relieves my burning, biting hands. Sometimes hot showers help, but the shower experience is rather bittersweet, with the relief from the heat but pain from the water falling on my irritated skin.
I try to keep myself busy, anything to take my mind off the agony. Just to note, I never have reactions to medications. The FDA did look into the matter of Zyrtec withdrawal and now requires a note in the pill packaging that states rebound pruritus the medical term for itching may occur upon withdrawal after long term use source.
I can only hope that I will get past this horrible withdrawal. From all my scratching, clawing, and scraping, my excoriated skin will take days to recover. I just hope I can get past all this and make it to the coveted place of being a former Zyrtec user.
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Information provided on this web site is for general information purposes only. So, in your experience, would you taper down again, or just cold turkey it? I would definitely recommend tapering as much as possible. You might have side effects longer since it takes time to taper but the symptoms will be easier to handle.
Hope that helps. At this point o just want help coping with the itching. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. I wish the pharmaceutical companies would share more information with us so that we could be better informed with issues relating to our health. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I often dug my fingernails into irritated skin, activating pain signals and temporarily blocking the itch.
My hands looked ghastly, covered in sores and wounds, hiding them whenever out in public. Nights were the worst. Upon starting my second week of withdrawal, the itching was still pretty constant, but the intensity had lowered.
I was incredibly relieved to be through the worst of it! I was now a 6 on my itch scale. During this second week I had a lot more variation in the intensity of the itch. The worst itching still came late, after 10 pm. Apparently, histamine levels peak in the middle of the night am for most people, which would explain why I dreaded nights and felt uncomfortable in my own skin. Around day 10, my itch was a out of 10 which made it more tolerable.
However, it was always lurking in the background. Even though the urge to scratch was not debilitating, it was still there and would flare up at night. I had real doubts as to whether or not I was doing the right thing. Maybe I really do have some bad allergies. Why am I still experiencing so much painful itching?
Why was I still hurting? My strength was waning. My determination to conquer Zyrtec withdrawal was dwindling. I cried. I scratched. I felt sorry for myself. And I was mad. Mad at the drug manufacturers, mad at myself for taking the damn drug, and mad that my body was reacting so horribly off the medication.
I continued to itch, still broke out in hives, and scratched and tore at my skin until day It was on this day that I went a few hours without any itching, and finally realized that yes, there would be an end to this. At two weeks of life without Zyrtec, itching was not the focus of my day. The itch was a 3 out of 10, but still flared up to a at night. During my third week off Zyrtec, my skin was healing from all the trauma I inflicted on it from scratching constantly.
The itch was minimal or gone! During this fourth and final week of documenting my withdrawal, I was more or less itch free. Some evenings I had alcohol and I believe that caused a little itching on my skin, but it was tolerable. At this time, I learned that some people actually have a histamine intolerance and have to avoid certain foods and medication.
This includes alcohol, fermented foods, and some artificial colorings and preservatives because they can trigger histamine release. So, by and large, on this 4th week I considered myself completely free of Zyrtec withdrawal symptoms. It was an incredibly satisfying feeling to be completely done with this horrible drug that I clung to for so many years.
Yes, I did itch every now and then, but staying away from alcohol and being well-hydrated was the combination that worked for me. Below are some Amazon affiliate links to products that helped me cope with Zyrtec withdrawal. I earn a small commission if you make a purchase.
Patience — Patience is the most important thing. Withdrawal from this drug is going to take some time. It will take days and weeks for your body to get used to not being on the drug and regulating your histamine levels. Be strong, be patient, and you will persevere. Taper Your Dosage — The second most important piece of advice is to taper your dose. Give your body time to adjust to the new amount of Zyrtec you take, from a week to a month, before cutting back again.
Cold Water and Ice Packs — Super cold water soothed my itchy hands. During the first week of withdrawal, I took cool showers, as that brought me more relief than heat. Exercise — If you can, I recommend exercising to help your body heal and rid itself of the excess histamine in your body. It helps if you can take your mind off your suffering, if only for 30 minutes. Stay Hydrated — Drink plenty of water to flush your body of histamine build up. Experiencing the same thing; am I thought it was body or head lice..
But there was zero evidence i had them; my partner never noticed any lice either. Then i remembered reading about zyrtec withdrawal but never thought it would happen to me.. You can try using other anti-histamin but stay off Zyrtec. In my case I took cold tablets for running nose which is basically antihistamin.
Look, u need to totally avoid Zyrtec, It might feel like hell initially, but its the only way forward. The FDA is pure evil and only care for profit. I also take Boiron Homeopathic pellets in the evening which seem to help. Sleep has been wanky also but I promise you it all gets resolved! You just need some patience and resilience. Our bodies are extremely malleable and capable of repairing themselves. The itching is extreme. Needless to say I had to stay home that day and give in to taking Zyrtec.
I thought I was going crazy until I read other people and their struggles to go off Zyrtec. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account.
You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Skip to content Picture from iwantmeds. I finished up 2 stack of around tablets as prescribed. I also noted down some of the effect during the allergy attack : 1. So this is what i did : 1.
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