Horrible side effects from Zyrtec -- Cetirizine

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My 5 year old ASD son had terrible side effects from taking Zyrtec. After roughly taking the medicine daily for 3 weeks, he begin having strong tics (head, shoulder and arm abductions) multiple times per minute, chewing on everything and severe anger issues. These were issues he had never had prior to taking this medicine. Obviously my wife and I were extreme concerned.

It took roughly 2 weeks for the medicine to totally clear his system and all issues are gone.

I personally have taken Zyrtec and it is great for allergies but something about his neurological system gave him these side effects with this drug. He seems to tolerate Allegra much better but because of this issue we have stopped giving him antihistamines.

I searched all over the Internet including wrong planet and was able to find many other families that experienced similar issues. I'm posting here to provide further information to anyone who might be experiencing issues and trying to find a root cause.

FWIW...

I hallucinated on the stuff after three days worth of dosing, and wound up in the ER. I was also on Prozac at the time. That was a very low dose though.

With NT daughter it made her aggressive and moody.

http://www.circleofmoms.com/children-wi ... tec-127715

This thread is huge with all sorts noted side affects.

Nice that you're sharing your story... I'm sure it will be helpful to other families someday. The problem with many drugs is that they do work for what they're intended, but the list of side effects is so long and many are potentially dangerous. People really need to be informed about them and consider if it's worth it. I quit taking Venlafaxine 3 weeks ago and had a constant headache and nausea for two whole weeks because of withdrawal. I was never informed of this by my doctor so it came as an unpleasant surprise. Always consider carefully before you take pills of any kind.

My ASD child has taken zyrtec for 4+ years, everyday. He hasn't had any problems with it. Different people react different ways.