Zyrtec and Behavior

My nephew was on Zyrtec for a while and he became anxious and started having night terrors. They switched to Allegra and the anxiety and sleeping problems went away.

My sons doctor prescribed Allegra as it is the only allergy medication that does not cross over to the brain. He used to take Zyrtec and his behavior is much better now.

I only give my son Zyrtec at night. Otherwise, he's ill as a hornet (as my mom would say). For daytime, when he's in the height of his allergies, we do Claritin. But for us, him breathing freely at night is the most important part. When given Zyrtec at night, none of those behavioral problems arise.

OH.MY. Zyrtec did a number on my son. He had allergies really bad when the pollen and mold was high for 2 months in the spring. Our pediatrician warned that it can make some kids drowsy, and make some kids very hyper, or overtired. My son went the crazy, off the wall, over-tired route. It was awful. He is such a nice little boy, and he turned into a yelling and misbehaving banshee. After 3 weeks the Dr. told us to just take him off. He was back to his normal self right away. I'm afraid he's inherited my intolerance to medications :(

We figured, we'd rather he deal with allergies, then have to be so dang crazy and unhappy.

I have never given my DD Zyrtec, but I took it 2 weeks ago on a Drs advice to clear allergies. After 2 days, I turned into a real B^&$ - seriously, it made me very angry for no reason at all. I could hardly sit in my own skin without getting really mad at work, at my DD, everything. Once I stopped taking it, I was back to normal. Weird. I am not taking any other meds or chemicals and haven't take any for a long time so I believe it was a clear reaction to the Zyrtec.

For my DD, her doctor recommended Claritin for kids if her allergies act up. I had a hard time finding name brand Claritin, but Walgreens sells "Wal-itin" containing the same ingredients. That seems to work great for her and she has had no side effects. Good luck!

I have heard of some people (both children and adults) having personality changes while taking it. That can be the case with lots of medications. It happens with some people and not others. Read the list of possible side effects.

My son took Zyrtec daily (literally, daily almost year round--except when he switched off to Allegra for a month or two per his doctor's recommendation that if you use them daily, after a time they can lose effectiveness and it is best to switch back and forth over periods of time), and as far as I am aware, he did not experience any altered moods.
But if it is affecting YOUR child, then switch to something else. Ask the doctor or pharmacist for a recommendation.

My son got croup for the last time (thank God) when he was 7. He had trouble breathing, and they gave him an inhaler. The medicine in the inhaler made him act like a little monster. We were with friends, and I was so embarrassed by his behavior. Thankfully, she was a doctor and recognized that the medicine was probably the culprit. At the hotel that night when I told him it was time for another dose, he cried and asked me not to give it to him. I asked him why and he told me that it made him feel terrible. Bless his heart - I had been so fed up with him all day, and hearing him say this made me feel sorry for him instead of for me!!

I would look into changing her medicine. I know that if he had gotten croup again, I would have asked for a different one for him.

Zyrtec turned my son into a mean little boy who could no longer control his temper and anger. I took him off and after a few days he was back to his sweet self. I have never allowed him to touch Zyrtec again!

oh yeah. zyrtec is a really good, effective antihistamine, which mean it has some strong stuff going on.
while this wasn't our experience with zyrtec, we did have occasional issues with allergy meds and antibiotics over the years. wean her off the zyrtec and see if the behavior changes, and you'll have your answer.
khairete
S.

Zyrtec turned my son into a mean aggressive little jerk. Unfortunately, so did Claritin and Allegra. We still haven't found a good daytime allergy med. He gets Benadryl at night if he needs it.

My friends son has bad allergies and he's been on many different things but they're convinced the meds make his behavior worse. So seems very possible your daughter is having a reaction too.

Could you try switching her to Claritin for children? My son has been taking this for about a year now (he's six) and we haven't noticed any linked behavioral reaction.

That said, as Flaming Turnip suggested, sometimes in summer kids really miss the routine and structure of school and do act out. We are having that at about a level 4 (out of 10), but one friend tells me her child is just testing limits and acting up all over the place.

Hard to scientifically prove anything when it's all anecdotal, huh?

I have never seen a difference in behavior when my kids are on Zyrtec. Any chance it is the usual summer belligerence?

Each allergy med is different.
I like Claritin.
I hate Zyrtec. Because, it makes me TIRED and GRUMPY. And I am an adult.

The thing is, to find one that FITS with your son.
Like I said: I like Claritin. My Mom does not. She likes Zyrtec. I don't.
Each person is different.
There is also Allegra for kids.

And the point is, don't use an allergy med, if it is not a good fit for your child. There are other allergy meds, besides Zyrtec. You don't HAVE to use it, just because the Doctor may have suggested it.

And as I said: I HATE Zyrtec, for myself because it makes me feel SO edgy and tired and all at the same time. I hate the feeling it gave me.
So I use Claritin. And it works, for me.
And I use the generic Claritin, and it works just the same, but is cheaper.

My mom slept for 2 days after taking Zyrtec . . . I have heard some weird stuff about that allergy med. It wouldn't surprise me.

My son has taken it and his behavior doesn't change. However, when I have taken it for a couple of days in a row, I have become less patient, anxious and moody. I feel as though I have a hangover without having drank.. Maybe your daughter is as sensitive to it as I am... I definitely think allergy meds are pretty strong stuff (even the ones that supposedly don't cause drowsiness) maybe you can lower her dose..

I know you didn't ask, but in regards to allergies and helping to cure them.. Recently, my son who is 11 decided to become a vegetarian, Saturday will be week four and I gotta say, what was a constant runny nose is no longer... I think his choosing to eliminate meat from his diet has helped.. (mind you, this wasn't why he was doing it either) anyway..
I know kids can have allergies during different seasons.... which may be a reason you might notice, is she having certain foods during the Summer that she doesn't other times of the year? It might be worth noting..

Good luck

The only medicine that has caused an ill-desired behavior in my kids was benadryl, it spun my daughter up. Whoops!

My 8 year old takes a Claritan and a Zyrtec daily...no changes in behavior or mood.

Oh yeah, absolutely.

A friend of mine gave her kids a patented supplement designed for kids (no warning labels like on most supplements - it's metabolized as food) and they have no more allergy symptoms, no ear infections, no asthma, no sneezing or runny eyes. Also better focus and fewer behavior problems.

Oh yea...took us one dose to realize that stuff was awful. That was the first day my son ever got into trouble at school. he stood up in the middle of class and announced it was recess time...it wasn't. He had no verbal filter and told us he wanted to jump out of his body. Never again. Google it...some scary stories out there.

We've never had any changes in behavior in relation to any medications.

Yes, it could be the meds. It could be the allergies themselves if she is still feeling off.

When I take Sinus meds, it makes me irritable. I would actually rather suffer with the sinus pain, than take the meds.

I would suggest finding out what she is allergic to and see if you can eliminate it from her as much as possible.

We have an Austin Hepa air purifier-expensive $450.00 at the allergy store. I know my son is allergic to Mold, trees. So when he comes in from outside we rinse him off, and have the air purifier in his room.

There are other meds that you can try as well.

Good luck

If it's liquid, could be the dye.

I have seen changes in behavior but sometimes it's just a temporary reaction and it goes away with continued use.

Allergy medication dries out the sinuses and it hurts. The kids act out because they don't have the words or the understanding to express what is going on and how they are feeling.

Allergy meds need to be given at half the dose to start. If that works well enough then they don't ever need the higher dose.