Zyrtec withdrawal?
For about 3 months, ever since my parrot started flying around more, I would get itchy on and off. It honestly wasn’t THAT bad at first. It would come in waves, mostly when I was inside the house, and when I went outside I would usually feel almost completely normal again.
I started thinking maybe it was environmental from the bird, feathers, dust, etc. I moved the cage, cleaned carpets, washed everything constantly, stopped the bird from flying, got air purifiers, etc.
Then I took Zyrtec for a few days because the itching was annoying. While I was on it, I felt much better. Then I stopped because I thought the environment changes were helping and I didn’t want to stay on medication.
That’s when absolute hell started.
Now I have constant itching 24/7, dermographia-type welts, hives, and this horrible “fire ants under the skin” feeling. It’s not even coming in waves anymore. It’s just THERE. Even outside now. Inside, outside, in bed, doesn’t matter. It wakes me up at night and even the follicles on my scalp itch now.
This is now my 5th day off Zyrtec and it honestly feels WORSE than the original itching ever was. Before this, I NEVER had this kind of nonstop body-wide itch. I feel like something changed after stopping it.
I went to an allergist and he basically said the Zyrtec didn’t cause this, that it probably just “unmasked” underlying hives/dermographia that were already inside me. But I honestly struggle to believe that because for 3 whole months my itching pattern was totally different and clearly environment-related. I would literally feel fine outside.
He prescribed Claritin instead, but now I’m terrified to take it because what if the same thing happens again?
Has anyone experienced this after stopping Zyrtec? Did it eventually calm down? How long did the rebound itching last for you?