Zirtek Allergy Relief Tablets (Pack of 7)

Buy Zirtek Allergy Relief Tablets Online

Cetirizine dihydrochloride, the active ingredient of the tablets is an antihistamine. It blocks
the effects of a substance called histamine which occurs naturally in the body. Histamine is
involved in allergic reactions.
In adults and children aged 6 years and above, Zirtek Allergy Relief is used to treat people
who have hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis), year round allergies such as dust or pet
allergies (perennial allergic rhinitis) and urticaria (swelling, redness and itchiness of the skin).
Antihistamines like Zirtek Allergy Relief relieve the unpleasant symptoms and discomfort
associated with these conditions, such as sneezing, irritated, runny and blocked up nose,
itchy, red and watering eyes and skin rashes.

Like all medicines this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
The following side effects are rare or very rare, but you must stop taking the tablets and
speak to your doctor straight away if you notice them:

• Allergic reactions, including severe reactions and angioedema (serious allergic
reaction which causes swelling of the face or throat). These reactions may start soon
after you first take the medicine, or it might start later.

Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 patients)
• Somnolence (sleepiness)
• Dizziness, headache
• Pharyngitis, rhinitis (in children)
• Diarrhoea, nausea, dry mouth
• Fatigue

Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 patients)
• Agitation
• Paraesthesia (abnormal feelings of the skin)
• Abdominal pain
• Pruritus (itchy skin), rash
• Asthenia (extreme fatigue), malaise (feeling unwell)

Rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 patients)
• Allergic reactions, some severe (very rare)
• Depression, hallucination, aggression, confusion, insomnia
• Convulsions
• Tachycardia (heart beating too fast)
• Liver function abnormal
• Urticaria (hives)
• Oedema (swelling)
• Weight increased

Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 patients)
• Thrombocytopenia (low levels of blood platelets)
• Tics (habit spasm)
• Syncope (fainting), dyskinesia (involuntary movements), dystonia (abnormal
prolonged muscular contractions), tremor, dysgeusia (altered taste)
• Blurred vision, accommodation disorder (difficulty focusing), oculogyration (eyes
having uncontrolled circular movements)
• Angioedema (serious allergic reaction which causes swelling of the face or throat),
fixed drug eruption (drug allergy)
• Abnormal elimination of urine (bed wetting, pain and/or difficulty passing water)

Not known frequency of side effects (frequency cannot be estimated from the available
data)
• Joint pain
• Rash with blisters containing pus
• Increased appetite
• Suicidal ideation (recurring thoughts of or preoccupation with suicide), nightmare
• Amnesia, memory impairment
• Vertigo (sensation of rotation or movement)
• Urinary retention (inability to completely empty the urinary bladder)
• Pruritus (intense itching) and/or urticaria upon discontinuation
• Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org, or by contacting us.

Zirtek allergy PIL

Adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over:
The recommended dose is 10 mg once daily as one tablet daily. If the tablets make you feel
drowsy or dizzy, taking half a tablet twice a day may be better than taking one tablet once a
day.

Children aged 6-12:

Half a tablet twice daily

Do NOT take Zirtek Allergy Relief
• if you have a severe kidney disease (severe renal failure with creatinine clearance
below 10 ml/min);
• if you are allergic to cetirizine dihydrochloride, to any of the other ingredients (listed
in section 6), to hydroxyzine or to any piperazine derivatives (closely related active
ingredients of other medicines).

Warning and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Zirtek Allergy Relief.
If you are a patient with renal insufficiency, please ask your doctor for advice; if necessary,
you will take a lower dose. The new dose will be determined by your doctor.
If you have problems passing urine (like spinal cord problems or prostate or bladder
problems), please ask your doctor for advice.
If you are an epileptic patient or a patient at risk of convulsions, you should ask your doctor
for advice.
No clinically significant interactions have been observed between alcohol (at the blood level
of 0.5 per mille (g/l) corresponding to one glass of wine) and cetirizine used at the
recommended doses. However, there are no data available on the safety when higher doses of
cetirizine and alcohol are taken together. Therefore, as it is the case with all antihistamines, it
is recommended to avoid taking Zirtek Allergy Relief with alcohol.
If you are scheduled for allergy testing, ask your doctor if you should stop taking Zirtek
Allergy Relief for several days before testing. This medicine may affect your allergy test
results.

Children
Do not give this medicine to children below the age of 6 years because the tablet formulation
does not allow the necessary dose adjustments.
Other medicines and Zirtek Allergy Relief
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other
medicines.

Zirtek Allergy Relief with food and drink
Food does not affect absorption of Zirtek Allergy Relief.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a
baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine.
Zirtek Allergy Relief should be avoided in pregnant women. Accidental use of the drug by a
pregnant woman should not produce any harmful effects on the foetus. Nevertheless, the
medicine should only be administered if necessary and after medical advice.
Cetirizine passes into breast milk. Therefore, you should not take Zirtek Allergy Relief
during breast-feeding unless you have contacted a doctor.

Driving and using machines
Clinical studies have produced no evidence of impaired attention, alertness and driving
capabilities after taking Zirtek Allergy Relief at the recommended dose.
You should closely observe your response to the drug after you have taken Zirtek Allergy
Relief if you are intending to drive, engage in potentially hazardous activities or operate
machinery. You should not exceed the recommended dose.

Zirtek Allergy Relief contains lactose
If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, please
contact your doctor before taking these tablets.

The active substance is cetirizine dihydrochloride. One film-coated tablet contains 10 mg
cetirizine dihydrochloride.
The other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose, lactose monohydrate, colloidal
anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate, Opadry Y-1-7000 (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (E
464), titanium dioxide (E 171), Macrogol 400).