Cetirizine Hydrochloride/Pseudoephedrine, Oral

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KEY POINTS

• This medicine is taken by mouth to treat itchy or watery eyes, itchy nose, sneezing, a runny nose, or a stuffy nose caused by allergies. Take it exactly as directed.
• Do not give a child under age 4 any cough and cold medicines unless specifically instructed to do so by your healthcare provider.
• This medicine may cause unwanted side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that are serious, continue, or get worse.
• Tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take.

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What are other names for this medicine?

Type of medicine: antihistamine; decongestant

Generic and brand names: cetirizine hydrochloride/pseudoephedrine, oral; Zyrtec-D (There may be other brand names for this medicine.)

What is this medicine used for?

This medicine is an antihistamine that is used to treat symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, and tearing and itching eyes caused by:

• Seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) that happens at certain times of the year
• Allergic rhinitis caused by dust mites, animal dander, and molds that may happen at any time of the year

It also contains a decongestant (pseudoephedrine) to help relieve a stuffy nose or blocked sinuses.

This medicine may be used to treat other conditions as determined by your healthcare provider.

What should my healthcare provider know before I take this medicine?

Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you have ever had:

• An allergic reaction to any medicine
• Liver or kidney disease
• Diabetes
• Glaucoma
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Lung or breathing problems such as asthma, COPD, or sleep apnea
• Thyroid problems
• Trouble urinating or an enlarged prostate gland

Do not take this medicine if you have taken an MAO inhibitor within the past 2 weeks.

Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your healthcare provider's approval.

How do I take it?

Usually you will take the medicine once a day with or without food. You may take the medicine at bedtime if it makes you drowsy.

Check the label on the medicine for directions about your specific dose. Take this medicine exactly as your healthcare provider prescribes. Check with your healthcare provider before using this medicine in children. Some brands should not be used in children under a certain age. Do not take more or take it more often than prescribed. Taking too much could cause severe drowsiness. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist about anything you do not understand.

You can buy this medicine without a prescription. It may come in different forms, such as capsule, tablet, melt-away tablets, or liquid (syrup).

If you have the liquid form of this medicine, use the measuring device that comes with the medicine to make sure you get the right dose. The average household teaspoon may not hold the right amount of liquid. Ask your pharmacist if you do not have the measuring device or if you have any questions about how to measure the liquid medicine correctly.

If you have the chewable tablet, chew the tablet completely before you swallow it.

Do not break, crush, or chew the regular tablets. Swallow them whole.

What if I miss a dose?

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for the next scheduled dose. In that case, skip the missed dose and take the next one as directed. Do not take double doses. If you are not sure of what to do if you miss a dose, or if you miss more than one dose, contact your healthcare provider.

What if I overdose?

If you or anyone else has intentionally taken too much of this medicine, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away. If you pass out, have seizures, weakness or confusion, or have trouble breathing, call 911. If you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much of this medicine, call the poison control center. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. The poison control center number is 800-222-1222.

Symptoms of an acute overdose may include: restlessness, nervousness, headache, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, increased thirst, fast or irregular heartbeat, trouble sleeping, seizures, dry mouth.

What should I watch out for?

Do not give a child under age 4 any cough and cold medicines unless specifically instructed to do so by your healthcare provider. If your child is over the age of 4, ask your healthcare provider before giving cough and cold medicines.

This medicine may make you drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive or operate machinery unless you are fully alert.

This medicine may cause dry mouth. Sucking hard candy, taking sips of water, or chewing sugarless gum may help.

This medicine increases the effects of alcohol and other drugs that slow down your nervous system, such as sleeping pills. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines unless your healthcare provider approves.

Adults over the age of 65 may be at greater risk for side effects. Talk with your healthcare provider about this.

Contact your healthcare provider if your condition does not improve in several days or if your symptoms get worse.

If you need emergency care, surgery, lab tests, or dental work, tell the healthcare provider or dentist you are taking this medicine.

What are the possible side effects?

Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that continue or get worse.

Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for help.): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble breathing; chest pain or tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips, tongue, and throat); sudden weakness, numbness, or tingling, especially on one side of your body; sudden or severe headache; sudden trouble with vision, speech, balance, or walking.

Serious (Report these to your healthcare provider right away.): Severe headache, fast or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, unexplained swelling, numbness, trouble urinating, severe dizziness or fainting, confusion, vision changes, severe stomach pain, severe or bloody diarrhea, severe nervousness.

Other: Trouble sleeping, tiredness, weakness, dry mouth, headache, drowsiness, dizziness, nervousness, irritability, sore throat, cough, stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting.

What products might interact with this medicine?

When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can change the way this or any of the other medicines work. Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and certain foods may also interact. Using these products together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are taking:

• Antianxiety medicines such as alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), clorazepate (Gen-Xene, Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), and oxazepam
• Antidepressants such as amitriptyline, citalopram (Celexa), clomipramine, desipramine (Norpramin), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), imipramine (Tofranil), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), nefazodone, nortriptyline (Pamelor), sertraline (Zoloft), trazodone, and venlafaxine (Effexor), and vortioxetine (Trintellix)
• Antihistamines such as azelastine (Astelin, Astepro), brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), clemastine (Tavist), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), fexofenadine (Allegra), and hydroxyzine (Vistaril)
• Antipsychotic medicines such as aripiprazole (Abilify), asenapine (Saphris), brexpiprazole (Rexulti), cariprazine (Vraylar), chlorpromazine, clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo), fluphenazine, haloperidol (Haldol), iloperidone (Fanapt), olanzapine (Zyprexa), paliperidone (Invega), perphenazine, pimozide (Orap), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), thioridazine, trifluoperazine, and ziprasidone (Geodon)
• Antiseizure medicines such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek), primidone (Mysoline), tiagabine (Gabitril), topiramate (Qudexy, Topamax, Trokendi), and valproic acid (Depacon, Depakene, Depakote)
• Blood pressure medicines such as hydralazine, methyldopa, minoxidil, and reserpine
• Bromocriptine (Cycloset, Parlodel)
• Bupropion (Aplenzin, Forfivo, Wellbutrin, Buproban, Zyban)
• Cabergoline
• Caffeine and stimulants such as diet pills, benzphetamine (Regimex), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), diethylpropion (Tenuate), methamphetamine (Desoxyn), and phentermine (Adipex-P, Suprenza)
• Doxepin (Silenor)
• Linezolid (Zyvox)
• MAO inhibitors such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate) (Do not take this medicine and an MAO inhibitor within 14 days of each other.)
• Midodrine
• Migraine medicines such as dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal) and ergotamine (Ergomar)
• Milnacipran (Savella)
• Muscle relaxants such as baclofen (Gablofen, Lioresal), carisoprodol (Soma), cyclobenzaprine (Amrix), methocarbamol (Robaxin), and tizanidine (Zanaflex)
• Narcotic pain medicines such as codeine, fentanyl (Abstral, Actiq, Duragesic, Fentora, Sublimaze), hydrocodone (Hysingla, Zohydro), hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Exalgo), meperidine (Demerol), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), morphine (Kadian, MS Contin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Roxicodone), and pentazocine (Talwin)
• Natural remedies such as ephedra, gotu kola, kava, melatonin, St. John's wort, valerian, and yohimbe
• Nausea medicines such as prochlorperazine (Compro) and promethazine
• Paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil, Pexeva)
• Procarbazine (Matulane)
• Propranolol (Hemangeol, Inderal, InnoPran)
• Ritonavir (Norvir)
• Sleeping pills such as butabarbital (Butisol), doxylamine (Unisom), eszopiclone (Lunesta), flurazepam, ramelteon (Rozerem), suvorexant (Belsomra), temazepam (Restoril), triazolam (Halcion), zaleplon (Sonata), and zolpidem (Ambien, Edluar, Intermezzo)
• Tedizolid (Sivextro)
• Theophylline

Do not drink alcohol while you are taking this medicine.

If you are not sure if your medicines might interact, ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider. Keep a list of all your medicines with you. List all the prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements, natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. Be sure that you tell all healthcare providers who treat you about all the products you are taking.

How should I store this medicine?

Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright light.

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This advisory includes selected information only and may not include all side effects of this medicine or interactions with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information or if you have any questions.

Ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of outdated medicine or medicine you have not used. Do not throw medicine in the trash.

Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.

Do not share medicines with other people.