Formulary
Cetirizine hydrochloride: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Cetirizine hydrochloride clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
MedNext Academy | 3 min read
Cetirizine hydrochloride: Indications, Dosing, Side Effects and Interactions
Cetirizine hydrochloride clinical drug profile including indications, dosing, side effects, cautions and interactions.
Indications and dose
**Symptomatic relief of allergy such as hay fever, chronic idiopathic urticaria, atopic dermatitis**
- **Child** (By Mouth): 12-17 years 10 mg once daily.
- **Adult** (By Mouth): 10 mg once daily.
**Symptomatic relief of allergy such as hay fever, chronic idiopathic urticaria, atopic dermatitis for cetirizine hydrochloride**
- **Child 1 year** (By mouth): 250 micrograms/kg twice daily.
- **Child 2-5 years** (By mouth): 2.5 mg twice daily.
- **Child 6-11 years** (By mouth): 5 mg twice daily.
- **Child 12-17 years** (By mouth): 10 mg once daily.
Cautions
Epilepsy
Side effects
Uncommon Agitation; asthenia; diarrhoea; malaise; paraesthesia; skin reactions Rare or very rare Aggression; angioedema; confusion; cough; depression; eye disorders; eye swelling; feeling abnormal; hallucination; hepatic disorders; movement disorders; nausea; oedema; seizure; sleep disorders; syncope; tachycardia; taste altered; thrombocytopenia; tic; tremor; urinary disorders; vision disorders; weight increased Frequency not known Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP); appetite increased; arthralgia; drowsiness; dry mouth; erectile dysfunction; eye pain; memory impairment; myalgia; suicidal ideation; vertigo Side-effects, further information Pruritus New-onset pruritus has been reported after stopping long-term treatment with cetirizine. Sedation and psychomotor impairment Non-sedating antihistamines such as cetirizine hydrochloride cause less sedation and psychomotor impairment than the older antihistamines, but can still occur; sedation is generally minimal. This is because non-sedating antihistamines penetrate the blood brain barrier to a much lesser extent.
Interactions
**Severe interactions:**
- Actually, neither pharmacodynamic nor significant pharmacokinetic interaction was reported in drug-drug interactions studies performed, notably with pseudoephedrine or theophylline (400 mg/day).
**Other interactions (1):**
- In sensitive patients, the concurrent use of alcohol or other CNS depressants may cause additional reductions in alertness and impairment of performance although cetirizine does not potentiate the...
Pregnancy
Most manufacturers of antihistamines advise avoiding their use during pregnancy; however, there is no evidence of teratogenicity.
Breast feeding
Most antihistamines are present in breast milk in varying amounts; although not known to be harmful, most manufacturers advise avoiding their use in mothers who are breast-feeding.
Renal impairment
In adults: Avoid if eGFR less than 10 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . In children: Avoid if estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 10 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . Dose adjustments In adults: Use half normal dose if eGFR 30-50 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . Use half normal dose and reduce dose frequency to alternate days if eGFR 10-30 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . In children: Use half normal dose if estimated glomerular filtration rate 30-50 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 . Use half normal dose and reduce dose frequency to alternate days if estimated glomerular filtration rate 10-30 mL/minute/1.73 m 2 .
Medicinal forms
Tablet,Solution
Clinical governance
**Author:** MedNext Clinical Team. **Clinical reviewer:** Dr Shameer Deen, MBBS, MS, MRCS. **Sources:** BNF, Indian Pharmacopoeia, CIMS India. **Correction:** Report errors at support@mednext.academy.
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