Zirtek Allergy Relief 10 mg film-coated tablets – patient leaflet, side effects, dosage

1. What Zirtek Allergy Relief is and what it is used for

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.

2. What you need to know before you take Zirtek Allergy Relief

Do NOT take Zirtek Allergy Relief

• if you have an end-stage kidney disease (severe renal failure requiring dialysis);
• 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.

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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. A risk of side effects in breastfed infants cannot be excluded. 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.

3. How to take Zirtek Allergy Relief

Always take this medicine exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

The tablets need to be swallowed with a glass of liquid. The tablet can be divided into equal doses. Do not take more than one tablet each day.

Children aged 6 to 12:

The recommended dose is 5 mg twice daily as half a tablet twice a day.

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.

Other form(s) of this medicine may be more suitable for children; ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Patients with renal impairment

Patients with moderate renal impairment are recommended to take 5 mg once daily.

If you suffer from severe kidney disease, please contact your doctor or pharmacist who may adjust the dose accordingly. If your child suffers from kidney disease, please contact your doctor or pharmacist who may adjust the dose according to your child’s needs.

If you feel that the effect of Zirtek Allergy Relief is too weak or too strong, please consult your doctor.

Duration of treatment

The duration of treatment depends on the type, duration and course of your complaints. Please ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice. If you take more Zirtek Allergy Relief than you should

If you think you have taken an overdose of Zirtek Allergy Relief please inform your doctor. Your doctor will then decide what measures, if any, should be taken.

After an overdose, the side effects described below may occur with increased intensity. Adverse effects such as confusion, diarrhoea, dizziness, tiredness, headache, malaise (feeling unwell), dilating of pupil, itching, restlessness, sedation, somnolence (sleepiness), stupor, abnormal rapid heart rate, tremors and urinary retention (difficulty in completely emptying the bladder) have been reported. If you forget to take Zirtek Allergy Relief

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet. If you forget to take a tablet, you should take one as soon as you remember, but wait at least 24 hours before taking your next tablet.

If you stop taking Zirtek Allergy Relief

Rarely, pruritus (intense itching) and/or urticaria (hives) may return if you stop taking Zirtek Allergy Relief. If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

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) • Diarrhoea, nausea, dry mouth • Dizziness, headache
• Fatigue • Pharyngitis (sore throat), rhinitis (runny, stuffy nose) (in children) Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 patients)
• Agitation • Abdominal pain

• Paraesthesia (abnormal • Pruritus (itchy skin), rash

  feelings of the skin) • Asthenia (extreme fatigue), malaise (feeling unwell)

  Rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 patients)

  • Allergic reactions, some • Tachycardia (heart beating too fast)

    severe (very rare) • Liver function abnormal

  • Depression, hallucination, • Urticaria (hives)

    aggression, confusion, insomnia • Oedema (swelling)

  • Convulsions • 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), oculogyric crisis (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)

• Increased appetite • Amnesia (memory loss), memory impairment
• Suicidal ideation (recurring thoughts • Vertigo (sensation of rotation or movement) of or preoccupation with suicide), nightmare • Urinary retention (inability to completely empty the urinary bladder)
• Pruritus (intense itching) and/or • Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (rash with blisters urticaria upon discontinuation containing pus)

• Arthralgia (joint pain), myalgia • Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)

  (muscular pain)

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. How to store Zirtek Allergy Relief

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month. This medicine does not require any special storage conditions. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

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6. Content of the pack and other information

What Zirtek Allergy Relief contains

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). What Zirtek Allergy Relief looks like and content of the pack

White, oblong, film-coated tablet, with breakline and Y-Y logo. Your medicine is supplied in blister packs of 7, 30 tablets. Not all pack sizes are marketed.

Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer

UCB Pharma Ltd, 208 Bath Road, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 3WE, United Kingdom

This leaflet was last revised July 2021

If this leaflet is difficult to see or read or you would like it in a different format, please contact UCB Pharma Ltd, UK