We're Just Saying "No" to Zyrtec

Reagan had been sniffling and coughing, without fever or other symptoms, for a few weeks when I finally called the doctor. We suspected seasonal allergies when we visited Florida and the symptoms ceased--and then returned when we got home. The nurse recommended Zyrtec, since it's a once-daily med that (supposedly) doesn't cause drowsiness like Benadryl.

Before giving it to her, I did some research of my own and found that some parents had reported their kids having behavioral and mood changes while taking it. But I spoke to my cousin Starla, whose older kids (10 and 11) both take it without problems. I figured it was worth trying, since it's now readily available OTC.

For the first couple of days, it seemed wonderful. Reagan's cough was gone, and she had no obvious side effects. But on the third day, she had the mother of all meltdowns. She yelled and screamed and cried and was defiant. It was as if she had absolutely no self control. On the flip side, when she wasn't in demon mode, she was sweet, loving, and very affectionate. It was almost as if she had bi-polar symptoms--very Jeckyl and Hyde.

She has had similar outbursts at least once a day for the last four days. So...we're kicking the Zyrtec habit. We probably have only a couple of more weeks of super-high pollen counts, so we'll take our chances with Benadryl. Sure, she'll be sleepy, but at least she won't be unbearable.

Every kid is different, and I'm sure this med is a god-send for some. But I would recommend extreme caution when giving it to younger children.