Itching unbearable after stopping Xyzal

Q. I tried to stop Xyzal after taking it for 10 years for allergies. Every time I stopped, I’d itch like crazy and break out in hives.I am petite and have gained more than 15 pounds since I’ve been on the medicine. I believe this steady weight gain is due to this medicine. Whenever I try to stop, I feel like I can’t live without it.

A. We first heard about unbearable itching as a withdrawal symptom from the antihistamine cetirizine (Zyrtec) about seven years ago. Since then, hundreds of people have described a similar problem on our website. We notified the Food and Drug Administration, but have seen no response. When we searched the medical literature for accounts of withdrawal itching, we found nothing.

Xyzal is a closely related medication, levocetirizine. We are not surprised that it, too, produced unbearable itch when you stopped it suddenly. We were pleased, however, to find that an alert reader posted this to www.PeoplesPharmacy.com:

“I found a link to a peer-reviewed medical journal article about unbearable itching after Xyzal or Zyrtec withdrawal. Here is the explanation: ‘Long-term treatment with antihistamines can decrease H1R gene expression to the basal level.’

“I hope this scientific explanation and the case reports that went with it make all of us feel less crazy. Zyrtec ought to have a warning label on the bottle. This is a serious mental and physical health issue.”

The journal article our reader cited is in Drug Safety Case Reports (December 2016).

Q. Could osteoporosis be a side effect of antidepressants?

A. Recent research from Finland shows that older people taking antidepressants are about twice as likely to break a hip (International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry online, Jan. 5, 2017). The epidemiological data do not show whether bones are weaker or whether people taking antidepressants are more prone to fall. A study in mice, however, suggests that fluoxetine (Prozac) might contribute to osteoporosis by interfering with bone biology (Nature Medicine, October 2016).

You might want to talk to your doctor about the new research.

Q. Years ago, a blood test indicated my vitamin D was low. My doctor put me on a supplement. When I told her at the next visit that the vitamin D had cured my chronic headaches, she said, “I doubt it.” I didn’t doubt it.

All my adult life, I’d had headaches once every month or two. They were severe enough to put me to bed for half a day and usually lingered another day or two, even with over-the-counter painkillers. After I started taking vitamin D, I never had another one.

A. New research confirms your experience. Finnish researchers measured blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in more than 2,600 middle-aged men (Scientific Reports online, Jan. 3, 2017). Those with the lowest levels were twice as likely to suffer chronic headaches as men with the highest levels.

There is more information about the consequences of low vitamin D levels in our Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. D-23, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

2017 King Features Syndicate, Inc.