Doc prescribed Zyrtec for itchy skin and eyes....

[AprilM]

What do you all think of Zyrtec? Brought ds into the peds today, he is always itching ad scratching his skin, has a bit of exzema here and there, and now his nose is running and he is always rubbing his eyes. Doc said to give him 1/2 teaspoon of zyrtec daily, but I am so hesitant to give any kind of medicine to him daily. What would you mamas do?

[kirstenb]

DS1 takes it- not daily but many days. He has eczema pretty bad and the Zyrtec helps a lot. If he has a flair up we definitely give it to him every day, otherwise he wakes himself up in the middle of the night scratching himself so hard he bleeds. If he gets the medicine he doesn't wake up and his skin heals quicker. If he doesn't have a flair up we don't give it to him, because I also don't really want to give him something every day.

[Llyra]

My DH takes it, and it makes him moody and groggy for about the first six hours after the dose. He's fine the rest of the day. So he takes it at bedtime, so that he sleeps through the moody part. So if you do decide to do it, giving it at bedtime might be a good idea.

My DS is 3, and takes Claritin in April, May, and June. He has seasonal pollen allergies that make his eyes run, his nose run, and give him a contact rash if his clothes get the pollen on them. I like it better for him, because it doesn't seem to alter his mood or energy levels like Zyrtec did. For a small child, I'd try that first.