Chemical structure of cetirizine
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Zyrtec

Cetirizine hydrochloride is a medication used for the treatment of allergies, hay fever, angioedema, and hives. It is a second-generation H1-receptor antagonist antihistamine and works by blocking H1 histamine receptors. It is a major metabolite of hydroxyzine, and has the same basic side effects, including dry mouth. more...

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Zyrtec
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  • It has long duration of action
  • No reported cardiac toxicity associated with the use of this drug
  • Minimal penetration of the blood-brain barrier
  • Only mild sedating effects, although more than some other non-sedating antihistamines

The medication is produced by UCB, a Belgian pharmaceutical company. The drug is marketed under the following brand names: Zyrtec® in the USA, Zirtek® in the United Kingdom, Zyrlex® in many other European countries, Reactine® in Canada (all by Pfizer ), and as Virlix® in Mexico and parts of Europe (by GlaxoSmithKline ). It can be found under a variety of other brand names in other countries .

Like many other antihistamine medications, cetirizine is commonly prescribed in combination with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, a decongestant. These combinations are marketed using the same brand name as the cetirizine with a "-D" suffix (Zyrtec-D®, Virlix-D®, etc.)

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FDA warns of Zyprexa® and Zyrtec® substitution errors
From Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 5/1/05

Reports of medication dispensing or prescribing errors involving Zyprexa (olanzapine; Eli Lilly & Co.) and Zyrtec (ceterizine HCl; Pfizer, Inc.) have led to an official FDA warning to healthcare professionals according to an alert from MedWatch the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program. Errors included instances of olanzapine substitution for ceterizine HCl and vice versa. Substitutions have been likely due to similarities in brand name, available dose strengths, and dosing interval.

Ceterizine HCl is a nonsedating antihistamine indicated for the treatment of chronic urticaria and allergic rhinitis. Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic agent used for the treatment of bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia. Medication substitutions of these two drugs could lead to potential relapse in patients with psychiatric disease and other adverse events.

Lilly & Co. has changed the package labeling on bottles of olanzapine from ZYPREXA to ZyPREXA in an attempt to minimize potential dispensing errors. In addition, the company has launched an awareness campaign to draw attention to this problem. It is recommended that prescribers include brand and generic names on written prescriptions.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

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