Zyrtec: adverse event reports filed with FDA

20,342

reports as suspect product

0.1% of all reports · about 904 a year

929

reports, 12 months to June 2026

1,085 in the 12 months before

16.7%

marked serious by the reporter

57.7% across the class

0.9%

record death among outcomes, as reported

189 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Zyrtec reports recording the termmedian drug in histamine-1 receptor antagonist

1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected20.1%4,079
2. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label11%2,238
3. Somnolencedrowsiness10.2%2,065
4. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label8.4%1,708
5. Pruritusitching7.9%1,597
6. Therapeutic response unexpected7.4%1,496
7. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used5.5%1,116
8. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount4.9%1,005
9. Fatiguetiredness4.3%872
10. Urticariahives3.4%687
11. Withdrawal syndrome3.3%675
12. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness2.8%564
13. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right2.7%543
14. Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way2.2%450
15. Headachehead pain2.2%449
16. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction2%414
17. Incorrect dose administeredthe wrong dose was given2%404
18. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine1.9%391
19. Drug ineffective for unapproved indication1.9%389
20. Rashskin rash1.9%388
21. Insomniadifficulty sleeping1.9%378
22. Expired product administeredthe product was used past its expiry date1.8%359
23. Nauseafeeling sick1.8%356
24. Therapeutic product effect incomplete1.7%343
25. Accidental overdosean accidental overdose1.7%341
26. Dyspnoeashortness of breath1.4%289
27. Adverse eventan unwanted medical event, type not specified1.4%277
28. Painpain, site not specified1.4%275
29. Wrong patient received medication1.3%274
30. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools1.3%271

Top 30 of 1,102 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 34 drugs in the histamine-1 receptor antagonist class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 135,666 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 94.8% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 20,342 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Zyrtec is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the histamine-1 receptor antagonist class

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Zyrtec as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (72,445) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.