# Zirtek (Cetirizine Hydrochloride)?



## Shilasdair (17 April 2010)

Has anyone any experience of giving Zirtek (which I think is the brand name for cetirizine hydrochloride) to horses for allergies?
Or any other antihistamines?
Thanks in advance.
S


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## Roody2 (17 April 2010)

ITs the same stuff that is in Piriton tablets - there was a post on this last week I think - a lot of positive outcomes if I remember correctly.


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## noblesteed (17 April 2010)

Be careful. I have taken it myself for my hayfever and it made me dizzy and sick. Like a migraine! It's common for people to have adverse reactions to it, so i'd monitor your horse carefully if you give it cetirizine! 
Although I may just be a freak of nature...


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## LeneHorse (17 April 2010)

the hayfever tablets which contain cetirizine hydrochroride usually have the 'can cause drowsiness' warning, whereas the 'non-drowsy' ones contain Loratadine. I don't know if this would make a difference if giving them to an equine?


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## Slinkyunicorn (17 April 2010)

noblesteed said:



			Be careful. I have taken it myself for my hayfever and it made me dizzy and sick. Like a migraine! It's common for people to have adverse reactions to it, so i'd monitor your horse carefully if you give it cetirizine! 
Although I may just be a freak of nature... 

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It cetainly is not common for people to have adverse reactions to it - it is the most widely sold antihistamine/anti aleergen in the world - part of the reason for that is that it has been shown to work better than the others and with fewer side effects, drug interactions etc than the others as it is metabolised differently than other antihistamines. Side effects/adverse reactions are always possible as everyone is different nut you can not say they are common - the drug would not be licensed it they were 'common'.


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## Slinkyunicorn (17 April 2010)

LeneHorse said:



			the hayfever tablets which contain cetirizine hydrochroride usually have the 'can cause drowsiness' warning, whereas the 'non-drowsy' ones contain Loratadine. I don't know if this would make a difference if giving them to an equine?
		
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All anithistamines - including loratadine contain warnings about drowsiness, they have to as peoples metabolism makes them respond to the drugs in different ways. The advice is to always take once daily anti histamines at night - that way if you are more susceptible to drowisness it won't matter as you will be asleep anyway - the same would apply to horses. Cetirizine as a molecule is the 'cleanest' molecule with fewer side effects/interactions than loratadine as it is metabolised differently.


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## JoG (17 April 2010)

It's not the same as Piriton - that is Chlorphenamine and that can definitely make you drowsy - it is the anti-histamine used for treating severe allergic or anaphylactic reactions in humans....it is the only one I've ever given to a horse 

Zirtek (cetirizine) is in Piriteze which claims to be non-drowsy.  I did a google and found a research paper which suggests that you need to give a horse 0.2-0.4mg per kg of body weight to have an effect

For a 500kg horses that would be 100-200mg, or about 10-20 Zirtek tablets   could get pricey!!


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## Shilasdair (17 April 2010)

Thanks for your help.
I guess all drugs have side effects, and can affect different individuals in differing ways; the only way I'll find out is to give her them to her and see.
I'd read the study regarding induced skin inflammation and the effects of various anti-histamines, and that's what made me think that cetrizine hydrochloride may be suitable for my girl's skin problems.
She's probably about 500 - 550kg (no access to a weigh bridge), so I reckon I'll start her on one morning and night, then after a couple of days increase it to a max of 10 daily.
If her skin doesn't improve then, I'll have to think of something else.
S


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## Pearlsasinger (17 April 2010)

Roody2 said:



			ITs the same stuff that is in Piriton tablets - there was a post on this last week I think - a lot of positive outcomes if I remember correctly.
		
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No it isn't, I think you're thinking of Piriteze.  
The active ingredient in Piriton is chlorphenamine.  Piriton only lasts for 4 hours per dose, which is the drawback IME to giving it to horses. 
 I have to take anti-histamines on a regular basis most years and have experimented with just about all of them.  I have found that the most effective with fewest side effects is the Piriton liquid. Piriton has been recommended by our vet.  We have given 2 of our horses Piriton tablets and have found them effective in that the symptoms were alleviated but there was a 'something not quite right' that we couldn't just identify about the ridden one.  Eventually we thought that perhaps it was giving her an unpleasant taste in her mouth, as happens to some people.  We have decided that if we need to medicate the horses this year (usually happens if rape pollen blows over from the east) we will try the liquid.


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## scallywags (18 April 2010)

Shilasdair said:



			Thanks for your help.
I guess all drugs have side effects, and can affect different individuals in differing ways; the only way I'll find out is to give her them to her and see.
I'd read the study regarding induced skin inflammation and the effects of various anti-histamines, and that's what made me think that cetrizine hydrochloride may be suitable for my girl's skin problems.
She's probably about 500 - 550kg (no access to a weigh bridge), so I reckon I'll start her on one morning and night, then after a couple of days increase it to a max of 10 daily.
If her skin doesn't improve then, I'll have to think of something else.
S 

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My girl lives on cetrizine hydrochloride 10mg, for her pollen and dust allergies. I've also used them on other unknown allergies, when a horse has had hives etc.
1 tablet wont make a difference. I get mine from my vet (they are far cheaper buying from the vet about £36 for 100 boxes of 30!), my girl weighs about 500kg, and she has a max dose of 50 tablets a day (split into 2 meals). They have never made her drowsy. Now I'm not sugesting you feed your horse the max dose, but it'll give you an idea of whats safe. So you can be reasured that your not going to overdose her. Generally my girl gets a min of 10 a day (vet says less for her weight, wont have an effect) And then I dose her up, as and when needed

Jill


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## Angelbones (18 April 2010)

You could try some Periactin - over the counter - and costs about £1.40 for a pack of 30 on the internet. I think the drug is cyproheptadine. I use it for a light sensitive head shaker but the vet said to use it on a pony who broke out in skin lumps all over and it did work. I'd give about 30 tabs twice a day for the first few days then reduce as necessary (that's for a 13.2 pony). Mine eat them whole in their feed but the tabs crush easily in a pestle and mortar. No side effects so far on any of mine.


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## brighthair (18 April 2010)

not horses, but I take 4 x 10mg a day! I buy them for 5p a packet of 30 from Pharmacy Direct


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## burtie (19 April 2010)

I take Cetirizine and it does make me drowsey. My understanding is that anti-histamines aren't very effective in horses normally.


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