It’s pretty safe to take Zyrtec and marijuana at the same time.
Cannabis may interact with Zyrtec and reduce its ability to relieve allergy symptoms or cause side effects. These effects could be headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, and a dry mouth, but you won’t be likely to experience anything more serious than that.
What Is Zyrtec?
Zyrtec, also called Cetirizine hydrochloride, is an antihistamine, a type of medication used to treat allergies such as hay fever. Initially, Zyrtec was only available via prescription but is now available as an over-the-counter drug at your local pharmacy.
Zyrtec’s Uses and How It Works
Zyrtec treats several allergies, mostly dust, pollen, mold, and common conditions such as hay fever and hives. It relieves the following symptoms:
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Itchy throat or nose
Zyrtec is designed to be taken once daily, with one tablet containing 10 mg of cetirizine hydrochloride, which gives you 24 hours of symptom relief. Zyrtec works like all antihistamines by blocking allergens such as dust and pollen from causing an allergic reaction in your body.
Zyrtec is a second-generation antihistamine that causes less drowsiness than traditional antihistamine medications.
However, drowsiness or feeling sleepy is still the main side effect of this medication. This is why other medications or herbal supplements aren’t recommended when using Zyrtec, as they may intensify drowsiness.
Other negative side effects of Zyrtec include:
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Sore throat
Certain types of food may reduce the effectiveness of Zyrtec in your diet.
More specifically, the flavonoid content of foods such as grapefruit and other fruits and vegetables can interact with cetirizine in your body and interfere with how it acts.
Potential Benefits and Risks of Mixing Cannabis and Zyrtec
Potential Benefits
There are no apparent benefits of mixing cannabis with Zyrtec.
Potential Risks
Mixing cannabis and Zyrtec may cause an amplification of the side effects. Cannabis use shares a lot of similar negative side effects to those listed for Zyrtec, and cannabis often makes you feel sleepy.
Because of this, you may be more likely to feel tired and sleepy if you have both drugs in your system. You may also have a higher chance of experiencing headaches, dizziness, and dry mouth.
Cannabis varieties also contain flavonoids, though the exact ones are often not known. This means some flavonoids in your weed may affect how Zyrtec acts in your body, which may lead to Zyrtec being less effective; however, more research is needed to know for sure.
The Bottom Line
It’s probably safe to use cannabis while you’re using Zyrtec.
While no real advantages to mixing these drugs can be found, the side effects aren’t severe. You have a chance of experiencing more severe side effects than you would for either drug alone. You also have a chance for Zyrtec to be less effective at relieving allergy symptoms while you have cannabis in your system.
If you have any questions or doubts, consult a doctor.
