Levocetirizine: Uses, How It Works, Medicines
Also in: हिन्दी தமிழ் मराठी తెలుగు ಕನ್ನಡ বাংলা ગુજરાતી മലയാളം
Levocetirizine is a newer antihistamine used to relieve allergy symptoms such as sneezing, a runny or itchy nose and itchy, watery eyes. It is used for allergic rhinitis, including hay fever, and for long-lasting hives (chronic urticaria). It is the active form of cetirizine and causes less drowsiness than older antihistamines, although some people still feel sleepy. It is usually taken once a day.
Also known as: Levocetirizine dihydrochloride, Levocetirizine hydrochloride, Levocetrizine, Levocetirizin, Levocetirizine tablet, Levocetirizine 5 mg, L-cetirizine, Levo cetirizine
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
How does Levocetirizine work?
Levocetirizine blocks H1 histamine receptors, so histamine released during an allergic reaction cannot cause sneezing, itching, a runny nose or hives. Relief can start within about an hour, and one dose lasts about a day. Most of it leaves the body unchanged in the urine, so people with kidney disease may need a lower or less frequent dose.
How to take Levocetirizine
Follow the label or your doctor's advice. Levocetirizine is usually taken once a day, and labels often suggest the evening because it can cause sleepiness. People with kidney disease need a lower or less frequent dose, and children's doses depend on age, so only a doctor should decide those.
Side effects of Levocetirizine
Levocetirizine is generally well tolerated. Sleepiness and dry mouth are the effects people notice most often.
Uncommon or mild
- Sleepiness or tiredness
- Dry mouth
- Headache
- Weakness or feeling run down
- Pain in the tummy
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Signs of a severe allergic reaction: swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing, or a sudden widespread rash or hives
- Difficulty passing urine or being unable to pass urine; tell a doctor promptly
- Fits (seizures), which have been reported rarely
- Fast or irregular heartbeat, or fainting
- Severe itching that begins after stopping the medicine, which has been reported rarely
Who should be careful
Most people can take levocetirizine, but some need to check with a doctor first because it is cleared mainly by the kidneys and can cause sleepiness.
- Kidney disease: the dose is usually lowered, and it is not suitable for severe kidney failure
- Epilepsy or a history of fits
- Enlarged prostate or other conditions that make passing urine difficult
- Driving, using machines or work needing full alertness, until you know how it affects you
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding: use only if a doctor advises it
- Past allergic reaction to levocetirizine, cetirizine or hydroxyzine
- Children: give only at the dose and in the form a doctor advises
Medicines and things that interact with Levocetirizine
Levocetirizine has few interactions, but some medicines and habits add to its sleepiness or change how much stays in the body. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take.
- Alcohol: can add to sleepiness; best avoided
- Sedating medicines such as sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medicines and other sedating antihistamines: can add to drowsiness
- Cetirizine or other antihistamines: taking two together is not advised unless a doctor says so
- Theophylline (for asthma): may slightly slow the clearance of levocetirizine
- Ritonavir (an HIV medicine): may raise levocetirizine levels
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India and sold as tablets, syrup and drops. Single-ingredient levocetirizine is not on the CDSCO list of banned medicines, but some fixed-dose combinations containing it, such as with phenylephrine, were banned in 2024. Check the ingredient list on the pack and whether it carries a prescription schedule.
Type of medicine
Levocetirizine belongs to this type of medicine.
Medicines that contain Levocetirizine
These medicines sold in India contain Levocetirizine. They are listed A to Z, not ranked.
- Montair LC · 5 mg tablet
What is Levocetirizine used for?
Combination medicines that contain Levocetirizine are used for these conditions.
Common questions
Does levocetirizine make you sleepy?
It can. In studies, about 5 to 6 in 100 people taking it felt sleepy, compared with about 2 in 100 taking a dummy tablet. Do not drive or use machines until you know how it affects you, and avoid alcohol and other medicines that cause drowsiness.
Is levocetirizine the same as cetirizine?
Levocetirizine is the active half of cetirizine, so 5 mg of levocetirizine works like 10 mg of cetirizine. Because they are so similar, they should not be taken together. Do not combine either with another antihistamine unless a doctor advises it.
Who should check with a doctor before taking levocetirizine?
People with kidney disease, epilepsy, an enlarged prostate or difficulty passing urine, and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should ask first. It is not suitable for people with severe kidney failure. Children's doses differ by age, so give it to a child only as a doctor advises.
Is Montair LC the same as levocetirizine?
No. Montair LC is a tablet that contains levocetirizine 5 mg together with montelukast 10 mg, so it is a combination. Plain levocetirizine tablets contain only levocetirizine. Check the ingredients and strength printed on the pack before taking either.
Can I drink alcohol with levocetirizine?
It is best avoided. Alcohol can add to the sleepiness that levocetirizine may cause and can slow your reactions. Even a small amount may affect some people. If you do drink, do not drive or use machines, and ask your doctor or pharmacist if unsure.
Is it safe to drive after taking levocetirizine?
Take care. Levocetirizine can cause sleepiness in some people, so avoid driving or using machines until you know how it affects you. If you feel drowsy, dizzy or slow, do not drive. Taking it in the evening is often suggested on labels.
Is levocetirizine safe in pregnancy or while breastfeeding?
Ask your doctor first. Labels advise using it in pregnancy only if clearly needed, and it passes into breast milk in small amounts, where larger doses may make a baby drowsy. Do not start or stop any allergy medicine on your own during pregnancy.
What is the difference between levocetirizine and fexofenadine?
Both are second-generation antihistamines used to relieve allergy symptoms. They are different molecules, so their strength, dosing and how likely they are to cause sleepiness can differ from person to person. Which one suits you is a decision for your doctor or pharmacist.
Sources
- Xyzal 5 mg film-coated tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics. electronic medicines compendium (emc), UK
- XYZAL (levocetirizine dihydrochloride) tablets: full prescribing information (revised 04/2019). US Food and Drug Administration
- Cetirizine. StatPearls, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), US National Library of Medicine
- Levocetirizine (Drugs and Lactation Database, LactMed). National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), US National Library of Medicine
- Antihistamines. NHS (UK)