An Introduction to Generic Zyrtec
Zyrtec® (
cetirizine hydrochloride) is a non-prescription antihistamine approved to treat
allergies and hives. It belongs to a group of medications known as non-sedating antihistamines, which are less likely to cause drowsiness. Zyrtec was originally a prescription-only product, but was switched to a non-prescription status in 2007 (see
Zyrtec OTC).
Brand-name Zyrtec is manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare. However, many different generic versions of Zyrtec are now available.
Generic Non-Prescription Products
Generic versions of prescription drugs must undergo certain tests comparing them to brand-name medications. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) then looks at these tests to decide if the generic versions are equivalent to the brand-name medications and assigns a rating to each one. However, non-prescription products, including Zyrtec, are regulated differently, and no equivalence ratings are given. Therefore, it is difficult to say with certainty that a "generic" non-prescription medication is completely equivalent to the brand-name product. However, the term "generic" is usually used to refer to any product that contains the same active ingredient, in the same strength, and in the same form as the brand-name product.
Strengths of Generic Zyrtec
At this time,
Zyrtec tablets, chewable tablets, and syrup are available in generic form.
Many of the makers of generic Zyrtec products have given their drugs names other than
cetirizine, the usual "generic" name. However, you can easily check if a product contains generic Zyrtec by looking for "cetirizine hydrochloride" in the active ingredients section of the package label.
