Levocetirizine: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Price in India

At a Glance

What Is Levocetirizine?

Levocetirizine is a second-generation antihistamine used to treat allergy symptoms, including sneezing, runny nose, and itchy or watery eyes. It is also used for hives (urticaria). It blocks the effects of histamine, a substance in the body that causes itching, swelling and a runny nose in allergic reactions.

How Levocetirizine Works

Levocetirizine selectively blocks H1 receptors, preventing histamine from causing allergy symptoms such as itching, sneezing and watery eyes.

When Levocetirizine Is Used

MedlinePlus says levocetirizine treats allergy symptoms and hives. The US prescribing label for Xyzal lists two indications:

• Perennial allergic rhinitis (year-round allergy symptoms): relief of symptoms in children aged 6 months to 2 years.

• Chronic idiopathic urticaria (long-lasting hives with no identified cause): treatment of the uncomplicated skin manifestations in adults and children aged 6 months and older.

The label we checked does not list seasonal hay fever or adult rhinitis. Indications on Indian product labels have not been verified and may differ by product, formulation and country. Your doctor will advise on the right use.

Dosage and How to Take It

Take this medicine only as advised by your doctor or healthcare professional. Do not start, stop, or change the dose on your own.

The doses below are from the US prescribing label for Xyzal. They are not Indian product-specific dosing instructions, and Indian pediatric dosing was not verified. Check your product’s leaflet and follow your doctor. Dosing depends on age, condition, formulation and kidney function.

Adults and children 12 years and older (chronic urticaria): 5 mg once daily in the evening (one tablet, or 10 mL of oral solution). The label says 2.5 mg may control symptoms in some patients.

Children (US label)

• 6 months to 5 years (chronic urticaria) and 6 months to 2 years (perennial allergic rhinitis): the label’s recommended initial dose is 1.25 mg once daily in the evening, given as oral solution (2.5 mL). The label gives no tablet equivalent, and a 5 mg tablet must not be split to make this dose. A suitable liquid formulation is needed.

• 6 to 11 years (chronic urticaria): 2.5 mg once daily in the evening, which is half a 5 mg scored tablet or 5 mL of oral solution. The label says the 2.5 mg dose should not be exceeded, because exposure with 5 mg is about twice that of adults.

• Doses should not be extrapolated between age groups. A child’s dose and formulation must be decided by a qualified healthcare professional. Oral solution was not verified in the Indian listings below.

Kidney impairment (US label, adults and children 12 years and older)

• Mild (creatinine clearance 50–80 mL/min): 2.5 mg once daily.

• Moderate (30–50 mL/min): 2.5 mg once every other day.

• Severe (10–30 mL/min): 2.5 mg twice weekly, once every 3–4 days.

• End-stage renal disease (below 10 mL/min) or hemodialysis: should not receive levocetirizine.

Liver impairment: the label says no dose adjustment is needed when liver impairment is the only problem. When liver and kidney impairment are both present, it recommends adjusting the dose.

Take it at the same time each day, and do not take more than prescribed.

Side Effects

Common (US label, clinical trials): sleepiness, tiredness and dry mouth. Reactions also included nasopharyngitis and pharyngitis in adults and adolescents. In children they included fever, cough, nosebleeds, diarrhoea, vomiting and ear infections. MedlinePlus lists sleepiness and tiredness as common.

Reported after marketing: the US label also lists reactions identified after approval, including palpitations and tachycardia (a fast heartbeat), dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, swelling, urinary retention, anaphylaxis, angioedema, seizures, hallucinations, agitation, depression and hepatitis. The label notes that these were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, so their frequency cannot be reliably estimated and a causal link to the medicine is not always established. They should not be read as common side effects.

Contact a doctor promptly if you have:

• A racing, pounding or irregular heartbeat, especially with fainting, chest pain or breathlessness.

• Hives, rash, itching, or swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles or lower legs (MedlinePlus). These can signal an allergic reaction.

• Difficulty passing urine. The label says to stop if urinary retention occurs.

• Seizures, hallucinations or severe mood change.

After stopping long-term use: new itching can start within a few days (US label, added in the 07/2025 revision, usually after months to years of use; MedlinePlus, last revised 03/15/2026). Not everyone is affected. Speak to your doctor if it happens.

Precautions and Warnings

Formal contraindications (US label)

• Known hypersensitivity to levocetirizine, any ingredient, or cetirizine.

• End-stage renal disease (creatinine clearance below 10 mL/min) and hemodialysis.

• Children aged 6 months to 11 years with impaired kidney function.

Precautions (cautions, not contraindications)

• Drowsiness: avoid driving or hazardous tasks until you know how it affects you.

• Alcohol and other central nervous system depressants: the label says to avoid using them together with levocetirizine. MedlinePlus says alcohol can add to the drowsiness.

• Urinary retention: use with caution if you have conditions that predispose to it, such as spinal cord lesions or an enlarged prostate.

• Kidney impairment: the dose must be adjusted by a doctor.

Drug Interactions

Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all prescription and OTC medicines, supplements and herbal products.

• Alcohol and sedating medicines: may add to drowsiness and reduce alertness.

• Ritonavir (an HIV medicine): in studies of cetirizine, a related medicine, ritonavir increased cetirizine blood levels (AUC) by about 42%.

• Theophylline (a breathing medicine): in studies of cetirizine, a 400 mg dose of theophylline caused a small (about 16%) decrease in cetirizine clearance.

The US label states that no in vivo interaction studies were done with levocetirizine. These figures come from cetirizine and are not proven levocetirizine effects. This list is not complete.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

The sources differ, so ask a healthcare professional before using levocetirizine during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

• Pregnancy: the US label says the available data are insufficient to identify any drug-associated risk of miscarriage or birth defects. Animal studies in pregnant rats and rabbits found no evidence of fetal harm. MedlinePlus says to tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, and to call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking it.

• Breastfeeding: the US label says there are no data on levocetirizine in human milk, although cetirizine has been reported in breast milk, and the benefits of breastfeeding should be weighed against the mother’s clinical need. MedlinePlus says not to breastfeed while taking levocetirizine.

Brands, Strengths and Approximate Price in India

Approximate price in India: ₹32–₹58 per strip of 10 tablets (5 mg)

The range is based on the listed MRPs, the printed maximum retail prices. Selling prices are discounted prices that change often. Both pages were opened on 11 October 2026. Prices and availability vary by pharmacy, city and date, and may change. Stock was not confirmed. The Truemeds page lists Levocet as prescription-required. Check with your pharmacist.

How HealthPil Can Help

HealthPil connects you with allergy specialists and ENT doctors who can help you manage allergies and prescribe appropriate medications like Levocetirizine. Through teleconsultations, we offer expert guidance on managing allergic conditions effectively. Medicines should be started, adjusted, or stopped only under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. If you have questions about this medicine, its side effects, or your treatment plan, you can consult a doctor through HealthPil.