Rebound Pruritus and Urticaria After Discontinuation of Chronic Antihistamine Use-A Scoping Review
Abstract
Background: Rebound pruritus and urticaria have been increasingly reported following discontinuation of chronic antihistamines, particularly with cetirizine and levocetirizine, prompting the United States Food and Drug Administration to issue a recent safety warning for these two medications. Currently, there are significant gaps regarding the risk factors, course and optimal management of rebound pruritus and urticaria after discontinuation of chronic antihistamine use, and if this represents a class-specific adverse effect. This review aimed to map the literature related to rebound pruritus and urticaria after discontinuation of chronic antihistamine use.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted across four major literature databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane database) and grey literature (GreySource, OpenGrey, Google Scholar) from inception to December 2025. Articles describing rebound pruritus following discontinuation of chronic antihistamine use in paediatric or adult populations were included. Antihistamines evaluated included all first- and second-generation histamine-1 antagonists. Non-English articles were excluded. A narrative synthesis was conducted to summarise the reported risk factors, clinical course and potential management strategies for rebound pruritus following antihistamine discontinuation.
Results: Of the 17,346 records retrieved, two retrospective studies, one case series and one case report were included in the review. The studies…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a case series, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 327 participants or records.
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