People’s Pharmacy: Did allergy medicine cause knee pain?

Q. After trying several nasal sprays and prescription medications for severe seasonal allergies, I was thrilled to find that levocetirizine worked wonders. In January, I started taking one tablet per day. In February, I developed severe knee pain, along with stiffness and soreness throughout my entire body.

As a healthy individual, the thought of developing severe arthritis scared me. I made an appointment with my primary care physician, but before going, I started to think about what life changes I had made over the past few months.

Starting levocetirizine was the only change. I stopped the levocetirizine and within two days, ALL my pain was gone. I feel like a new person.

Had it not been for your many articles on side effects, I would have never considered my pain could be caused by levocetirizine. I hope you can alert others to this rare side effect.

A. Levocetirizine (Xyzal) was once a prescription-only antihistamine. It went over-the-counter in 2017. Common side effects include fatigue, sleepiness, sore throat and dry mouth. Joint and muscle pain have also been reported, however.

We wonder whether you experienced itching after stopping this antihistamine so suddenly. The Food and Drug Administration issued a drug safety communication on May 23 for both Zyrtec (cetirizine) and Xyzal (levocetirizine). The agency warned about “severe itching after discontinuation of long-term use of allergy medicines.”

Q. My doctors have been trying for years to get me to take statins. I’m reluctant because I am convinced that they tipped my mother into Type 2 diabetes (T2D). She was thin and her only risk factor was that she was Hispanic. She died this year of kidney failure from the T2D.

My cholesterol is around 220 and has been since my early 30s. After an echocardiogram/stress test, the cardiologist said everything is fine.

My doctor wouldn’t test me for Lp(a) because “There was nothing they could prescribe to lower it if it was high.” So, I did a LabCorp test on my own and learned my Lp(a) is 25. (Under 75 is considered good.)

That is now my argument against taking statins. They may lower cholesterol, but they could raise blood sugar and Lp(a). Since I’m trying hard NOT to get T2D, I don’t want to take them.

A. We are so sorry to learn about your mother’s death. You were smart to have your Lp(a) level measured, since this is a significant risk factor for heart disease. Your results indicate that you can rest easy on that score.

Doctors have been debating the connection between statin use and Type 2 diabetes for decades. There now seems to be clear evidence for a link, although the benefits of statins may outweigh the risk of T2D for some people (Current Atherosclerosis Reports, Dec. 19).

You can learn more about this association and other drugs that can increase the risk for T2D in our “eGuide to Preventing &Treating Diabetes.” This online resource is located under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q. My 5-year-old granddaughter gave me head lice on Mother’s Day. I have used all the products on the pharmacy shelf. I got a script from my doctor, and I still have the lice. What can I do?

A. Lice have developed resistance to many of the products available in over-the-counter lice shampoo and even to some prescription lice killers.

Many readers have had success applying old-fashioned, amber-colored Listerine to the scalp.

Here is one person’s advice: “Leave the Listerine on for two hours. Be sure to repeat the treatment a few more times every five days to be sure you kill any nits that hatched before they mature to lay eggs as well.”

Email Joe and Teresa Graedon via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.