In people with allergic rhinitis, Cetirizine is well-tolerated, ameliorates allergy-related sleep issues, and enhances quality of life.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Cetirizine in terms of improvement in quality of life, circadian variations in symptoms, and sleep issues in clinical practice. Furthermore, its role was established as a contemporary antihistamine to manage allergic rhinitis in comparison to newer antihistamines.

A systematic literature review of the databases like the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Google Scholar, and MEDLINE/PubMed was carried out to find out relevant studies on Cetirizine (a second-generation antihistamine and selective H1-receptor antagonist).

The allergic rhinitis symptoms showed circadian variation. The symptoms were found to fluctuate over the night and early morning hours. Numerous sleep-related symptoms, such as poor sleep quality, daytime somnolence, exhaustion, and reduced productivity and quality of life, were experienced by allergic rhinitis patients.

Impaired quality of life in allergic rhinitis was correlated with the severity of the illness. Cetirizine use at bedtime offers effective control of sleep disability and symptoms of allergic rhinitis, besides improving quality of life. The effectiveness of Cetirizine was similar to or greater than that of the recent second-generation antihistamines. Tolerability profile of Cetirizine was comparable to that of novel antihistamines.

Cetirizine is a promising treatment option for allergic rhinitis. Given its well-established efficacy, safety, tolerability, and cost-effectiveness profile, it is listed on India's National List of Essential Medicines.