It started as jokes and how-to posts on social media. Now pharmacies are reporting shortages of a cheap allergy pill, and health authorities are urging women who tried it to watch their bodies closely.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) on Thursday, November 5, warned women against inserting cetirizine tablets into the vagina, a practice promoted online as a way to cause "tightness" and reduce lubrication, Kenyans.co.ke and People Daily reported.

What the pharmacists say

PSK said cetirizine tablets have never been tested or approved for vaginal use, making the practice medically inappropriate. The society rejected the idea that reduced lubrication equals tightening, noting that dryness does not change muscles or anatomy. Instead, it can increase friction, cause discomfort and injure delicate tissue.

Cetirizine is an antihistamine meant to be swallowed for sneezing, a runny nose, itchy eyes and skin reactions such as hives.

Women who have tried the practice were urged to stop and see a doctor if they notice:

  • Pain
  • Bleeding
  • Burning
  • Itching
  • Unusual discharge
  • Fever

Shortages and price hikes

The society said the trend has driven up demand, with some pharmacies raising prices or running short. It urged ethical pricing so that patients who genuinely need the drug for allergies are not locked out, and advised Kenyans to buy medicines only from premises licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.

Government floats tracing buyers

The warning followed remarks a day earlier by Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga, who raised the alarm at a health products stakeholders' meeting in Nairobi on Wednesday, The Eastleigh Voice reported.

"I saw people discussing this medicine in a manner that is like a joke," Oluga said, warning that such talk can push people into misusing medicines.

He suggested the government could build a system to trace buyers of the over-the-counter drug and follow up suspected misuse. "We can develop a system that can trace everyone," he said, adding that authorities should be able to tell who made, distributed and sold a medicine, and to which patient.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has asked Kenyans to report any suspected side effects through its pharmacovigilance reporting system.

Why it matters

The cetirizine craze is the latest example of health advice spreading faster on social media than doctors can respond. PSK acknowledged that social media has become an important platform for sharing health information, but said claims must be checked with qualified professionals before anyone tries them.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke (handout); The Eastleigh Voice. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.