Hydroxyzine for Sedation User Reviews (Page 4)

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2015

Hydroxyzine "I have been dealing with insomnia on and off for over 10 years. I have always managed it with OTC meds like Unisom. Finally decided to see a doc about it after having to take 3-4 Unisom a night (I was feeling like a zombie till 10 a.m.!). She prescribed 25 mg of Vistaril - take one at bedtime. Last night was my first time using it, and it took a few hours to get me to sleep. All night I had weird, vivid dreams, and it was hard to tell if I was asleep or awake. I felt on the brink of deep sleep but still awake. It's hard to describe. I am going to give it a week and see how it goes. I was a bit groggy this morning, but not like on Unisom."

• mik...
• January 29, 2010

Hydroxyzine "Made me so tired, could not focus or stand up. It pretty much sedated me, slept like a baby. Doctor said it would make me sleepy because of a bad allergic reaction to Testim, so it sedated me to keep me from scratching my rash."

• Sle...
• October 28, 2019

"My doctor prescribed me this for insomnia. I took it and didn’t feel sleepy for about two hours after. I still woke up through the night. The next day I felt so weird. I felt out of it, dissociated, and extremely tired. I don’t know if it was the hydroxyzine or the Prozac I just started, but I felt terrible. Don’t recommend."

• Din...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 19, 2016

"I asked for something to ease me to sleep after the horrific death of my 26-year-old child. I realized I had not slept (REM) for almost a month and a half. When seeking help from my doctor, I asked that I not get a narcotic or a sleep aid that would increase depression, sleepwalking, suicide, and we went with this drug. I was given 100 mg tabs to take 20 minutes before bed. It was not working, and now on my second bottle, I need to take 200 mg to get sleepy. I have noticed labored breathing, but chalk it up to the cold moving in, not sure if the two are related and will only know that when I choose not to take it."

• BiP...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 7, 2022

"I was prescribed this medication (ranging between 25 and 50 mg) for panic attacks and insomnia. I began taking this medication on a daily basis for sedation in September of 2021. It did (and still does) help me sleep through the night, but the weight gain is huge! I subtly put on 10 pounds in the fall but assumed it was from lifting more often. Nope. My weight was taken at a doctor's appointment in late February 2022, and I had put on ANOTHER 10-15 pounds. I did not change my diet or exercise. Never have I ever gained this much weight from medication, even after taking nearly all of the atypical antipsychotics, SSRIs/SNRIs, beta blockers, etc. I am now categorized as overweight, which is mind-blowing. I went from 135 pounds (5'5) to 155 lbs. The weight gain has destroyed my mental health and thrown off any confidence (which was little to begin with) I did have. I would switch back to Ambien before taking this medication ever again."

• Anonymous
• April 11, 2021

"I've been taking hydroxyzine for 3 nights now. I was prescribed 50 mg. I took the full dose the first night and experienced a lot of tossing and turning. I also had a vivid dream. I woke the next day feeling like a zombie. So the next day, I cut my dose in half, thinking it'd stop the grogginess the next day. Still had the vivid dream and grogginess. So last night, I took another half and had a dream that was so vivid and violent. I dreamed about the murders of several people and hid the murders. I also dreamed that if anyone witnessed them, then I threatened them. I had a lot of tossing and turning. My symptoms are getting worse, so I'm going to have to stop taking these. The only good thing I got out of these is the increased appetite and calming my nerves. So my appetite issue was definitely anxiety. I haven't felt any anxiety for 3 days, which is the first time in years. But it does nothing for my sleep, it's making it worse. I also get chills and a hypersensitive feeling."

• shf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 30, 2020

"Doc gave me this for my insomnia (I hadn’t slept for three days). It made me pass out like a baby, but gave me night terrors for a week until I had to stop because the night terrors would wake me up. Switched to trazodone and now I sleep like a baby. Helps with anxiety too."

• Che...
• June 28, 2014

"I started taking hydroxyzine about 3 months ago. At first, it worked great, but recently I can fall asleep more easily than I could with Seroquel. However, I only get about 2-3 solid hours of sleep, then I wake up wide awake at 4 a.m. I'm not sure if my body isn't used to it because I was on Seroquel for 8 years."

• Hyp...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 25, 2018

"I got prescribed hydroxyzine for insomnia and panic. It didn't help either. I got the 50 mg, it says take 1 to 2 capsules twice daily as needed. First, it does not help me fall asleep at all after I take it. But it does make me want to sleep for 4 days after, once I finally do get to sleep. It makes me insanely tired when I wake up and continues for days after. I also have really bad dreams when I take this. Thumbs down."

• AJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2018

"I take 20 mg of hydroxyzine to fall asleep. It works wonders for me. It lets me fall into a deeper sleep much faster. I sleep for a solid 8 hours uninterrupted with this dose. The downside to this drug is that it’s much more difficult to get up in the morning. I offset this by sleeping earlier, so I have more time in the AM. I also get dry mouth. Other than that, it’s an effective sedative."

• ASw...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 25, 2015

"I have had a pre-existing panic disorder for several years, and then, 7 months ago, I tragically lost both my parents within a few weeks of each other. They were in their early 60s, I'm in my 30s. My anxiety exacerbated with my grief, and I simply cannot sleep without taking Vistaril. It was initially prescribed to me to help alleviate my anxiety throughout the day, however, it makes me too drowsy, and so I am working through my anxiety in other ways in the daytime. I was initially prescribed Ambien for sleep and hated it. I have Vistaril in two different dosages and find the 50 to be best for deep, restful sleep, 25 if I'm in need of a nap."

• Ash...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 11, 2018

"Got put on hydroxyzine for sleep at 10 mg, got increased to 50 mg. For a while, it felt like I was on a horse tranquilizer, now it doesn’t affect me as greatly. When I do take it, I sleep 8-10 hrs/night, but when I don’t, I sleep at most 30 minutes. Genuinely messed up my sleep cycle."

• Sle...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 4, 2018

"Wow! I take this medication once in a while to help me sleep. If I take 50 mg or 100 mg, it doesn’t matter. Same effects—It puts me right to sleep. But I do not like it because the next day is completely awful. I am so sluggish and sleepy I can’t get anything done. Take, for instance, yesterday. I took 100 mg around 6:30 pm and crawled into bed around 8 pm and slept until 8 am. Today I’ve fallen asleep 4 times at my desk between 9 am and noon. I’ve left work early because I can only sleep. I got home at 1 pm and slept again until 3:30 pm. I’m still so sleepy I am going to crawl into bed soon for the night. The drug works great to help you sleep and therefore I give it a 10, but a 1 for side effects because I'm so drowsy and seem to have a mental fog the whole next day. I just waste my day the next day."

• Del...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2019

"Hydroxyzine works well initially on high dosage (50 mg a couple of times a day). Nightmares, food cravings, midnight as well, and unsteadiness during most of the day are not welcome side effects, but alprazolam, etc., are off the table. At least this allows me to rest and not end up shaking from head to toe, though mostly extremities."

• 123...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2018

"Haven’t slept much in the last 3 months or so. Have been taking this medication at midnight for a few nights, of which tonight is the third. I have not slept yet. Shame this hasn’t worked for me, maybe it will for others. Doctor would not prescribe anything else. Racing mind from anxiety, coupled with lack of sleep, is absolutely pickling my head. The medication causes no drowsiness, no aftereffects, slight reduction in anxiety, but about as effective as a bandaid on a limb-removing axe wound. Good luck."

• Jon...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 25, 2019

"When I first developed GAD and was having my first bout of insomnia, Atarax did not work (dose of 50 mg nightly). But once the episode finally mellowed down a bit (a year or two later), I began taking it again and it was working very well. I get a solid 7-8, maybe 10 hours of sleep on it (now at a single dose of 12.5 mg before bed). My only complaint is that it may become less effective over a longer stretch of time and may cause some very slight lapses of memory, as anticholinergics do. I recommend taking the Hydroxyzine HCL tablets as I have heard they are best for anxiety as opposed to the other."

• Ann...
• June 17, 2019

"I've been on hydroxyzine for numerous years. I take 40 milligrams before I go to bed. Most of the time it works great, but I only sleep for 6 hours, and I did sleep hard. Had to stop taking it for a couple of days because it does something to my stomach."

• Sas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 6, 2018

"I was prescribed hydroxyzine and was advised to take 1 tablet, and if that didn't work, take another. Only 2 a night. For the night, I stood up mostly the entire day. I was able to doze on my own for 30 min, I timed myself, and I woke up in such a jolt, I thought it was morning. I'm starting to hallucinate even more frequently as I hadn't slept in the past 4 days. I don't know what to do anymore... Melatonin was working in the past, and now it can't even knock me out. I want to stop seeing the shadow that lingers near my bed at night! I just want to sleep!"

• TMP...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 6, 2024

"I take 25 mg hydroxyzine nightly to fall asleep. I have ADHD and take Adderall in the daytime, so hydroxyzine is a godsend to help me fall asleep when my mind is still awake. I cannot imagine a doctor prescribing this medication to be taken in the morning. I fully consider this a sedative and would not drive while I’m on it. I am sleepy the next morning after taking. And yes, it is an antihistamine, so the dry mouth claims are very true. I rinse with Biotene before bed, it keeps me from getting gingivitis. I don’t have any problems with restless legs on hydroxyzine. 50 mg makes me feel very drunk. I wouldn’t take that much to sleep unless you’re in a mental health crisis and require immediate sedation (which is another good use)."

• Lan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 10, 2018

"For me, the drug works well for sleeping through the night. I started on it for hives, and it worked well because it made me drowsy then sleep, so I guess it talks to the nerves that were causing the issue. Later, after researching its other uses, I tried it in place of Xanax at bedtime. It works. For this med, I didn't experience nightmares or night sweats that I have experienced on other meds (not Xanax, but other things like natural supplements and OTC PM pills). It takes 30-60 minutes to take effect. I started cutting my dose in half due to the heavy grogginess I felt when I woke up, which is a horrible feeling that makes it hard to function, and my only remedy was to sleep more. Even with it cut in half, I have noticed less grogginess, but still groggy. That is the only issue I had with this drug. Try it on a night before you don't have to work or get up for anything to see what works for you."

• Mag...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 10, 2015

"I've been taking Ambien for 2 years and it stopped working. We tried Sonata (no), Lunesta, which does work some, but I need a boost from another drug to get a FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP! I've been on Klonopin forever too. So, after trying many of the options, my doc suggested Vistaril. At first, I couldn't take it, it made me too tired, but that was just a bout of exhaustion that sometimes happens from fibromyalgia. I just started taking it again, and WOW! I'm glad I didn't get rid of them from before! One 25 mg at bed with my Klonopin and other meds, and less than half an hour later, I'm toast. Sleep all night now, yay! Only side effects are dry mouth and occasionally morning hangover, but that's okay."

• dre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2015

"I always had trouble sleeping, but since I had my 3rd son almost 4 years ago, it's worse. I toss and turn all night, and I will be thinking about things, and I wouldn't know why. So I went to my doctor, and they gave me this medicine, hydroxyzine, and it helps a lot. It calms me down, and my mind is clear since I've been on it. I sleep way better, but I notice a difference if I don't take it. I have bad anxiety because I can't sleep..."

• Ins...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2021

"I take Klonopin or Trazodone every single night to sleep, or I will not sleep more than 2 hours. Klonopin is honestly the perfect medication. It’s my favorite, but addictive. Trazodone knocks me out within an hour, and I stay asleep, but I feel groggy the next day, and I don’t like it. Hydroxyzine: I am prescribed 25 mg pills every night. At first, it didn’t seem like it worked. I took one 25 mg pill, within 30 minutes, I was in desperate need to go to sleep. I slept for 11 hours. I didn’t wake up groggy or tired or anything, but I don’t think I like the fact I will be sleeping 10+ hours without any special effort. Every medication will affect every person differently. This is a fact. From my experience, I do enjoy this medication, just will be splitting it in half. If this medication makes you sleepy, oh boy, you are SLEEPY."

• Int...
• October 7, 2015

"Ok, Vistaril dreams - hydroxyzine vivid dreams do exist. What I am sure of is this: when my life was going great, the dreams were awesome! So Vistaril (hydroxyzine) dreams were WONDERFUL, and I have dreamed very vivid, beautiful beach sunsets I have never really seen before-with flowing water seemingly from the heavens and beautiful colors I have never seen before. I looked forward to my Vistaril (hydroxyzine) dreams! BUT when I became stressed with the death of a friend or an argument with a co-worker or anything negative that day-then came the VIVID Vistaril nightmares. So wild, so vivid, I was THRILLED to wake up and find they were not true because they were upsetting. State of mind is important, I feel."

• Adr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2022

"I was prescribed this medication for anxiety and insomnia. The dose is 25 mg for anxiety, and I haven't noticed a difference at all. 100 mg for insomnia, and I'm here awake at 3 a.m. typing this review."