Hydroxyzine and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Cor...
• July 7, 2017

For Allergic Urticaria "I had chronic idiopathic urticaria for 6 months before I found anything that remotely helped. Once I got on a cycle of 40 mg hydroxyzine before bed and 150 mg ranitidine + 5 mg of levocetirizine in the mornings, I started to have noticeable improvement. After another 4 months, my hives were completely gone. Of the three medicines, the hydroxyzine by far provided the biggest impact. This medicine stopped hives from forming during sleep, and the anti-anxiety component definitely helped soothe my mood and get me to sleep more quickly. I will say that this medicine gives you some really wacky and vivid dreams. It also makes you feel very groggy after taking it, lasting well into the next morning. Those symptoms are worth it though."

• Dan...
• March 27, 2014

Hydroxyzine for Pruritus "I frequently will experience itchiness all over my body and will break out in hives and can't stop the itching despite use of topical Benadryl, etc. My doctor prescribed Atarax a few years ago, and while it stops the itching in its tracks, I also sleep for an insane amount of time. Generally, it's about 18 solid hours of drowsiness to the point I can't even keep myself awake for longer than 20 minutes. I absolutely hate it. An entire day totally wasted. I'm prescribed 25 mg every 6 hours as needed, although I have never had to take a second dose within 24 hours."

• Ann...
• September 2, 2013

For Sedation "I have been given this medication for assistance with my sleep. It does allow me to sleep extremely well. However, I do feel extra groggy the next day. I cut mine into fours, and I still have a hard time getting going the next morning. I have given a score of 10, it is very effective in allowing me to fall asleep and stay asleep."

• Sha...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 30, 2019

For Interstitial Cystitis "After trying absolutely everything for the constant pain and even having my poor bladder excruciatingly distended in theater with no relief, my urologist, who often attends the worldwide conferences, my life changed. I take 25 mg of hydroxyzine at night and when things are going really well, can manage just fine on 15 mg at night. I am totally symptom-free and although it took a month to adjust to the drowsiness side effect, I could not survive without this pain relief."

• uni...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2019

Hydroxyzine for Sedation "Prescribed 25 mg Vistaril, 1 to 2 pills as needed at night for sedation and anxiety. On the first 3 nights, it made me sleep very deeply. Woke up several times, gritting my teeth. Next day, felt drunk and slept way too much. I was irritable and overwhelmed by everything. The 4th night, which was last night, I didn't sleep as well and woke up way too early. Also, the drunk, drowsy feeling is gone. I may quit taking it but am going to stick with it another week to see how it helps with anxiety."

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 30, 2019

For Sedation "I thought I was the only person that woke up very groggy after taking this for a full night's sleep. I even tried 1/4 of the 50mg pill and still woke up groggy. It took me about 2 hours to get 'right' by taking a long shower and drinking water... lots of water! I don't like this medicine! I have to find something else so I can sleep and not wake up feeling like a zombie."

• CJ1...
• September 7, 2017

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "Worst medication ever. You can't function after you take it, and you feel terrible for days after. It's basically Benadryl (a sedating antihistamine). Does nothing for anxiety except make you feel weird and uncomfortable, then puts you to sleep. Another sorry excuse, poor man's anti-anxiety med. Stay away. If your doctor prescribes, they are an idiot."

• Bma...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 17, 2017

For Anxiety "I am a newly diagnosed mild anxiety sufferer. This is the only medicine I have tried for my anxiety as I talked to my doctor and advised her I can control my anxiety for the most part, but I just needed something to curb my anxiety for when I was too overwhelmed to calm my own self down. I am on a low dose of 25 mg, and what this medicine does for me is exactly what I need. I use one prescription over the course of almost two months since it is only as needed. It allows me to clear my mind, get the full picture of the current situation, and it allows me to put things into perspective so I can push through the tough times with a better thought process. It does make me a little drowsy if I am already tired. Worth a shot for as-needed folks."

• Ins...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2019

For Anxiety "I was prescribed hydroxyzine for anxiety and sleep issues. My anxiety was really bad; I struggled with racing thoughts, nausea, and vomiting, which kept me from sleeping. My doctor started me out on 10 mg-20 mg a night, which did wonders for my anxiety (and allergies) but didn't help with sleep. She told me to try 30 mg. It didn't put me to sleep, but I felt the quality of sleep was better in the end. The next morning, I had trouble waking up. I couldn't drive to work. I took a two-hour nap and felt fine when I woke back up. Still left me a little tired throughout the day, but it worked. Be aware of drowsiness the morning after taking this and give yourself a little extra time to come around."

• Har...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 25, 2020

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I actually had it for both anxiety and allergy-related itching, but it worked great for both. It helps well if you're starting to have an anxiety attack or go through a trigger that you know may cause one. It does make you drowsy for a bit, but that's not much of a problem if you're a high-tension sort of person. And if you're wondering which medicine to take for allergic itching, this is what you should take if you don't mind being drowsy because it calms you down too, unlike Benadryl. But take Claritin if you don't like being drowsy."

• the...
• June 23, 2011

Hydroxyzine for Allergies "Works great against allergies (25 mg) and also somewhat against asthma (due to the anticholinergic properties: dilates the airways). When taking Atarax, I can reduce the amount of asthma reliever medication (terbutaline). Side effects: drowsiness (in the beginning), headache (disappeared after the third pill), muscle twitches, and some muscle aches."

• sri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 7, 2016

For Sedation "My experience: I was prescribed 1-2, 25 mg tabs before bed for sleep. It did put me to sleep in about an hour to 2 hours, and I would only wake up once during the night, but the grogginess, zombie-like feeling made it very difficult to wake up and stay up the rest of the day. I would sneak in a nap or two. It would finally wear off around 4 in the afternoon. After about a month, I stopped taking it."

• Sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2017

For Anxiety "Okay, as a first-time user, I'm going to give my honest answer based on usage for three days now. So my doctor prescribed me these because I have developed an anxiety disorder. Well, I decided to take these when I start to feel panicked. After 20 minutes or so, I'm easy. Thoughts simmer down. Mind stops racing, and negative thoughts seem to push to the back and not to the front as usual. They make me feel mellow and laid back. Mind you, I'm not a drug user of any type, so that's probably why they work so well for me. I keep them with me all the time. They don't make me drowsy. However, if I'm relaxed, I can definitely dose off. I recommend these if they are the only medicine you are taking. It seems to work best in my clean system. Hope this helps."

• LTS...
• August 2, 2017

For Anxiety "I take 25 mg Vistaril twice a day for anxiety. I had been suffering from GAD and a specific phobia for eight years and had never tried any medication. At first, I was taking just 25 mg at bedtime, and it still caused significant drowsiness during the day. The drowsiness has worn off, but the medication is still controlling my anxiety and helping me sleep more, which in turn makes me more cheerful and relaxed. I know that it doesn't work for everyone, but for me, it has worked excellently."

• Fey...
• September 30, 2016

Hydroxyzine for Allergic Urticaria "I took 1 tablet of Atarax last night for my hives. I asked for an antihistamine that can also help me to sleep because I have not been sleeping for 4 nights straight due to the itchiness from my hives. So this was suggested by my doctor. I managed to sleep through the night for over 9 hours - the alarm didn't manage to wake me until my 2nd super loud alarm! I was awake, but I wasn't really awake! I felt like I could doze off any second. Unless you want to sleep through 24 hours, maybe this is good for you, but I won't be taking it the 2nd time. I felt horrible for the whole day! My mind was not functioning, I felt groggy, not alert at all, walked like a zombie, it was just bad for me. I like to feel awake! Not like this. My suggestion: Take with caution!"

• Ren...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 7, 2016

For Sedation "I can never get a full night's sleep. I was prescribed this for anxiety. It helped for that, but the downfall was I got too sleepy to even function. But for sleep, this worked amazing. I woke up feeling a little groggy, but that wore off within about an hour. And, man, did I feel so rested after that!!"

• Jam...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 31, 2018

For Anxiety "This pill has been a godsend for me! I cannot think of one bad thing to say about it. It has helped me be able to ignore my anxiety and panic symptoms enough to leave my house and go to appointments. (I also have agoraphobia.) Every now and then, they will make me just a little drowsy, but never anything that inhibits my control or focus. I have also benefited from hydroxyzine for allergies as well. It really is a wonderful thing, especially because it is not habit-forming and you do not build a tolerance to it. I have used 25 mg for about 2 years (as needed), and it still is just as effective as day one. I definitely recommend it to anyone struggling with their anxiety, even with an antidepressant medication, as sometimes in the moment we need a little extra help. Hydroxyzine has definitely done that for me."

• Ale...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 18, 2019

For Allergic Urticaria "I have chronic hives (unknown cause), and I’ve been on this since 2016. I take 100 mg a day, and it keeps me from being covered in large red welts all over my body. Of course, if Benadryl makes you sleepy and you hate that, don’t take this (I feel like that should be common sense, but whatever)."

• Chi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2023

For Anxiety "Never again!!! I’m never taking these hydroxyzine pills ever again. Matter fact, I’ll just have my psychiatrist discontinue it for me altogether. This has made me have extreme akathisia, sleepiness to the point I was almost falling asleep while cooking, going for walks, etc., weird dreams, couldn’t pee, depressed, itchy. No, I’m fine. I won’t be taking this garbage ever again. I’ll take my Trileptal, Ativan, or something else, but not this."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 25, 2016

For Allergies "I normally take Allegra and Flonase for my allergies. However, when I have breakthrough allergic symptoms, all I have to do is take a small dose of hydroxyzine (10 mg), and I feel significantly better within half an hour. Granted, it does make me feel somewhat sedated. However, that's pretty much a given for all first-generation antihistamines. Furthermore, it makes me feel less out of it than Benadryl does. And, unlike Benadryl, hydroxyzine doesn't make my asthma worse; it actually improves my lung function! It does make me feel sleepy for at least 8 hours, but my allergies make me feel sleepy anyway, so this side effect doesn't really matter."

• Joh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 22, 2019

For Anxiety "I have recently been experiencing panic attacks and uncontrollable anxiety. After using hydroxyzine, my chest finally didn’t feel tight anymore, and I was able to get a good night's rest. The next day, I felt a little groggy but much less anxious and able to focus better."

• Pro...
• December 28, 2014

For Pruritus "Saw the post by DanniBee. The drowsiness appears to be dose dependent. Not sure, (I don't have strong data), but I think the anti-itch effect happens at a lower level for people that have high drowsiness. Try a low dosage (5 to 10 mg). I know this may be considered a near homeopathic dose, but I and others have seen the anti-itch effect work at these lower doses with people who have particularly high sensitivity to the drowsiness effect. Let me know if it works."

• Sud...
• May 17, 2021

For Anxiety "Two weeks ago, I started getting intense all-day anxiety attacks. After multiple doctor visits, ER, HORRIBLE drugs which had side effects made me feel way worse (Zoloft, Haldol) and having to steal my dog's Valium just to get through them, I was finally given hydroxyzine 25 mg 4-5 times daily, and it’s been a godsend. It doesn’t make me drowsy, probably because I take allergy meds daily for many years already. I sleep well for the first time in weeks, and the dreams are kind of fun, haha! I wake up with more energy and no side effects. I can't wait to start therapy for the first time and know that I’m not going to be addicted when I feel like I can stand on my own feet again. Feels like I COULD use a higher dose, but I can easily breathe myself down."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2019

For Anxiety "Been taking the medication for only a short time. But felt a huge relief at just 10 mg. I’m so grateful this medication has worked well for me so far. Would recommend this drug to people struggling with crippling anxiety, because it’s not addictive. I feel calm and relaxed, and not drowsy. It also helps me sleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 1, 2024

For Sedation "I was prescribed 25 mg of hydroxyzine to take at night for insomnia, and it's worked quite well for me, but it does take some practice to use correctly. It takes about an hour to come into full effect on me, for one thing, so it isn't immediate. The sedation effect can also be ignored if I am paying attention to something else, so it is most effective if I keep an eye on the effect and bring all of my sleep-inducing things into play at once, around when it first hits. That said, it is enough of a boost to be seriously helpful most nights, I can count on getting to sleep within a few hours the vast majority of the time if I take it. My main side effect has been drowsiness sometimes in the morning, which really is what I mean when I say it takes some practice to use. If I won't have time to sleep for at least 8 hours after taking it, I am very fatigued when waking up and for my first hour or two awake. Overall, very helpful but not a miracle drug, and it takes some skill to be useful."