Hydroxyzine and Dry Mouth: What Users Say

• Man...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 29, 2020

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "This does little if nothing for me. Causes severe dry mouth, which can lead to tooth decay. I have never, in my sixty years on Earth, bought a drug from the streets. However, the low-dose prescription Klonopin I took for many years with no issues. The government has made it a hassle for doctors to prescribe benzos. They will throw everything else at you despite side effects and the lack of it actually working. For persons with serious anxiety, BuSpar, Vistaril, Lexapro do not work. I have tried them all. Benzos are a drug used in the treatment of anxiety for a decade and for most used safely. It is not the drug that is the problem, they are safe and effective if used properly. As long as there are people wanting to abuse drugs, there will be addiction problems. Great if Vistaril worked, but it does not for me."

• Jun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2014

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I am 34, female, with marked panic attacks. I have health/doctor office anxiety. I have to say Vistaril has done wonders for me. It seemed to take a few weeks before I could really feel its effects though. I have to keep a small amount in my system before it helps with a panic attack. I can take 1-2 25 mg pills 3 times a day as needed for anxiety. I usually take half of a 25 mg pill twice a day. When I feel an attack starting, I take another 1 to 1.5 pills. It stops the attack quickly. I feel like I've got my life back somewhat, and it feels like a safety blanket. It does dry my mouth out though, and I only recommend it for marked anxiety. I do not have any depression."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2023

For Anxiety "I was prescribed 25 mg hydroxyzine for severe panic attacks on airplanes, however, I wish I never took those pills. After boarding the plane, I got so anxious I decided to ask my father for one (he does not let me hold my medication), and he handed it to me. An hour went by, and we were in the air. Absolutely nothing felt except a dry mouth and headache. My anxiety soared, and the day after I had acne and a severe migraine. Please, be cautious when taking this drug."

• Sle...
• August 20, 2015

For Sedation "I have been having pretty bad anxiety for most of my life. It has much recently become worse. I saw a psychiatrist for the first time, and she asked how my sleep was. I told her it was pretty awful. I woke up every two hours. I never felt like I got a full night's rest. She prescribed me this medicine. She said I could take one 25 mg capsule and if I still couldn't sleep, take another 25 mg capsule. I took a 25 mg capsule before bed. It definitely calmed me down and made me somewhat drowsy, but I still couldn't fall asleep. I waited 2 hours and took another 25 mg capsule as directed. I fell asleep in about 10 minutes and never woke up during the night. I woke up feeling refreshed! No side effects except dry mouth! I love this drug."

• KBa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 20, 2019

For Anxiety "I've been using hydroxyzine regularly for about 5 years for panic attacks and generalized anxiety, taking 25-50 mg as needed. I often take it before bed since that is generally when I have higher anxiety. It can make me mildly drowsy but not consistently. I can take it during the day and function just fine. If I'm highly anxious, it doesn't make me sleepy, it just calms things down. More often than not, it doesn't completely get rid of anxiety, particularly the racing thoughts (I find Ativan and Xanax more effective for that particular symptom), but it makes it significantly more manageable. I've never had any bad side effects from it, just dry mouth sometimes. I would recommend trying it."

• SoC...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2019

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I've been taking this medication for about a week now for severe anxiety, and I will admit I can tell night and day when I take it (it works), however, it makes me feel EXTREMELY fatigued. I could sleep all day when I take this stuff. Probably not the best solution for anyone with a lot of daily responsibilities. Other side effects I think have come along with it are dry mouth and an increase in appetite. I don't remember being this hungry before. Would I recommend it? Ugh... I think the fact it eliminates my attacks pretty much altogether is worth the cons I mentioned, but I'm still going to be trying some alternatives to see if there's something that doesn't make me feel as tired. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you're going to fall asleep out of the blue, but once you do decide to sleep, you're going to want to sleep way more than you need to."

• Iha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2019

For Sedation "TL,DR (Too long: didn't read) - Do your sleep hygiene, schedule time to be groggy when you wake up, drink plenty of water. Full story: History of insomnia, sleep paralysis, anxiety, and depression. I’d started drinking alcohol to get my brain to shut up so I could sleep. Decided that needed to stop, so I tried hydroxyzine. (Used Benadryl to fall asleep before, but it only gets me four hours.) Works great for me. Makes me a bit sleepy, but mostly it dulls the anxiety chatter so I can fall asleep. Still have to do my sleep hygiene routine before bed - won’t knock me out, just makes the sleep hygiene stuff work. I take it when I know I can get eight hours. Waking up is hard, but I’ve always woken up hard and this isn’t much worse than usual. Been giving myself two hours to fully wake up before I have to leave the house for decades, so this hasn’t been an adjustment for me. It does noticeably dry me out. It’s better when I take it with a big glass of water and then continue to hydrate the next day."

• Spa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2016

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "This med causes me severe headaches and helps with anxiety some, but the pain in my head only grows worse each day, along with blurred vision, highly increased appetite, and dry mouth. Not worth the daily headaches. Using an antihistamine for anxiety and blood pressure meds like clonidine, said to help with my ADHD that does nothing for my focus, is a mixture of insanity. I'm over the Vistaril after a month of more intense headaches every day."

• Cmo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 20, 2022

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "Reading these reviews made my anxiety worse about taking this drug. But let me tell you it helps. I’m on 50 mg and I only take it as needed, so if I’m feeling anxious, I take it and start to feel better within 15-20 min. Definitely makes you a little sleepy, but not to the point where you can’t do anything. And a bit of a dry mouth, but other than that, it works great."

• Mel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 2, 2016

For Anxiety "I am very pleased with Hydroxyzine. It is non-addictive, and it always helps with my panic attacks and anxiety. It doesn't always get rid of my anxiety completely, but it definitely takes the edge off of it, which is enough to help me function. The only side effect I sometimes get is dry mouth, so make sure to drink plenty of water if that happens to you. Biotene mouthwash also helps with that. Hydroxyzine can make you sleepy, so don't try to drive or do anything productive until you see how it affects you."

• Dia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 24, 2019

Hydroxyzine for Allergies "My son, who is 33, was given Vistaril after going to the emergency room with an autoimmune rash that was flaring up. He was told to take one to two 25 mg capsules every 6 hours as needed for itching. He began acting very strange. I worked, so I was being told of his behavior by his brother and stepdad. I told him to stop taking it, then I took the pills away and flushed them. I counted them, and in the 6 days he had them, he only took 5 pills. This is what Vistaril did for him: it caused visual and auditory hallucinations, severe paranoid anxiety, extreme dry mouth, tremors, stuttering, and many other things. He thought everyone was trying to kill him, everyone he looked at had rivers of tears running down their face. It is killing me hearing all of it. He’s been very traumatized. Hopefully, he will be able to feel better soon."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2017

For Anxiety "This was prescribed to me for anxiety and to help me sleep. It helped for a few days, but I would only get a good 4 hours before I would wake up, and it did nothing for onset anxiety, meaning I still couldn't go out and do things. I just felt tired all of the time. When I would wake up after taking it, my nose, throat, and chest would be so dry I would have to drink a gallon of water. I think this is what doctors give you when they don't trust giving you something that actually works."

• Sev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 21, 2016

For Anxiety "Here's what I have gathered so far. My quick background: doctor prescribed Vistaril and 20 mg Prozac. * I take 50 mg every 4 hours. * I have really bad hand tremors, but I always have a slightly shaky hand, so it doesn't bother me too much. * I also get sensitive hands because I can't stop squeezing my hands together and rubbing on it. * super dry mouth/constant thirst. * easier time singing. * I take 2 to sleep along with other symptoms. But honestly, being able to get out of bed and be able to say hi to my husband and greet teachers at my kids' school without wanting to die is well worth the side effects. Although I think the side effects are just my body getting to do what it wants to do without my anxiety trying to suppress it."

• Sam...
• April 27, 2017

For Anxiety "Hydroxyzine has been a miracle for my anxiety. I was having chest pain so bad I couldn't breathe. Problems with my heart were ruled out, and I was prescribed this medication. It helps me relax but doesn't make me groggy at all. I can still work and function in life. I also tend to get carsick, so a positive side effect was that it helps with nausea. It also isn't addictive. My doctor said it could have side effects such as dry mouth, urinary retention, or blurred vision, but I have not experienced any of these side effects."

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

For Sedation "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."

• Gen...
• April 22, 2019

For Anxiety "I take this drug as needed, along with an antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicine. I am prescribed 50 mg of hydroxyzine. If I feel a panic attack coming or I am feeling very anxious, I take this drug. It does its job for me. However, it does take a long time to fully kick in. On rare occasions, I would have to take 2 pills. Sometimes that doesn’t work, so I would have to take a Klonopin, but like I said, that is rare. Generally, I just take one and wait for it to kick in, however, I don’t love the side effects. It causes me to feel irritable. I get a very dry mouth, and after I wake up from sleeping, I feel dehydrated. Also, this medication causes a ferocious appetite for me. It makes me binge eat. Luckily, I do not take this every day, or else I would be enormous. I recommend this if you struggle with bad panic attacks or anxiety. It is a good replacement for benzos since they can be addicting. Some people need stronger, like sometimes I do. Everyone is different, so it may not be for everyone."

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

For Sedation "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."

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

For Sedation "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)."

• Mel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 15, 2017

For Anxiety "I have reviewed Hydroxyzine before, but I am revising it. I suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, and paranoia. When I first started taking Hydroxyzine, it helped me. The only side effects I had were drowsiness and dry mouth. All of a sudden, I developed a tolerance to it. The doctor kept raising my dosage until he had me on 100 mg, which is the highest dosage you can take. It still didn't help me, so I stopped taking it."

• J45...
• September 1, 2016

For Anxiety "I'm 20 years old and I've been taking this drug for about a month now. I am supposed to take this whenever I have a panic attack, but I usually take 1 25 mg before bed to calm me down sometimes. It really helps when I'm so anxious that I can't fall asleep. Although I think I might need a higher dose soon. My only complaint is the dry mouth, and after waking up, you feel really drowsy, and you almost have a 'light' feeling (not high, it's different). Overall, I would recommend taking this in the evening if you just need to calm down a bit to sleep."

• Sco...
• August 29, 2016

For Anxiety "Got the prescription for the hydroxyzine 25 mg on a Friday. Picked up my prescription on my way to work. I took 1 pill. I felt great and energetic before I took the pill, and probably about 30-50 min., I was in sleep mode. On Saturday, I took a pill in the morning... just to see if it was really the new meds that caused me to feel this way. Yes, the same thing happened to me.... I developed extreme dry mouth, extremely tired (worse than a hangover). All I wanted to do was go lay in my bed and sleep. I stopped taking this medication. I had to work on Sunday evening. This pill would not get out of my system. I drank 2 cups of coffee, chugged water... couldn't get the zombie/sleepy feeling out of my body. BAD, BAD MEDICINE!"

• Cla...
• January 4, 2016

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I have anxiety and did not realize until I took only a 1/4 of my 25 ml tab how much it was affecting me. Today I have felt more able and productive, and had a day without anxiety. Feels amazing. I did have at least 2 memorable dreams that night. I have noticed a slight dry mouth and eyes. This being said, I do have CKD and will be going back to docs to make sure kidneys are not being affected, and also to ask for the liquid version of this as the other ingredients list more to my preference.... no color additives from what I've read."

• AtR...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 1, 2016

For Anxiety "Definitely helps me sleep through the panic, anxiety, and insomnia at night. My side effects were quite severe: daytime fatigue, irritability, dry mouth, and rapidly deteriorating vision (blurred). As a very short-term aid, this drug was great, but after 3 months, I'm ready to go drug-free and see how I feel."

• Man...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 15, 2017

For Anxiety "So my doctor prescribed me hydroxyzine pamoate because I told her I was having episodes of terrible anxiety and I wasn't sleeping very well because of it. The first night I took it, it took about 30 mins to set in, I started feeling calm, and my normal negative obsessive thoughts became more positive and far less obsessive. I would have a positive thought and move on to another. That in itself was amazing, and I also slept very well. The dry mouth side effect is bearable as well. However, the next morning when I woke up, I was so groggy and could feel the sedation had not worn off... All I wanted to do was sleep and not talk because I was so relaxed, and I was extremely irritable."

• Anx...
• July 29, 2017

For Anxiety "I took this drug for the first time on July 28th for anxiety. At first, the dry mouth made it harder to breathe, which is, of course, a no-no for anxiety folks. I did sleep slightly better without feeling knocked out and had a lot of dreams, but no nightmares. I also had severe stomach cramps and diarrhea for about 10 minutes in the middle of the night. I seemed to have a slight amount of anxiety relief, but also an increase. The lethargy from the medication made me less motivated to care for daily tasks, which then piled up and created more anxiety and agitation. Even so, I could see it being effective for some individuals, just be aware of the possible side effects before beginning this treatment."