Hydroxyzine and Sleepy: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Eur...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 18, 2012

Hydroxyzine for Allergies "I took Atarax when a child and started taking this medicine again approximately two years ago, from my allergist. I have tried basically all modern oral prescription medicines (and those which have become over-the-counter). My allergies induce asthma! I take specifically created allergy antigen shots (two per week/two different vials) from my allergist, which help greatly. Normally, unless I live on the coast, I'm bothered by indoor (dust, mold), outdoor (weeds, plants), and food allergies in the warm (non-frost/freezing) months. Each year, allergies have become worse. I can take this one tablet once per day or two pills at once if having a severe attack. I certainly recommend having an allergist doctor, in addition to your regular general practice doctor. This prescription does not make me sleepy, though people say it can."

• For...
• June 17, 2016

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "It works very well for me as a rescue medicine. If taken mid-panic attack, it definitely helps to calm me; however, if I take it before I am going to be in a situation that I know will cause anxiety, it doesn't have much of an effect to keep me from having an attack. It definitely makes me sleepy."

• KeB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2017

For Anxiety "I got my prescription for anxiety. I'm a first-timer on these types of meds, so I'm cautious. I finally decided to take it tonight because a horrible situation arose, and I can't sleep or focus. I must say it's been about 25 minutes, and I'm feeling a little better (thoughts not racing as much), but a little sleepy. I don't know if I'd take this during the day. I'll post an update tomorrow if you care to keep a lookout! Just trying to help someone maybe - as I experiment."

• mik...
• January 29, 2010

Hydroxyzine for Sedation "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."

• jac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 22, 2019

For Anxiety "I was prescribed this hydroxyzine for anxiety. It has not helped my anxious feelings or tendencies in the slightest. Now I just have no energy to do anything. I fall asleep in every class almost uncontrollably, and if I sit down in one place for about 5 minutes, I begin to doze off. I am 5'3" and 100 pounds. I wouldn’t really recommend this for anxiety issues."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2019

For Anxiety "I take hydroxyzine 10 mg twice a day or as needed. It helps take the edge off anxiety and keeps me grounded. I've also noticed it helps me have better, deeper sleep. It does make you thirsty, but my doctor told me about that. Depending on how much activity I've had the day before, it can make me sleepy. I've noticed that my appetite has increased and I crave carbs, however, I am unsure if it's from the medication or from the reduction of anxiety. I've also noticed that, though I've increased my workouts to balance my appetite, I've put on about 7 pounds in the past month or so. I am tall and relatively slender, so it's not so much of an issue after I did some research of my own and learned that weight gain was common, but my doctor did not tell me a slower metabolism was a possible side effect prior. Other than drinking LOTS of water to stay hydrated and to attempt to curb overeating, I am satisfied with this medication and learning to love the extra cushion it brings."

• Wca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2017

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "Was put on this temporarily for anxiety, but it doesn't work for me! No relief from my anxiety whatsoever, and it made me slightly sleepy. I'm not sure why this is even considered anti-anxiety! It's basically Benadryl! I think it's prescribed over other meds because it's not addicting, which is a plus, lol."

• Roc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 6, 2015

For Pruritus "I have been itching for over 20 years with no diagnosis of why. I was prescribed Atarax 10 mg, and it works like a charm. Only downfall is I'm very sleepy the following day. I go from uncontrolled itching to uncontrolled sleep. I am supposed to take it every 6 hours or as needed, I take it once a week. I would be on complete bed rest if I took it every 6 hours, lol."

• MVS...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 14, 2021

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I have been on it for a year now. I have Bipolar 2 and came off all meds about three years ago. I have treatment-resistant depression. I identified negative thoughts as a big trigger for bringing me down (I get suicidal ideation). I wanted something to use when my other techniques to stop the thoughts did not work. This drug works for me. It helps quiet my mind so I can sleep, and I sometimes use it in the day if I'm having a really hard time. Then I take an Adderall as well to help with the sleepy problem. I only use it as and when I need it, which is perfect for what I was looking for."

• she...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 18, 2015

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I experience severe social and generalized anxiety. I was given 25 mg of Atarax to take twice a day. I didn't feel it relieved my anxiety symptoms. It made me very sleepy. When I awoke in the morning, I felt very groggy, constant yawning, and didn't feel I could pay attention or properly function at my job or get housework/errands done. I personally do not find Atarax helpful for anxiety."

• Gum...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2023

For Anxiety "This is absolute garbage. Hydroxyzine SUCKS!!! I’ve been prescribed this crap in addition to Ativan so I won’t take the latter every day for my anxiety. I tried this yesterday evening and boy, I felt terrible! Insanely sluggish and sleepy, drooling, speaking gibberish, and dazed and confused, no personality, lost sense of time, extreme inner restlessness and hunger, can’t keep my eyes open even when I went for a walk down the street and was doing my laundry. I don't know what to do, I’ll just stop taking it, I guess, and have my psychiatrist prescribe something else. I hate Hydroxyzine!"

• Bro...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 19, 2016

For Allergies "I itch day and night. I tried lotion, it relieves a little, and I told my doctor that I've taken a lot of allergy pills and still itch. The doctor started me on 180 mg Vistaril, and itching is controlled, and so are my allergies. Even though I fall asleep, I take it twice a day, which I need to control all-over itching because sometimes it's so bad I scratch."

• Tre...
• December 4, 2009

For Allergic Urticaria "Hydroxyzine has been the magic bullet for my skin allergies. I've tried every over-the-counter option, as well as a couple of prescriptions. I was warned that hydroxyzine might make me more sleepy and wiped out than the other drugs, but for me, it has nearly no sedative effect. My hives, which used to appear over much of my body for several hours a day, stay away almost completely."

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

For Sedation "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."

• Anonymous
• February 29, 2012

For Anxiety "I have been taking hydroxyzine 25 mg for several years now, and it does make my panic attacks stop no matter how bad they are. However, they completely knock me for a loop. I was taken down to half a pill and then a quarter, but it still makes me so tired and out of it that I fall asleep or feel like I am in a total daze. I cannot drive or even leave the house after I have to take a pill. Just a warning to anyone who is taking these pills for the first time: make sure you do not have to go anywhere or do anything (including taking care of children) before you know how you are going to react to these pills."

• Dak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 24, 2022

For Anxiety "In my experience, this drug is basically useless. Feels exactly like Benadryl, which just makes you sleepy. I truly appreciate the U.S. government for creating a stigma and making it a chore for doctors to prescribe drugs like Xanax and Valium, which actually help with panic attacks and anxiety."

• deb...
• April 7, 2010

Hydroxyzine for Anxiety "I was prescribed Atarax for one specific reason. I am having an MRI done and am extremely claustrophobic. I was prescribed 50 mg pills. I was given 4 pills. I am to take 1 pill first to see how it affects me, and then I can decide if I need another one. I took one for the first time last night, and I became very sleepy. I am also on Tylenol 3 for pain. My eyes could barely stay open. However, once I closed my eyes, I was up every hour on the hour. Not sure if that is because of the anticipation of my MRI or what. I was very relaxed, however, and I do not suffer the anxiety attacks as bad as I did years ago, and my heart goes out to those who do. I will take the two pills at the MRI and give my review again then."

• Dia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2025

For Anxiety "I was prescribed hydroxyzine, twenty-five milligrams, three times a day, for my anxiety. After about a half hour of taking my first dose of one pill, I felt sleepy, so I laid down. I woke up ten hours later and felt so groggy, I'm still so tired I went back to sleep. I don't know about the anxiety, but there's no way I could take three a day and function. I couldn't even take one of these a day and function. To me, this is a sleeping pill, not an antihistamine or anxiety pill."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 17, 2019

For Sedation "I’m titrating off of Klonopin, a terrible drug, with awful side effects while on it and in getting off of it. My doctor has prescribed hydroxyzine 10mg for during the taper, which allows me to sleep soundly. I’m down on the Klonopin and plan to reduce it again this month. My only complaint is being tired and sleepy for the entire next day. It’s very difficult at the gym to complete my workouts. Just researched the half-life of it. It is at least 20 hours. I’m going to try taking it earlier at night. Hope this helps!"

• Saw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2020

For Anxiety "I was inpatient, and the doctor didn't want me to take Ativan for my anxiety episodes (the Ativan didn't even touch my anxiety anyway), and she had me on hydroxyzine PRN for the time I was there. I took it, but outside of making me sleepy, it barely did anything for my anxiety."

• sp1...
• March 18, 2017

For Anxiety "Vistaril usually takes about an hour to kick in. It's nice to take at the onset of anxiety. With that being said, I don't know if it actually calms my anxiety as much as just makes me sleepy. I will fall asleep within 2 hours of taking it. I avoid taking it now because I don't want to sleep all the time."

• MBr...
• April 5, 2017

For Anxiety "I was prescribed this for my anxiety, my doctor gave me the 50 mg. First of all, it takes way too long to kick in, at least 30-45 minutes. It also makes me sleepy, and when I wake up the next morning, it's so hard to get out of bed. I can barely keep my eyes open the whole next day and feel groggy all day. I would say it doesn't really help with anxiety at all, it's basically just a sleeping pill."

• Suf...
• December 3, 2016

For Anxiety "I had never had anxiety or panic attacks up until a year ago. It came out of nowhere, and I didn't know what was causing it. I think it was just overall life stressors in general. I was prescribed Vistaril after having panic attacks and anxiety. I had never taken anything for anxiety before this, so I wasn't sure what to expect. It helped slightly but didn't really take the anxiety away. Made me really sleepy and calmed me down in a sense, but I could still feel like I had the anxiousness in the back of my mind. My doctor prescribed me Zoloft instead, 50 mg, and it's worked amazing for me. I actually feel more like my normal self and rarely get anxiety anymore."

• uwj...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2023

For Anxiety "I needed an alternative to lorazepam for when my anxiety gets overboard or interferes with work. I really try to avoid taking it at all costs. I usually try everything else first: exercise, breathing, tea, water, acceptance, etc. Sometimes, though, the symptoms become so disruptive it can end up being between not functioning at work and taking half a pill. I take about 12 mg (half the smallest pill), and it is usually enough for me to focus and finish my workday. It has been a lifesaver, honestly. I wish I'd been prescribed it sooner. Taking more than 12 mg would just make me too sleepy."

• Kit...
• October 3, 2019

Hydroxyzine for Allergic Urticaria "I have been taking Atarax for the last 3 years, but it really makes me feel I have a lower level of consciousness. I feel extremely sleepy, I feel as if I am high, not entirely in my senses. I do my work, but I don't feel anything. I can sleep throughout the day after taking this medicine, although I don't sleep much. Today, I also took this medicine after lunch as I developed hives due to cold urticaria (AC in the office), and I feel as if I am stoned. People in my office are thinking that I am sleeping for the last two hours since they are not aware of my situation."