Comparing Hydroxyzine vs Lexapro

For Anxiety I have had severe Panic Disorder and Anxiety since I was 18. I am now many years older and still have a lot of problems with it. I was prescribed Hydroxyzine and paxil recently. I take 25 mg twice a day as needed and overall, I would say they do cut the edge off and allow me to escape the fight or flight feeling of complete panic. The tired laggy drained feeling is a definite negative although I will take that over a trip to the ER anyday. Utimately I think other medications are far superior in truly calming the symptoms of Anxiety, actually calming the mind as well as the body. Hydroxyzine usually seems to just make you sleepy and kind of sleep the fear away, whereas other medications like Benzo's calm you completely, without the lag.

For Anxiety It definitely helps my anxiety. That being said its not a med I brag about to my friends. I was having an anxiety attack tonight. I took one 25 mg hydroxizine. It definitely made me feel better. I kinda wish I had something stronger. Like I said it takes the edge off. Also to note early mornings sometimes you have to push to get out of bed. Med seems to linger into wake up time. Also at times can feel like its hard to think. I've only taken it for like a week.

For Anxiety After months of cbt with my psychologist for severe anxiety and panic disorder i decided to seek help from a psychiatrist. I was perscribed 5mg then 10mg of lexapro to start and it gradually incresed to 20mg. In the first few days i had never felt worse. More frequant and severe panic attacks and my general anxiety went through the roof and i had the most extreme feeling of hopelessness. I was a mess and calling my drs telling them i needed to stop taking it. They reassured me these side affects would go away within weeks, and they did. I continued with the cbt, mindfullness, lifestyle changes and stayed on the lexapro and within months i felt i was back to my normal self. Post like these kept me going. Hang in there, you're not alone!

For Anxiety I am 23 and have had extreme anxiety/panic since around 20. I am super sensitive to meds/ side effects. I have tried so many AD and none have worked. Recently I have tried Remeron but had to switch due to drowsiness- I have hypersomnia. Lexapro by far has taken away my worrying mind more than anything which is amazing. The first month was pretty horrid besides that though. Constant nausea, yawning, worsened anxiety at first, headaches. I still have some nausea and now I have noticed extreme drowsiness again. I really love how it helps my anxiety, but (like always) the side effects really bother me. Try it out, get thru the 1st month. If you don't have bad side effects its the best anxiety med I have ever had. Good luck!