Hydroxyzine for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 5)

• bre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2016

Hydroxyzine "This stuff is like an OTC version of Benadryl (it's an antihistamine). It has been helping me wean off of the Klonopin I've been taking to help me sleep for the last 2 years. This stuff takes almost an hour to kick in, but when it does, it almost always kills my anxiety at times when benzos didn't. If you're gonna take it for sleep, take it at least an hour before you plan on going to bed and make sure you have 8 to 9 hours to sleep because it will knock you out. Grogginess is its biggest negative, along with tolerance building up fast, so I try to take every other day if I can, though it's non-addictive and safe to take regularly at least far safer than a benzo."

• Zoz...
• October 18, 2019

"I take 25 mg hydroxyzine once a day for anxiety, and it helped me a lot! I do not have anything bad to say about this medication. I've been dealing with my mom's death, and this medication has helped me out a lot!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2013

Hydroxyzine "I have used Xanax for the past 15 years for severe anxiety and panic attacks...recently my doctor wanted me to try Vistaril instead. It does NOTHING for my symptoms...going to go back to what I know works!"

• don...
• February 9, 2015

Hydroxyzine "I was on Cymbalta 90mg and had to stop cold turkey... thank goodness for my Atarax. I am having severe withdrawals and I take 50mg up to 4 times a day. I also use this for my anxiety. I was addicted to Klonopin so I am thankful for this non-addictive Atarax."

• Ica...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 17, 2016

Hydroxyzine "I used to take this medication for panic attacks, and it worked absolute wonders. It took about 30 minutes to kick in but really calmed me down and it wasn't at all addictive. I later found out I have severe hereditary liver problems and it has a bad interaction with what I have to take to keep my liver in check, so I can no longer take it. With the medicines combined I just felt foggy and had to sleep for at least 15 hours if I had to take a Vistaril, I couldn't keep my eyes open and function until I'd slept it off. I'm now trying out Xanax, and I don't really like it, Vistaril kept me calm longer and was just amazing when I needed it. With Xanax the half-life is just terrible and I end up with a worse panic attack than I began with."

• The...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 19, 2017

Hydroxyzine "I deal with extreme anxiety in a lot of different scenarios, likely arising out of autism. I'm on about 75 mg a day, and I cannot say I have side effects, other than waking up with a pounding heart for a few hours if I drink too heavily. I have had such good effects from the drug to the point where I can actually see major differences in how I interact with people and events and almost see a difference in my personality (for the better) over the past several years. I have recommended Vistaril to several people."

• sol...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 27, 2015

Hydroxyzine "For anyone taking this medication, do not take it with any kind of antidepressants or mood medication like Celexa, Zoloft, Tegretol, Xanax, or Abilify. Definitely do not take it with Ambien. It works wonders by itself. I've been on it since 2005, it helps with the anxiety symptoms I get from my PTSD. Anytime I feel disoriented or way too anxious where I'm throwing up, it usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes to work. But it's better than the feeling of thinking that you are having a heart attack, because it's just panic. Panic attacks can be managed many ways, I use breathing techniques (child breathing will not work, lol), meditation, and medication. This is how I deal with that small aspect of my PTSD psychosis."

• Det...
• August 10, 2019

Hydroxyzine "I’ve been taking Atarax for anxiety after my doctor took me off Klonopin. It is a hard battle I have with myself now, I am getting more panic attacks now, but not as strong because of Atarax. It’s still hard, especially when my panic attacks come at night now."

• CTS...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 19, 2024

"I began using hydroxyzine years ago as a fast-acting anxiety medication PRN prescribed by my doctor. It works wonders for out-of-nowhere anxiety attacks, but I've just found a new use for it. Recently, I was in the ER for a terrible migraine and got the usual migraine 'cocktail' of Benadryl and Toradol. The next morning, I watched a video about how migraines work, and it went on to talk about how serotonin attaches to 1B, 1D, and 1F receptors on the trigeminal nerve to block the production of CGRPs. Less CGRPs = less pain. I never knew that serotonin had a play in migraine attacks (maybe because I don't produce enough serotonin as is), but it gave me the idea to try hydroxyzine the next time I had a migraine. A few days later, another one hit, so I decided to test it. I took 25 mg of hydroxyzine and jumped into a hot shower to facilitate vasodilation. Within 20 minutes, I was pain-free without the use of pain medication. It was quick and effective."

• ros...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2019

"I have been on this for 6 months now, and I take two 25 mg capsules twice daily-once upon awakening and one before bedtime. I read others' reviews, and I can't relate. It doesn't make me sleepy, I've had no adverse effects. I don't feel any different outside of not being so 'paranoid' and just more like my normal self. Frankly, it's a Godsend."

• CMa...
• November 23, 2019

Hydroxyzine "My doctor prescribed this medication as needed for anxiety a few days ago. She told me to take 25 to 50 mg a day, as needed. I took 25 mg, and it was horrible. I had chest tightness, felt like I couldn't breathe. Chest pain, the pain was shooting through to my back. I thought about going to the ER. I still had anxiety yesterday, took the Vistaril the day before. Still dealing with anxiety today. I don't think I'll ever take it again. The anxiety I had before wasn't this bad. Just to let everyone know, I don't take benzos for anxiety. One of the reviews for this medication made a comment about people taking benzos, it said that's why people don't like Vistaril, because they would rather have benzos. That is not the case. This medication doesn't work well for some people. I have better results using my DARE app and meditation."

• Anonymous
• July 11, 2019

Hydroxyzine "This is really not a drug for people with serious, long-term issues with anxiety. But it's also the lowest-risk prescription a doctor can write, so expect to get this as a first-line treatment in lieu of any personalized care. I have taken Vistaril on and off for nearly 10 years, and while it does help in some specific circumstances, it's just not a particularly effective drug. It basically produces a mild sedative effect that can take some of the edge off of background anxiety. If you take it on a daily basis, expect the benefits to fade somewhat. Increasing the dosage just makes you more drowsy and the side effects worse. If you can identify in advance circumstances that make your anxiety worse, taking a Vistaril before that can help alleviate things a bit. This drug will not stop or even really affect an imminent anxiety or panic attack, and even at its most effective, it won't help with many of the side effects of anxiety (rapid heartbeat, trembling, numbness, etc.)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2024

"So about 3 years ago, my doctor prescribed me to use Hydroxyzine for my panic attacks. All of these comments made me so nervous that I decided to not try it. Now, I have been taking it since January 2024 along with Lexapro. Boy, do I regret waiting for so long to try this. I know it’s different for many people. But, this has really been life-saving for me! I get the full effect of it within an hour. Yes, it makes you sleepy, but I'd rather be sleepy than have a panic attack out in public. I am on 25mg and I can take it up to 3 times a day if needed. Please, don’t let the negative comments scare you. Just try it out for yourself, and if you don’t like it, there are plenty more medications out there that will help you."

• Jac...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 2, 2021

"I took hydroxyzine HCl 10 mg for nighttime anxiety and insomnia for 5 years. I will say it helped me through some hard years, but came with costs. My brain is not as healthy as before, and my memory and sleep patterns are forever changed. I developed ADD-type symptoms over the 5 years. Knowing it's an antihistamine, it probably shouldn't be used as an anxiety medicine, but it has anxiolytic effects and is a mild serotonin antagonist, which boosts mood. These benefits shouldn't outweigh the costs of using an anticholinergic drug long-term, which can cause serious side effects, but providers freely prescribe it out instead of benzos all the time, due to high risks of addiction for benzos (hydrox isn't addicting for most people). Overall, I wish I had not taken it and had other options like I do now. It helped and ruined my life over the 5-year span."

• Bre...
• May 8, 2014

Hydroxyzine "My experience with it. The medicine works great for itch relief (pruritus) and anxiety. I have Graves' Disease, this was to treat anxiety temporarily after a thyroid storm. The problem I had with it was it made me too drowsy to function normally. I stayed tired and experienced grumpiness and lack of patience. I've taken Xanax and Elavil before and definitely was able to work and socialize normally, unlike with this medicine. There is no way I can take it every four to six hours and function throughout the day. I've never been one to tolerate antihistamines very well, I get the shakes, etc., and experienced the same with Vistaril. All that aside, at night, it did help me sleep and ease the anxiety as it's supposed to."

• Ela...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 28, 2025

"This drug has been a lifesaver! When I entered menopause and started hot flashes, they would come with extreme anxiety. I had never experienced anxiety before. At work, I couldn't function when they would come on. At first, my doc wanted to prescribe an antidepressant. I was NOT depressed whatsoever, and the side effects I read about led to a big NO THANKS from me. Next, she suggested this. Well, just 8 to 10 mg has been a miracle drug for me. It works fast; in about 10 min. Anxiety gone! I can think clearly and get things done without being frozen and anxious. It stopped the severity of my hot flashes as well. And as for sleepless nights; they are gone. I get the best sleep, with dreams, which means I'm going into deep sleep stages, unlike with other drugs for sleep that never worked for me. This is a miracle drug; safe, non-addictive, and it works like magic. It changed my life for the better!"

• Ama...
• October 18, 2015

"Next to medical marijuana, hydroxyzine is the only thing that has ever helped me get through all of the withdrawal from the slew of psych meds I've been trying for my bipolar disorder. I'm so grateful for it. And in my opinion and experience, it is definitely as effective as Xanax and Klonopin!"

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

"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."

• Dia...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 5, 2023

Hydroxyzine "Made me very depressed, and I only took 25 mg. I also take Klonopin, and these two meds do not belong together. I think that the doctor who gave me these needs to retire. I just had an awful spaced-out feeling and was very depressed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 19, 2012

Hydroxyzine "Developed a flaky skin rash and went to see my OBGYN about it. It became a vicious circle: scratch, then it would flake, which made me scratch even more, etc. He took several samples and said it was not a rash but dermatitis caused by anxiety. So, he prescribed Atarax and told me to take half a pill each day for a month. I didn't even realize I was suffering from anxiety until he mentioned it. So, I have been taking it when I feel anxious (about halfway through my menstrual cycle) and it has helped. No side effects so far and I feel better, like taking the edge off and calming me down."

• Scu...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 24, 2016

"I decided to try this medication for anxiety after reading several studies indicating that hydroxyzine is roughly equal to benzodiazepines for anxiety relief. I must say, I have been quite impressed by this medicine. It's just as strong as Xanax for me, but it doesn't make me forgetful. My quality of life has improved quite a bit since I started this medicine."

• Ano...
• August 21, 2010

Hydroxyzine "I do feel like this medicine calms me, without any side effects whatsoever. Not for someone looking for a mood change like with benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin). I love that it doesn't make me tired or loopy feeling. That said, my anxiety is not as bad as some people have it, so maybe this is not strong enough for others. No withdrawal or addictive qualities make it definitely worth trying before going to something stronger, though."

• mir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2016

"I just took this for the first time about 2 hours ago. I read a lot of the reviews on this site before starting to take it and saw a lot of negative posts on the pill and on its effects. Going into it, I didn't expect it to 'cure' or completely 'rid' me of anxiety like I feel a lot of other reviewers on here did, which led to their negative takes on it. I more so just wanted to see how I would respond. I found that it took about an hour (maybe a little less) to kick in. I also found that it calmed me down quite a lot. I only took a 25 mg capsule. I've seen a lot of reviewers saying that it 'sedated' them. I didn't feel deadly tired, just nice and calm. First time all day not feeling anxiety. So I give this one a thumbs up."

• Jay...
• May 13, 2011

Hydroxyzine "I'm on SSD because of severe Social Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder II with panic, and OCD. I've run the gamut with benzos and frankly, am better off without them. They're too addicting. Vistaril is a nice alternative. It's milder and is about 75% as effective as, say, Klonopin or Ativan. It works for me."

• Ell...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 11, 2016

Hydroxyzine "Really good!!!!! I like Atarax. Because: not addictive, makes me calm (and sleepy), calms anger, restlessness, and anxiety altogether. I am also on Cymbalta, and without Cymbalta, the Atarax would probably be less effective. Atarax is my go-to when I'm anxious, and I love it:)"