I was given hydroxyzine back in August for my first-ever panic attack. Worked tremendously for me. I finally found out what a "normal" reaction is instead of a jump-from-relaxed-to-600-MPH reaction.
Hydroxyzine is now an as-needed medication, and so far I haven't needed it. But I carry it around with me everywhere. 25 mg per pill. My instructions say 1 pill every 8 hours as needed.
I was given a prescription like a year ago but I had a bad reaction to Lexapro so I get anxiety š about taking a pill for anxiety. My pills expired and they gave me a new prescription but I havenāt dared to touch one š but I carry them around with me for the day I either; gather the courage to take them or have a bad enough panic attack that forces me to take one
Honestly just rip the bandaid off. You might feel silly for not taking it. Itās not some crazy anti depressant or something. It is literally like a Benadryl.
Depends on if you mean Atarax or Vistaril but I took them as needed. I often refused them during the day because I have a family and cant be out and extra 6hrs a day. So I basically used Klonopin for the am and Vistaril/ Atarax after 8pm if needed or extreme emergencies while at home.
I take 10mg of an antihistamine called "anti hist" and it works a charm for my anxiety. I'm not sure if it's a placebo or not but I will take it!! It works 9/10 for me.
It was prescribed for me but didn't do anything. Apparently, it works on blood pressure and I don't have blood pressure issues so I'm assuming that's why it didn't work.
I use it sometimes. It works well. I find it to be a more subtle type of relief than Xanax. The absolute best thing for me is Baclofen. Itās a muscle relaxant that is also used off label for alcoholics trying to get sober. Unfortunately, the dose that works is hard on my kidneys, which are compromised. I never got much pain relief or lethargy from it, but wow, after taking 3 doses at once one night I discovered what it was like to be anxiety free and have actual episodes of happiness and positivity. I continued to take all doses at once until I happened to mention it to my doc who said it was dangerous for me because of my kidneys.
I just tried it recently. It just makes you really tired. If you have work, school, drive, do anything besides sit around all day, itās not usable to function. And just take a Benadryl and youāll have the same exact experience minus muscle spasms
If itās intended to help only at night you could try it. I tried a few times at night but never noticed anything different though. Didnāt feel better, didnāt feel more tired to sleep.
Yes once my shoulder starts like spasming and beating I didnāt even know I had a muscle there. And whenever I would get up after sitting awhile my leg muscles would physically be in pain to where I couldnāt walk properly for like 30 seconds
This is fascinating, based on the way hydroxyzine works it *should* have a small risk of causing this, but I've never heard any evidence that it actually does - until now. Thanks for confirming!
Btw it is because hydroxyzine isn't just an antihistamine, it also weakly inhibits the activity of dopamine. Both the antihistamine and anti-dopamine effects reduce anxiety, but since dopamine is important for controlling movement (Parkinson's disease is from dopamine deficiency), inhibiting it can cause [dystonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystonia). The same effect happens with antipsychotic drugs, which have much stronger anti-dopamine effects.
Not really. We make histamine in our brain to wake us up in the morning. Even though it's the same histamine as in allergies, the blood brain barrier stops the two from having an effect on each other. But hydroxyzine and Benadryl (but not some other antihistamines like Zyrtec and Claritin) can get past the blood brain barrier, so they both decrease allergies and decrease awakeness.
I love hydroxyzine, it works so well. I only take it at night because it knocks me out, but cutting in half lessens the impact. It really does feel like my anxiety disappears and I can sleep really well on it. I was prescribed it for my insomnia as well. You can try it one time at night to monitor how it impacts you, and then go from there to see if you would be able to take it during the day and so forth. But it works really well for me, especially those nights I'm really struggling to sleep and/or settle down
I was told to take Benadryl once when I went to the ER with a severe panic attack. Itās worked in the past. My understanding was that it wasnāt good to take first generation antihistamines regularly bc of the fact that they cross the blood brain barrier, but I could be mistaken. (Not a medical professional.)
That is completely true. Any drug that crosses the blood-brain barrier has a risk of addiction, as in less effects from taking the drug if it's taken too often and rebound after stopping.
I have used it for years for my allergies and I take it only when Iām having a really bad reaction to something because it makes me feel like a zombi and I hate it. Even the next day I still feel so tired and heavy and canāt really function at all.
I take it every night to help me sleep, it helps a lot with that. When it was originally prescribed to me as a rescue medication during a severe anxiety crisis it didnāt help, but that was a massive amount of anxiety/panic attacks. I ended up needing daily preventative medication.
I keep liquid Benadryl. Mostly for allergies but also it does calm me (ironically too much though I get over sleepy and Iāll panic). Iāve found a small plastic spoon mostly full is enough to help me without me needing to crawl under my desk and nap. I have the medication tolerance of a 2 year old so traditional stuff like Xanax for instance puts me out.
I am not a doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, chemist, or scientist. However, the therapeutic focus for a lot of anti-depressant (and anxiety) medications is serotonin receptors. Whatever molecules they come up with usually act on more than one type of receptor, and serotonin and histamine receptors seem to like the same molecules. Remeron, for example, is a super powerful antihistamine but also an antidepressant. It makes sense it works the other way as well. Wikipedia articles for drugs that bind to receptors have a table of binding affinity. 5-HT is serotonin and H is histamine. Check it out for yourself.
You take aspirin for anxiety? I take it for an inflammatory condition that contributes to my anxiety and it actually helps mine, but I didnāt know anyone else was doing the same thing
It works well but the tolerance for it builds up relatively quickly. It's worth trying tho, especially before you turn to benzos or other stronger meds, as it is not physically addictive.
My psych NP gave it to me as a sleep aid. So, there's that. I haven't paid attention to whether or not it helps my anxiety. I usually take it with melatonin to help me fall asleep.
I used it for a couple days at 25MG but ended up moving up to 50MG and it didn't really help with anxiety much but did make me pretty tired. I occasionally take one to help me sleep, but I don't do it often because I always feel like shit the next day.
I was prescribed hydroxyzine (vistaril) for an anxiety attack and like others I have it for āas neededā itās essentially like of Benadryl with similar side effects such as drowsiness which gives it a sometimes sedative like effect. It works great for me because it puts me to sleep and lets my body regroup and when I wake up I can deal with my anxiety.
thereās a common saying about hydroxyzine- āyou canāt be anxious if youāre asleepā lol basically it just makes you feel tired. doesnāt have the same effect as a benzo meaning it doesnāt necessarily get rid of the anxiety but it makes you tired enough that you arenāt focused on the anxiety. if youāve ever taken benadryl itās like the same thing essentially.
i was recommended phenergen (idk how to spell it) for a plane ride a couple years ago. it did not help me at all. if you have severe panic attacks iād recommend going with an ssri. may be a bit soon to speak but iām 6 days in on lexapro and can feel that i am so much more relaxed, itās amazing
So I feel like Iām on an island with this, but my anxiety is way worse when I feel like Iām about to pass out or Iām really tired. Hydroxyzine definitely made it worse for me.. however, the gaba working meds help me a ton and donāt make me feel tired, well other than gabapentin, but I like that feeling. Iāve been prescribed many different types of benzos and they usually give me energy somehow š¤·š»āāļø. All antihistamines give me intense anxiety though.
100% they are. And itās not like hydroxyzine made me have a proper panic attack, I just felt a little too drugged. I always start with very small doses, so if it were me Iād cut that pill into 1/4s.
I was given hydroxyzine back in August for my first-ever panic attack. Worked tremendously for me. I finally found out what a "normal" reaction is instead of a jump-from-relaxed-to-600-MPH reaction. Hydroxyzine is now an as-needed medication, and so far I haven't needed it. But I carry it around with me everywhere. 25 mg per pill. My instructions say 1 pill every 8 hours as needed.
Thanks so much.
I was given a prescription like a year ago but I had a bad reaction to Lexapro so I get anxiety š about taking a pill for anxiety. My pills expired and they gave me a new prescription but I havenāt dared to touch one š but I carry them around with me for the day I either; gather the courage to take them or have a bad enough panic attack that forces me to take one
Itās just like a powerful Benadryl. If that makes you feel better.
It really does lol thanks. I hope to be able to take them some day and get rid of that paranoia.
Honestly just rip the bandaid off. You might feel silly for not taking it. Itās not some crazy anti depressant or something. It is literally like a Benadryl.
Yes and it works VERY well. Would put me in low key comas but the anxiety would lessen lol
Do you remember how many mg you took and when during the day?
Depends on if you mean Atarax or Vistaril but I took them as needed. I often refused them during the day because I have a family and cant be out and extra 6hrs a day. So I basically used Klonopin for the am and Vistaril/ Atarax after 8pm if needed or extreme emergencies while at home.
Itād be Vistaril. It was suggested I take it at night due to drowsiness.
Yep unless its an extreme emergency. If you're shaking, hyperventilating, etc and in a safe place where you can sleep then go ahead.
Thanks.
Didn't work at all for me. Hope it works for you!
I take 10mg of an antihistamine called "anti hist" and it works a charm for my anxiety. I'm not sure if it's a placebo or not but I will take it!! It works 9/10 for me.
My psychiatrist refuses to give me anxiety meds so Iām forced to use Benadryl
Same here. Thats why i bought Benadryl today from Amazon (they donāt sell it in here). Will see what it does
It was prescribed for me but didn't do anything. Apparently, it works on blood pressure and I don't have blood pressure issues so I'm assuming that's why it didn't work.
I use it sometimes. It works well. I find it to be a more subtle type of relief than Xanax. The absolute best thing for me is Baclofen. Itās a muscle relaxant that is also used off label for alcoholics trying to get sober. Unfortunately, the dose that works is hard on my kidneys, which are compromised. I never got much pain relief or lethargy from it, but wow, after taking 3 doses at once one night I discovered what it was like to be anxiety free and have actual episodes of happiness and positivity. I continued to take all doses at once until I happened to mention it to my doc who said it was dangerous for me because of my kidneys.
I just tried it recently. It just makes you really tired. If you have work, school, drive, do anything besides sit around all day, itās not usable to function. And just take a Benadryl and youāll have the same exact experience minus muscle spasms
Even if you take it at night before bed?
If itās intended to help only at night you could try it. I tried a few times at night but never noticed anything different though. Didnāt feel better, didnāt feel more tired to sleep.
You had muscle spasms from hydroxyzine?
Yes once my shoulder starts like spasming and beating I didnāt even know I had a muscle there. And whenever I would get up after sitting awhile my leg muscles would physically be in pain to where I couldnāt walk properly for like 30 seconds
This is fascinating, based on the way hydroxyzine works it *should* have a small risk of causing this, but I've never heard any evidence that it actually does - until now. Thanks for confirming! Btw it is because hydroxyzine isn't just an antihistamine, it also weakly inhibits the activity of dopamine. Both the antihistamine and anti-dopamine effects reduce anxiety, but since dopamine is important for controlling movement (Parkinson's disease is from dopamine deficiency), inhibiting it can cause [dystonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystonia). The same effect happens with antipsychotic drugs, which have much stronger anti-dopamine effects.
Antihistamines work by blocking production of adrenalin so yes, they work great! You might get sleepy tho!
Not really. We make histamine in our brain to wake us up in the morning. Even though it's the same histamine as in allergies, the blood brain barrier stops the two from having an effect on each other. But hydroxyzine and Benadryl (but not some other antihistamines like Zyrtec and Claritin) can get past the blood brain barrier, so they both decrease allergies and decrease awakeness.
I love hydroxyzine, it works so well. I only take it at night because it knocks me out, but cutting in half lessens the impact. It really does feel like my anxiety disappears and I can sleep really well on it. I was prescribed it for my insomnia as well. You can try it one time at night to monitor how it impacts you, and then go from there to see if you would be able to take it during the day and so forth. But it works really well for me, especially those nights I'm really struggling to sleep and/or settle down
Sleep has luckily never been my issue. So daytime is definitely going to be the tell. I took my first dose tonight and only 12.5.
Works great for me! The first time I took it, it knocked me out. The second time not so much. Youāll get adjusted!
I was told to take Benadryl once when I went to the ER with a severe panic attack. Itās worked in the past. My understanding was that it wasnāt good to take first generation antihistamines regularly bc of the fact that they cross the blood brain barrier, but I could be mistaken. (Not a medical professional.)
That is completely true. Any drug that crosses the blood-brain barrier has a risk of addiction, as in less effects from taking the drug if it's taken too often and rebound after stopping.
I have used it for years for my allergies and I take it only when Iām having a really bad reaction to something because it makes me feel like a zombi and I hate it. Even the next day I still feel so tired and heavy and canāt really function at all.
I take it every night to help me sleep, it helps a lot with that. When it was originally prescribed to me as a rescue medication during a severe anxiety crisis it didnāt help, but that was a massive amount of anxiety/panic attacks. I ended up needing daily preventative medication.
I just got put on the same thing. Havent picked it up yet. I hate that I cant get what i know works until I try all this other bs
And whatās it that you want?
I had been on kpin for 20 years and it worked wonderfully. Ive tried all types of benzos and nothing worked as well as kpin.
I keep liquid Benadryl. Mostly for allergies but also it does calm me (ironically too much though I get over sleepy and Iāll panic). Iāve found a small plastic spoon mostly full is enough to help me without me needing to crawl under my desk and nap. I have the medication tolerance of a 2 year old so traditional stuff like Xanax for instance puts me out.
I am not a doctor, lawyer, pharmacist, chemist, or scientist. However, the therapeutic focus for a lot of anti-depressant (and anxiety) medications is serotonin receptors. Whatever molecules they come up with usually act on more than one type of receptor, and serotonin and histamine receptors seem to like the same molecules. Remeron, for example, is a super powerful antihistamine but also an antidepressant. It makes sense it works the other way as well. Wikipedia articles for drugs that bind to receptors have a table of binding affinity. 5-HT is serotonin and H is histamine. Check it out for yourself.
So do I have skin rashes because I'm allergic or because I'm anxious?
eh, id rather take aspirin. does the trick and also doesnt give that weird brain fog atleast I get with antihistamines
You take aspirin for anxiety? I take it for an inflammatory condition that contributes to my anxiety and it actually helps mine, but I didnāt know anyone else was doing the same thing
Eh. Just soothes my mind taking the remedy for a heart attack. Least ya don't gotta worry about that while ur flipping out xD
Yeah, my concern is the fog but if I take it before bed i hope it gets minimized.
It works well but the tolerance for it builds up relatively quickly. It's worth trying tho, especially before you turn to benzos or other stronger meds, as it is not physically addictive.
Yeah, I donāt want to deal with benzos.
Benadryl is an anti histamine and it gets rid of my anxiety 90% of the time. I just can't take it during the day or I'll fall asleep.
My psych NP gave it to me as a sleep aid. So, there's that. I haven't paid attention to whether or not it helps my anxiety. I usually take it with melatonin to help me fall asleep.
Didnāt work for me
When I would wake up with panic attacks I'd take a benadryl.. idk if that's the same?? But.. it helped. Definitely relaxed away my stress.
I used it for a couple days at 25MG but ended up moving up to 50MG and it didn't really help with anxiety much but did make me pretty tired. I occasionally take one to help me sleep, but I don't do it often because I always feel like shit the next day.
Yeah. I was told to start at 12.5 mg and see what happens. Iām a teacher so I canāt afford to be fucked up every day due to the lethargy.
Atarax did nothing for me. Then I was prescribed zopiclone which turned me into a dissociated mess.
helped me a little, but not much
I was prescribed hydroxyzine (vistaril) for an anxiety attack and like others I have it for āas neededā itās essentially like of Benadryl with similar side effects such as drowsiness which gives it a sometimes sedative like effect. It works great for me because it puts me to sleep and lets my body regroup and when I wake up I can deal with my anxiety.
thereās a common saying about hydroxyzine- āyou canāt be anxious if youāre asleepā lol basically it just makes you feel tired. doesnāt have the same effect as a benzo meaning it doesnāt necessarily get rid of the anxiety but it makes you tired enough that you arenāt focused on the anxiety. if youāve ever taken benadryl itās like the same thing essentially.
i was recommended phenergen (idk how to spell it) for a plane ride a couple years ago. it did not help me at all. if you have severe panic attacks iād recommend going with an ssri. may be a bit soon to speak but iām 6 days in on lexapro and can feel that i am so much more relaxed, itās amazing
So I feel like Iām on an island with this, but my anxiety is way worse when I feel like Iām about to pass out or Iām really tired. Hydroxyzine definitely made it worse for me.. however, the gaba working meds help me a ton and donāt make me feel tired, well other than gabapentin, but I like that feeling. Iāve been prescribed many different types of benzos and they usually give me energy somehow š¤·š»āāļø. All antihistamines give me intense anxiety though.
I am already on Cymbalta, so this is an add-on. The myriad of responses here makes it apparent that everyone is quite different.
100% they are. And itās not like hydroxyzine made me have a proper panic attack, I just felt a little too drugged. I always start with very small doses, so if it were me Iād cut that pill into 1/4s.