Anyone have experience with Vistaril (hydroxyzine)

[superchick22684]

I had a doc appt today to see how I was doing a month after adding Buspar to my medication regimen. I currently take 60mg of Cymbalta (once a day) and 10 mg of Buspar (three times a day). I've seen improvement in my depression, anxiety and decrease in the frequency of panic attacks. However my doctor brought up the idea of prescribing me Vistaril (hydroxyzine) to be taken on an as needed basis for those times when anxiety unexpectedly hits.
I was wondering if anyone on the forum currently/used to take Vistaril and the benefits or any side effects you experienced? I already searched the forum for old posts but wanted to see if anyone currently on the boards had experiences to share. I told my doctor that I would think about it mainly because I heard that Vistaril can cause drowsiness/sleepiness. I already experience some drowsiness from the Buspar.

Thank you in advance.

[Kixxi]

I had a doc appt today to see how I was doing a month after adding Buspar to my medication regimen. I currently take 60mg of Cymbalta (once a day) and 10 mg of Buspar (three times a day). I've seen improvement in my depression, anxiety and decrease in the frequency of panic attacks. However my doctor brought up the idea of prescribing me Vistaril (hydroxyzine) to be taken on an as needed basis for those times when anxiety unexpectedly hits.
I was wondering if anyone on the forum currently/used to take Vistaril and the benefits or any side effects you experienced? I already searched the forum for old posts but wanted to see if anyone currently on the boards had experiences to share. I told my doctor that I would think about it mainly because I heard that Vistaril can cause drowsiness/sleepiness. I already experience some drowsiness from the Buspar.

Thank you in advance.

I have no experience with this medication specifically, but given the fact that it is anxiety reducing I would assume that it causes the general side effects of common SSRI's, such as drowsiness. However, since you are already familiar with anxiety reducing meds, I don't think you will have much problems. You can always try it for while and see if it suits you or not. The doctor cannot force you to keep taking it after all.

[Two One]

Hydroxyzine is about as effective as a placebo in my experience. The first psychiatrist I saw for my anxiety prescribed 10mg of Lexapro and 25-50mg of hydroxyzine. My first day on the Lexapro gave me the worst panic attack of my life, I took the hydroxyzine to bring me down from that, it just knocked me out. It did nothing but make me drowsy. It didn't relax me at all, but if it does provide anxiety relief for you, it is highly likely that you will build a tolerance to it very quickly.

[Kixxi]

I had a doc appt today to see how I was doing a month after adding Buspar to my medication regimen. I currently take 60mg of Cymbalta (once a day) and 10 mg of Buspar (three times a day). I've seen improvement in my depression, anxiety and decrease in the frequency of panic attacks. However my doctor brought up the idea of prescribing me Vistaril (hydroxyzine) to be taken on an as needed basis for those times when anxiety unexpectedly hits.
I was wondering if anyone on the forum currently/used to take Vistaril and the benefits or any side effects you experienced? I already searched the forum for old posts but wanted to see if anyone currently on the boards had experiences to share. I told my doctor that I would think about it mainly because I heard that Vistaril can cause drowsiness/sleepiness. I already experience some drowsiness from the Buspar.

Thank you in advance.

I also did a little digging for you and this is what I found (copy and past jobby)

Not all side effects for hydroxyzine may be reported. You should always consult a doctor or healthcare professional for medical advice. Side effects can be reported to the FDA here.

For the Consumer

Applies to hydroxyzine: oral capsules, oral suspension or solution, parenteral injection

Side effects include:

Drowsiness, dry mouth.

For Healthcare Professionals

Applies to hydroxyzine: compounding powder, intramuscular solution, oral capsule, oral suspension, oral syrup, oral tablet

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects have included moderate to slight drowsiness. This effect is usually transitory and may disappear with continued therapy or upon discontinuation of the agent. Headache, fatigue, depression, insomnia, sedation, and nervousness have also been reported with hydroxyzine. With higher than recommended doses of hydroxyzine, involuntary motor activity such as tremor and convulsions have been reported in rare instances.[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects have included dry mouth (most common side effect), nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and increases in weight and appetite.[Ref]

Respiratory

Respiratory side effects have included the thickening of bronchial secretions. Rare occurrences of pharyngitis, bronchospasm, and epistaxis have also been reported.[Ref]

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects have included palpitations, hypotension, and edema.[Ref]

Dermatologic

Dermatologic side effects have included angioedema, photosensitivity, and rash.[Ref]

Genitourinary

Genitourinary side effects have included rare cases of urinary retention and prolonged penile erections.[Ref]

[superchick22684]

Kixxi,
Thanks for digging for some information for me. I'm taking my time on making a decision on the hydroxyzine because right now the combination of Cymbalta and Buspirone is helping enough with my anxiety that I don't feel like I need anything additional. Most of the people that I've talked to have stated that the hydroxyzine made them really drowsy sometimes to the point of not being able to function without sleeping it off. I've already experienced some drowsiness with the medication I'm on so I'm not really looking to add anything else that can cause drowsiness. I'm also using yoga, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation to help relieve the anxiety not taken care of by my meds.

[superchick22684]

Alright so I'm bringing my thread back from the dead (or at least the archives lol). I went to my doctor again a little over a week ago and he brought up trying out Vistaril (again). This time we decided that I would at least give it a try because my anxiety isn't as controlled as I would like it to be. I was feeling a little anxious on Friday night so I decided to take one of the Vistarils and it completely knocked me out. I ended up sleeping 10.5 hours that night (more than I need really).

I was slightly-moderately drowsy for most of Saturday and didn't really feel completely aware again until Sunday morning. Besides the drowsiness and sleeping a ton on Friday night I actually did feel more relaxed and as a bonus it did help the allergy symptoms that I've been experiencing. What I'm wondering is will my body be less drowsy the more it acclimates to the medication? My doctor prescribed 25 mgs to be taken every 6 hours as needed for my anxiety. Given the effect that it had the first time around I don't think it will be necessary to take it that often....

[Fear2]

I am tapering a benzo and I currently take 10mg Propranolol every morning for palpitations (works) and at night I take 25mg Hydroxyzine (in a tab form) I usually break it in half and take one half mid to late evening and the other half before I go to sleep, I have taken it a few times during the day when anxiety has been severe and if so, I will take 25mg without breaking it in half and that can actually take the edge off, only if I take a whole tab do I feel any real sedating effect but when anxiety is that high, this sedated effect is quite welcome... it is a mild drug as far as I can tell, I do get a pretty bad case of dry mouth with it though so sip water all the time, it is good to stay hydrated anyway.

[Fear2]

I will add, this is not a medication to fear, it is just an anti-histamine, it's safe and has been around for decades now. I had no qualms taking it and I am now extremely med wary. Good luck.

[superchick22684]

Fear2,
I'm not scared of the med by any means but the sedation effect is more than I was expecting. The pharmacy gave it to me in capsule form instead of tablet form so I can't break it in half. Fortunately my anxiety has been somewhat under control lately so I haven't needed to utilize it very much.