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Originally Posted by naejannej
So I have bipolar disorder but also GAD and benzos were sedating me way too much, and making me feel "drugged". I was most recently on Ativan, and it just made me feel out of it when I took it. My pdoc has decided to prescribe me Atarax instead. I'm reading alot of contradictory things online: that it does nothing, that it makes you extremely drowsy, that it works but not as well as benzos for anxiety. I'm prescribed 25mg 3x daily and I took my first dose this afternoon and felt mildly sleepy, and perhaps mildly calmer too, its hard to tell so soon. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with atarax and can share.
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To be fair, i've never taken any kind of drug specifically for mental health issues. However, I
have taken Atarax as a antihistimine (or so I thought). I have eczema, and as a preteen/teen it was really bad and a lot of it was stressed induced (before I knew I had anxiety issues).
My dermatologist prescribed it to me and it definitely stopped the itching and made me also pretty sleepy. I guess it makes sense that the two would go hand in hand (I stress itch which leads to me stressing because I can't stop itching) but I didn't know that Atarax was an anxiolytic until recently and even then just by chance. If I wasn't worried it'd tire me too much, i'd get back on it. It worked well for me.
On the other hand, a patient of mine came in the ER this weekend recently diagnosed with panic disorder (though she argued it wasn't true) and was prescribed Atarax. She said it made her extremely lethargic and was worried that the medicine was like a sedative (though I tried to tell her it wasn't).
I say try it a little longer and just see how it works. Try your best to experience it without bias in order to obtain the best clue as to if it works well for you. Good luck.
