[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.

[IndieVisible]

I know it's a antihistamine. Let us know how it works for you.

[vans1974]

I know that Vistaril is not commonly prescribed too often around here, expect occasionally at psych wards, since some pdocs think the benzo's are addictive. Pdocs sometimes write scipts for Seroquel 25mg for anxiety as well. Vistaril and Seroquel just made me drowsy but still anxious and my mind was foggy! If it works for you then awesome! Best of luck!!

I am currently taking Vistaril also, the same dose too, actually.
I find it helpful when I need to sleep. It's a little too sedating for me to use during the day and I don't find it totally helpful for my anxiety.

I hope that it works for you. It's supposed to be one of the least addicting anti-anxiety medications.

[pamj533]

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.

instead of ativan.have you tried klonopin?darn i coild not stay awake AT all when i took remeron.good luck.sorry cant help more.pamj533

[naejannej]

Originally Posted by pamj533

instead of ativan.have you tried klonopin?darn i coild not stay awake AT all when i took remeron.good luck.sorry cant help more.pamj533

I did try klonopin before ativan, and it was very sedating for me. i take the remeron for sleep - also very sedating lol.

Day 2 of Atarax: noticeably calmer, also noticeably more sleepy. Still shaking my leg at a mile a minute and holding onto my OCD rituals, but you cant fix everything in one day. I basically feel like I do when I take benadryl, but it does feel stronger. And its more like a calm feeling and less of a drowsy feeling. Like a warm tingly feeling in my mind and my chest. I am able to cope and go to work, it's not knocking me out or anything. So here's so hoping it has some long term effect on my anxiety...

[tealBumblebee]

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.

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.

[growlithing]

Vistrial is good for helping me come out of a flashback/panic attack. However, it makes me super sleepy and only works for maybe 2-4 hours. I usually fall asleep after 2 hours. That is fine for bringing me down in a hospital setting, but it does make me nonfunctional and I worry about how I'd handle taking it if I had a bad flashback before school or something important.

[catsandcoffee]

I was prescribed Atarax (Hydroxyzine) to take as needed for panic attacks until my recent increased dose in Sertraline started to kick in about a month ago.
I tried taking a whole one (25mg) and it made me feel so weird. Like someone could shoot a bullet right past me, and I felt like I wouldn't even jump. I was so careless it was scary. A bit too calm.
So I started cutting them in two (so I was taking 12.5mg), and that worked perfect for me. It calmed down the panic attacks without giving me the "drugged" feeling.
Then again, I was just taking them for time being. I still keep them around and take them whenever I feel a panic coming on, but I wasn't told to take them at a certain time or a certain amount.
I would recommend you try them out a bit longer, and if they begin to bother you, consult your doctor.
Best of wishes!