Atarax (Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride) - Summary

ATARAX SUMMARY

ATARAX®
hydroxyzine hydrochloride
TABLETS AND SYRUP

Hydroxyzine hydrochloride is designated chemically as 1-(p-chlorobenzhydryl) 4-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-ethyl] piperazine dihydrochloride.

Atarax (hydroxyzine) is indicated for the following:

For symptomatic relief of anxiety and tension associated with psychoneurosis and as an adjunct in organic disease states in which anxiety is manifested.

Useful in the management of pruritus due to allergic conditions such as chronic urticaria and atopic and contact dermatoses, and in histamine-mediated pruritus.

As a sedative when used as premedication and following general anesthesia, Hydroxyzine may potentiate meperidine (Demerol®) and barbiturates, so their use in pre-anesthetic adjunctive therapy should be modified on an individual basis. Atropine and other belladonna alkaloids are not affected by the drug. Hydroxyzine is not known to interfere with the action of digitalis in any way and it may be used concurrently with this agent.

The effectiveness of hydroxyzine as an antianxiety agent for long term use, that is more than 4 months, has not been assessed by systematic clinical studies. The physician should reassess periodically the usefulness of the drug for the individual patient.

See all Atarax indications & dosage >>

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Published Studies Related to Atarax (Hydroxyzine)

Efficacy of dimetinden and hydroxyzine/chlorpheniramine in atopic dogs: a randomised, controlled, double-blinded trial. [2013]
Antihistaminic drugs are commonly used as symptomatic therapy of atopic dermatitis in dogs...

A preliminary randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial of hydroxyzine for treating sleep bruxism in children. [2013]
This is a randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating the efficacy of hydroxyzine for treating parent-reported sleep bruxism in children. Participants of this trial were 30 patients randomly allocated to one of the two groups in a ratio of 1:2... Current evidence support that hydroxyzine is effective and well tolerated for treating bruxism in children.

Short-term effects of morning versus evening dose of hydroxyzine 50 mg on cognition in healthy volunteers. [2011.06]
It is well known that the sedative properties of antihistamines can differ considerably between individual drugs... It is concluded that hydroxyzine-induced impairment at tmax is more prominent after morning doses compared with evening doses and that the present study could not present direct evidence to substantiate the hypothesis that histamine availability inversely affects the magnitude of antihistamine impairment.

[Effects of hydroxyzine on tolerance of facial mask during induction in children] [2010.01]
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of hydroxyzine as a premedication agent for the acceptance of facial mask during induction of general anaesthesia in children... CONCLUSION: Hydroxyzine provided better acceptance of facial mask than placebo during induction of general anaesthesia in children. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Comparison of peripheral and central effects of single and repeated oral dose administrations of bilastine, a new H1 antihistamine: a dose-range study in healthy volunteers with hydroxyzine and placebo as control treatments. [2008.12]
Peripheral anti-H1 and central nervous system (CNS) activities after single (day 1) and repeated (day 7) administrations of increasing doses of bilastine (BIL) were assessed in 20 healthy volunteers throughout a crossover, randomized, double-blind, placebo (PLA)-controlled study... The 40-mg dose of BIL produced subjective report of sedation, whereas unwanted objective CNS side effects were observed only with the 80-mg dose.

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Reports of Suspected Atarax (Hydroxyzine) Side Effects

Suicide Attempt (25),  Cardiac Arrest (22),  Electrocardiogram QT Prolonged (21),  Somnolence (19),  Malaise (18),  Drug Rash With Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (17),  Toxic Skin Eruption (17),  Renal Failure Acute (13),  Gamma-Glutamyltransferase Increased (11),  Confusional State (10), more >>

PATIENT REVIEWS / RATINGS / COMMENTS

Atarax review by 57 year old male patient
		Rating
Overall rating:
Effectiveness:		Highly Effective
Side effects:		No Side Effects
		Treatment Info
Condition / reason:		itching/psosiasis
Dosage & duration:		25mg taken 2 times dayly for the period of 35yrs
Other conditions:		hypertention, diabetes, AS
Other drugs taken:		lyrica,gemfibrozol,glipizide,lasix,amlodipine,asprin,lisinopril,januvia,lipitor
		Reported Results
Benefits:		It calms down the need to scratch,,gives me the ability to sleep at night,,,it also relieves my alergy symptoms(cough,sneezing,running nose)in general,,it keeps me from going out of my mind...When I don't use itthe itching will drive me up the wall. It mellows my mood,allowing me to act and react with others..
Side effects:		After reading all of the side affects listed on this website,,I conclude I had no sideaffects from Atarax
Comments:		I have been taking one or two 25mg Atarax for 35 years

Atarax review by 28 year old male patient
		Rating
Overall rating:
Effectiveness:		Ineffective
Side effects:		Mild Side Effects
		Treatment Info
Condition / reason:		anxiety
Dosage & duration:		25mg taken 3 times a day for the period of 2 months
Other conditions:		insomnia
Other drugs taken:		none
		Reported Results
Benefits:		oh there was benefits, I did not have allergys and my my heart rate was down.
Side effects:		There was dry mouth and some insomnia.. I also felt I was having anxiety attacks
Comments:		Well, it all started back when I was fishing for jims and johns google which nothing seemed static relativity bound night train into fox holes stuck like glue into a world of hybrid horses, far from the eye can see in marlboro land once before the blue moon on the buildings outer limit limo taxi service system.

Atarax review by 28 year old male patient
		Rating
Overall rating:
Effectiveness:		Ineffective
Side effects:		Mild Side Effects
		Treatment Info
Condition / reason:		anxiety
Dosage & duration:		25mg taken 3 times a day for the period of 2 months
Other conditions:		insomnia
Other drugs taken:		none
		Reported Results
Benefits:		oh there was benefits, I did not have allergys and my my heart rate was down.
Side effects:		There was dry mouth and some insomnia.. I also felt I was having anxiety attacks
Comments:		Well, it all started back when I was fishing for jims and johns google which nothing seemed static relativity bound night train into fox holes stuck like glue into a world of hybrid horses, far from the eye can see in marlboro land once before the blue moon on the buildings outer limit limo taxi service system.