Tried Hydoxyzine HCL Last Night

[futurehope]

Okay. I'm getting fed up with not eating the food I want and being in pain.

My uro had given me a hydoxyzine HCL (50 mg, I think) a while back and I took one last night.

Boy have I felt drowsy today! But I did notice that upon awakening this AM it did not burn when I urinated. Interesting. It didn't last as the day went on. (Of course I did have mayo on my tuna sandwich for lunch and a banana for dessert. I couldn't resist.)

I wonder if this means there is some allergy or mast cell involvement in my IC symptoms? I wish I knew more.

Maybe I should split the pill in half? It seemed pretty potent.

Any ideas?

[**Angie**]

I take hydroxyzine and Elavil--so between the two I'm very drowsy. "Per my Dr"-- he said to try cutting them in 1/2. I've been doing half for about 2 mos. Not brave enough to up it to full strenghth. I can't get up in the morning as it is. (perscribed 5omg Hydrxo. and 25mg Elavil) So you might ask your Dr about trying 1/2 strenghth.
angie

[Claredale]

What time did you take it? Usually when you first start on it, the daytime drowsiness is a bad side effect. I remember just wanting to crawl under my desk and take nap!

I can't resist bananas either!!! They have chocolate covered strawberries in our breakroom. It's just not FAIR!!!

[SrMaggie]

I was taking an antihistamine as per my nurse practioner. It was very difficult to get up and sometimes my speech was a bit slurred early in the morning. NP said to take the anithistamine right after supper. That gives it some time to work and then by the time you get up, the meds would have done the work and I could be a little more alert in the morning - not that I'm ever too alert without meds - but that helped. I couldn't stay up too late, too often though. Sometimes I'd fall asleep during the news at 6:30, but hey, at this point, I'll take the sleep whenever I can get it.

[traceann]

My Hydroxy is the one med I will never ever give up. And I would say it took a week or so for my body to get accustomed to being on it, and the really bad drowsies went away. And it's funny, but the first couple days I took it, it felt like my frequency went up - but I didn't give up and that went away in a couple days!:) But, I still take mine earlier in the evening like SrMaggie, and that helps my mornings out greatly!! I only take 25 at bedtime, but during allergy season I up it to 25 at bedtime and 25 in the morning. And it's a med that's best taken on a regular basis, you get the most benefit from it, I think I read here somewhere to give it at least 3 months...

Quote from Q&A Session with Dr Lowell Parsons
http://www.ic-network.com/guestlectures/parsonstranscript.html

Most of my patients tend to stop the Atarax but they will pay a price if they flare during the allergy. They will take three months to really improve again. One bad allergy flare and they usually listen to me. You only need a low dose hydroxyzine.. 25 mgs at bedtime.


I am not nearly as drowsy on it as I was when I first started taking it, and it's the med I have noticed the most reduction in symptoms with! ;)

[futurehope]

It sure seems to me that the Hydoxyzine HCL helped keep the "burning" away - for 1/2 a day anyway. I think I'll try 25 mg instead of the full 50 mg.

In any event, if I decide to keep taking this med, what would you do if you find that you need another "cold" medication or prescription sleep aid.

It seems to me, you could kill yourself (by accident) taking another med that is an antihistamine or a CNS depressant?

Can you take other allergy meds like zyrtec? Are any of you taking a sleep aid also?

Just curious. Thanks.