YEAH!!!!!the hydroxyzine is helping!

[duana]

Any of you out there that has never tried hydroxyzine,I highly recommend trying it.It has helped my main complaint of frequency.I am definetly not better but with diet and the medication,I'm hoping I'm on my way.I know I'll never be cured but it sure feels good to atleast have my IC tolerable.


Duana

[ICNDonna]

:) I'm so glad for you!

Donna

[Suzie0156]

Any of you out there that has never tried hydroxyzine,I highly recommend trying it.It has helped my main complaint of frequency.I am definetly not better but with diet and the medication,I'm hoping I'm on my way.I know I'll never be cured but it sure feels good to atleast have my IC tolerable.


Duana


Duana I am very happy for you! Yes it is a godsend but for me, I have to go off of it along with my Amitriptyline because both are causing fluid retention for me, thus making me gain weight which I cannot afford to do because I am already 40 pounds overweight. I spoke to a pharmacist today and both meds are in his words "notorious for causing fluid retention and halting our metabolism". This is discouragng for me because I had found something that worked beautifully for me but I guess I would rather have my urgency and frequency back than packing on more pounds to an already overweight body. Good luck to you....I am slowly weaning off of both. Hope your success continues!

Suzie

[joni1129]

Duana,

May I ask what hydroxyzine is? I've never heard of it.

thanks,
Debbie

[duana]

Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine.It's brand name is Atarax.I take 25mg at night.I keep monitoring my weight by weighing myself every morning. I haven't seen any retention yet. If I do, I think I will only take half of the hydroxyzine. I do not want to gain any weight either. I can't stand the thoughts of going back to the frequency issues again. I think diet is helping also.

Duana

[Julie B]

Great news! I wouldn't give mine up for anything.

[Suzie0156]

Great news! I wouldn't give mine up for anything.


Hi Julie

I hate giving mine up but would you give it up if it was stopping you from losing weight? Would you really want to be 40 pounds overweight with sky high blood pressure? That is my situation and I hate it. Everyone here seems to be fairly normal weight or perhaps underweight, probably due to their pain and thus they cant eat. I might be wrong on that. I have no other choice than to give it up. I have to get rid of the fat and lower my blood pressure. Trust me, its not something I want to give up because it helped so much.


Suzie

[Suzie0156]

Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine.It's brand name is Atarax.I take 25mg at night.I keep monitoring my weight by weighing myself every morning. I haven't seen any retention yet. If I do, I think I will only take half of the hydroxyzine. I do not want to gain any weight either. I can't stand the thoughts of going back to the frequency issues again. I think diet is helping also.

Duana


Hi Duana,

The lowest my Hydroxyzine comes at is 10mg and I wasnt even up to that dose yet. I was on 5mg. and it helped so much. But that, along with the Amitriptyline, really stopped my metabolism. If you arent overweight, you are truly blessed and I wouldnt worry about it, just watch very carefully for signs that it is stopping your metabolism. My frequency and urgency as almost 100% better and I am sure that slowly, as I come off the meds, it will come back. But I will glady take it if I can get off this weight. Good luck to you and as you get better and better, you will find yourself not hanging around this board. That seems to be the case with alot of people!

Suzie

[duana]

Suzie,what would happen if you only took the hydroxyzine and not the amytriptyline?maybe both together were slowing down your metabolism too much.i hope you feel better.

Duana

[momto3]

I am taking elavil and atarax. I know I have gained weight and have about 40 pounds to lose. However, I also have been allowing myself to eat high fat treats, like ice cream and cakes, because I can no longer have the low fat alternatives. I also know that I need to exercise more.

My frequency has gone down with the meds and diet (although it was up a bit this week). I wouldn't stop taking the meds because of it though. I know I need to work harder to exercise and eat better foods. I don't want to live with the frequency if the meds will decrease it. I take 25mg of elavil before bed and 30mg of atarax a day.

Susie, I read in other posts that you're taking meal replacement shakes and eating 1000 calories a day. Forgive me if I'm wrong. Maybe you're not eating enough calories and you're slowing down your metabolism. Good luck!

[greenredhead]

I read Hydroxyzine can give pretty bad "heady" side effects (dizziness, lightheadedness, etc.).

[duana]

Hydroxyzine did cause me to be dizzy for the first month or more, and I knew the side effects would eventually go away. I could tell that the hydroxyzine was helping and I didn't want to stop it, and I was right. The side effects did go away after a period of adjustment.

[bruegelfan]

I was on 25mg hydroxyzine at night, bumped up to 50, and now am taking 50mg/3x day. I've only been up that high for about 3 days and I have been pretty spacey. I think that will improve over time, though. I credit hydroxyzine hugely for helping my IC.

..............Jaime

[Suzie0156]

Suzie,what would happen if you only took the hydroxyzine and not the amytriptyline?maybe both together were slowing down your metabolism too much.i hope you feel better.

Duana




How are you doing? Still seeing relief? I hope so! I am wondering too if I just took one without the other.....I am still weaning myself down and my symptoms are back with a vengence and my weight is still up. Do you know which one would be best to take for urgency and frequency? They say both help and I can attest to that but I wonder which one would be best if a person were to go with just one?


Suzie

[Suzie0156]

I am taking elavil and atarax. I know I have gained weight and have about 40 pounds to lose. However, I also have been allowing myself to eat high fat treats, like ice cream and cakes, because I can no longer have the low fat alternatives. I also know that I need to exercise more.

My frequency has gone down with the meds and diet (although it was up a bit this week). I wouldn't stop taking the meds because of it though. I know I need to work harder to exercise and eat better foods. I don't want to live with the frequency if the meds will decrease it. I take 25mg of elavil before bed and 30mg of atarax a day.

Susie, I read in other posts that you're taking meal replacement shakes and eating 1000 calories a day. Forgive me if I'm wrong. Maybe you're not eating enough calories and you're slowing down your metabolism. Good luck!


I was only drinking the meal shakes briefly and only one 1,000 briefly too then upped it to 1,300 calories. but nothing has happened now and I am weaning myself down in hopes I can repair my metabolism that the pharmacist told me gets ruined by those two drugs. But symptoms of urgency and frequency are coming back now and I am thinking I need to go back on either the hydroxyzine or the amitriptyline but not sure which one. I just dont want to be on both with needing to lose so much weight. How do you keep your weight down??

Suzie

[duana]

Suzie,i am doing a lot better,better than i have seen for almost 2 years.oh,i cannot say i am 100% but my ic is atleast tolerable.i still watch a lot of the things i eat but am able to drink really weak coffee now.i am not trying to offer advice but if it were me i would try the hydroxyzine alone without the amytriptyline(maybe you could ask your doctor).if you see results you may see them within a month,some say it takes up to 3 months or so.i think you said you are only taking 10 mg.i am taking 25mg.so it may take a little longer for you to see results.as for keeping weight off,i weigh myself every morning and if i see i've gained a few points(digital scales),i cut back some that day.i think i am seeing that i am able to gain weight faster than before.i am a very nervous person and usually i do not gain weight but i am keeping an eye on it.as wonderful as this medication is for me,i will not quit taking it.i will just eat less if i have to.if there is anything else you would want to know,ask.i am happy to help someone if i can.i wish you lots of success in your treatment.keep us posted on what you decide to do.good luck!i hope you have as good of luck as i did.

Duana

[Suzie0156]

Glad to see you are still doing good! When I first started out on these, I started with the hydroxyzine. I didnt see any relief but as only on a low dose of not even a full tablet! No wonder! Then a couple weeks later, I added 10mg of the amitriptyline and bingo! Within a week or so I was getting better. The two together, one at 10 mg and the other at 5 mg, improved me about 85% which in my opinion, was pretty remarkable.

But you know how this urgency and frequency is, it drives you crazy. And it is with me and I remember when I was doing good, you were going bonkers with yours. lol We're a fine mess, arent we?! When you were having your flare, did you give in to every time you had the urge? Cos I remember urging you not to and to try to hold it for an hour if you could. Now I need to take my own advice and do that. Know what? It sucks doesnt it? lol

I might be chubby for the rest of my life but I think I will up the dose on one of them tonight....seems like maybe the Amitriptyline really got me going in a better direction. I dunno....plus I also take Aloe Vera and Cystoprotek. I hate taking so many meds though. I just wish I was trim again. Aaargh.

Well keep in touch and private message me any time if you want.

Thanks for your quick reply!

Suzie