Hydroxyzine Question

[jonb1]

Can hydroxyzine cause more frequency?

I started med 3 days ago 3x a day 25 mg. Maybe I am in a flare but it seems worse since I started this med. I have to go every 40 minutes now and feel like I have to go again after I go.

How long does it take for hydroxyzine to work/help with frequency?

I've also been taking elmiron 300 mg a day for 3 months now. I have tried sanctura several times but stopped it because of retention, but seems retention is better than feeling like I have to go all the time. Maybe there is a better OAB med out there for me.

Can you take an OAB med successfully with hydroxyzine?

I am just getting impatient waiting on these meds to help. I am getting so confused :(

Any advice would be appreciated THANKS!!

God Bless,
Jonathan

[needsrelief]

Hi, yes this happened to me. I heard its happened to others also. Then they said that after a couple of weeks they felt better. some people are also sensitive to some of the fillers in the medicine. I suggest you consult your doctor and see if he/she would like you to stay on. this medicine can take 3 months to kick in. for some it takes much longer to calm down the mast cells on the bladder causing pain .though most people see results sooner. OAB meds cause me retention. You might can ask your doctor for a lower dosage. good luck :)

[LithEruiel]

I feel like hydroxyzine increases my frequency also. Benadryl too.

[Hannah13]

Can hydroxyzine cause more frequency?

I started med 3 days ago 3x a day 25 mg. Maybe I am in a flare but it seems worse since I started this med. I have to go every 40 minutes now and feel like I have to go again after I go.

How long does it take for hydroxyzine to work/help with frequency?

I've also been taking elmiron 300 mg a day for 3 months now. I have tried sanctura several times but stopped it because of retention, but seems retention is better than feeling like I have to go all the time. Maybe there is a better OAB med out there for me.

Can you take an OAB med successfully with hydroxyzine?

I am just getting impatient waiting on these meds to help. I am getting so confused :(

Any advice would be appreciated THANKS!!

God Bless,
Jonathan

It flared me badly but it works wonders for some people. It's always rough when a med does not work out. I try very hard not to get my hopes up and to be patient. It's rough though.

Love, H.

[WhitneyWonders]

Hi Jonathon,

I have taken hydroxizine but not on a regular basis because it seriously makes me so tired the next day and I work very long hours with no caffeine...so I really havent been able to stick with it. As far as helping me with frequency, I started Vesicare a few weeks ago and I've really noticed a reduction in my frequency. It made a world of difference even the first few days. I was going every hour and 15 and can now make it to every 3 hours. I take 5 mg. Hope that helps!

[jonb1]

Hi Jonathon,

I have taken hydroxizine but not on a regular basis because it seriously makes me so tired the next day and I work very long hours with no caffeine...so I really havent been able to stick with it. As far as helping me with frequency, I started Vesicare a few weeks ago and I've really noticed a reduction in my frequency. It made a world of difference even the first few days. I was going every hour and 15 and can now make it to every 3 hours. I take 5 mg. Hope that helps!

Thanks Whitney, Right now I am just taking Elmiron, I still may try vesicare or even ditropan. Sanctura and enablex didn't work. Most days are better than others, but I am still trying to get the frequency down. THANKS and I hope you are doing great!!!!!!!
Jonathan

[cmclien]

Hi Jonathan, just wanted to say I take vesicare and like Whitney it greatly reduces my frequency, especially that feeling that you gotta go when you really don't, I think that is called urge. I take 5mg also. I have used ditropan xl also, for a couple years but for me anyway, it didn't work as well. Without the vesicare I feel like I gotta go an hour after I last went, sometimes sooner. With the vesicare I can go anywhere from 2-3 1/2 hours or so. It is drying so I was going to try taking it every 36 hours or every 48 to see where exactly it wears off. Makes it hard to wear my contacts but worth it some days!

One thing I've noticed while I take it is you don't want to go to the bathroom before your body says "gotta go" or you'll feel like its hard to go. I think we all get used to going so frequently that after a certain time period goes by we try and go by default :)

I think its fine to take with hydroxyzine but you can double check with your pharmacy. One is a anticholinergenic and one is a antihystamine.

[LithEruiel]

Be careful with the overactive bladder meds. A lot of people (including me) can't take them because they can cause retention and make you really have to push to go which just makes things a lot worse. For me those meds increase frequency. It's always worth a try, but if you experience this let your doctor know.

[bob04951]

I agree with you Ashley, you have to be careful. It may seem like heaven to have a little break, but that could lead to bigger problems. You have to really, really be cautious and always check your ankles, etc., for any edema. The moment you have that, you need to call your doc and probably stop the vesicare. Maybe some can handle it, it just seems contradictory to me. We need to get the poisons out, not retain them. Just please be careful and monitor yourself.

[cmclien]

Jill <Maybe some can handle it, it just seems contradictory to me. We need to get the poisons out, not retain them.>

Thats just the thing, you don't know if you don't try. If they don't cause retention then they are wonderful drugs as they relax the bladder muscle. Elavil and the tri-cyclics are also anticholinergenics and do the same thing but perhaps less at the smaller dose that
is usually taken.

I am not saying they are not for everyone but for those that don't retain or swell or anything they don't keep anything in, in fact they make it so I feel like I go more, maybe because I go longer in between. When I go it feels more "normal" if that makes any sense. I don't get that start stop sensation.

I realize we are all different but wanted to throw that out to him to try. How will anyone know if a med will work until they try it?

[LithEruiel]

You're right, it's worth a try. I just like to warn people about it because no one warned me and I couldn't understand why my frequency was getting worse and worse while I was on an OAB med. It's great that it works for some people...it seems like a logical fix to me, but of course I have to be "different" :)

Oh BTW, I didn't have any edema or anything, but that having to push to go problem was the worst!

[Shamay]

Hello,

I am trying Hydroxyzine at 10mg at night before bed again, for the 2nd time and am noticing the same thing again, it's causing frequency, and I feel like I'm in a flare, but I know it's the meds and nothing else.... :(

I have a perscription for Vistaril which is the Brand name Hydroxyzine, that I will be trying next, it has different fillers, so am hoping it will agree with me. *fingers crossed*

So frustrating.....

[icgennifer]

Hi Shamay,

I experienced the same thing with Hydroxyzine and I feel like the fillers were increasing my frequency, but at the same time it felt like it took the inflamed feeling away from my bladder. When you switched to Vistaril did you notice a difference?

[andreamarie]

I couldn't take hydroxizine for yrs. Then my i.c. calmed down and I was able to take it. I literally can't take any anticholinerics, even when I am in remission.
Dr. Theorides says that hydroxizine increases opiod action, so if I take a Percocet I take it with hydroxizine. I can't tell but I find I am taking fewer Percocets.

[Snowden1]

Why does hydroxizine do this with opiates? Is it the anti-depressant factor in it?

[MaryJo]

I had heard that hydroxyzine ups the effectiveness of pain med's I heard they give it to alot of cancer patients with their pain med to make it relieve more pain.

I used to take it and it truly made a difference in my day to day pain I quit
( I have had several surgereis and on alot of pain med's so sort of just quit )I'm trying to get back on it again.

MaryJo

[Shamay]

Hi icgennifer,

With the Vistaril my bladder felt really good, however I started feeling very anxious and really out of it, so sadly I had to stop it after 3 days. This is just getting frustrating. My body is so sensitive to meds that I am having a hard time finding something that my body can tolerate. :(

[LithEruiel]

I just thought of this, it should have been so obvious. My doctor put my on Xyzal (an antihistamine) because I've been having this chronic sinus drainage and hoarseness thing. I took Claritin for awhile and it didn't do anything but make me pee more. Now that I'm on this Xyzal it's even worse...well antihistamines cause urinary retention. I keep feeling like I have a ton in my bladder, but not much comes out and I have to go more often than even my usual. Grrrrrrrrrr....I don't think I'll be able to keep taking this stuff.

[andreamarie]

Many meds are synergistic and no one really knows why.

[cmclien]

I just thought of this, it should have been so obvious. My doctor put my on Xyzal (an antihistamine) because I've been having this chronic sinus drainage and hoarseness thing. I took Claritin for awhile and it didn't do anything but make me pee more. Now that I'm on this Xyzal it's even worse...well antihistamines cause urinary retention. I keep feeling like I have a ton in my bladder, but not much comes out and I have to go more often than even my usual. Grrrrrrrrrr....I don't think I'll be able to keep taking this stuff.

I don't know your exact sinus problem but I have chronic post nasal drip, sounds like you with the hoarseness. Also my ears plug up alot, partly from my TMJ but partly from whatever is going on. Antihistamines don't seem to help me but taking those 12 hour musinex-D's once a day along with nasonex spray once a day totally gets rid of it. Just a thought. I don't think muscinex-D (guifennison and sudafed) cause retention. You have to buy it at the pharmacy since it has sudafed in it but you don't need a prescription. I take 1/2 dose now for maintenance (1 pill vs 2) as sudafed kinda wires me. If I take it daily that feeling goes away though as I adjust to it.

[LithEruiel]

I've tried Mucinex and it doesn't work with me. I think Sudafed bothers my IC too :( My doctor said it's probably structural and if this doesn't work I need an x-ray and a scope...but I told him that would have to wait until I get insurance. :mad:

[flowerangela]

ash xyzal worked great for me pre-ic. i have horrible allergies..live in one of the top cities that are worst for allergies. currently i find taking one benadryl at night relieves my symptoms and helps me sleep. so far i havent found anything to take during the day thats non-drowsy that helps my allergies and doesnt cause retention. i may look into allegra.good luck!i had the whole x-ray/scope thing done and was ultimately put on allergy shots and xyzal..allergy shots got to be too expensive though and i ran out of the xyzal years ago.benadryl works for me.the NeilMed Sinus Rinse kit also helps.. its like rinsing your sinuses/nose out with salt water. had immediate relief w/ it.can be found at walmart.

[LithEruiel]

I really don't think I have allergies or that isn't the main problem. Antihistamines have never done anything for me. I know a lot of people take hydroxyzine for IC...most people don't have the retention problem?

[andreamarie]

I initially had retention problem with hydroxizine, but never with Benadryl.