Atarax (hydroxyzine) 25mg to help on Valium tapering
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi.
iv been given Atarax 25mg tablets to help me while tapering off diazepam ( i have been taking valium a little over 10 years and got from 130mg a day down to 8mg a day and now it is starting to feel like hell and doc said this will help take the edge off things)...
Iv been told to take 1 tablet 3 times a day but i tryed my 1st one this morning and oh my god it knocked me for six. How i am ment to function on these daily is well beyound me.
what i would like to know is has anyone else tryed these to help with the withdrawal off valium and does the feeling sleepy effect wear off after a few days???
Any info will be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance for your time and any responses.
0 likes, 19 replies
robert10452 lukep78
Posted
lukep78 robert10452
Posted
I have dropped my valium down to 6mg since i started these and have as of yet been feeling very good but a bit sleepy.
i am going to try this for a week but going to just take 1 Atarax before bed.
hopefully this is going to get me off the valium i am feeling very posative with these. First time in around 6 months i have had a posative head on (only down side is the sleepy effect, but i found taking at night just makes you wake up ferling fresh) if im being honest... fingers crossed this could be the one to do it but still in very early days atm...
Lizzie46881 lukep78
Posted
I've recently been prescribed hydroxyzine for itching and urticaria, but I am also bipolar, taking a cocktail of meds which includes diazepam. I have found already that I can cut down my diazepam use as a direct result of the hydroxyzine and am hopeful I'll be able to get off the diazepam compltely in a few months. I actually like the sleepiness the hydroxyzine produces, its somehow calmer and more soothing than that induced by the diazepam and I wake at my normal time no problems.. I send you all my good wishes
xxx
lukep78 Lizzie46881
Posted
thanks for the reply. Do you mind me asking what dose of Atarax you take. I found it very good for first few days but have only been taking 1 x 25mg Atarax a day and am thinking of going up to 2 or maybey 3 x 25mg per day as the sleepyness of the 1 tablet has warn off and i feel myself wanting to go back ip to 8mg of valium as i get a bad vertigo and/or anxiety attacks when withdrawls start to kick in from the benzo withdrawal....
Thanks in advance.
Lizzie46881 lukep78
Posted
I'm presently on 1 x 25mg Atarax and I'm down to 1 x 5mg Diazepam, neither particularly high does but it works for me so far, only time will tell if I can eliminate the diazepam completely. When my script comes up for issue later in the month I'm going to write to my gp and suggest coming off the diazepam, maybe tapered, but upping the atarax to 2 x 25mg a day.
I'm bipolar by the way and also take citalopram and risperidone. I was last year, also addiocted to 30/500 co-codamol but came off that cold turkey after an overdose, that was a terrible experience not to be repeated.
Best Wishes
xxx
I
Rainboy lukep78
Posted
First of all I have to congratulate you for such an amazing achievement. If you gave a 2mg dose of Diazepam to someone that has never had it, they would certainly feel the effect within twenty minutes. 5mg or a 10mg tablet for sure would maybe even put them to sleep.
Most people know from the Patient Information Leaflets, that Diazepam and similar drugs were always intended for short term use, but the truth is, we have drifted into a situation where the drug has been put on repeat prescription and before you know it, months or years have passed, which is true in your case.
To reduce your intake from 130mg a day to just 8mg is an amazing personal achievement and I salute you for it. You should allow yourself to feel proud of this huge step to complete withdrawal.
As you know, the active ingredient in 'Atarax' tablets is fundamentally an Antihistamine. You can purchase the same active ingredient off the shelf in any supermarket, but the amount of Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride is much less. The strength of Atarax is only available on Prescription.
The major side-effect of most antihistamines is drowsiness. You will notice that in the shops, well known brands promote so-called "Non-Drowsy" formulas, with added ingredients to counteract the soporific effect. For this reason, they are sometimes prescribed to people suffering with anxiety, not for what the drug is principally designed for, but precisely because of the side-effect. Your GP is right in saying it will "take the edge off", as the drowsiness can feel similar to the effect of Diazepam.
The difference is, (and this is the good thing), that where stopping Benzodiazepines suddenly can put you through hellish withdrawal, you can stop taking Atarax at any time, and because it is not addictive, you won't experience any cravings.
The answer to your question is Yes! Your body will/should adapt so that the drowsiness becomes less. Every patient is different so will be told to try dosage in different ways. I was advised to take two to three tablets in a single dose just before bedtime, but to use my own judgement, and try to go three nights on, two nights off, and so on, to prevent getting too used to them that they became ineffective.
This has worked for me, so my need for Diazepam to sleep has been eliminated. It shows how different we all are, because I remember taking my first dose and frankly not feeling much at all. If one tablet is affecting you so severely that you can't function during the day, perhaps you could speak to your GP by phone, explain how you are affected, and see if he/she suggests shifting your dose to the evening.
The most important thing to remember is just how successful you have been. To be coping more on Atarax and less on Diazepam is a huge improvement for you, and when the time comes, you may feel ready to do without the Atarax as well. Your body won't react anywhere near as severely as benzodiazepine withdrawal, so you are definitely on course and I think your GP is giving you good advice.
Another alternative Luke would be to ask for a prescription of a lower dose tablet than the 25mg you are on, and see if you cope better with a smaller dose during the day and then use your 25mg at night?
I hope that my comments have helped, and being in a very similar situation, means I really can empathise with you.
Best wishes to you, keep hold of your determination, and praise yourself internally for a pretty amazing journey off such a high dose of the addictive stuff.
Take care Buddy.
Lizzie46881 Rainboy
Posted
Just a quick post to say that I found your latest post really helpful too and taught me a few things my gp has never told me. As you may have seen I too am on atarax and diazepam and I'm gradually reducing my diazepam doasage, so thanks again and keep posting :-)
xxx
Rainboy Lizzie46881
Posted
What a thoughtful message. I truly appreciate your comments, and if anything I said to Luke has struck a chord with you, well if I were looking for thanks, (which I'm not) that would be the best possible result.
I value not just your message, but the fact you had the thought, then took some time out, however brief, to write to me. If you had kept those kind thoughts to yourself, I would never have known. So your message is a gift and has definitely encouraged me to "keep posting".
Definitely in this environment, everyone shares something in common, and it is so refreshing to receive positive feedback compared to the troll-like 'bickering' on other websites.
I don't know if you would agree with this, but because we are posting on matters of our mental health, there is an even greater sense of a common bond, because as you and Luke will know only too well, trying to describe how you are feeling during a panic attack, or why a gloriously sunny day might make you want to curl up in a corner, is very hard for non-sufferers to understand. Our job is to educate those people who are open-minded and want to understand better, but here, all the explaining is done, because people like you and others just 'get it'! Does that make sense?
So there is a tangible feeling of safety and security when you interact with fellow sufferers that don't underestimate just how mentally and physically crippling severe anxiety and/or depression can be.
Thank you wholeheartedly for your message Lizzie and please accept my best wishes. :-)
Lizzie46881 Rainboy
Posted
I've been through some torrid times with my mental health, mainly due to the bipolar back between 1998 and about 2005 when they finally got me on a combo of meds that worked well. I was actually suffering from 1984, which looking back is my first bout of hypomania, it was undiagnosed and untreated for another ten years and in gthe process wrecked my marriage as when I was high I became very promiscuous (and spent fortunes). If only I'd known.
I've been hospitalised twice, once in 1999 for 5 weeks for depression, and last year for two days for the treatment of my co-codamol overdose. It was my cousin who found this site for me so I've not been a member long, just since last decmeber. I wish I'd had access to it in the 90s and 00s.
I'm quite sceptical of the internet and only use this forum as I can do so anonymously and without trolls and flamers. I don't even own a smartphone.
TO LUKE: Forgive me if I seem to have taken over your thread, I just wanted to reply to Rainboy and I don't do private messaging. How are you feeling now? I hope you are doing well and coming off the diazepam is going well
xxx
Rainboy Lizzie46881
Posted
I truly did not expect a reply, but I am overwhelmed to read your message. It is a real coincidence because this afternoon I was thinking to myself if there are no more posts from Luke, I would leave a brief message for him as a few days have passed since he wrote.
Well, you beat me to it Lizzie. You obviously (like me) continue to think about people that you have had a positive interaction with, and hope the best for them. Oddly enough, the total hell you have described to me has probably been responsible for giving you greater empathy and fellow feeling. I know from my experiences that if someone I know well isn't okay, I can spot it with the slightest indicator.
Dealing with mental and emotional problems really causes you to search your soul doesn't it, and despite the suffering which is awful at the time, we somehow get a better understanding of ourselves and other people. Whenever someone is rude to me these days, I just brush it off, because instead of that usual quick reaction, my first thought now is, what was their reason? Maybe they have had bad news or are feeling unwell? You get my drift. :-)
Thank you again. I'll leave a brief 'hello' for Kyle.
Take care of YOU!
Rainboy lukep78
Posted
I have been thinking about you today and decided that if you had not left any further messages, I would just say 'Hi' so that you know people are genuine when they show concern or offer support. I know you have the support from other members too, and it's great to see that people want to be involved and engage with you.
Behind your screename there is a human being who has bravely shared his difficulties in confidence. Never forget that the response you have had has come from people who chose to do so and had no obligation whatsoever. Take heart from that display of compassionate concern.
I know that I will not be alone in sending you my very best wishes and hoping that things are improving each and every day for both of you.
Bye for now mate. :-)
Lizzie46881 Rainboy
Posted
You sound like you know a lot about mental health issues, are you a medical professional or are you like me, just a person with a long history of struggling with mental health problems?
xxxxx
Rainboy Lizzie46881
Posted
Well that's a great compliment, thank you. There is nothing special about me Lizzie, just to quote you, - "A person with a long history of struggling with mental health problems".
Having said that, I have worked in the medical industry for quite a long time, not as a health professional or in the NHS, but that time has given me a lot of opportunities to talk with Nurses and Pharmacists, so I have gained a fair amount of knowledge because of that.
Any advice I decide to give is what I would recommend for myself from actual experience, but always with the caveat to the reader that their mind, body, and metabolism is unique, so what is right for me may not be right for them.
Aside from facts on medication, I think the moral and emotional support people like us can offer through this website is equally important. x
Lizzie46881 Rainboy
Posted
xxx
Rainboy Lizzie46881
Posted