Hydroxyzine hydrochloride is an anti-allergic remedy, from the class of antihistamines that has a powerful antipruritic action, and is therefore widely used to relieve allergy symptoms such as itching and redness on the skin.
This medication can be purchased from conventional pharmacies, under the trade name of Hidroxizine, Pergo, or Hixizine, in the form of tablets, syrup, or solution for injection.
This medicine starts to take effect after about 20 to 30 minutes and lasts for up to 6 hours.
How to take
How to use it depends on the pharmaceutical form, age, and problem to be treated:
1. 2mg/ml oral solution
The recommended dose for adults is 25 mg, which is equivalent to 12.5 mL of the solution measured in the syringe, orally, 3 to 4 times a day, ie, every 8 hours or every 6 hours, respectively.
The recommended dose for children is 0.7 mg for each kg of weight, which is equivalent to 0.35 mL of the solution measured in the syringe, for each kg of weight, orally, 3 times a day, ie, 8 in 8 hours.
The solution must be measured with a 5 mL measuring syringe, which is included in the package. If the volume exceeds 5 mL, the syringe must be refilled. The unit of measure to be used on the syringe is mL.
2. 25 mg tablets
The recommended dose of Hydroxyzine for adults and children over 6 years of age is 1 tablet per day for up to 10 days.
In some cases, the doctor may recommend a different dosage from the one indicated on the package insert.
Possible side effects
The main side effects of hydroxyzine hydrochloride include drowsiness and dry mouth and therefore it is not recommended to consume alcoholic beverages or to take other medicines that depress the central nervous system such as non-narcotic analgesics, narcotics, and barbiturates while using this medicine because this tends to increase the effects of drowsiness.
Does hydroxyzine hydrochloride make you sleepy?
Yes, one of the most common side effects of this remedy is drowsiness, so people taking hydroxyzine hydrochloride treatment will likely feel sleepy.
who should not use
Hydroxyzine hydrochloride is contraindicated for pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, children under 6 years of age, as well as for people with hypersensitivity to any of the components of the formula.
In addition, Hydroxyzine should only be used with a medical indication in patients with renal failure, epilepsy, glaucoma, liver failure, or Parkinson’s disease.
Why do antihistamines make you sleepy?
It is frequent, at some times of the year, the increase of allergies.
For those who resort to medication to relieve symptoms, it is common to hear the following comments: “Be careful that this makes you sleepy”; “It’s better to take it only at night”; “This one doesn’t make me sleepy at all, but the one I took last year left me sleeping.”
But, after all, why is it that some antihistamines (medicines used, but not only, to alleviate the symptoms of allergies) cause drowsiness and others not?
To understand the answer, you have to understand how these drugs work!
In practice, to combat the symptoms of allergies, antihistamines, as the name suggests, counteract the action of histamine, a substance released by some specific cells, when we come into contact with an allergen (a substance that the body recognizes as foreign and against which it reacts in the form of an allergy).
Histamine is present in a large part of our tissues and, once produced, gives rise to some of the famous symptoms of allergy such as itching, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes.
Antihistamines promote action against histamine, alleviating these symptoms.
But what about sleep? After all, what causes it?
Sleep is nothing more, nothing less than a side effect of the medicine.
Histamine acts in different areas of the body and is responsible for effects other than allergy symptoms.
For example, when it acts on the brain, it is responsible for the sensation of awakening.
Thus, when antihistamines act in this area, by counteracting the action of histamine, they cause tiredness and sleep.
But why don’t all antihistamines put me to sleep?
Within the antihistamines, we can consider two groups: the first generation (older, developed more than 70 years ago) and the second generation.
The first generation crosses the barrier that protects the brain and, therefore, acts on this tissue. That is why they must be taken at night! Second-generation ones do not have this ability and, as a rule, do not cause drowsiness.
In practice, to combat the symptoms of allergies, antihistamines, as the name suggests, counteract the action of histamine, a substance released by some specific cells, when we come into contact with an allergen (a substance that the body recognizes as foreign and against which it reacts in the form of an allergy).
Histamine is present in a large part of our tissues and, once produced, gives rise to some of the famous symptoms of allergy such as itching, sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes.
Antihistamines promote action against histamine, alleviating these symptoms.
The most common side effects of antihistamines
Histamine is a neurotransmitter that the body releases to protect itself from allergens.
It is histamine itself that produces the symptoms of allergy.
Allergy drugs are called antihistamines because they block histamine.
Antihistamines are mostly used in winter and fall and often cause some mild adverse effects such as drowsiness and exhaustion.
The side effects of anti-allergy drugs are often the result of improper use.
It is very important to avoid the abuse of these drugs as well as self-medication without specific medical supervision because it can be harmful and aggravate these effects.
The side effects of antihistamines are usually not serious and usually do not last over time.
But it is necessary to know them and control their intake so that, in this way, their effect treats allergy correctly.
There are two types of antihistamines that it is necessary to differentiate to know the different side effects that each one of them may entail:
First-generation antihistamines:
These are the ones that were marketed first and that have been on the market for the longest time.
They are effective in eliminating the effects of allergy and are also acetylcholine receptor antagonistic agents.
Their limitation is the level of sedation that taking them causes.
Second-generation and third-generation antihistamines:
These are much more selective drugs with histamine receptors (H1 receptors).
It is this selectivity that reduces adverse effects such as drowsiness.
Side effects of antihistamines
The side effects that some people may experience are not serious in most cases, but it is not superfluous to pay attention to some symptoms and side effects:
Tiredness:
The most common side effect of antihistamines is sedation, especially in the so-called first generation.
Second and third-generation drugs, in some cases, cause sleep and exhaustion, slightly.
Snoring:
In this case, it is not that the anti-allergic cause them, but that this soporific effect causes the tissues of the palate, tongue, and uvula to relax excessively when sleeping.
This implies that air does not enter the body correctly, causing snoring.
Difficult concentration:
Mildly, some antihistamines can affect the concentration of people who take them.
This result is due to its effect on the central nervous system.
Increase appetite:
Histamine not only intervenes in defenses, but it also intervenes in other processes such as the digestive.
Therefore, sometimes antihistamines can increase appetite.
Other unwanted effects
Some effects that may appear are nausea, noises in the ear (tinnitus), blurred vision, euphoria, incoordination, anxiety, insomnia, tremors, nausea and vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, dry mouth, and dry cough.
Contraindications
Antiallergic drugs are very safe drugs, generally indicated for adults and children alike.
However, there are specific cases that require special attention.
This is the case for pregnant women and people with diseases such as glaucoma, hypertension, kidney or liver disease, or benign prostatic hypertrophy.
In such cases, doctors need to be especially careful when treating your allergy.
