10 Facts About Hydroxyzine

Hydroxyzine, sold under the brand names Atarax, Vistaril and others, is an antihistamine medication.

Hydroxyzine is used in the treatment of itchiness, anxiety, and nausea due to motion sickness.

Hydroxyzine can be used for the treatment of allergic conditions, such as chronic urticaria, atopic or contact dermatoses, and histamine-mediated pruritus.

Hydroxyzine is used as a non-barbiturate tranquilizer and for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as psychoneurosis and other forms of anxiety or tension states.

Hydroxyzine is contraindicated for intravenous injection, as it has shown to cause hemolysis.

Hydroxyzine is rapidly absorbed and distributed with oral and intramuscular administration, and is metabolized in the liver; the main metabolite, cetirizine, is formed through oxidation of the alcohol moiety to a carboxylic acid by alcohol dehydrogenase, and overall effects are observed within one hour of administration.

Hydroxyzine should be administered carefully in the elderly with consideration given to possible reduced elimination.

Hydroxyzine is a member of the diphenylmethylpiperazine class of antihistamines.

Hydroxyzine is supplied mainly as a dihydrochloride salt but to a lesser extent as an embonate salt.

Hydroxyzine is synthesized by the alkylation of 1piperazine with 2ethanol:.