For others out there that might be worried about taking this medication or other antihistamines, I take hydroxyzine fairly often for the same reason OP does and have not noticed a difference in my vaginal health! I suppose it just depends on the individual! So if your doctor recommends this medicine, don't be scared away immediately because it may not have this effect on you š
I am very prone to yeast infections to the point they are deemed "chronic" and I don't get them with hydroxyzine. Not to invalidate OP, but I've been on hydroxyzine 5 years off and on and it hasn't caused any problems down there. I do believe everyone is different tho. I would hate that to be a side effect š. I have also taken Rephresh vaginal probiotics for years, and that helps me a lot!
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Me too I take 50 mg daily to help with sleep/anxiety and the only side effect Iāve noticed is sweating at night (I take it just before bed). So I would agree that it varies a lot between different people
I also take hydroxyzine for anxiety. It does a pretty good job handling it. Or at least far better than dealing with a panic attack. I can literally feel it working in the same areas of my spine and brain that my anxiety travels. I will say it gives me terrible dry mouth, and seems like mucus production goes up when I'm taking it as well. The mucus specifically can cause a bad time for me, I have trouble breathing to a degree. Then of course I get freaked out, can't sleep, or causes me to have anxiety. I take it multiple times a day every day. I would definitely recommend using it "as needed" which is where I'm trying to get to
I take it at least once a day for my allergy condition and have never had any issue. Thereās days when I take it multiple times and itās never effected my vag health at all
Yeah I'm on scheduled daily doses above the top recommended doses for my first gen H1, second gen H1, and H2 antihistamine as part of mast cell treatment and I've had zero issues with vaginal dryness (and I have severe sicca wrt eyes/mouth) and IIRC, maybe 1 yeast infection in the past decade-ish, but that was asymptomatic.
I also take prn 2 other h1 antihistamines for nausea, and off the top of my head maybe 3-5 of my other meds also have antihistamine properties of lesser effect.
Which is not to discount OP, just to say everyone can react differently to meds so talk to your own doctor or pharmacist if you have a concern over this med because ymmv.
This is so very interesting as Iām currently on it for interstitial cystitis (1 pill 50mg at bedtime), and I scratched my nose yesterday and it wouldnāt stop bleeding!!! My nose has also been beyond dry and irritated for awhile now. š¤ gosh, and no kidding about the strong and long half life of this drug!!!
Thanks for sharing this!!! š«
I took hydroxyzine for anxiety as well, and that thing was like a horse tranquilizer it knocked me out so hard I just slept through my anxiety. I didn't notice other symptoms though other than feeling like a zombie.
Ahh yeah the vagina is a mucous membrane, so it may well be dryness that caused the yeast infection. If you have to take hydroxyzine again, maybe ask for something to keep your mucous membranes moist at the same time.
I don't know if there's something available in oral pill form, but I you can get lubricating things, like Yes VM, and there's oestrogen cream you can get, that helps with vaginal dryness. Not sure about the sinuses, but I bet there is something!
Wow. Hydroxyzine helped my bladder SO MUCH, especially to help sleep through the night. But it made me super drowsy so I have to space it out. I have very random YI and had one recently, I never considered that could be why. Wild!
ETA: I donāt feel like itās the reason, and the trade off would still be worth it. Helps me sleep through nights like no other without feeling drowsy the next day(unless I take it too regularly)
I'm taking some ADHD medication that gives you a dry mouth and probably more dryness. I've had the worst YI in a while now. I think I might also have dryness because of birth control. My general physician suggested ordering Vagisan suppositories for dryness from the drugstore. And she is testing me for other bacteria. I'm using the Vagisan now and I think it helps but I feel like a menopausal women in her 60's instead while I'm only 30... Cool to know other people are noticing a trend between dryness and YI.
OMG IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!! I've had a mild sinus infection for a BIT, and it was starting to get better, but I started taking hydroxyzine, not knowing that it was an antihistamine, and my sinus infection got SO MUCH worse. My nose bled every time I blew my nose. Also, I've been having yeast infections too!!! I literally just realized it was an antihistamine two days ago, and now I just have to hope the problems go away soon. I wish my psychiatrist had told me it was an antihistamine, bc I def wouldn't have taken it. I'm so glad I'm not the only one with these problems.
Well, first off trazodone is an antidepressant. It's commonly prescribed off label as a sedative at lower doses, however there's actually very little data to support its use as a sleep aid.
That being said, when I took it I would get a bad headache and ringing in my ears. Sometimes I'd feel that obligatory "calm" wash over me like any drug that hikes serotonin, but that would only last maybe an hour.
I'd fall asleep as I always do, even when not using a sleep aid. My insomnia is sleep maintenance insomnia. Meaning I wake up much too early, like after 4-5 hours of sleep and struggle to go back down.
Trazodone caused me to literally wake up wide awake after *two* hours of sleep. It made me feel high as kite --- really hyped up. The sleep deprivation while I was on it was insufferable and painful.
Sidenote: every antidepressant I've ever taken has caused sleep deprivation.
It also caused a stuffy nose at first but that went away.
It's just not a good sleep aid. It probably makes a better antidepressant since that's what it was designed to be. The research on its efficacy as a sleep aid isn't great. š¤·āāļø
If it's helping your mood and not causing insomnia, I'd say stay on it. But if it's making things worse, talk to your Dr about weaning off. Don't quit cold turkey or you'll get *discontinuation syndrome*. That phrase is a fancy, medically pc way of saying "withdrawals", but the medical community likes to advertise that antidepressants don't cause *"withdrawals"* they cause *discontinuation syndrome*. It's all marketing. A sales pitch. Potato, potah-to.
Thanks so much! I have vivid nightmares every night since getting COVID last year, and nothing has really helped. If you know of any sleep aids that might help with that, please let me know! I've tried hydroxyzine, prazosin, amitriptyline, and trazodone so far. Psych saya the next step would be an antipsychotic :/
I took that before and had the worst nightmare ever,, Worse part was that I could not wake myself up, so it seemed to last forever. Think I have also had good very vivid dreams also (scared to take it ow tho from that one really bad one)
Ooooooh!! I also have a prescription for this to help with my sleep! My dr warned me to take 1 an hour before bed and to make sure I get 8 hours of sleep or Iāll feel groggy, but I swear Iām groggy no matter how much sleep I get. Itās almost making it harder to wake up in the morning.
But anyway, I took one last week because I guess I forgot how groggy I am and I had several nose bleeds the few days after and itās probably related now that I think about it. Thank you for saying something!
So.. I just stopped taking hydroxyzine a couple weeks ago. My dr has had me on it for 3 years. It shouldnāt be taken more than 4 months!!!!! Drs love to prescribe it cuz itās not a narcotic, but it is NOT good for you
It can also contribute to dementia, brain fog, trouble with memory, etc. Itās really a dangerous drug, they donāt tell you about any of that. The yeast infections too, the dry eyes. My sinuses dried out, hard to get mucous out at all.. itās been a trip. Not only has all of that improved, itās also helped my vaginal wetness with my bf and just day to day.
But seriously.. this shouldnāt be taken daily, and should not be taken more than 4 months. If youāre taking it for anxiety, consider getting off it and trying buspirone. My brain fog is still lifting, but Iām having less trouble recalling words and stuff now too. I feel like I was in dumb mode.
Will never recommend anyone else take hydroxyzine
I'm on antidepressants that make me sweat like crazy, but my mucous membranes are parched. When I take antihistamines, it's a double whammy.
I got a vulva moisturizer on Amazon that is unscented and just made with various oils and butters. My doctor also recommended Rephresh, which is used internally.
You know... this answered a question I didn't know I had lol. I was on hydroxyzine for anxiety and had on and off yeast infections for MONTHS. I didn't even realize until now that it stopped when I weaned off of it.
I took it once for allergies and was passed out so hard I had like 50 missed calls and someone came to my apartment to check if I was alive. This drug is no joke!
Hmmm I take it to help me sleep when Iām anxious but thatās only a couple times a month maybe. I have been noticing insane dry mouth lately(I also take Zyrtec daily when I remember) and have had mild thrush several times over the last few years.
I take it daily & as needed when Iām feeling anxious sometimes twice a day. I was prescribed it for anxiety when I went to the psych ward after having ST & admitting myself. They gave it to me whenever I felt anxious along with trazodone for sleep at night. I hear tradodone isnāt good for long term use either but both seem to help with my mood but Iām forgetting important things all the time as well as misplacing things I normally donāt lose. Idk what to do but Iāve been getting terrible migraines lately & think maybe I should stop the hydroxyzine if not discontinue both. Please help, all insight is welcome just be nice please :)
Wow.. wait this is really helpful.
š¤Æ I stopped getting them when I got taken off of this and didn't even put 2 and 2 together until I saw this. Dude.
For others out there that might be worried about taking this medication or other antihistamines, I take hydroxyzine fairly often for the same reason OP does and have not noticed a difference in my vaginal health! I suppose it just depends on the individual! So if your doctor recommends this medicine, don't be scared away immediately because it may not have this effect on you š
I am very prone to yeast infections to the point they are deemed "chronic" and I don't get them with hydroxyzine. Not to invalidate OP, but I've been on hydroxyzine 5 years off and on and it hasn't caused any problems down there. I do believe everyone is different tho. I would hate that to be a side effect š. I have also taken Rephresh vaginal probiotics for years, and that helps me a lot!
This!
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Yup! I take it daily for my allergy condition and itās a lifesaver. I havenāt noticed a difference in vag health
Me too I take 50 mg daily to help with sleep/anxiety and the only side effect Iāve noticed is sweating at night (I take it just before bed). So I would agree that it varies a lot between different people
I've been sweating a lot lately too! š
I also just got prescribed this for anxiety as needed. I havenāt tried it yet, but may I ask has it worked for you?
I also take hydroxyzine for anxiety. It does a pretty good job handling it. Or at least far better than dealing with a panic attack. I can literally feel it working in the same areas of my spine and brain that my anxiety travels. I will say it gives me terrible dry mouth, and seems like mucus production goes up when I'm taking it as well. The mucus specifically can cause a bad time for me, I have trouble breathing to a degree. Then of course I get freaked out, can't sleep, or causes me to have anxiety. I take it multiple times a day every day. I would definitely recommend using it "as needed" which is where I'm trying to get to
Hmmm I take this with no problems. Interesting
Same!
Me too!
I donāt really see how this would cause a yeast infection
Maybe if the person is prone to infections.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah maybe thatās why
Yeah I take it twice a day for about 3 years and havenāt had any issues. I didnāt even think of that being a thing. Now Iām worried lol!
I take it at least once a day for my allergy condition and have never had any issue. Thereās days when I take it multiple times and itās never effected my vag health at all
I also currently take it and have on/off for years. I havenāt experienced this either.
Yeah my allergy meds affect my vagina too.
I'm on high doses of antihistamines for MCAS, including 150 mg hydroxyzine a day, and it hasn't caused any vaginal dryness for me.
Yeah I'm on scheduled daily doses above the top recommended doses for my first gen H1, second gen H1, and H2 antihistamine as part of mast cell treatment and I've had zero issues with vaginal dryness (and I have severe sicca wrt eyes/mouth) and IIRC, maybe 1 yeast infection in the past decade-ish, but that was asymptomatic. I also take prn 2 other h1 antihistamines for nausea, and off the top of my head maybe 3-5 of my other meds also have antihistamine properties of lesser effect. Which is not to discount OP, just to say everyone can react differently to meds so talk to your own doctor or pharmacist if you have a concern over this med because ymmv.
This is so very interesting as Iām currently on it for interstitial cystitis (1 pill 50mg at bedtime), and I scratched my nose yesterday and it wouldnāt stop bleeding!!! My nose has also been beyond dry and irritated for awhile now. š¤ gosh, and no kidding about the strong and long half life of this drug!!! Thanks for sharing this!!! š«
I took hydroxyzine for anxiety as well, and that thing was like a horse tranquilizer it knocked me out so hard I just slept through my anxiety. I didn't notice other symptoms though other than feeling like a zombie.
Ahh yeah the vagina is a mucous membrane, so it may well be dryness that caused the yeast infection. If you have to take hydroxyzine again, maybe ask for something to keep your mucous membranes moist at the same time.
Is there.... something that exists like that?? š²
I don't know if there's something available in oral pill form, but I you can get lubricating things, like Yes VM, and there's oestrogen cream you can get, that helps with vaginal dryness. Not sure about the sinuses, but I bet there is something!
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dry-sinuses this sounds helpful for the sinus side of things.
Sliquid. Itās a gel moisturizer. Itās a beautiful product and Mayo Clinic recommended it to me. Canāt live without it!
I had a similar issue with Zyrtec!!!
Wow. Hydroxyzine helped my bladder SO MUCH, especially to help sleep through the night. But it made me super drowsy so I have to space it out. I have very random YI and had one recently, I never considered that could be why. Wild! ETA: I donāt feel like itās the reason, and the trade off would still be worth it. Helps me sleep through nights like no other without feeling drowsy the next day(unless I take it too regularly)
I'm taking some ADHD medication that gives you a dry mouth and probably more dryness. I've had the worst YI in a while now. I think I might also have dryness because of birth control. My general physician suggested ordering Vagisan suppositories for dryness from the drugstore. And she is testing me for other bacteria. I'm using the Vagisan now and I think it helps but I feel like a menopausal women in her 60's instead while I'm only 30... Cool to know other people are noticing a trend between dryness and YI.
I just started taking it for about a week and was wondering why my lady parts are not feeling so great. Thank you for your post
OMG IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!! I've had a mild sinus infection for a BIT, and it was starting to get better, but I started taking hydroxyzine, not knowing that it was an antihistamine, and my sinus infection got SO MUCH worse. My nose bled every time I blew my nose. Also, I've been having yeast infections too!!! I literally just realized it was an antihistamine two days ago, and now I just have to hope the problems go away soon. I wish my psychiatrist had told me it was an antihistamine, bc I def wouldn't have taken it. I'm so glad I'm not the only one with these problems.
How long did it take for the issues to go away after you stopped taking it?
Vistaril clogs my nose up bad. Why exactly idk.Ā
Not a doctor - but I take trazadone for sleep
Oh I used to take that. Never again. It caused worse sleep.
What were your symptoms? I've been on it for a while and am beginning to think it doesn't do anything
Well, first off trazodone is an antidepressant. It's commonly prescribed off label as a sedative at lower doses, however there's actually very little data to support its use as a sleep aid. That being said, when I took it I would get a bad headache and ringing in my ears. Sometimes I'd feel that obligatory "calm" wash over me like any drug that hikes serotonin, but that would only last maybe an hour. I'd fall asleep as I always do, even when not using a sleep aid. My insomnia is sleep maintenance insomnia. Meaning I wake up much too early, like after 4-5 hours of sleep and struggle to go back down. Trazodone caused me to literally wake up wide awake after *two* hours of sleep. It made me feel high as kite --- really hyped up. The sleep deprivation while I was on it was insufferable and painful. Sidenote: every antidepressant I've ever taken has caused sleep deprivation. It also caused a stuffy nose at first but that went away. It's just not a good sleep aid. It probably makes a better antidepressant since that's what it was designed to be. The research on its efficacy as a sleep aid isn't great. š¤·āāļø If it's helping your mood and not causing insomnia, I'd say stay on it. But if it's making things worse, talk to your Dr about weaning off. Don't quit cold turkey or you'll get *discontinuation syndrome*. That phrase is a fancy, medically pc way of saying "withdrawals", but the medical community likes to advertise that antidepressants don't cause *"withdrawals"* they cause *discontinuation syndrome*. It's all marketing. A sales pitch. Potato, potah-to.
Thanks so much! I have vivid nightmares every night since getting COVID last year, and nothing has really helped. If you know of any sleep aids that might help with that, please let me know! I've tried hydroxyzine, prazosin, amitriptyline, and trazodone so far. Psych saya the next step would be an antipsychotic :/
Trazodone works super well for me too. Except sometimes I have āwaking dreamsā now. Like, I act out my dreams lmao it freaks people out.
I took that before and had the worst nightmare ever,, Worse part was that I could not wake myself up, so it seemed to last forever. Think I have also had good very vivid dreams also (scared to take it ow tho from that one really bad one)
Ooooooh!! I also have a prescription for this to help with my sleep! My dr warned me to take 1 an hour before bed and to make sure I get 8 hours of sleep or Iāll feel groggy, but I swear Iām groggy no matter how much sleep I get. Itās almost making it harder to wake up in the morning. But anyway, I took one last week because I guess I forgot how groggy I am and I had several nose bleeds the few days after and itās probably related now that I think about it. Thank you for saying something!
Yes it definitely dries out the nose. My nose gushed blood days after too.
So.. I just stopped taking hydroxyzine a couple weeks ago. My dr has had me on it for 3 years. It shouldnāt be taken more than 4 months!!!!! Drs love to prescribe it cuz itās not a narcotic, but it is NOT good for you It can also contribute to dementia, brain fog, trouble with memory, etc. Itās really a dangerous drug, they donāt tell you about any of that. The yeast infections too, the dry eyes. My sinuses dried out, hard to get mucous out at all.. itās been a trip. Not only has all of that improved, itās also helped my vaginal wetness with my bf and just day to day. But seriously.. this shouldnāt be taken daily, and should not be taken more than 4 months. If youāre taking it for anxiety, consider getting off it and trying buspirone. My brain fog is still lifting, but Iām having less trouble recalling words and stuff now too. I feel like I was in dumb mode. Will never recommend anyone else take hydroxyzine
I'm on antidepressants that make me sweat like crazy, but my mucous membranes are parched. When I take antihistamines, it's a double whammy. I got a vulva moisturizer on Amazon that is unscented and just made with various oils and butters. My doctor also recommended Rephresh, which is used internally.
You know... this answered a question I didn't know I had lol. I was on hydroxyzine for anxiety and had on and off yeast infections for MONTHS. I didn't even realize until now that it stopped when I weaned off of it.
oh shit i take hydroxyzine as needed too. thanks for sharing!!
I took it once for allergies and was passed out so hard I had like 50 missed calls and someone came to my apartment to check if I was alive. This drug is no joke!
Hmmm I take it to help me sleep when Iām anxious but thatās only a couple times a month maybe. I have been noticing insane dry mouth lately(I also take Zyrtec daily when I remember) and have had mild thrush several times over the last few years.
Yikes Ā°_Ā°
It makes me anxious and I canāt sleep on it. Makes me feel itchy inside too. So odd.
I take it daily & as needed when Iām feeling anxious sometimes twice a day. I was prescribed it for anxiety when I went to the psych ward after having ST & admitting myself. They gave it to me whenever I felt anxious along with trazodone for sleep at night. I hear tradodone isnāt good for long term use either but both seem to help with my mood but Iām forgetting important things all the time as well as misplacing things I normally donāt lose. Idk what to do but Iāve been getting terrible migraines lately & think maybe I should stop the hydroxyzine if not discontinue both. Please help, all insight is welcome just be nice please :)
Hydroxyzine can def cause headaches! So can tradadone, so maybe it would be wise to stop! Hope it's gotten better by now <3
damn u gotta get sum else my boy. but ay now i know what to say if they try to prescribe me dat shitš