Antihistamines offer needful relief from allergies caused by mites or pollen and congestions in your airways. However, these meds do not offer cure from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) like bronchitis, bronchial asthma or asthma. Though a few antihistamines are available as an OTC offering, if your condition necessitates long term use, it is recommended to speak to a physician. Hydroxyzine is one of the commonly administered antihistamine meds. It is taken for managing nausea, anxieties, itchy skin, etc. Do you know about hydroxyzine and alcohol interaction? It is useful to have needful inputs.
Most antihistamines are provided for treating common allergic reactions like influenza, allergic rhinitis / runny nose, etc. Those who witness congestion of nasal passages may buy antihistamines from drugstores, often without a prescription. You need to remember that antiallergic drugs are taken only as a short-term med.
Histamines are substances that make your arteries and veins permeable or easy to cross through. This action makes fluids gain access to tissues via capillaries. All these actions cause typical signs of allergies to set in viz., watery discharge from eyes and a runny nose.
What is hydroxyzine?
This is an antihistamine drug. It is used for treating nausea experienced due to motion sickness, sleeplessness, anxieties and itchiness. It is tolerated relatively well, and does not trigger counterproductive reactions in your nervous system, blood or lungs. In case of sleeplessness, maintenance dosage hovers in the range of 25 milligrams (mg) to 75 mg.
Hydroxyzine
Your caregiver may administer this med either through the intramuscular route or as an oral pill. Key ingredients are seen less in your plasma but more on the skin. It takes about 100 minutes for this med to attain its fullest potential. Half-life period ranges from 7 hours for younger people to 20 hours for adults.
Hydroxyzine and alcohol
Hydroxyzine is also used for treating spells of anxiety. Sedative properties of this med help in relieving these stressful episodes. As an extended use, hydroxyzine is also administered to reduce signs of alcohol withdrawal or substance abuse. This drug is considered effective in reducing sleeplessness and anxieties among people who have recently quit drinking.
Alcohol and hydroxyzine do not go well together. The latter is used to reduce symptoms faced during withdrawal of alcohol. As hydroxyzine slows down your nervous system, intake of alcohol may only worsen the adverse effects. Those who took alcohol with this antihistamine experienced acute levels of sleepiness and dizziness.
Hydroxyzine and alcohol how long to wait
Intake of alcohol with hydroxyzine can impair your movements and motor function. The drug may start working in 45 minutes from the time of a dose. But, with alcohol, the remedial effects may not set in; instead, you tend to witness several counterproductive effects. You may also observe lesser control over your impulses as well as inability to coordinate your bodily movements.
If you are facing serious challenges in remaining focused or feeling excessively drowsy / dizzy, seek medical assistance without on an urgent mode. In the US, you may reach out to the helpdesk of the FDA or call 911. In Canada, seek help from Health Canada or rush to a poison management cell.
Owing to these risks, it is highly recommended to wait for 50 – 55 hours from the last dose of hydroxyzine. Those who took alcohol after allowing for 50-plus hours to lapse faced no major side effects. However, if you sense any discomforts, seek medical assistance from your treating doctor or call helpdesk – like 911 or Health Canada – without much delay.
If you aim to have more details about hydroxyzine and alcohol interaction, speak with your caregiving team and / or a pharmacist. It is indeed a safe practice to take hydroxyzine as per the dosage instructions of a certified medical professional.
Disclaimer
Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.
Education: Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan. Experience: Over 8 years of experience writing for health and wellness websites, including WebMD and Healthline, specializing in women’s health and nutrition.
