Hydroxyzine (Atarax) is a first-generation antihistamine, of the piperazine class that is an H1 receptor antagonist. It was synthesised in the early 1950s and the medicinal formulation of this drug was announced in the 04. August 1956 issue of Chemistry Week. It is used primarily as an antihistamine for the treatment of itches and irritations, an antiemetic for the reduction of nausea, as a weak analgesic by itself and as an opioid potentiator, and as an anxiolytic for the treatment of anxiety. Its most common formulation is 25 mg small white, capsule-shaped and scored tablets of the hydrochloride salt made by UCB in the Netherlands. In the United States, a nearly-spherical dark green tablet is the most-commonly encountered version of it, with 25 and 100 mg capsules being available as well as a series of colour-coded round tablets from Mallinkrodt (25 mg white, 50 mg orange, 100 mg blue).
Hydroxyzine is both an antihistamine and anxiolytic and its use as a mild tranquilliser is especially common in dentistry and it retains some popularity in obstetrics, where for many years it was especially preferred for its ability to boost the effectiveness of alphaprodine (Nisentil), a narcotic analgesic related to pethidine as well as permit later use of scopolamine or benzodiazepines better than other drugs might.
Hydroxyzine is prescribed when the onset of an organic disease state manifests through anxiety, as general anxiety disorder, or in other more serious cases as psychoneurosis, and is therefore prescribed as a means of regulating normal function. Hydroxyzine can also be used for the treatment of allergic conditions, such as chronic urticaria, atopic or contact dermatoses, and histamine-mediated pruritus. These have also been confirmed in both recent and past studies to have no adverse effects on the liver, blood, nervous system or urinary tract
Store in temperature not exceeding 77oF(25oC), away from excess moisture.