ocdengineer is right.

I take Atarax for a side symptom that drives me nuts... itching! Do to anxiety.

I actually had the itching for some years before my first Anxiety/panic/nervous systom attack- which I thought was a full blown heart attack.

ocdengineer is right about benzos, I take zanax and it works great.. keeps me out of the emergency room :)

Jamie i have been taking atarax for about two weeks and let me tell you though you may not notice it at first it really does help i wouldnt say it is a anxiety med but i does help calm your nerves, it did my anyways and i have a pretty bad case of anxiety, anyways if you have any questions about it feel free to ask

Atarax DOES work for anxiety.

"50 patients (10 men, 40 women) with generalized anxiety (29), disorders of adaptation (15), somatoformed disorders (6), diagnosed according to ICD-10, were treated by atarax. Mean age of the patients was 42.4 years, average duration of the disease-1.9 years. Evaluation of efficiency was performed according to "Global Clinic Impression" scale, Hamilton rating scale for anxiety and depression (HAM-A and HAM-D) as well as according to FARD scale for anxiety. The patients were examined both before the treatment and on 14 and 28 days of treatment. According to "Global Clinical Impression" scale excellent and good results were observed in 66% of the patients. Unsatisfactory results were found in 10% of the cases. Reduction of the total HAM-A scores by 50% and more was observed in 48% of the patients. The same decrease was observed in 58% of the patients according to HAM-D scale and in 54% of the patients according to FARD scale. Following side-effects were noted: transitory sleepiness (36% of the cases), weakness (18%), headache (6%), changes of both appetite (6%) and body mass (6%), slight mucosa dryness (2%). In one case skin allergic reaction in form of urticaria bullosa took place and the therapy was interrupted.

PMID: 9532714 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]"


You may want to try an SSRI (Zoloft, prozac) in addition to the Atarax (what dose of Atarax ore you taking? Upto 100mg 4 times a day can be used)

1: Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 1998;98(2):31-3. Links
[Atarax in treatment of anxiety in outpatient clinic][Article in Russian]
Bobrov AE, Babin AG, Gladyshev OA, Belianchikova MA, Piatnitskii NIu, Bakalova EA, Abolmasova OB.
50 patients (10 men, 40 women) with generalized anxiety (29), disorders of adaptation (15), somatoformed disorders (6), diagnosed according to ICD-10, were treated by atarax. Mean age of the patients was 42.4 years, average duration of the disease-1.9 years. Evaluation of efficiency was performed according to "Global Clinic Impression" scale, Hamilton rating scale for anxiety and depression (HAM-A and HAM-D) as well as according to FARD scale for anxiety. The patients were examined both before the treatment and on 14 and 28 days of treatment. According to "Global Clinical Impression" scale excellent and good results were observed in 66% of the patients. Unsatisfactory results were found in 10% of the cases. Reduction of the total HAM-A scores by 50% and more was observed in 48% of the patients. The same decrease was observed in 58% of the patients according to HAM-D scale and in 54% of the patients according to FARD scale. Following side-effects were noted: transitory sleepiness (36% of the cases), weakness (18%), headache (6%), changes of both appetite (6%) and body mass (6%), slight mucosa dryness (2%). In one case skin allergic reaction in form of urticaria bullosa took place and the therapy was interrupted.

PMID: 9532714 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]