Hydroxyzine

The Basics

What is Hydroxyzine?

Used to help control anxiety and tension caused by nervous and emotional conditions. Also used to relieve the symptoms of an allergic reaction caused by chronic urticaria, and atopic and contact dermatoses.

Brand names for Hydroxyzine

Vistaril

How Hydroxyzine is classified

Antihistamines

Hydroxyzine During Pregnancy

Hydroxyzine pregnancy category

Category N/ANote that the FDA has deprecated the use of pregnancy categories, so for some medications, this information isn’t available. We still think it’s useful to list historical info, however, given what a common proxy this has been in the past.

What we know about taking Hydroxyzine while pregnant

Can you take hydroxyzine while pregnant? Relevant published information on using hydroxyzine while pregnant was not found as of the revision date.

Taking Hydroxyzine While Breastfeeding

What are recommendations for lactation if you're taking Hydroxyzine?

Can you take hydroxyzine while breastfeeding? Small occasional doses of hydroxyzine would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Larger doses or more prolonged use may cause drowsiness and other effects in the infant or decrease the milk supply, particularly in combination with a sympathomimetic such as pseudoephedrine or before lactation is well established. Other agents are preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

Maternal / infant drug levels

Small occasional doses of hydroxyzine would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Larger doses or more prolonged use may cause drowsiness and other effects in the infant or decrease the milk supply, particularly in combination with a sympathomimetic such as pseudoephedrine or before lactation is well established. Other agents are preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

Possible effects of Hydroxyzine on milk supply

Antihistamines in relatively high doses given by injection can decrease basal serum prolactin in nonlactating women and in early postpartum women.[3][4] However, suckling-induced prolactin secretion is not affected by antihistamine pretreatment of postpartum mothers.[3] Whether lower oral doses of antihistamines have the same effect on serum prolactin or whether the effects on prolactin have any consequences on breastfeeding success have not been studied. The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed.The breastfeeding mother of a 5-week-old infant was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, panic attacks and anxiety disorder. She was started on hydroxyzine 50 mg at an unspecified interval and took it for 3 to 5 days with no effect on milk production. She was then started on aripiprazole 5 mg at an unspecified interval. After 5 days, she reported a decrease in milk production that required supplementation with formula. Nine days after stopping both drugs, her milk supply returned to normal. The decreased milk supply was possibly caused by the medications, with aripiprazole most likely.[5]

Possible alternatives to Hydroxyzine

Desloratadine, Fexofenadine, Loratadine.