1 May 2026Oral drugsSource update: February 2024
Hydroxyzine oral
Hydroxyzine guidance for moderate anxiety and insomnia, with QT and anticholinergic precautions.
Prescription under medical supervision
This guide page is for structured reference only and does not replace a clinician, pharmacist, or emergency review. Dose choice, route choice, interactions, and safety decisions still need professional judgment.
Therapeutic action
Sedating H1 antihistamine.
Indications
- Moderate anxiety.
- Insomnia.
Forms and strengths
- 25 mg tablet.
Dose
Reduce the dose by half in older patients.
Moderate anxiety
- Adult: 25 to 50 mg 2 times daily, maximum 100 mg daily.
Insomnia
- Adult: 25 mg once daily at bedtime.
Duration
- Moderate anxiety: as short as possible, maximum 2 weeks.
- Insomnia: 7 to 10 days.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Do not administer to patients with closed-angle glaucoma, prostate disorders, dementia, or history of QT interval prolongation.
- Do not combine with drugs that prolong the QT interval.
- Administer with caution, maximum 50 mg daily, in older patients and patients with hepatic or severe renal impairment.
- May cause drowsiness, headache, dizziness, anticholinergic effects, and rarely seizures, QT prolongation, or allergic reactions.
- Administer with caution and monitor combination with CNS depressants and anticholinergic drugs.
- Avoid alcohol during treatment.
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: avoid.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page reproduces the structured reference information for this batch while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections.
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