This drug I give...

[pedsrnjc]

There is this drug I give to patients, it's called Visteral/Atarax/hydroxizine, pretty sure I spelled them wrong, it was a long night shift.

The drug is named Visteral if my patient is having trouble with anxiety or needs something to be symbiotic with their Vicodin.

The drug is named Atarax if the patient is itchy.

The drug is named hydroxizine if the patient is needing an antihistamine. (sometimes allergy problems make them itchy;)).

If you call it the wrong name, like Atarax for anxiety, or Vistaril for itching or hydroxizine pretty much anytime...the whole world stops!

I totally understand why drugs might have two names, trade name and real name, but what happened with this one? Did two manufacturers patent it at the same time for different things? Or did somebody decide one day that they could trick folks into thinking it was two/three seperate meds and then they would sell more?

It must be time for bed, if I take it for sleep I guess I would call it vistaril, but melatonin works alot better with no hangover, right? Drugs will always annoy me.

[Davey Do]

LTC RN jc:

A Pharmacist told me this years ago:

Hydroxyzine pamoate (Vistaril) is administered for its anti-anxiety effect. It localizes more in the CNS.

Hydroxyzine hydrochloride (Atarax) has more of a anti-histamine effect. Its releases more systemically.

The base (pamoate vs hydrochloride) affects the chemical release. It made sense to me.

Dave