Clonidine vs hydroxyzine: insomnia AND anxiety

[paranoid android]

I work in a mental health hospital, and we give the patients Vistaril as a PRN medication (to take as needed when they need to calm down). The patients always bitch and moan (of course they are trapped on a psych ward), that the Vistaril sucks and they need something "more." But, the doctors won't typically prescribe benzos on the ward for obvious reasons.....but, they will give clonidine, and the patients rarely complain about that (for sleep especially)!

Depending on how much Clonidine you give them they may be unable to complain much because of the hypotension. I never found Clonidine to be good for anything really besides the rushes of high blood pressure due to severe Opiate withdrawal. I did find Hydroxyzine to be okay for anxiety and a really good Opiate potentiator but not that great of a sleep aid. I don't find Hydroxyzine to be nearly as sedating as Promethazine which as it's OTC here is easier to get anyway.

So people are bad off enough to be in a psych ward and the docs still won't prescribe benzos, not even in a controlled environment like that? I don't see the harm in having a relaxed patient I mean of they're in a psych ward their problems must be pretty bad. Seems like it'd be better for the patient and the ward in general to have a properly medicated patient(s) as opposed to those upset that they're not getting the desired relief. I just don't see the harm of a therapeutic dose of a benzo in a controlled setting if the patient really needs it. Just my opinion FWIW.

I have never spent time in a Psych ward but i know many people who have and for some reason they dislike basically any drug that could be fun at all while they love pumping out shitty drugs for sleep or anxiety by the handful such as Trazadone, Mirtazapine, Quetiapine, Clonidine and even old Typicals such as Largactil aka good ol Thorazine, Methotrimeprazine aka Levomepromazine (brand name Nozinan) and i have ever seen Haldol given for anxiety and insomnia in Psych wards which is insane given the awful and sometimes permanent side effects and the fact that it is not indicated for either anxiety or insomnia at all. Hell unlike the low potency Typicals such as Thorazine it's not known for being sedating but rather turns the patient into a zombie due to it's very potent D2 antagonism.

 

[jojo1234]

I was trying to respond to what Keif said about being on the psych ward, but I'll address it here. He is correct. Typically, the patients are dual diagnosed with meth being the number one drug of choice where I live. I would say, 90 percent of the patients come in and test positive for meth (and of course other things). The doctors won't give them benzos CUZ of addiction reasons. It's really sad. For instance, say you have a patient you has a script (on the outside) for zanax or klonopin, the doctors still refuse to give it to them while they are on the ward!

 

[jojo1234]

So people are bad off enough to be in a psych ward and the docs still won't prescribe benzos, not even in a controlled environment like that? I don't see the harm in having a relaxed patient I mean of they're in a psych ward their problems must be pretty bad. Seems like it'd be better for the patient and the ward in general to have a properly medicated patient(s) as opposed to those upset that they're not getting the desired relief. I just don't see the harm of a therapeutic dose of a benzo in a controlled setting if the patient really needs it. Just my opinion FWIW.

Typically, if they get out of hand, they get a B52 shot.....which does include Ativan......with Haldol and Benadryl being the other two meds