There is some evidence for hydroxyzine (1st gen antihistamine but with low anticholinergic activity and some serotonin/alpha-adrenergic antagonist action which may be resplosible for it's anxiolysis) but this is not OTC everywhere. I have a paper but I can't access it here - it shows promise in generalised anxiety disorder, but it doesn't work for everyone.
Damn right it doesn't work for everyone!
I tried this on recommendation from a pharmacist in South-East Asia (Brand name Atarax) and i found this to be an horrific experience! I wont go into detail as this may unfairly influence the reader but i followed the instructions and eer'd with the side of caution (which is something i rarely do when it comes to illicit substances)
The next 48 hours were the worst of my life without going into detail, this aside taking more than the recommended dose of this Anti-Histamine is a
very bad idea
I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
IME it most definately does not possess any Anxiolytic properties, infact on the contrary ive never felt so anxious in all my life, aswell as sweaty, restless, nauseas and just generally awful.
On top of this i was stuck on a 747 waiting on the runway to take off!
A nightmare experience of epic proportions... especially for someone like me who originally wanted the meds for flight anxiety and now had all these symptoms brought on by the Hydroxyzine aswell as my usual extreme flight anxiety symptoms add to that the fact i had a 12 hour non-stop flight ahead off me.
So not wanting to dismiss this 'wonderdrug' (Hydroxymine) ive tried using it on different occassions using different doses in different settings and my opinion has not changed at all.
Maybe im one of the unlucky few who it doesnt seem to work on, yet all the other 1st Generation Anti-Histamines ive tried (and use) work just perfect.