Hi all,
Over the past two weeks I have been testing Hydroxyzine. Hydroxyzine was primarily used due to its antihistaminergic potential, but its central actions (it crosses the blood-brain barrier) cause somnolence, so people with allergies generally are prescribed antihistamines that do not pass the BBB and are without many side-effects. However, Hydroxyzine has another, more remarkable feature: it is one of the cleaner and cheaper 5HT2A antagonists in existence. This receptor plays a major role in anxiety and depression. In fact, SSRI-induced downregulation of the receptor is seen as one of the major therapeuthical mechanisms by which antidepressants work (if they do). Decreasing its basal activity appears to be the holy grail of antidepressant/anxiolytic response. Hydroxyzine works this way and is used in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
I wanted to try it out. I do very, very bad (worse) on SSRIs, even 5-HTP, and figured that using a medicine to oppose some of serotonin's actions would be helpful, a thought that is backed by multiple scientific papers you could find by googling '5HT2 antidepressant' or 'Hydroxyzine anxiolytic'. However, doctor's in my home country are very reluctant in prescribing drugs, so I decided to order my Hydroxyzine from RuPharma.com right away. Cheap and easy. My package arrived discreetly and within two weeks.
I started out at a 1x25 mg/d at night regimen to avoid the central antihistaminergic side effects during the day. Already from the first day, I felt something... something different. It's as if all the experiences of life were 'lighter'. Easier to bear and experienced more wholly. So far, this could all be placebo, as the effects are subtle. Many people want a quick fix (think Benzo's), but Hydroxyzine is not. It's a MODULATOR and the use of benzodiazapines is not sustainable to begin with. After the somnolence subsided, I switched to a 2x25 mg/d regimen, morning and afternoon.
Was it all placebo? Certainly not. By coincidence, few days into the experiment, I had something coming up that will dread everyone: root canal treatment at the dentist. Even with proper anesthetic, the treatment is inconvenient to say the least. Hydroxyzine made the whole experience a lot more bearable, but it is only in hindsight that I realize this. Especially the hour before the treatment, where you will normally feel tense because of what's coming up. I wasn't zombified, it just took a whole lot more before ratio ('with proper anesthetic its doable') was taken over by nerves ('what if not?').
Besides the anxiolytic effect, I noticed myself being more in the moment, more intelligent maybe. I was at a party where I spoke for two hours straight with some foreigners I just met. We talked philosophy, science and life and it all went so fluently and it was CRISP. It felt as if my thoughts were strings that I could attach to and then share them in a verbal very fluent way.
I can easily see Hydroxyzine as a way to study better. I'd love to try it in conjunction with Ritalin or some other dopaminergic/motivational drug. I wouldn't be surprised if Hydroxyzine would block some of the anxiogenic actions of amphetamines, which can be pretty serotonergic, something that is forgotten quite often. Serotonin is not a pleasure chemical, as some would like to believe you. Nobody is addicted to serotonin. If you like your SSRI, it's probably placebo or another of its particular pharmacological aspects.
The results stand in contrast to low dose LSD or other psychedelics which are purported to induce focus, anxiolysis and creativity via 5HT2A activation. However, the 5HT2C might be involved as well. Maybe combining LSD or some other 5HT2C agonist and Hydroxyzine is interesting.
So far, Hydroxyzine is a great addition to my daily life. It's subtle but definitive and sustainable.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
I will try to write some extensive reports on other drugs/nootropics as well!
Over the past two weeks I have been testing Hydroxyzine. Hydroxyzine was primarily used due to its antihistaminergic potential, but its central actions (it crosses the blood-brain barrier) cause somnolence, so people with allergies generally are prescribed antihistamines that do not pass the BBB and are without many side-effects. However, Hydroxyzine has another, more remarkable feature: it is one of the cleaner and cheaper 5HT2A antagonists in existence. This receptor plays a major role in anxiety and depression. In fact, SSRI-induced downregulation of the receptor is seen as one of the major therapeuthical mechanisms by which antidepressants work (if they do). Decreasing its basal activity appears to be the holy grail of antidepressant/anxiolytic response. Hydroxyzine works this way and is used in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
I wanted to try it out. I do very, very bad (worse) on SSRIs, even 5-HTP, and figured that using a medicine to oppose some of serotonin's actions would be helpful, a thought that is backed by multiple scientific papers you could find by googling '5HT2 antidepressant' or 'Hydroxyzine anxiolytic'. However, doctor's in my home country are very reluctant in prescribing drugs, so I decided to order my Hydroxyzine from RuPharma.com right away. Cheap and easy. My package arrived discreetly and within two weeks.
I started out at a 1x25 mg/d at night regimen to avoid the central antihistaminergic side effects during the day. Already from the first day, I felt something... something different. It's as if all the experiences of life were 'lighter'. Easier to bear and experienced more wholly. So far, this could all be placebo, as the effects are subtle. Many people want a quick fix (think Benzo's), but Hydroxyzine is not. It's a MODULATOR and the use of benzodiazapines is not sustainable to begin with. After the somnolence subsided, I switched to a 2x25 mg/d regimen, morning and afternoon.
Was it all placebo? Certainly not. By coincidence, few days into the experiment, I had something coming up that will dread everyone: root canal treatment at the dentist. Even with proper anesthetic, the treatment is inconvenient to say the least. Hydroxyzine made the whole experience a lot more bearable, but it is only in hindsight that I realize this. Especially the hour before the treatment, where you will normally feel tense because of what's coming up. I wasn't zombified, it just took a whole lot more before ratio ('with proper anesthetic its doable') was taken over by nerves ('what if not?').
Besides the anxiolytic effect, I noticed myself being more in the moment, more intelligent maybe. I was at a party where I spoke for two hours straight with some foreigners I just met. We talked philosophy, science and life and it all went so fluently and it was CRISP. It felt as if my thoughts were strings that I could attach to and then share them in a verbal very fluent way.
I can easily see Hydroxyzine as a way to study better. I'd love to try it in conjunction with Ritalin or some other dopaminergic/motivational drug. I wouldn't be surprised if Hydroxyzine would block some of the anxiogenic actions of amphetamines, which can be pretty serotonergic, something that is forgotten quite often. Serotonin is not a pleasure chemical, as some would like to believe you. Nobody is addicted to serotonin. If you like your SSRI, it's probably placebo or another of its particular pharmacological aspects.
The results stand in contrast to low dose LSD or other psychedelics which are purported to induce focus, anxiolysis and creativity via 5HT2A activation. However, the 5HT2C might be involved as well. Maybe combining LSD or some other 5HT2C agonist and Hydroxyzine is interesting.
So far, Hydroxyzine is a great addition to my daily life. It's subtle but definitive and sustainable.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
I will try to write some extensive reports on other drugs/nootropics as well!