Hydroxyzine Instead Of Remeron?

[original guy]

Would another antihistamine such as Hydroxyzine be something worth trying instead of Remeron for sleep, appetite, and anxiety? I ask this because every time I have been on remeron it has been amazing the first few weeks. I sleep great, wake up refreshed, and eat well and put on much needed weight, which I'm guessing from it's powerful antihistamine effect. But each time after about a month while I continue to sleep and eat better my anxiety actually gets worse, and I get agitated and edgy a lot, which I'm guessing is from the norepinephrine part kicking in? Would a drug like Hydroxyzine or something similar maybe still give me that feeling like I have the first few weeks on remeron without the negative stuff several weeks later? I just with remeron would keep working forever like it always does those first few weeks. 

[jt07]

What dose of Remeron were you taking? The it starts to act appreciably on norepinephrine at around 30 mg. If you take 15 mg, you should be getting mostly serotonin and antihistamine action. Also, one reason that it might stop working for you is that our bodies tend to adjust to antihistamines. Benadryl makes me sleepy for a few days but after that, I adjust to it. I'm not sure hydroxyzine is the answer you are looking for. And I don't know that it has a big impact on appetite either. 

[original guy]

I wonder why hydroxyzine wouldn't have a big impact on appetite? Isn't the antihistamine properties of remeron what make me get so hungry about an hour after taking it? I would think the same mechanism of hydroxyzine would induce hunger, but maybe its not that simple. And with sleep, whether I take 30 mg or 45 mg of remeron I pass out within 1-2 hours, despite taking it for several years. Is there more to the sleep/appetite properties of remeron than just histamine? 

[mikl_pls]

I would look at trying cyproheptadine (Periactin). It is an antihistamine with additional anticholinergic, antiserotonergic, and local anesthetic properties.

It's commonly used as an adjunct to meds that reduce appetite to cancel out that side effect and stimulate appetite, which is beneficial for those who are underweight. It is a pretty potent 5-HT2A antagonist (may help reduce anxiety) and 5-HT2C antagonist (may help boost appetite in combination with the H1 antagonism, as well as relieve depression), and is far more potent an antihistamine than Remeron and definitely far more potent an antihistamine than hydroxyzine.

[notfred]

I did not find Remeron to be that strong an antihistamine.