Hydroxyzine was the 99th most commonly prescribed drug in the United States in 2017. In that year, there were almost 8,000,000 prescriptions. Considering how popular this drug is right now, it pays to know a little bit more about this medication, including how long hydroxyzine stays in your system.
The FDA states the following information regarding hydroxyzine half-life:
Half-life elimination: For adults is around 20 hours and less for children (around 7 hours) and more for elderly (around 30 hours)
Hydroxyzine has an oral bioavailability of 80%. Following oral administration, hydroxyzine is rapidly absorbed from the GI tract, with clinical actions observed within 15 to 30 minutes. Maximal clinical actions develop in 2 hours, with an approximate duration of action of 3 to 6 hours.
What is the half-life of hydroxyzine?
The half-life elimination for hydroxyzine is around 20 hours for adults.
How long does it take for hydroxyzine to wear off?
This drug wears off in 3 to 6 hours.
How long does hydroxyzine stay in your system?
This drug is an antihistamine, which means a standard drug test will not screen for this medication. However, hydroxyzine and other antihistamines may result in a false positive for other substances during a routine drug screening. The effects of histamine reduction can last for over 24 hours in some people but for many people about 12 hours while the other effects of hydroxyzine last closer to 3-6 hours.
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