Is hydroxyzine a controlled substance?

No. Hydroxyzine is not a controlled substance under US federal law, and it does not appear on the Home Office list of the most commonly encountered controlled drugs in the United Kingdom. It is an antihistamine. It is not a benzo, and it is not a narcotic.

What is hydroxyzine?

Hydroxyzine is sold mainly as generic hydroxyzine hydrochloride tablets. MedlinePlus lists Atarax, Hypam, Orgatrax and Vistaril as brand names and says that the branded product is no longer on the market and that generic alternatives may be available. MedlinePlus says hydroxyzine is used to relieve itching caused by allergic skin reactions, to relieve anxiety and tension, and as a sedative before and after general anesthesia for surgery, and that it is in a class of medications called antihistamines.

The label for Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride Tablets from RedPharm Drug, published on DailyMed on April 20, 2026, gives three uses in its Indications section: symptomatic relief of anxiety and tension associated with psychoneurosis, management of pruritus due to allergic conditions, and use as a sedative as a premedication and following general anesthesia. The label also says the effectiveness of hydroxyzine as an antianxiety agent for long-term use, meaning more than four months, has not been assessed by systematic clinical studies, and that the physician should reassess periodically the usefulness of the drug for the individual patient.

Is hydroxyzine on the DEA list?

No. The DEA publication "Controlled Substances - Alphabetical Order", dated August 27, 2026, has no entry for hydroxyzine. A drug that is absent from that list has no schedule and no CSCN code, and it has no entry in the narcotic column. The federal prescription rules for Schedules II to V therefore do not describe it. You can read how those rules work on the drug schedules page and in what is a controlled substance.

Labels for scheduled drugs, such as tramadol or Xanax, state their schedule. Some US states add their own controls to drugs that federal law does not schedule, and the state board of pharmacy is the authority for those rules. This page does not cover any state.

Is hydroxyzine a controlled drug in the UK?

It does not appear on the Home Office list of commonly encountered controlled drugs, updated April 1, 2025. That list says it is not exhaustive, so the careful statement is that hydroxyzine is not on it, and that the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 on legislation.gov.uk are the final reference. The classes and schedules are explained on UK drug classes. For a specific prescription, a pharmacist or NHS 111 can help.

Is hydroxyzine a benzo?

No. Its label addresses the question directly in the Clinical Pharmacology section:

HydrOXYzine hydrochloride is unrelated chemically to the phenothiazines, reserpine, meprobamate or the benzodiazepines.

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam and lorazepam are listed in Schedule IV in the US and in Class C, Schedule 4 Part 1 in the UK. Hydroxyzine is on neither list. The label adds that hydroxyzine is not a cortical depressant, and that its action may be due to a suppression of activity in certain key regions of the subcortical area of the central nervous system. The family is described in what is a benzo.

The same section of the label lists effects demonstrated experimentally or confirmed clinically: primary skeletal muscle relaxation, bronchodilator activity, and antihistaminic and analgesic effects, plus an antiemetic effect. It says hydroxyzine is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and that clinical effects are usually noted within 15 to 30 minutes after oral administration. None of these statements is a controlled-substance finding. They describe a drug whose class, according to MedlinePlus, is the antihistamines.

Is hydroxyzine a narcotic?

No. In US drug law a narcotic is a legal category tied to opium and opiates, and the DEA list flags each controlled drug Y or N. Hydroxyzine has no entry on that list, so it has no flag. Its label describes antihistaminic and other effects, and it does not describe it as an opioid. See what is a narcotic for the legal meaning.

Where can I ask about taking hydroxyzine?

Not being controlled does not mean that a medicine is free of every risk, and the label's warnings and precautions are for prescribers and pharmacists to explain. Anyone with questions about taking hydroxyzine, alone or with other medicines, should ask their prescriber or pharmacist. In an emergency in the US, Poison Help is 1-800-222-1222, and 911 is for urgent medical help.

Related pages

• What is a benzo?
• Is trazodone a controlled substance?
• Is Flexeril a controlled substance?
• Is gabapentin a controlled substance?

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