My son started in hydroxine at that age for anxiety. It's a lot like benadryl. I was always reluctant to do meds for him but they have been helpful. He started some other meds later on and they were also helpful. Only 1 drug went badly and we discontinued it after 2 or 3 days. I was lucky to find a good child pyschiatrist knowledgeable about autism. I think some depends on the doctor and the kid. It's a tough decision and a personal one. Do what you think is best and don't let others make you feel bad for whatever you decide whether it's do or don't.

Yes, hydroxine is a nonnarcotic antihistamine that is in the same family as benadryl. It can be used for anxiety and a sleep aid. It is nonaddictive and take as needed. I was prescribed it myself when I was pregnant with my oldest for sleep. It does have a calming affect. My son is 13 now. He takes it if he is excited and hitting a lot or having sensory issues that cause a meltdown. It's make the behaviors a little less intense and more manageable may aid sleep if given at night. He also has a bottle woth the school nurse and the paperwork to have it in school as needed. He also gets anxiety and sometimes his hands get shaky if he is nervous or stressed (he is nonverbal and cannot tell me) but I do notice it calms the shaky hands. I don't think it generally makes people as sleepy as clonodine. I have seen people occasionally give a young kid benadryl to calm them down back in the old days. I kind of think of it like that in my head. I hope you find what helps and wish you the best of luck.

Thank you so much for your feedback Allison

Allison2, my son’s doctor wants to start him on Hydroxine. He will be 6 years old next month. It would be a small, age-appropriate dose. He has taken anti-psychotic drugs, Clonidine and a drug for ADHD. They were all terrible, he didn’t do well on any of them and they made his behavior worse. However, we had to give him Ativan to get some necessary blood work done and it went well. It improved his behavior, socialization, etc. So the doctor suggested the anti-anxiety drug Hydroxine. Can you tell me a little more about your son’s experience and if there are any side effects to be aware of? Thanks so much 🙏