What hydroxyzine costs if you have no insurance

What pharmacies pay for hydroxyzine

Hydroxyzine is used to relieve itching caused by allergic skin reactions, says MedlinePlus, which is the health information site of the National Library of Medicine. It is also used to relieve anxiety and tension, and as a sedative before and after surgery with general anesthesia. It is an antihistamine, a medicine that blocks the body's allergy signals, and you need a prescription for it.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal health agency, runs a weekly survey called NADAC. It records the average price that pharmacies pay to buy each drug from wholesalers. That means it shows the store's cost, and the number on your receipt will be higher. Here are examples from the week of October 21, 2026.

• The 10 mg tablet cost pharmacies about $0.03 each.
• The 25 mg tablet cost pharmacies about $0.03 each, which is about $0.97 for 30 tablets.
• The 50 mg tablet cost pharmacies about $0.05 each, which is about $1.63 for 30 tablets.
• The 25 mg capsule, a different form of the medicine, cost pharmacies about $0.06 each, or about $1.95 for 30.
• The liquid syrup cost pharmacies about $0.11 per milliliter.

A pharmacy also charges for filling the prescription. The Ohio Department of Medicaid's 2022 survey of 2,198 pharmacies found a typical cost to dispense one prescription of about $9.46. So a counter price of $10 or more is common, even when the pills cost about a dollar.

Public spending data from Medicare give a second view. In 2024, Medicare drug plans and their members spent an average of about $16 per fill of generic hydroxyzine tablets. That counts both the plan share and the member share. A fill can be larger or smaller than 30 pills, and this is not a cash price.

Your clinician picks the form, strength and amount, so these figures only show the size of the bill. The price at the counter also covers the pharmacy's own costs, and those differ from one store to the next.

The price survey lists only generic hydroxyzine

Generic medicines are copies of brand-name medicines that other companies are allowed to sell. The FDA says a generic must match the brand-name medicine in its active ingredient, strength and form. Every hydroxyzine row in the survey is a generic, and we found no brand-name hydroxyzine listed in it.

When many companies sell the same generic, competition typically lowers prices, the FDA says. Hydroxyzine has many makers, which helps explain why it costs so little to buy.

What changes the price

The form you get changes the price. Per unit, the survey price of the 25 mg capsule was about twice the price of the 25 mg tablet. The liquid syrup is priced by the milliliter, so the total depends on the size of the bottle. The capsule contains a slightly different form of the medicine, and your prescriber chooses between them.

Strength and amount change it too. A higher strength costs more per pill, and a bigger supply costs more in total even when each pill is cheap. Ask the pharmacist to quote the exact prescription, and ask whether a larger or smaller supply changes the price per pill.

The pharmacy changes the price as well, since two stores can pay about the same for the pill and still charge you different amounts. That is why a few phone calls can help more than any national number.

How to find the lowest cash price

The survey cannot tell you what one pharmacy charges, so a few phone calls help. Tell the pharmacist you do not have insurance and ask for the cash price of the exact strength and amount on your prescription. Call at least three pharmacies, since prices can differ from store to store.

You will find the steps in our guide on comparing prescription prices. Our guide on prescriptions without insurance covers other ways to save.

A community health center may charge less on a sliding scale, which means the fee depends on your income. These centers can also buy outpatient drugs at reduced prices through a federal program called 340B, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA. The agency gives no figure for how much of that discount patients get, so ask the staff for your price.

Getting a prescription without insurance

The medicine is cheap, so the first big cost is often the visit to get a prescription. Ask the office for its self-pay price before you book. Another choice is direct primary care, where a monthly membership of about $50 to $200 covers the visit and refills. Our directory lets you see cash-pay doctors near you.

If anxiety is the reason for the prescription, a clinician may talk with you about other kinds of care as well, such as counseling. That choice belongs to you and your clinician. Our guide on therapy costs without insurance explains low-cost options.

Safety information from MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus says hydroxyzine can make you drowsy, so do not drive or run machinery until you know how it affects you. Alcohol can make its side effects worse. It says older adults should not usually take hydroxyzine, because it is not as safe for them as other medicines. It also says not to take it during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

MedlinePlus tells people to take hydroxyzine exactly as prescribed, and not to take more or less than the doctor ordered. It lists a heart rhythm problem called a prolonged QT interval as something to tell your doctor about. Tell your doctor right away about shaking you cannot control, seizures, or a rash with blisters and fever.

Call poison control at 1-800-222-1222 if you think someone has taken too much. If the person has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing or cannot be woken, call 911 right away. In any emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. This page is for general learning and is not medical advice.

If you are struggling with anxiety or your mood

Anyone in emotional crisis or thinking about suicide can call or text 988, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The line is free, private and open at all hours. The SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 also gives free treatment referrals every day of the year.

Our guides on sertraline and escitalopram show what two other medicines used for anxiety and depression cost. We cannot say whether either one fits your care.