[Effects of hydroxyzine on attention and memory in elderly subjects]

A single intake of hydroxyzine 25 mg was compared to placebo, and lorazepam 1 mg as a verum, in a double-blind, triple-crossover trial. Each of the 12 elderly volunteers was tested on three different days, once under each condition. At 2.5 hours after drug intake they were assessed or reassessed for attention, immediate and delayed (30') memory, cognitive ability and feelings of anxiety and fatigue. Some subjects mentioned a minimal sedation under hydroxyzine 25 mg and under lorazepam 1 mg, but only hydroxyzine preserved memory and attention, while lorazepam caused clear deficiencies in memory recall.