"hydroxyzine seems to help more with my reaction to pain than with the actual pain. if i take hydroxyzine while i have shin splints, i still feel quite a bit of pain; it&#039;s just that i feel significantly less distressed and distracted by the pain than i normally would be. 



it works best for pain if taken with an actual painkiller. i prefer using naproxen, as the hydroxyzine seems to counteract the stomachache i always get from this nsaid."