If i am allergic to compazine (prochlorperazine) (tongue swelled up 26 years ago!), is it safe to take hydroxyzine? always told to be aware of "zine" drugs.

They are not close: in this case, the name does NOT tell you much about the chemical structure of the drug and these two are not very similar and do NOT generally cross react at all. Without an actual examination, I cannot give specific medical advice on your particular health, and you could have reactions to more than one drug regardless of which two drugs we choose, but these two drugs aren't closely related.