What Do You Feel About Taking Benadryl Long-Term?

[bkweavers]

Lately, I've been hearing that Benadryl isn't the safe drug we think it is. My 16 yr. old daughter has been taking 50mg of Benadryl every night for probably the last 5 months along with 10mg of melatonin. I've heard from some parents of POTS kids and a nurse practitioner that we recently saw for my daughter's cold, that taking it long term isn't a good idea. The frustrating thing is what else should she take then to get some sleep? When I called her POTS doctor last time, she wanted to prescribe a antidepressant. The side effects were many along with weight gain which really didn't thrill my daughter! How can that be a better alternative to Benadryl??!

Any advice out there on this? I want my daughter to be able to sleep well but I also don't want her to end with long term sid effects from taking benadryl.

Brenda

[puppylove]

I'm 16 too and the only way I get to sleep before 4:00 in the morning is if I take Benadryl. My doctor said not to take it every night so most times I don't go to sleep until 4:00 which is horrible. An antidepressant was recommended for me too but we decided no due to the side effects. Sorry I cant help it just sounded like you were writing this about me ! I'm going back to my doctor tomorrow so if he has any ideas I will tell you.

[tinkerbella]

I found taking Calcium in the middle of the night helped me to sleep much better than Benadryl. Benadryl also Lowers the seizure level in one's body if one is prone to seizures. My Vet told me that when my dog was having seizures and was taking Benadryl. I stopped taking Benadryl at that time as I was having seizure like activity myself.

[khaarina]

It is the only option for me, and I have tried everything. I would suggest trying a smaller dose. I started out taking 50mg, but I eventually realized I only really need 25mg.

[Katybug]

I take it often to try to sleep but I have to start at 25 mg then 50 mg once my tolerance builds (usually only 3-4 days before upping the dose) . After 4-5 days on 50 mg that stops working and I have to take a week or so off. I do use a homeopathic supplement called Formula 303 (Valerian, passiflora, and magnesium) that is a relaxant (also useful for muscle spasms. ) This helps some as does mint tea made from real peppermint and or spearmint. I can't take any of the sleeping pills on the market because they give me night terrors but I wonder why that wouldn't be an option for you guys if you haven't tried them as opposed to antidepressants???

[looneymom]

My son is 12 and also has sleep problems. He takes 50 mg of zoloft and 1mg of clonazepam. He also takes 250mg of magnisum before he goes to bed. He takes benadryl occasionally but too much will make his vocal tic worse. It takes my son about an hour to get to sleep but he does wake up a couple of times, so he is not a sound sleeper. After we saw Dr,OZ show on melatoin, he decided he didn't want to take it anymore either. Have you tried the Sleepytime tea with valerian? This puts me out but my son is allergic to something in the product, so he cannot use it. I hope you get several respones to your post. Sleep is important and I would also like some other alternatives to try with my son.

[yogini]

I would be curious to know what the side effects are? Benedryl has been around forever and is non-addictive. I thought it was generally safe. Of course it is better not to take any medicine unless you really need. You can search old posts about sleep. There are lots of different things that work for different people. Melatonin is one. I alternate between ambien, benedryl and being able to sleep on my own. I wear a mask to keep out the light and listen to Delta Sleep System, an album that helps me fall asleep. It works other than on the worst days.

[Leigh8]

Antidepressants might not be as bad as you think. I actually lost weight on both prozac and wellbutrin (took them at separate times), as both are known to decrease appetite. Doesn't hurt to try, I think!

[yogini]

I would think that the antidepressant is being prescribed to treat POTS, and benedryl is just for sleep. I take Paxil every day. it is my only med and a huge help. Your daughter may need both a POTS med NDA something to help with sleep.

[Lenna]

Hi Brenda,

Danny takes 1 mg. of melatonin (10 mg. is such a high dose! How does Liz feel in the morning???) and he also takes 4 mg. of cyproheptadine. The cypro was prescribed to stimulate Dan's appetite, but drowsiness is a side effect so he takes it at bedtime. The combination of the melatonin and the cypro seem to have helped with his insomnia -- though he still wakes up feeling POTSY.

How is Liz doing otherwise?

Lenna

[yogini]

By the way, in reading about benedryl, i was surprised to learn it CAN be addictive. I read on a medical site that it is not recommended to take for "more than a few weeks" because you can become dependent and need more and more of it to work. I also says when taken over the long run it can impair cognitive function. I take it rarely so am not worried. Consult your dr, but in the grand scheme of things to me it isn't so bad, especially compared to prescription sleep meds.

[brethor9]

Benadryl is a medication you have to be careful with like anything else. I have MCAS and have to use it a lot for breakthrough episodes....I was worried because I read that it can cause long QT syndrome (fatal arrhythmia) in some people but my specialist said it is rare and only with people who have established heart issues. Still I really try to be careful with it and take as small a dose as possible.

[bkweavers]

Thanks everyone for posting! I'm inclined to believe you that Benadryl can become addictive as it seems like it's doing absolutely nothing for her anymore. The same goes for the melatonin. Lenna, what is cyproheptadine? I actually decided today to call her doctor and get her in again to hopefully, figure out something to help her. This has been going on long enough and getting worse so it was time.

@Katybug, I'm glad you mentioned that formula. I bought some of that last year for myself and never used it. I think we'll give that a try.

Brenda

[Lenna]

Brenda, Cypro is a antihistamine. It's often used for MCAS, which Danny does not have. But its side effects are appetite stimulation and drowsiness, both of which have helped Dan a bit. His gastro doctor put him on it.

My computer broke and typing on my iPad is a pain for me! I got your PM and will answer next week when my laptop is fixed. Sorry!

Lenna

[joyagh]

I've been taking 50-100 mg of benadryl and 6 mg of melatonin for 3 years to sleep (i'm 42). I recently found out benadryl is a dopamine blocker, hence it causes restless leg syndrome, which has been keeping me from sleeping anyway. I think a dopamine blocker would be a bad idea for POTSies - we need our dopamine transmitters working well.

It looks like dextromethorphan (DXM) (cough suppressant) is better than benadryl, as it can ease POTS symptoms, and it's an NMDA antagonist so it's supposed to be calming too. It can be abused so it should be given with supervision.

Also, there have been studies showing melatonin inhibits the peripheral venous blood return to the heart so it can also exacerbate POTS symptoms. I had to find a new sleep med regimen. Hyland's Calms Forte homeopathic tabs help me a bit. I also take l-theanine, GABA, 5HTP, (all natural supplements), and Klonopin if needed. I may try DXM instead of Klonopin though.

[Alex's mumma]

My daughter takes Trazadone 50mg for the insomnia brought on by POTS. We also diffuse Lavender Essential Oil from Young Living in her room at night. Trazadone is an old old drug classified as an antidepressant but it really isn't used as an antidepressant anymore because it makes people so tired and has to be taken at 300mg+ per day to be effective for depression. 50mg makes my daughter fall right to sleep at remain asleep all night. She started out at 25mg but 50mg is perfect for her.

Thugs at have also helped her with insomnia... Essential Oils from Young Living- Peace & Calming blend rubbed on the bottoms of her feet at night, Valor rubbed over her heart and on her wrists, Valerian diffused or rubbed on feet.

[Batik]

Valerian diffused? Ye gods, that stuff reeks! I've known people grumble about the smell of just the capsules! Handy herb, though.

Darkness therapy works the best for me. It gets the body to produce its own melatonin. Look at http://insearchofmornings.wordpress.com/ for more details. I used to have quite severe sleep disorders before this.

Does your daughter use a computer, TV or smartphone in the evenings? That's enough to disrupt sleep considerably, due to the amount of blue light the screens produce (blue is the wavelength that suppresses melatonin production).