Generic Name: Benadryl (diphenhydramine)
Benadryl Reviews
For Nausea/Vomiting "I have emetophobia, that is, a pervasive fear of vomiting. I do not know if this affects vomiting, but if I feel nauseous, Benadryl works wonders. My stomach settles right down and my anxiety lowers just enough for me to deal with it without the use of benzodiazepines."
For Nausea/Vomiting "I got a severe back injury about 2 years ago. Couldn't function, pain was so bad. So my doctor started putting me on codeine, then Vicodin, then tramadol, and then so on, but they all gave me hours of vomiting, gut-wrenching cramps, and sweating. Read about Benadryl being used to prevent this side effect. I took 3 25 mg tablets. I know that is one over recommended dose, but I was desperate. 35 minutes later, I was sitting with my kids and not by the trash can for the first time in a while. I can't believe I didn't figure this out sooner, especially with a biotech degree."
For Nausea/Vomiting "Benadryl has been incredibly effective for nausea and vomiting, in my experience. There are times when I'm so sick that I literally can't eat, but give me some Benadryl and within an hour or two, I feel much better."
For Cough "I have had a cough now for about 6 weeks. I tried all types of antihistamines, even prescribed cough syrup and expectorants. The only thing that finally stopped the cough, and even at nighttime, was Benadryl. I wish I had known this weeks ago. I can even sleep at night without the night and morning cough. Thank goodness for Benadryl!"
For Allergic Reactions "This is an old thread but thought I would share. I was in the hospital in labor. I developed a reaction to the epidural that caused severe itchiness. They gave me something that didn't help, and after several hours of itching, a nurse gave me IV Benadryl. I immediately couldn't breathe and felt like someone kicked me in the chest. I was warm all over, nauseous, and on the edge of passing out. An EKG also showed I had a heart arrhythmia from it. I've taken oral Benadryl in the past with no problems. Now it's on my list of allergies, and I tell every doc I see. Most terrifying experience."
For Nausea/Vomiting "I had a couple of surgeries on my jaw where I could not open it fully for an extended period of time. I am already semi-allergic to pain meds/anesthesia (excessive vomiting and nausea), so I was terrified to take my painkillers after surgery. The nurse/doctor recommended taking a couple of Benadryl tablets (25 mg) before the pain meds, and it worked wonders! The only side effect is drowsiness."
For Allergic Rhinitis "Benadryl really helps take the sinus pressure away, and I found out recently it even worked best for my migraine. Out of Tylenol and Motrin, Benadryl was the only one to knock it out. It does cause me dry mouth and drowsiness. It also helps to calm me when I feel a panic attack or anxiety coming on. I'd rather take Benadryl than psych meds or all kinds of prescription meds any day. I hope it stays working wonders for me because Claritin and Flonase did nothing for me, and I don't want to have to try anything else."
For Allergic Reactions "I take one before bed, which keeps me breathing easily during the night despite my allergies. It also helps me get to sleep and stay asleep. The active ingredient, diphenhydramine HCl, you will find is the main ingredient in quite a few over-the-counter sleep medications, so that should tell us something. And Benadryl or a generic drugstore brand are cheaper and just as effective. Have been taking this for over 20 years and have no side effects."
For Allergic Reactions "Took benadryl for eight months on advice of PCP and Pulmonary specialist. I quit taking it because I began having short term memory problems. Checked it out on internet and found it should not be given to senior citizens. A neurologist at University Of North Carolina Memory Disorders unit said it should probably not be given to anyone as there are safer alternatives. I had nervous breakdown and spent several days in a mental hospital. Had two MRIs of my brain. Second showed small area that was due to the Diaphenhydramine use. Alienated my family because of things I said . Without the Benadryl I wouldn't be the most heart-broken 74 yr. old lady around."
For Allergic Reactions "Received Benadryl via IV in prep for a biologic infusion. My throat starting swelling and my blood pressure skyrocketed. An immunologist tested me, and I showed strongly allergic to Benadryl, so it can happen."
For Cough "Variant asthma, chronic, have been on many antihistamines and other costly asthma medicines over the years. I began taking Benadryl in late November 2011. Taking 25 mg after awakening in the morning, followed an hour or so later with 25 mg, with another 25 mg early afternoon (when symptoms occur) and 25 mg prior to bedtime in conjunction with Symbicort twice/day. I have a much improved quality of life and am beginning to have some control over the chronic cough."
For Allergic Reactions "I was given Benadryl at the hospital for an allergic reaction. It instantly shot my heart rate up to 217 bpm and instantly my mouth got dry I couldn't swallow my chest felt hot like an elephant was sitting on it and I got really cold. It put me into shock my body wouldn't stop shaking, I could breath. It was so scary I thought I was dead thanks to the doctors quick response he saved me but it almost killed me. "
For Extrapyramidal Reaction "Diphenhydramine definitely calms down my muscles and helps with any antipsychotic-induced akathisia at night. Great for sleep as well and helps me stay in bed in the mornings, but I'm able to get up early if I need to."
For Nausea/Vomiting "ER gave me 25mg diphenhydramine IV for nausea. The only effect was delirium and a brief medication nap. I felt woozy and poisoned for at least two hours afterwards. It may work for others, but it certainly didn't help me."
For Allergic Reactions "I like this medicine, but unfortunately developed an allergy to it, yes contrary to anyone's belief I am allergic to Benadryl. My legs started to get really, really hot and felt like I just had to stretch them and run them under freezing cold water, then I woke up with hives all over."
For Allergic Reactions "My adult size teenage son was given Benadryl IV, 50mg, *along with Compazine IV as a "headache cocktail" in an emergency room in September of 2016. While there is no way to know for certain if Compazine or Benadryl caused the severe reaction he experienced, he has tolerated oral Benadryl just fine in the past. However, it seems important to share our experience based on the severity of his reaction that day and that multiple reports of similar exist. I do not recommend the "headache cocktail" of Benadryl and Compazine together and hope the number of similar reports are looked into."
For Allergic Reactions "So I've been taking this going on 2 years now, and I regret taking it so long, I even ended up in the ER because my heart wouldn't stop racing it was over 170. I believe it was due to the Benadryl, I ignored the side effect before I noticed sometimes when I took it my heart would beat funny and it would be hard to catch my breathe but I kept taking it as it stopped my itchy throat, eyes, and mouth. Doctors at the ER found arrhythmia but said everything else looked fine. I stopped taking it, haven't take it in a week and I'm still having racing heart and palpations. Don't take this stuff long term. I'm in my early 20s and healthy if any one reading this was curious."
For Allergic Reactions "A little-known and rare side effect of this drug is a condition that would probably be called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). This describes a serious depletion of platelets in the blood. The blood will not clot properly, and an injury can be life-threatening due to uncontrolled bleeding. It's rare, but if it happens and the cause is not figured out by your physician(s), this is a big problem."
For Allergic Reactions "I have no rest every time I take benadryl. I feel I have a really bad reaction as I feel restless, my body feels like itchy, nauseous and it makes me feel angry feeling restless it really hurts my stomach am I allergic to it? or it a bad reaction"
For Allergic Rhinitis "I have allergic rhinitis. Was prescribed Zyrtec, Allegra and Flonase and I couldn't get relief. A pharmacist suggested Benadryl and its the only med that works. Took a generic brand and all hell broke loose. Went back to the original and I'm feeling much better."
For Urticaria "I was admitted to the hospital with a bad case of hives . I was put on an IV. They injected Benadryl into my IV to help with the hives . Within seconds I couldn't breathe . The nurses had just injected in and we're leaving to do some other errands . I couldn't breathe and I couldn't speak and I knew I was gonna die . I managed to pull myself up in the bed sitting up and started pounding on the side of the bed rails to get attention . That's one of the nurses turned around and saw that I could not breathe. Within seconds I have doctors and nurses around my bed . I now have to list Benadryl as an allergy. I probably should carry a magic bracelet to just in case . That was a horrifying day."
For Insomnia "Works excellent if you haven't built a tolerance to it. After a few days of use, you may find the medicine is less effective than it was when you first used it. Benadryl knocks me out quite quickly when I use it, the only problem I have with it is that I tend to oversleep or wake up groggy the morning after, which is generally relieved with some sort of caffeinated beverage."
For Insomnia "After having scripts for lots of different benzodiazepines and sleeping pills, I still rely on this a couple times a month. The only problem is, after a couple of days, it loses its effectiveness. It is perfect for sleep and not feeling drugged."
For Allergic Rhinitis "I have a lot of allergies. About a year ago I began taking benadryl at night to help me sleep. It also helped a lot with the allergies. I only take it at night because of the drowsiness. Recently my stomach was upset for a month and I noticed they've begun putting calcium in it! This is so upsetting! Calcium stimulates stomach acid and people with allergies are sensitive to acid. This has been documented in the allergy journal. I would have thought a pharma company would know better than this! I wish the two corp. drugstores in my area had a better selection of drowsy antihistamines. They mostly have only benadryl. CVS has chlorphen, but it has lactose in it. :( For now I'm making do with a Walgreens combo that includes chlorphen."
For Allergic Reactions "I've used this and given it to my children for over 20 years. My teenage son would take 1 before going to bed so he could sleep without allergic reactions. I've used it for unknown allergies like bee stings and sunless tanner. Works great and so does the topical cream. No adverse affects with us."
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