sleep

[shell-belle]

And there's nothing wrong w/ SSRIs, if you need them. I took one for about 18 mos when I was depressed many years ago and it probably saved my life.

All drugs are not "evil." Without drugs, most of us would never make it to 50--it's just a fact. Clearly not everyone needs the drugs they take, but some do. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Again: I am not concerned about my diphenhydramine usage, so I don't really see why anyone here needs to be. Mind your own business!

How UN grateful to say "mind your own business"...we are just trying to help you for cryin' out loud. I'm really surprised at you! I WISH someone had tried to help me with this issue years ago!

[shell-belle]

Again: I am not concerned about my diphenhydramine usage, so I don't really see why anyone here needs to be. Mind your own business!

What I and some of the other posters were specifically arguing with is that you said it was ridiculous to say you could be addicted to Benadryl. Whether you're concerned about it or not, the usage you described would indicate dependency. That's all.

We were trying to help her and she's being ungrateful. I'm not going to bother trying to help her ANY more. She has a nasty attitude.

[scooterpie]

Ah, my 501st post--woo-hoo!

Although I think most of my posts were not directly addressing ETeSelle, I'd make them all again EVERY TIME to risk being told to "mind my own business." The reason is that there are countless lurkers and registered members (who only lurk) and there might be one or two "shell-belles" among them who get some new information about something they're doing that may prove to be harmful to them.

I appreciate ETeSelle for contributing her experience, otherwise we wouldn't be discussing diphenhydramine (benadryl) use or abuse (as the case may be).

[AlwaysAgnes]

If someone asks for your help and you give it, that's helping. If someone doesn't ask for your help and you force it on them, that could be called meddling (or sharing one's opinion, depending on who you ask). It happens quite a lot here when someone shares something personal. Some people don't have a problem with consuming salt or tofu or nuts or coffee or bread or white rice or an occasional hunk of dead animal, but that doesn't stop other people from jumping in with an opposing opinion...maybe to save themselves from whatever it is they need to be saved from. I don't know.





My husband takes Benadryl every night and Walgreen's WAL-ITIN (Loratadine) every day. If he didn't, he'd be a sneezy ball of snot 24/7. It's his life and my life, and we don't need anyone's permission or approval. Does he depend on these drugs? Yes. Telling someone who's just told you that they depend on Benadryl in order to sleep that they have a drug dependency is a little silly, isn't it? http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/001522.htm

My grandmother used to rub Ben-Gay on her forehead. She also ate a lot of aspirin. She made great homemade noodles. This has nothing to do with anything, but I wasn't ready to stop typing.

[ETeSelle]

What I and some of the other posters were specifically arguing with is that you said it was ridiculous to say you could be addicted to Benadryl. Whether you're concerned about it or not, the usage you described would indicate dependency. That's all.

Completely untrue.

Before I started taking it, I had trouble sleeping. For YEARS. Once I started taking it, I was able to sleep. If I stop taking it, of course I go right back to where I was--that is not b/c I am "dependent" on it but b/c it affects me physiologically so that I can sleep. That is pretty obvious, no?

I wasn't "dependent" on it BEFORE I started to take it--when the results of not taking it were the same. Why would I be so AFTER I started taking it?

I don't see anyone accusing those of taking melatonin of being "dependent." Why not, I wonder? There isn't a ton of research on its use--how do you know it can't cause serious problems, including "dependency"?

And I really doubt that most folks here are qualified to diagnose "dependency." Correct me if I'm wrong--are you an MD? So far not a single doctor I have asked about this had any problem w/ my taking diphenhydramine--not one. I readily agree that doctors aren't the be all and end all, but if you're gonna make accusations, they need to be upheld by some sort of proof. So far it's all on MY side. No side effects; docs OK with it--seems fine to me!

I've gotten 2 PMs from people who have had terrible trouble sleeping who tried diphenhydramine b/c of my post and now sleep well. I feel pretty good about that, personally.

[funcrunch]

Before I started taking it, I had trouble sleeping. For YEARS. Once I started taking it, I was able to sleep. If I stop taking it, of course I go right back to where I was--that is not b/c I am "dependent" on it but b/c it affects me physiologically so that I can sleep. That is pretty obvious, no?

I think we're arguing semantics here. I am indeed not an MD and am not giving a medical diagnosis, nor am I passing judgment. If Benadryl helps you sleep and you want to keep taking it that's your business, I really don't care. But if you cannot function normally without a drug, then I would say you are dependent on that drug.

[ETeSelle]

But if you cannot function normally without a drug, then I would say you are dependent on that drug.

ARGHGH! Was I then "dependent" on it BEFORE I started taking it? By your definition, I was. That means that anyone else on this thread who cannot sleep normally is also "addicted" to Benadryl even thought they don't take it.

See my point?

People who are "addicted" have withdrawal symptoms. Simply returning to the point you were at before you started taking the drug is not the same thing at all.

[AlwaysAgnes]

But if you cannot function normally without a drug, then I would say you are dependent on that drug.

ARGHGH! Was I then "dependent" on it BEFORE I started taking it? By your definition, I was. That means that anyone else on this thread who cannot sleep normally is also "addicted" to Benadryl even thought they don't take it.

See my point?

People who are "addicted" have withdrawal symptoms. Simply returning to the point you were at before you started taking the drug is not the same thing at all.

Something's broken and causing the insomnia. Benadryl is like glue, holding things together. It's not a cure, though. Right?

Insomnia is a horrible, horrible thing to deal with. Been there. Done that. Own the t-shirt.

[scooterpie]

That means that anyone else on this thread who cannot sleep normally is also "addicted" to Benadryl even thought they don't take it.

I'm officially lost. I need a refresher course in logic at this point.

[AlwaysAgnes]

That means that anyone else on this thread who cannot sleep normally is also "addicted" to Benadryl even thought they don't take it.

I'm officially lost. I need a refresher course in logic at this point.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_or_the_egg

[4MyHeart]

Who's on first?

When all else fails, eat two potatoes and call me in the morning.

[Lesliec1]

I take Tylenol PM every night to sleep but I HATE IT. I hope it's temporary and I will try my hardest to get off it as soon as this WOE really kicks in and gives me some relief. Right now pain keeps me up and a drug I take keeps me awake.

I just think 'How can this be OK to take any drug all the time?' I don't care if you call it dependence or something else. I do it but I'm not ashamed to admit that I think it's very wrong.

[shell-belle]

OUR BODIES ARE NOT DESIGNED TO DEAL WITH CHEMICALS FOR YEARS AND YEARS ON AND ON. No matter what you say, you can't deny that.

Benadryl won't kill you outright but it may cause problems for you as time goes by. If someone does not have the drowsiness the next day and the elevated BP and/or stomach trouble with chronic Benadryl use NOW, eventually they just might. Maybe it takes some people longer to develop problems. That seems to me to be enough of a reason to steer clear of it.

The effects of long-term Benadryl use have not been clinically studied, some long-term users have reported that the effects of Benadryl start to wane and that a higher dose is needed after prolonged use. Individuals who have used Benadryl for a prolonged period of time also report having trouble sleeping after stopping their regular dose.

Like funcrunch says, if you cannot function normally without a drug, you are dependent on that drug. At my age I do not want to be dependent on any substances.

[didi]

I have a box of diphenhydramine HCL in from of me. I bought it because I never sleep more than a couple of hours a night. My brother recommended it but he only takes it occasionally. I have never taken it because I seem to remember reading on the net that it could cause difficulty breathing or heart palpitations or arrhythmias or something like that. After I read that I was afraid to take it because I live alone and no one would be around in case of a really bad side effect. And now I am afraid to take it because I am taking beta blockers and Plavix and aspirin. However, when I was young I did take benadryl for allergies. I remember that the first time I took it we were at a church party and I fell asleep at the table. I must have gotten used to it because after a few times, it did not put me to sleep anymore. So I wonder if I would adjust to it and it would not work for me after a while. Of course that was when I was young. At my age now, who knows.

Didi

[scooterpie]

Lesliec1, if it's something that interests you, discuss with your dr the possibility of getting a sleep study. Falling asleep but not being able to get back to sleep and plain old insomnia are good reasons to investigate sleep disorders. Many people report pain relief after finding out part of their problem was sleep apnea and subsequently getting it treated. CPAP therapy is the treatment of choice, but there are other things to try as well.

Personally I had to push to get a sleep study not knowing for sure that I had obstructive sleep apnea. I had no idea how well I would respond to CPAP therapy, both physically and medically (and mentally:-) CPAP therapy is my "drug" of choice.