Benedryl

Hmm..correct me if I am wrong but I seem to remember something on the packaging of benedryl and such like to consult a physician if you are taking antidepressants etc.
Maree

Benadryl contains an antihistamine called Diphenhydramine which normally causes drowsiness, but in some cases (apparently yours and mine as well)
can also cause rapid or irregular heartbeat. Diphenhydramine was found to inhibit the uptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and eventually led to the invention of fluoxetine, better known as Prozac. I've had massive panic attacks when tring to take Prozac, so this could be a source of the problem as well.

I'm not on any anti-anxiety meds. And my doctor told me that when I felt anxious that I should take 2 benedryl to calm me down. It seems to work for me(probley because it just makes me drowsy and go to sleep!) Thats strange.

to micamouse

tell doc or pharmacist what happened and ask for some other type of antihistamine

benadryl is an older antihistamine that usually sedates and was promoted as a tranquilliser and sleeping pill also, still helps many with these problems, but is subject to abuse as a street drug, taken a packet at a time

feeling hung  over next day is a risk if a high dose is taken, say for allergies

It gives me HORRIBLE panic attacks. But then again, almost any medicine does. Pain pills, over the counter cold pills, even things like excedrine migraine. So I just dont take anything but tylenol and my ativan. They put me on antibiotics this past week and i seemed to do okay with that at least. I know how you feel. It sucks

Benadryl makes me worse, I am sure of it. I get paplitations and exitable when I take antihistamines. I strongly believe that is what brought on my recent panic attacks when I took lots of benadryl for severe itching(from scabies of all things). I itched nonstop for 7weeks, this may have contributed too. I plan to avoid antihistamines whenever I can now.

mmm Hot milk...yes it does work wonders....

I try not to take any meds if i don't have to, but when I was first diagnosed w/panic attacks 13 years ago, the doc told me to take benadryl and it relaxed me (sort of). My sister who does not suffer from anxiety or panic gets horrible anxiety when she takes benadryl. She's now afraid to take it and won't even keep it in her house. 

If you need sedating qualities to calm down without the risk of benzos, I've used 25mg of Trazodone every 6 hours. It has less side effects than Benadryl and is safer.

Same here with the Benadryl. 2 years ago, I took 2 Benadryl. What a mistake! Within 20 minutes, I could not talk, and had the worst panic/anxiety attack I have ever experienced. I was hallucinating, my breathing stopped and I literally had to force myself to breath. I also got terrible auditory hallucinations that sounded like a cacaphony of voices, music, car honkings, etc. I tried xxxx 1 time in the 1970's and had a "bad trip". Well, the bad trip from the Benadryl was 100x worse than a xxxx bad trip. I ended up in the psych ward for almost a week because of the panic attacks and hallucinations. My Dr. told me that appx. 5% of people have an enzyme in their liver that converts Benadryl into an amphetamine and a psychedelic drug. People, be careful with this pill. Just because you can get it OTC, does not mean it is safe for everyone.

Cheers!


edited due to drug reference, please read the rules for the forum, located on the upper right of the forum. No illegal drug references allowed. Thank You

Post Edited By Moderator (AngelLisa) : 6/24/2015 5:10:00 PM (GMT-6)