Can I take Benadryl to sleep every night?

You should not take diphenhydramine every night. While it may be helpful during limited periods of insomnia, your body will build up a tolerance for the medication over time, and it will no longer have the desired effect. After 2 weeks of taking diphenhydramine, you may become dependent on it to fall asleep.

What are the side effects of taking Benadryl every night?

How many days in a row can you take Benadryl for sleep?

Do not use diphenhydramine for longer than 2 weeks to treat sleep problems, or longer than 7 days to treat cold or allergy symptoms.

Can I take Benadryl nightly for sleep?

While antihistamines may help you to fall asleep, overall sleep quality is usually not very good, he said. Sometimes, they even have the opposite affect and cause hyperactivity, especially in children. “Using Benadryl or any antihistamine for sleep has no long term benefit,” Alapat said.

What can I take every night for sleep?

Is long-term use of Benadryl harmful?

Continued diphenhydramine use can cause long-term adverse side effects that result in permanent damage. Not only will prolonged use cause harm, but it can lead to other aspects such as dependence on the medication. Common long-term side effects of prolonged diphenhydramine use include: Dependence.

Is Benadryl habit forming?

Diphenhydramine, a major ingredient used to make Benadryl, is highly addictive. Although the drug is used to treat conditions like insomnia, nausea, the common cold, and tremors for Parkinson's patients, if regularly ingested in liquid, tablet, or capsule form, it can become addictive.

Is it OK to take antihistamines every day?

Depending on your symptoms, you can take antihistamines: Every day, to help keep daily symptoms under control. Only when you have symptoms. Before being exposed to things that often cause your allergy symptoms, such as a pet or certain plants.

Is Benadryl hard on your kidneys?

Acute kidney injury (AKI) can be caused by a commonly used over-the-counter and prescription medication, diphenhydramine (Benadryl, McNeil). We do not usually think of this drug as a major source of renal impairment, but it can cause problems in some predisposed patients, including elderly populations.

Can long term use of Benadryl cause heart problems?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that taking higher than recommended doses of the common over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medicine diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can lead to serious heart problems, seizures, coma, or even death.

Is Benadryl good for anxiety?

Advantages. One of the biggest advantages of using an OTC medication such as Benadryl to treat anxiety is that it is fast-acting and convenient. These qualities can be helpful if you need to reduce symptoms of mild anxiety quickly. Because Benadryl causes many people to feel drowsy, it can also help with sleep.

Is Benadryl hard on liver?

Despite widespread use over many decades, diphenhydramine has not been linked to liver test abnormalities or to clinically apparent liver injury. The reason for its safety may relate its short half-life and limited duration of use. Likelihood score: E (unlikely to be a cause of clinically apparent liver injury).

Does Benadryl raise blood pressure?

Official Answer. Increased blood pressure is not a typical side effect of diphenhydramine, a first-generation antihistamine that lowers the effects of histamines in your body. However, in rare cases, the drug may cause hypotension, or decreased blood pressure.

What should you not take with Benadryl?

What are the side effects of long term use of antihistamines?

These common side effects include sedation, impaired motor function, dizziness, dry mouth and throat, blurred vision, urinary retention and constipation. Antihistamines can worsen urinary retention and narrow angle glaucoma. The antihistamines rarely cause liver injury.

Which antihistamine is best for sleep?

Diphenhydramine is known as a drowsy, or sedating, antihistamine as it makes you sleepy. Non-drowsy antihistamines are less likely to have this effect. These include cetirizine, fexofenadine and loratadine.

What are the long term effects of taking antihistamines?

Long term use of some antihistamines may increase your risk of dementia. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is vital for memory and learning.

Can you stop Benadryl cold turkey?

Diphenhydramine withdrawal is intense. You should never stop taking it cold turkey once you have developed a dependence on the drug. Like benzodiazepines and prescription opioids, the user must be slowly weaned off of the drug by consistently reducing the dose he or she takes each day.

What is a non addictive sleep aid?

Another sleep aid, called Rozerem, acts differently from other sleep medicines. It affects a brain hormone called melatonin, and it's not addictive. Belsomra is another unique sleep aid that affects a brain chemical called orexin and is not addictive.

How often can I take Benadryl?

Do not take more than 6 doses in 24 hours. Use only as directed. 2 to 4 chewable tablets (25 mg to 50 mg) every 4 to 6 hours or as directed by a doctor. 1 to 2 chewable tablets (12.5 mg to 25 mg) every 4 to 6 hours or as directed by a doctor.

What happens if you take Benadryl everyday for years?

In addition, taking Benadryl long term might increase the risk of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease, especially in seniors. In one study , people over the age of 65 years who took medications such as Benadryl daily for three years or longer had an increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

Can Benadryl cause brain damage?

Long-term use of anticholinergic drugs is associated with increased dementia risk. Potential harm to the brain: Long-term anticholinergic use has been associated with increased dementia risk; diphenhydramine can impair many cognitive functions including memory.

Can Benadryl make you gain weight?

Histamine also acts as a neurotransmitter in our brains playing a key role in wakefulness and preventing sleep, which is why Benadryl (an anti-histamine) makes you sleepy. This effect may actually one of the reasons why anti-histamines can result in weight gain.

Is Benadryl linked to dementia?

Common anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl linked to increased dementia risk. A report published in JAMA Internal Medicine several years ago highlighted a link between long-term use of anticholinergic medications like Benadryl and dementia.

Does Benadryl affect heart rate?

Seek urgent medical advice if you experience any symptoms such as agitation, hallucinations, a fast heart rate, dizziness, flushing, muscle tremor or rigidity, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any other medications while you are taking Benadryl.