Is it O.K. to take Benadryl for sleeping ONLY?

Question

I asked a pharmacist for a sleeping pill without medication, and he said, that benadryl is just fine as any other (and cheaper)...but my parents do not approve of it - they say its not good to take it. I'm only taking it for a month till I get back to my sleeping schedule.
(I'm only taking 2 tablets a day)
Details:
Benadryl: Allergy & Sinus Headache
Acetaminophen, diphenhydramine HCI
and phenylephrine HCI caplets
Pain reliever, Antihistamine, Nasal decogestant
*Does not contain Pseudoephedrine

Answer 1

If you're only taking it to fall asleep you only need the basic benadryl without the acetaminophen and phenylephrine. It's the diphenhydramine that puts you to sleep. It acts as an anti-histamine. It's ok to take it occasionally just to go to sleep - I do that when I have migraines at times so I don't go crazy with the pain and can sleep it off more quickly. As long as you're not taking it on a regular basis and don't let your body get hooked on it - to where you can't sleep without it - this is fine. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is a generally safe product. It's the phenylephrine that can affect your heart. I would get the Benadryl without the phenylephrine and acetaminophen - since you only need the diphenhydramine to get you drowsy.

Answer 2

Benadryl For Sleep

Answer 3

It seems likely that your parents think(as does one of the posters) that the benadryl will raise your blood pressure BUT that is not true...it is(as pointed out) an anti-histamine and it is Decongestants that raise blood pressure(in some people) Buy the generic and ONLY the generic benadryl not all that other stuff. It is REALLY cheap and it is NOT habit forming....

Here are some things that might help...no soda or other caffeine containg products after 4PM...no TV or upbeat music before bedtime. NO TV in the bedroom..a machine like a cheap little fan that produces "white noise" in your bedroom. I LOVE to meditate to music that contains nature sounds like streams /waterfalls /or ocean waves when I go to bed...

BTW: Guess what the active ingredient is in all the Number 1 over the counter sleep aids worldwide???generic benadryl..why?? Because it works.

Answer 4

My best friends little sister who is 11 has trouble sleeping and because of her age the doctor would not prescribe any sleeping pills but not her to take benadryl every night. I think she only took 1 pill every night. She took benadryl for almost a year.

Answer 5

Listen, Benadryl is one of the safest drugs there is out there, you really can't get much safer. My dr. told me to take it when I was pregnant and couldn't sleep, it worked great and there are NO side effects. You DO NOT want to take ambien...it is addictive. But if you take the benadryl, just take regular benadryl, you do not need any of the other crap in your body.Have your parents talk to the Dr. if they are concerned, he can put their minds at ease. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Don't ever take the sleeping pills route!!

1. They will damage your liver big time and you can get into serious health problems.

2. You will get hooked up on them and you won't be able to have a normal life any more if you don't take your pills everyday.

The sleeping pills industry is damaging our health by capitalizing on our ignorance, and by distracting people from effective and natural ways to deal with this problem. I had been taking prescription sleep medications [Ambien] for over 5 years. It stopped working and I simply took more. Still did not work. Nights were very difficult - medication put me to sleep but I would wake up after 2–3 hours with a strong sympathetic response (fast pulse, pounding heartbeat, wide awake alert). It was a very difficult cycle to break. I was really in bad shape due to lack of sleep.

After years of struggling I was able to cure my insomnia naturally and pretty fast. I followed the Sleep Tracks sleep optimization program, here is their official web -site if you want to take a look: http://www.insomniacure.net

Ohhh..and Good Luck!

Answer 7

It is OK for short periods. But for long term, I recommend nature therapy.
It may sound crazy but 'blue' water helps. This is prepared by putting clean water in a Blue colour glass bottle, ( Fill 3/4th of the bottle and leave 1/4th free) and leave it in the sunlight for at least 3 days. drink a cupful half an hour before going off to bed. You need to have at least 2/3 bottles full and in the sun all the time if you are to maintain this therapy.
No coffee in the evening , fizzy drinks or late / heavy dinners. Avoid rock/ metal and loud music near to bedtime and TV is best avoided.
If you can do deep breathing exercises to relax your body, it will really help.
Good luck !

Answer 8

Okay, if you are going to use it for sleep, get the basic version, that has only diphenhydramine as the active ingredient. The tylenol in it is unnecessary, as is the nasal decongestant. They don't help with sleep.

If you want to try something more natural that does not dry out your eyes and mouth and doesn't make you feel drowsy upon awakening, consider melatonin. You can buy it almost anywhere and it mimics your body's natural melatonin and does not have any side effects.

Answer 9

I was having alot of anxiety before sleeping and could not fall asleep. Had many many sleepless nights.

I was just playing with the program one afternoon and wanted to listen to the �Power Nap� track. Next thing I knew I was waking up! Fell right asleep without trying. After using the �Fall Asleep� track, I could fall asleep right away. But I didn't realize that I shouldn't be using that one all night. Switched to Whole Night and have been using it ever since.

I can go to sleep with ease now. I just lay and listen to the sounds and next thing I know I am waking up from a nice sleep. I don't suffer from lack of sleep anymore. I keep an IPod with earbuds next to my bed and take it ALWAYS when traveling. The earbuds help block out ambient noise and the sleep tracks keep me sleeping sound :)

Reboot your brain & sleep soundly again?

Answer 10

Benadryl is what my doctor recommended because it isn't addictive like many of the other OTC remedies.