Potential Side Effects Of Benadryl
If you experience these symptoms after taking Benadryl, get immediate medical help:
-
Feeling like you might faint
-
Tightness at the back of your head with uncontrollable tongue movements
Common adverse effects of Benadryl may include dizziness, dry mouth, nose, or eyes, constipation, an upset stomach, or a hangover feeling after using Benadryl at night.
This is not a comprehensive list of common side effects, and others may occur.
Contact your doctor if you experience any side effects.
What Drugs And Food Should I Avoid While Taking Benadryl
Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. Your reactions could be impaired.
Drinking alcohol can increase certain side effects of diphenhydramine.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine that may contain diphenhydramine. This includes medicines for sleep, cold/allergy symptoms, or anti-itch medicine used on the skin. Using too much diphenhydramine may lead to a fatal overdose.
Can You Take Benadryl And Cetirizine Together
Benadryl should not be taken at the same time as cetirizine because it can increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly or children, may also find their thinking, judgement, and coordination impaired. You should also not drink alcohol while taking either of these medications because it can make these side effects worse.
Also Check: Why Is Selegiline Prescribed For Parkinson’s Disease
What Is The Most Important Information I Should Know About Benadryl
You should not use diphenhydramine if you are allergic to it.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if this medicine is safe to use if you have ever had:
- an enlarged prostate or urination problems
- asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , or other breathing disorder
- a thyroid disorder.
Ask a doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Diphenhydramine may slow breast milk production.
Drugs That Stimulate Dopamine Receptors
Dopamine receptor agonists were introduced as adjuncts to levodopa therapy to help control the motor fluctuations that occur in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The dopamine agonists available for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in the United States are bromocriptine ,19 pergolide ,20 pramipexole 21 and ropini-role .22 Side effects, including nausea, dizziness, hallucinations and cognitive effects, tend to occur most commonly during the first few weeks after initiation of a dopamine agonist. Consequently, dopamine agonists must be started at a low dosage level and gradually titrated to therapeutic levels.
In most cases, dopamine receptor agonists should be initiated when patients are still taking a low to medium dosage of levodopa . Patients taking more than 600 mg of levodopa per day have a higher incidence of adverse events from dopamine receptor agonists.
Although dopamine agonists are generally considered useful as adjuncts to levodopa, their introduction in early Parkinson’s disease, even as monotherapy, may reduce motor fluctuations later in the disease. As monotherapy, however, dopamine agonists may not provide adequate improvement. Patients who do not respond to levodopa are unlikely to respond to dopamine agonist monotherapy.
| Properties and side effects | |
|---|---|
| Upper respiratory Infection | ++ |
Recommended Reading: Lion’s Mane Parkinson’s
Conditions People Have *:
What Happens If I Miss A Dose
Since Benadryl is used when needed, you are unlikely to have a set dosing schedule.
If you’re on a schedule, take your next scheduled dose at the usual time. If you miss a dose, skip the missed dose if you are scheduled to take your next dose soon. Don’t take an extra dose to make up for the one you missed.
Don’t Miss: Parkinson’s Getting Out Of Bed
Pearls And Other Issues
- Remember: “red as a beet, dry as a bone, hot as a hare, blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, and full as a flask.”
- Brugada-like ECG patterns are seen with anticholinergic toxicity.
- Antihistaminic effects peak after two hours of ingestion.
- Severe sedation could be an initial sign/symptom.
- Many common over-the-counter antihistamines produce false negatives for amphetamines, methadone, and phencyclidine in urinary drug screens.
What Is Benadryl Used To Treat
Benadryl helps reduce the effects of natural chemicals in the body called histamines. It is used to treat the side effects of an allergic reaction, including:
-
Cold or allergy symptoms
Benadryl can be taken to relieve the symptoms of hayfever and motion sickness. It can also be taken to induce sleep and treat certain symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
Also Check: What Is Freezing In Parkinson Disease
Surgery For Parkinson’s Disease
At one time, surgery was reserved for use in patients with early-onset Parkinson’s disease who became disabled in their prime working years. However, techniques have advanced so rapidly that surgery is now considered an option even in elderly patients as long as they meet medical screening criteria, including failure to respond to available medications and absence of cardiopulmonary risk factors for surgery. It is essential to select a neurosurgeon who is part of a movement disorders team with considerable experience in performing the surgical procedures used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
How Should Benadryl Be Taken
A typical dose of Benadryl is 25-50 mg every 4-6 hours. Benadryl may interact with monoamine oxidase inhibitors , other over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, or insomnia medications, anxiety or sleep medicines, antidepressants, or any other medications that make you feel drowsy, sleepy, or relaxed. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use. Benadryl has not been adequately evaluated in pregnant women. Benadryl is secreted in breast milk. Because of the risk of stimulation and seizures in infants, especially newborns and premature infants, antihistamines should not be used by nursing mothers.
Read Also: Does Acupuncture Help Parkinson’s Disease
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. While this study and other observational studies have also found this association, it doesnt prove that these drugs cause dementia. But we do know that anticholinergic drugs can cause confusion and increase fall risk in older people.
Anticholinergic drugs block the action of . This substance transmits messages in the nervous system. In the brain, acetylcholine is involved in learning and memory. In the rest of the body, it stimulates muscle contractions. Anticholinergic drugs include some antihistamines, tricyclic antidepressants, medications to control , and drugs to relieve the symptoms of .
What May Interact With This Medication
Do not take this medication with any of the following:
This medication may also interact with the following:
This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.
Also Check: Parkinson’s And The Mind
Other Side Effects People Have Besides Parkinson’s Disease *:
* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.
Some Side Effects May Be Serious If You Experience Any Of The Following Symptoms Call Your Doctor Immediately:
- vision problems
- difficulty urinating or painful urination
Diphenhydramine may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you experience any unusual problems while you are taking this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online or by phone .
Also Check: How Can You Test For Parkinson’s Disease
What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .
It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.
Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.
What Should You Do About Benadryl And The Risks Of Dementia
In 2008, Indiana University School of Medicine geriatrician Malaz Boustani developed the anticholinergic cognitive burden scale, which ranks these drugs according to the severity of their effects on the mind. Its a good idea to steer clear of the drugs with high ACB scores, meaning those with scores of 3. There are so many alternatives to these drugs. For example, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors like citalopram or fluoxetine are good alternatives to tricyclic antidepressants. Newer antihistamines such as loratadine can replace diphenhydramine. Exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and cognitive behavioral training can help reduce urinary incontinence.
One of the best ways to make sure youre taking the most effective drugs is to dump all your medications prescription and nonprescription into a bag and bring them to your next appointment with your primary care doctor.
Adapted from a Harvard Health Blog post by Beverly Merz
About the Author
You May Like: Parkinson’s Loss Of Balance
How Should I Take Benadryl
Use Benadryl exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Cold or allergy medicine is usually taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up.
Do not give this medication to a child younger than 2 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children.
You should not use Benadryl to make a child sleepy.
Measure liquid medicine with the dosing syringe provided, or with a special dose-measuring spoon or medicine cup. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.
For motion sickness, take Benadryl 30 minutes before you will be in a situation that causes you motion sickness . Continue taking Benadryl with meals and at bedtime for the rest of the time you will be in a motion-sickness situation.
As a sleep aid, take Benadryl within 30 minutes before bedtime.
This medication can affect the results of allergy skin tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using Benadryl.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Drugs That Increase Dopamine Levels
Because dopamine itself does not cross the blood-brain barrier, it is administered as the precursor levodopa in combination with carbidopa . Carbidopa blocks peripheral dopa decarboxylase, the enzyme that converts levodopa to dopamine within the blood-brain barrier. With the levodopa-carbidopa combination, more levodopa reaches the brain and is converted to dopamine.13 This drug combination was named Sinemet because it decreases the side effects caused by peripheral dopamine, especially nausea and vomiting.
Although some newer agents are now prescribed as first-line therapy, levodopa is still considered the most efficacious treatment for Parkinson’s disease. In addition, a response to this agent confirms the diagnosis. Unfortunately, levodopa’s short duration of action necessitates increasingly frequent dosing as the disease progresses. Thus, doses eventually have to be taken as often as every 90 minutes.
The controlled-release formulation of levodopa-carbidopa has to be broken down in the gastrointestinal tract. It can be taken every four to six hours but, because absorption is reduced, higher total daily dosages are usually required.
The side effects of levodopa in either formulation include orthostatic hypotension, nausea, hallucinations and peak-dose dyskinesias. Levodopa therapy should not be used in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, and caution is advised in giving this drug to patients with malignant melanoma.
Read Also: Als Vs Parkinson’s Vs Ms
Parkinsonism Vs Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsonism refers to a cluster of symptoms that mimic the movement problems caused by Parkinsons disease. Its sometimes referred to as atypical Parkinsons disease, secondary parkinsonism, or Parkinsons plus.
Parkinsons disease is a chronic, neurodegenerative brain disorder. In addition to problems with movement, Parkinsons disease causes non-motor symptoms that arent caused by drug-induced parkinsonism. They include:
Another key difference between drug-induced parkinsonism and Parkinsons disease is symmetry. Drug-induced parkinsonism usually affects both sides of the body equally. Parkinsons disease affects one side of the body more than the other.
Parkinsonism can be caused by medications, repeated head trauma, and environmental toxins. It can also be caused by neurological disorders, including Parkinsons disease. Other neurological conditions that cause parkinsonism include:
- progressive supranuclear palsy
These medications dont cause resting tremors. Rather, they cause:
- Action tremors. These occur in a body part thats moving, not a body part thats resting.
- Postural tremors. These occur when a body part is forced to withstand gravity, such as when arms are outstretched or legs are raised.
Drugs That Inhibit Dopamine Metabolism
Dopamine enhancement through the inhibition of dopamine breakdown in the CNS was the philosophy behind the development of selegiline , a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor. This agent is meant to be used as an adjunct to levodopa therapy. Theoretically, it allows levodopa to be administered less often, but this has not been observed in practice. Although selegiline has antioxidant properties, no evidence supports the earlier notion that the drug is neuroprotective and delays the natural progression of Parkinson’s disease.24
Patients treated with selegiline report psychomotor enhancement, perhaps related to the methamphetamine metabolite of the drug.25 Side effects include headache, sweating and insomnia, as well as dopaminergic reactions such as hallucinations, nausea, vomiting and postural hypotension. A report published several years ago indicated that selegiline increased mortality in patients with Parkinson’s disease,26 but a recent meta-analysis failed to support this finding.27 Selegiline should not be given to patients who are taking other monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Caution is advised if this drug is prescribed to patients being treated with serotonergic agents or nonadrenergic agents .28 Other relative contraindications to selegiline use are peptic ulcer disease and cardiovascular disease.
In addition to adverse effects related to the enhancement of levodopa, patients treated with COMT inhibitors may experience diarrhea, and their urine may become bright yellow.
Read Also: Symptoms Of Parkinson Disease Webmd
How Should I Use This Medication
Take this medication by mouth with a full glass of water. Follow the directions on the prescription label. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your medication more often than directed. To prevent motion sickness start taking this medication 30 to 60 minutes before you leave.
Talk to your care team regarding the use of this medication in children. Special care may be needed.
Patients over 65 years old may have a stronger reaction and need a smaller dose.
Overdosage: If you think you have taken too much of this medicine contact a poison control center or emergency room at once.
NOTE: This medicine is only for you. Do not share this medicine with others.
What To Discuss With Your Doctor Before Taking Benadryl
Let your doctor know if youre allergic to diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, or any other ingredients used in diphenhydramine preparations.
You should also advise your doctor of any other drug allergies you have.
Tell your doctor about any prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are currently taking or plan to take.
Tell your doctor if you have any of these conditions:
-
Overactive thyroid
Tell your doctor if youve been told to follow a sodium-restricted diet if you intend to take Benadryl in liquid form.
Tell your doctor if you’re pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or breastfeeding. If you become pregnant when taking Benadryl, tell your doctor.
Diphenhydramine should not generally be used by older adults, except to control serious allergic reactions, because they are not as safe or effective as other medications. Talk to your doctor if you’re aged 65 or older before starting this medication.
If youre having surgery, including dental procedures, tell the surgeon or dentist that youre taking antihistamines.
If you have phenylketonuria , be aware that some chewable tablets and rapidly dissolving tablets that contain diphenhydramine may be sweetened with aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.
Also Check: Clinical Manifestations Of Parkinson’s Disease
Pregnancy And Breastfeeding When Taking Benadryl
Diphenhydramine can pass into breast milk and it may be harmful to a nursing baby. Antihistamines may also slow down breast milk production. Talk to your doctor before taking Benadryl if you’re breastfeeding.
In some cases, it may be safe to use Benadryl during pregnancy, but it should not be used during the last two weeks of pregnancy as it increases the risk of eye disease in newborns.
Discuss Benadryl with your doctor before you decide to take it during pregnancy as they may advise against it and recommend a safer alternative.