After winter comes one of the best times of the year. The flowers begin to bloom, leaves start to grow on trees and the weather gets warmer. When spring time approaches you know two things: summer is around the corner and pollen is all over the map. So what brand do you think of when you need allergy relief? My first thought is Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) to soothe the runny and clogged nasal symptoms. My preference has always been the liquid brand since it is easier to swallow.
Information About Diphenhydramine HCL
Diphenhydramine is an over the counter antihistamine that is used to treat allergies. When your body has an allergic to pollen for example, it releases histamines in your body which causes a reaction ranging from hives to sneezing. Diphenhydramine stops this release fast. There are various types of doses that you can use to treat allergy symptoms. There are your standard tablets, liquid, liqui-gels, gel, creams, sprays and sticks. It all depends on which symptom you are trying to heal: the itch or the allergy.
When you look at a package for the active ingredient, you will see two forms of the same compound. You will see diphenhydramine citrate or diphenhydramine hcl followed by strength (example: diphenhydramine hcl 25 mg). Not to worry, they are both the same medication, just the citrate is a form of salt that is more readily absorbed in the body than the hcl salt. If you wander the allergy relief aisle, you will see generic versions containing the active ingredient diphenhydramine like CVS or Walgreen’s brand. These versions are just as good as Benadryl.
Side Effects
The side effects of diphenhydramine are not too serious but include drowsiness, dry mouth or throat, constipation, pupil dilation, urinary retention, short term memory loss and sensitivity to light. These side effects generally occur if you follow the instructions on the bottle. If you decide to consume more than what is recommended or try to drink yourself to sleep there is the possibility of a diphenhydramine overdose.
Why would anyone use more than recommended? Well at high concentrations, diphenhydramine will cause hallucinations, delirium, sedation, irregular breathing and motor impairment. Turns out you can get a high feeling. I know the liquid form is more potent but not sure about the high feeling from tablets. Regardless of what you see in the movies, you can overdose on Benadyl. So definitely watch your dosage and don’t operate heavy machinery.
Have you felt high from diphenhydramine ?
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