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As most people know, it's spring and that means allergy/hay fever season. Many miserable people. I'm having a particularly rough time this year.
Sunday afternoon at 2 pm, after it was clear my usual antihistamine wasn't working, I took two Benadryl liqui-gel capsules (50 mg) and lay down for a nap. Usually when I wake up my sinuses are clear. Not so when I woke at 4 pm. That seemed odd. Nor did I have that slightly dizzy/sedated feeling you get from Benadryl.
At 8 pm, suddenly I was dizzy and sleepy. Clearly the Benadryl had just kicked in, but 6 hours after I took it? Most sources say it typically takes 1 hour to start working.
I have no idea, Fluffy, but I've noticed the same thing. Years ago when I took a Benadryl I would quickly (like within half an hour) get woozy/sleepy. I'll never forget one New Year's Eve I had a cold and took a Benadryl and fell asleep before midnight. My husband was none too happy (like I would have been so much fun with a cold anyway?).
For the past nine months I've had sever insomnia. Even though I haven't liked the effects of Benadryl the next morning (dry mouth, feeling sedated) in my desperation I decided I would take one or two a night because I really needed to get to sleep. Would take it 30 minutes to an hour before bed, as most people do. Nothing, even two to four hours later. If I took it very late at night, like 1or 2 or 3 I would get sleepy more quickly, but who's to say I wouldn't have fallen asleep at that time any way?
I think that's it for me and Benadryl. I was willing to take it even though there has been a correlation (not causation) with dementia, thinking if I'm going to get dementia from not sleeping or dementia from antihistamines, I may as well enjoy some sleep now. I tried another antihistamine sleep aid from Costco---slightly different than Benadryl, and some people on Amazon swear by it, but nada.
I could be paranoid and think maybe they are just substituting sugar pill placebos, but I also took some sedtaing antidepressants that have antihistamine like effects, and they didn't work either.
Don't know how old you are. I'm 65. Maybe I just developed a tolerance for them at this point and they don't make me sleepy? It's a shame you didn't get relief from your actual allergies, though.
Possibly an interaction? Do you take any medications that mediate Seratonin?
I would wonder about a paradoxical reaction except that you actually fell asleep for two hours. When my kids would have a paradoxical reaction to Benadryl, they would bounce off the walls for four hours & then get all groggy.
Don't know how old you are. I'm 65. Maybe I just developed a tolerance for them at this point and they don't make me sleepy? It's a shame you didn't get relief from your actual allergies, though.
I'm 65, too.
It was weird. When the sedating effect hit me at 8 pm, I went upstairs, brushed my teeth and got into bed. Ten minutes later my husband came in and could not wake me. I tried to get up the next morning at 6 am but couldn't and then he was really concerned. I finally got vertical at 8 am but was weak and fluttery. I didn't think to take vitals. I started to feel more normal after downing 16 oz water.
The only medications I'm on are lisinopril HCTZ, Tylenol, ibuprofen, Symbicort and Allegra-D. I use a nebulizer once a day with a sodium chloride solution. Albuterol as needed.
I rarely drink and this wasn't one of those times.
I'm going to avoid Benadryl as much as I can from here on out.
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I take Zyrtec everyday all year long, however on really bad days I take 2 Benadryl with it.I am knocked out in 10 minutes and feel hung over the next morning. If I take one Benadryl I don't get the hang over. This feeling however will not stop me from taking it. I'd rather be zonked out and get a good nights sleep then suffer. I don't take the Benadryl too often.
agree with Clemencia53...children's version.
in fact, the CV of ANY over the counter medicine
works for us most of the time. if it does not,
take a second dose.
yes, of course, we could dilute an adult dose,
but that involves much more thought.
That is what i use - the liquid version. Works great. I use the children's version.
One of the advantages is that you can play with the dose, enough to knock the edge off the allergies but not so much it puts you down.
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