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So apparently this is quite common, I didn't know that till recently. I guess it's an easy way for kids to be quiet and fall asleep, so it may seem like an easy parenting hack.
But these drugs are WEIRD. I read that the ratio for dosage is about 1 mg per kg. So giving a small kid 25 or 50 mgs of benedryll would be like giving yourself 300 mgs of benedryll.
Go try taking 300 mgs of benedryll. It's a deleriant. I've done 300 mgs out of curiosity, and it was most definitely weirder than any experience I've had on pot or alcohol. That's why it struck me as so odd that parents give these to their kids so regularly. Most parents wouldn't give their kid a pot brownie or a drop of acid, but apparently giving them benedryll is socially acceptable???
Now some kids do have big allergy problems, so antihistamines are necessary, and I'm not condemning for that. But it's just something to be careful about as they do carry big side effects, and it may be better to go with other, newer antihistamines. I don't think that they are harmful physically in reasonable doses, they're just weird.
This reminded me of a time when I was about 10 yrs old, my older sister who was almost 18 at time took me along to visit her friend whom had a baby out of wedlock. Somewhat of a taboo at the time. The girl was a bit troubled, became pregnant, the guy took off and she had her own place living on welfare. I liked her okay, she was always kind to me but she was a bit on the trashy side. Her son woke up, she became agitated and said, "Well, I guess it's time for the pink bottle." My sister and I looked at each other and I could tell even my sister didn't know what that meant. The girl mixed formula and Benadryl together causing the mixture to turn pink and gave it to her son. About 3 yrs. ago I got a friend request from her. She saw me on my sister's page. I kind of expected to learn she was still troubled and who knows what her son was like. Turns out they were all okay. She met a man when her son was about 8 yrs. old. Happy marriage, gave the son a good life and everyone was doing well. The only thing that is odd about her now she went to the other extreme by becoming very religious. I ended up hiding her on my Facebook wall because I got tired of the religious stuff but I never forgot the "pink bottle". I try to avoid any medications as much as possible. I never gave my son meds unless he really needed them.
Newer antihistamines have their place, but in the case of a true allergic reaction to something (bug bite, dermatitis, and a host of other things) nothing beats Benedryl, IMO. Having said that, anyone using it in order to calm their kid or put them to sleep is asking for trouble. First, sounds borderline abusive. Second, some kids have the exact opposite reaction to Benedryl than others, they become super hyperactive!
I've given my daughter Benadryl to sleep. She has had trouble sleeping her entire life, so when she started school, it was too difficult to get her going in the mornings after she roamed the house crying all night long. We started giving her 25mg benadryl each night about 30 minutes before bedtime. After a while she started waking up after 4 hours of sleep and roaming the house crying, so we switched to melatonin. She has anxiety/OCD and sleep issues are quite common for kids with those problems.
We did try a lot of other things...lots of exercise, no nap (she never wanted a nap anyhow), reading before bed, not reading before bed, nightlights or toys that played lullabies...you name it, we tried it.
I was always careful with the Benadryl to weigh her and calculate the appropriate dosage.
I've given my daughter Benadryl to sleep. She has had trouble sleeping her entire life, so when she started school, it was too difficult to get her going in the mornings after she roamed the house crying all night long. We started giving her 25mg benadryl each night about 30 minutes before bedtime. After a while she started waking up after 4 hours of sleep and roaming the house crying, so we switched to melatonin. She has anxiety/OCD and sleep issues are quite common for kids with those problems.
We did try a lot of other things...lots of exercise, no nap (she never wanted a nap anyhow), reading before bed, not reading before bed, nightlights or toys that played lullabies...you name it, we tried it.
I was always careful with the Benadryl to weigh her and calculate the appropriate dosage.
Sounds like you were working with doctors though (anxiety/OCD diagnosis). I don't think that's what the OP was talking about. How has the melatonin worked? I used it years ago, for myself. It was Ok as long as I attempted sleep within the correct window.
I use the children's Benadryl sometimes in the summer for my daughter. She gets a Zyrtec in the morning and a Benadryl at night to dry up the nose. She has issues with the pool and pollen. She's a fish and loves to swim everyday but her allergies don't like it.
Sounds like you were working with doctors though (anxiety/OCD diagnosis). I don't think that's what the OP was talking about. How has the melatonin worked? I used it years ago, for myself. It was Ok as long as I attempted sleep within the correct window.
Most nights the melatonin works. She still has nights where she'll wake everyone up 5 or 6 times saying she can't sleep and asking what she should do. She's old enough now that I tell her that what she should do is leave everyone else alone so they can still sleep, and she can read in her room or watch a movie on her tablet.
I've given my daughter Benadryl to sleep. She has had trouble sleeping her entire life, so when she started school, it was too difficult to get her going in the mornings after she roamed the house crying all night long. We started giving her 25mg benadryl each night about 30 minutes before bedtime. After a while she started waking up after 4 hours of sleep and roaming the house crying, so we switched to melatonin. She has anxiety/OCD and sleep issues are quite common for kids with those problems.
We did try a lot of other things...lots of exercise, no nap (she never wanted a nap anyhow), reading before bed, not reading before bed, nightlights or toys that played lullabies...you name it, we tried it.
I was always careful with the Benadryl to weigh her and calculate the appropriate dosage.
I find it reprehensible you would use Benadryl simply to get your kid to sleep. Our son has some bad allergies and we give it to him when absolutely necessary, but to drug a child for the sole purpose of getting them to sleep is appalling.
I think it is abusive to do it often and not under a doctor's care. I remember there was a woman from our play group whose 2 year old son would take 4-5 hour naps and sleep through the night (we all talked about stuff like that). One day I was over at her house and saw her dose her kid for nap time. At that point I noticed there were benedryl bottles all over the place. I asked her how often she did that and she said for naps and bed time every day, that "he wasn't a good sleeper when he was a baby". I was HORRIFIED. She was highly offended that I was horrified.
I have used benedryl for sleep for my kids. But under a doctor's supervision. My son has sleeping trouble and has for years. We will use it a couple nights to help him get back on schedule if he is way off schedule (staying up all night, sleeping all day). The psychiatrist told me to do that. And if the kids have a cold, I might give them a dose to help them sleep if they are having trouble getting comfortable. I asked the doctor if that was alright and she said it was fine.
My allergist told me driving while taking benedryl isn't safe. But I think its a safe medication overall. I have had severe allergic reactions and chugged liquid benedryl without measuring it and survived.
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About 3 yrs. ago I got a friend request from her. She saw me on my sister's page. I kind of expected to learn she was still troubled and who knows what her son was like. Turns out they were all okay. She met a man when her son was about 8 yrs. old. Happy marriage, gave the son a good life and everyone was doing well. The only thing that is odd about her now she went to the other extreme by becoming very religious. I ended up hiding her on my Facebook wall because I got tired of the religious stuff but I never forgot the "pink bottle". I try to avoid any medications as much as possible. I never gave my son meds unless he really needed them.
