Benadryl which is called diphenhydramine, is an easily available drug used for allergies and sleeplessness. People should follow the directions when using Benadryl, as the use and misuse are becoming more of a concern lately. It is necessary to understand what Benadryl addiction is and what its effects and recovery options are.
Benadryl is a medicine and this article explains when to use it.
It’s important to learn about Benadryl and what it is prescribed for before discussing addiction and abuse.
The generic name for diphenhydramine hydrochloride is diphenhydramine hydrochloride and it is sold as Benadryl. It stops histamine from having its effects and is known to calm people down.
Some of the main uses of Benadryl include:
- Relieving allergic issues by treating rashes, making the eyes itchy, stuffy nose and sneezing. It blocks the effect of histamine that brings about allergic reactions.
- The drug is commonly taken as an aid to help you fall asleep quickly due to its sedative effect. It tends to make people feel sleepy and hurry their sleep onset.
- Helping to quit feeling nauseous and dizzy. Sometimes, the sedation can ease the patient’s pain.
- Helping to treat the effects of Parkinson’s disease, vertigo and tremor disorders by Targeting muscarinic receptors.
Benadryl can be bought at the pharmacy or store as tablets, capsules, gel capsules or liquid form. This medicine is recommended for adults and children who have reached the age of 6. The drug should not be used by those suffering from glaucoma, breathing trouble or prostate issues.
While sedatives work well in medicine, the side effects of drowsiness make it easier to misuse them at large doses. We need to keep in mind how long benadryl remains in the body if we are using it wisely. Because benadryl cannot be quickly removed from the body, people should schedule their doses a few hours apart, since taking many doses in a row can lead to high levels.
How Benadryl Addiction Rates Look in the United States
With help from statistics, experts can decide where to focus their efforts to stop misuse of Benadryl. Important points are:
- More than 150,000 emergency room visits each year occur because of using Benadryl incorrectly.
- Reports suggest that almost 4% of adult individuals use Benadryl without a doctor’s advice.
- There was a 80% rise in deaths caused by using over-the-counter medicines between 1999 and 2010. Diphenhydramine contributed to 23% of the overall cases.
- Of those adults, those who are 18-25 have the highest rate of over-the-counter medication misuse at 6%. Education that is aimed at youth can aid in decreasing addiction.
Please refer to the bar graph on Benadryl overdoses separated by age group.
This is why we need to use different ways to address and deal with this problem in public health.
How to Know If You Develop Benadryl Dependency
The beginning is to realize when the person’s use turns into abuse or when they become dependent. Some symptoms to watch for when someone has a Benadryl addiction are:
- Following a dose that is larger than what is advised. If someone uses 50mg of diphenhydramine or more daily or takes a new dose almost immediately after the last, these signals a need to adjust the use.
- Buying drugs often and struggling to quit their use. Dependence on Benadryl can be seen if it is used daily or almost every day, instead of only now and then.
- Over time, you cannot enjoy the drug the same and need to increase your dosage. Need for more of the substance to relax is a sign that you have developed tolerance.
- Missing out on Benadryl results in withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms such as insomnia, nausea, vomiting, increased pulse, tremors, anxiety, irritability and powerful cravings start 12 to 48 hours after a person stops taking a lot of drugs for a long time.
- What makes it difficult is when someone starts having mood swings, loses motivation, spends less time with others, stops caring for themselves well and keeps drug use a secret.
- Even though someone wishes they could stop, they cannot succeed in cutting back. Any unsuccessful efforts to control substance use should also give you cause for concern.
- Benadryl misuse led people to use the drug even as their health, work or relationships suffered or deteriorated.
- Family members waste a lot of time and money trying to get more Benadryl violating the law.
If you watch for physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms, it will be easier to find and manage Benadryl addiction.
Health Risks Associated with Taking Too Much Benadryl
Although most think over-the-counter drugs are harmless, when used incorrectly, Benadryl can seriously impact both your mind and body. Consequences that might happen are:
- Cases of seizure, irregular heartbeat and death can occur if you use more than 500mg. Benadryl overdose deaths have been seen after people take as little as 1000mg.
- Those who misuse drugs for a long time may experience confusion, lose their ability to remember and have difficulty learning new things forever.
- Continued use of anticholinergic drugs can boost the chance of dementia by up to 54% as studies have shown.
- In seniors, problems of delirium can worsen or start dementia-related symptoms. This may result in serious harm to a person when they act on things they see while being delirious.
- Symptoms like blurred vision, not being able to pass urine, constipation, dry mouth and similar effects may cause a lot of discomfort and health-related risks.
- Withdrawal and changes in brain chemistry cause people abusing drugs to feel depression and anxiety.
This explains why identifying the issue early and treating it right away is necessary. Failing to deal with Benadryl addiction can harm your health in many aspects.
Introduction to how Benadryl addiction is managed
Getting past a Benadryl addiction is tough and requires treatment by doctors and psychologists designed for each person. There are two important stages to follow – a supervised detox and a long-term rehabilitation program.
Benadryl Detoxification
The first thing a person needs to do in treating Benadryl addiction is have a safe withdrawal under medical care. During this phase, doctors gradually lower the patient’s drug dose to decrease addiction and minimize the effects of withdrawal.
The dosage amount, the frequency of use, age, current health and any other problems a person has will determine the tapering plan. Experts may perform an EKG on a heart patient to ensure they are safe during the detox process.
Some helpful medications for stroke are anti-seizure drugs, sleep aids, anti-nausea pills and non-narcotic painkillers. Drinking enough water, choosing healthy food and resting properly also play a part in detoxification.
Usually, medical detox takes 5-7 days, but it may extend to 2 weeks or more for those who are strongly dependent. In some cases, hospital care is required to keep safety levels high, monitor vital signs and make medical help available at all times. Some people with mild withdrawals can undergo outpatient detox while they are monitored closely.
Benadryl Abuse Treatment
When detox is done, the next focus is on helping the patient rehabilitate through inpatient or outpatient programs. To accomplish this, people use counseling, different therapies, support groups and make changes in their lifestyle so they can recover in the long run.
Doctors use CBT to recognize what leads you to use drugs, assist in learning new ways to cope, update your harmful ideas and stop you from going back to old habits. Community, mutual understanding and the feeling of accountability can be found in support groups and 12-step services such as Narcotics Anonymous.
Using mindfulness practices, yoga and meditation, acupuncture, sport and exercise, creating arts and music and proper nourishment gives added benefits to counseling. Most rehabilitation programs take at least 30 days and can take as long as 6 months, depending on the patient.
Also, these types of rehab centers provide extra services such as therapy with horses, massages and meditation in peaceful surroundings to help patients heal more effectively.
Getting support from your family and friends
The support of family and friends is very important in winning the battle against addiction. With the help of their friends, individuals are encouraged to continue, since they are guided by emotional support, held accountable and warned early about any risk of relapse.
Yet, when those close to the person make it easy for them to use drugs, it can block their recovery process. Addicts should learn to know their limits, keep up with therapies, avoid using drugs in the addict’s presence and expect some relapse to happen.
Going to family therapy helps people in the addicted person’s life to learn more about the recovery, spot triggers, improve how they speak and find appropriate ways to provide assistance.
Continuing to go to Counseling and Therapy
Going to counseling, 12-step meetings and rehab reunions helps many people avoid relapsing during the first year, since they are most likely to relapse during this period.
Taking part in an outpatient program or having a sponsor gives you regular support for handling new emotions and triggers. Grouping depression or other co-occurring disorders with psychiatry helps individuals maintain stability. It is possible that therapy and support groups will be important for months or years after the alcohol was stopped.
Support given by people with their own recovery experience
Since peer recovery coaches and mentors come from similar backgrounds, they are best placed to give moral support and serve as role models. Recovery coaches assist individuals with their rehab plans, advice, tools and leading them to be responsible once they finish treatment.
Such centers also feature peer-driven support sessions, activities for socializing, job help and health activities to keep people engaged and united.
There are many Online Forums and Groups.
There are anonymous online support groups available day and night. Visiting forums on Reddit gives people an opportunity to share their problems, seek advice and support each other. Members of Facebook groups can build a community while they recover from addiction.
Those who cannot travel to usual meetings can easily join online recovery groups using Zoom or similar apps. They should help, but never replace the help given by a medical professional.
Alternative approaches and Self-care
Activities such as meditation, yoga, acupuncture, exercise, art and music therapy, as well as outdoor activities are good ways to help both mind and body recover. Eating a healthy diet, keeping good sleep habits and sticking to routines help mental health.
Replacing unhealthy habits with many healthy choices can decrease the chances of coming back to old addictions or choosing others. At private recovery retreats, care for addiction and attractive amenities are combined to help people feel refreshed.
Keeping Benadryl Misuse and Addiction to a Minimum
Tackling the main reasons behind addiction should be a part of the public health policy. Some options are to include:
- Outreach programs aimed at teaching everyone how to properly take over-the-counter medicines and identify its overuse. It is another way to teach people about drugs and their effects.
- Checking identification, creating age restrictions for purchases or requiring a prescription if the number of misuses goes up.
- These programs check records to notice people who buy too many prescriptions.
- People can bring their unused medications to places where they can be safely disposed of to avoid misuse and abuse.
- Increased knowledge among healthcare providers about medication misuse, options without drugs and addiction testing.
Being alert and more considerate can reduce the rise of dependency on Benadryl.
Coming Up with Solutions: Law Reforms and Support for Benadryl Addiction
It is also essential to pass new laws and encourage advocacy groups to prevent many people from abusing Benadryl.
Assessing How Current Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medication Laws are Made
Now, OTC drugs such as Benadryl are largely regulated by using safety caps and putting warning labels on them. Anyone can easily obtain these medications since they are not regulated in such ways.
A number of individuals believe that Benadryl should only be available with a prescription and only adults should be able to buy it. On the other hand, those who oppose say that extra regulations could make it harder to use and access guns properly.
How Advocacy Groups Use Their Power to Fight Addiction
Such organizations as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Shatterproof focus on informing the public about the risks of misusing OTC medication and offering steps for change. They recommend running educational programs, strengthening safe routines, improving how drug waste is handled and supporting more treatment for people addicted to drugs.
Groups such as the Consumer Healthcare Products Association have set up voluntary rules to encourage proper use. They are not in favor of more sales limits, but they support improving people’s gun knowledge.
A variety of angles should be considered in future policy and regulations.
Different types of policies should be studied to stop more Benadryl and OTC medication misuse. These things might include placing limits on purchases, using blister packaging, checking IDs, reclassifying certain products, making them hard to abuse, offering disposal programs and making more funds available for treatment. If many people work together, change for the better can be achieved.
You Can Start the Recovery Process Today
If you or someone close to you takes Benadryl, remember that many people share your experience. Several ways exist to overcome addiction and these include therapy, support groups, counseling, lifestyle changes and community help.
Although it may be tough in the beginning, learning about it, having someone support you and looking to the future makes it less challenging. You can start learning about rehabilitation resources today and begin your way to recovery.
Benadryl Addiction Treatment Frequently Asked Questions
When someone is experiencing Benadryl addiction personally or with a family member, it leads to plenty of questions about the future. Frequently asked questions and their answers are provided to help you decide what to do next:
Q1. Can I go through detoxification on my own or must I see a professional?
You might want to cleanse your body at home, but it is much better to do this under medical care. Stopping Benadryl slowly can be tough and serious side effects could come up if the process is not controlled properly. Being able to receive medical help all day and night lowers health dangers.
Q2. How are inpatient and outpatient rehab programs different from one another?
Living at an inpatient facility means you must remain there and be cared for at all times, separated from situations that promote use of drugs. People with work and home obligations prefer outpatient recovery, but it carries greater chances of relapse. Your health practitioner will advise you on appropriate options.
Q3. How does life change once a rehabilitation program is finished?
Support and care throughout the entire recovery process is very important. Attending therapy, joining events for graduates, joining a support group and using your sponsor can help you stay on track.
Q4 What is the most helpful support my family and friends can give me while I recover?
Motivation to recover is often boosted by people closest to us. Backing each other, seeing a counselor as a team, making sure not to enable, ensuring mutual accountability and knowing relapse may happen are some of the ways to help.
Q5. What places provide addiction treatment at little or no cost?
A lot of public health departments, non-profit clinics and community health centers offer services that fit family budgets. Depending on where you live, visit government agencies or (Benadryl) to search for addiction treatment.
Q6. How often do people in different age groups misuse Benadryl?
Six percent of adults between 18 and 25 are found to use over-the-counter medications without a doctor’s orders, as indicated by targeted initiatives geared toward youth addition.
Q7. What percentage of people who are 18 or older take too much Benadryl or similar over-the-counter sleep medicines?
Almost 4% of adults in the United States use over-the-counter sleep aids such as Benadryl, sometimes in the wrong ways.
Q8. What role does Benadryl misuse play in causing visits to the emergency room every year?
Records indicate that Benadryl misuse leads to more than 150,000 visits to emergency rooms every year.
Q9. In what decade did the number of overdose deaths tied to over-the-counter medications such as Benadryl, rise?
Between 1999 and 2010, deaths caused by taking over-the-counter medicines increased by more than 80%.
Q10. Can you tell which substance played a role in 23% of all these overdose deaths during this period?
Benadryl which contains diphenhydramine, was found to contribute to 23% of these overdose deaths.
Q11. What preventive actions are being carried out to fight Benadryl misuse and dependence?
Yes such approaches include teaching campaigns, health resources and group advocacy.
