Benadryl is a common over-the-counter drug
And this video will examine the nine most common questions asked about the drug benadryl
Including the drugs side-effects coming up
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We'll give you tips and advice as well as educate you about
Health related medical concepts to promote healthy aging and if you are new here consider subscribing. So what is Benadryl?
Benadryl is an antihistamine that reduces the effects of the natural
Chemical histamine in the body. Histamine can produce symptoms of sneezing,itching
Watery eyes and a runny nose. The generic term for Benadryl is Diphenhydramine
So what is it used for? It is used to relieve coughing. It is also used to ease allergy signs such as itching
runny nose eyes and hives. It is also used to help with symptoms of motion sickness like nausea
vomiting, dizziness. It is used to treat sleep problems.
It is also used to treat symptoms like Parkinson's disease caused by other health problems.
One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you about Benadryl is about the positive side effects
but also about the negative side effects of
Benadryl.Let's start with a positive story. So one of the patients I was taking care of
He had multiple medical problems
Including psychiatric illness and because of his psychiatric illness he was unfortunately on multiple
anti-psychotic drugs and one of the side effects of
Antipsychotic drugs, it can stiffen you up and he can cause a tremor as well and it can stiffen you up in
various parts of your body
and in this case when he was in the office setting he started stiffening up in his neck area and
Unfortunately, I was not in the clinic during time.
In fact, I was seeing in other patients elsewhere and I got a call from my clinic nurse,
describing these symptoms that he was stiffening up and I knew that he was on several anti-psychotic drugs.
I told her to give the patient Benadryl and he responded to the medication
over some time and this promptly helped with the side effect of
The anti Parkinson's drugs and so we used the positive effect of Benadryl to help with the stiffness in the neck
So is it okay to take Benadryl as a sleep aid?
For people who take an antihistamine
Such as Benadryl for a cold or allergies drowsiness is often a
welcome side effect. Would I recommend it to be taken as a sleeping aid.
The simple answer is no, absolutely not especially in OLDER adults use of Benadryl can lead to
sleepwalking and other sleep-related
disorders especially if used regularly.
How quickly does Benadryl work?
Benadryl is quickly absorbed after oral administration and peak effects are reached within one hour.
The effects of Diphenhydramine lasts from about four to six hours. So is Benadryl safe for OLDER adults?
There's evidence that the use of Diphenhydramine among older adults or the elderly may result in serious side effects.
this holds true
Especially if you're older than the age of 65.The older a person becomes the greater the risk of adverse effects
Benadryl is listed as a potentially inappropriate medication in older adults.
This list of medications is also called the Beers criteria. Can Benadryl cause dementia?
Common anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl
are linked to an increased dementia risk in a report published in JAMA internal medicine.
Researchers offer
compelling evidence of a link between long-term use
anticholinergic medications like Benadryl and
dementia
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So, how should I take Benadryl?
Typical doses for benadryl are for adults take one the two tablets or capsules every four to six hours as needed.
The maximum daily dose per PDR or prescribers digital reference and UpToDate is
300 milligrams per day.
if you're taking the liquid version of Benadryl use the dosing syringe provided or with a special dose measuring spoon or
medicine cup.For motion sickness
take Diphenhydramine 30 minutes before you will be in a situation which causes motion sickness such as a long car ride or
a boat travel or
Boat ride.Continue taking a Benadryl with meals at that time for the rest of the time you'll be in a situation
with motion sickness, I do not advise to take Benadryl as sleeping aid.
This medication can affect the results of allergies skin tests.
So tell your doctor especially before you're getting those type of skin tests. So what are common side effects?
dizziness
drowsiness
dry mouth,constipation
dry eyes blurred vision or daytime drowsiness or hangover feeling after night time use
Nausea .loss of appetite
So what are serious side effects?
Pounding heartbeat or fluttering in your chest, you know, it can increase your blood pressure and your heart rate
especially in patients with underlying heart disease.
painful or difficult
urination
Especially with people with BPH also an enlarged prostate
little or no urinating
Confusion which is called delirium in older adults.In patients with glaucoma
It can worsen the disease by increasing the pressure in your eye. This is also called the
intraocular pressure.
if you have thyroid disease with low thyroid levels
It can it can exacerbate the sluggishness and drowsiness that at are common side effects of antihistamines
One of the bad things about
Benadryl is a side effect, especially in OLDER adults
Did you know that Benadryl cannot be use dor should not be used in
older adults and belongs to a list of medications which are inappropriate to be used especially in OLDER adults above the age of
65 and one of the side effects is it can cause sleepiness?
drowsiness and
sluggishness as well and this
can cause a hangover
especially when the older adult gets up in the morning and they can get up and because they feel sluggish or
drowsy, they are more inclined to fall and GOD FORBID break their hip
So question of the day
Did you know that
Benadryl could be used for Parkinson's disease like symptoms.Leave your answers in the comments below
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medicine cup