The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on July 30, 2010, 09:06:32 AM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x89827
Oh my.
Celebration (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:42 PM
Original message
Why Benadryl is a bad sleep aid
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julies...
It's tempting to pop a Benadryl when you can't sleep. But seemingly benign over-the-counter drugs taken for insomnia and other common conditions, such as allergies, motion sickness or incontinence, can damage the aging brain, according to research published in the journal Neurology.
The drugs, called anticholinergics, work by blocking acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter. They're widely used, especially by the elderly and sold under the names Benadryl, Dramamine, Exedrin PM, Nytrol, Sominex and Tylenol PM. Some anticholinergics, such as Paxil, Detrol, Demerol and Elavil, are available only by prescription.
In a six-year observational study, researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute and Wishard Health Services evaluated 1,652 Indianapolis area African-Americans over the age of 70 who had normal cognitive function when the study began. The study was longitudinal, which means it collected data on people at more than one time point and analyzed the change.
The scientists monitored cognition and tracked all over-the-counter and prescription medications taken by study participants. They found that consistently taking one anticholinergic "significantly increased an individual’s risk of developing mild cognitive impairment" while taking two of the drugs doubled the risk.
The finding was especially significant for African Americans, who are already known to be at high risk for developing cognitive impairment, said lead author Noll Campbell, a clinical pharmacist with Wishard Health Services. But the results can be generalized to other races, the researchers said.
Benadryl is the "PM" ingredient in Tylenol PM.
rurallib (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:46 PM
Response to Original message
1. I took a benedryl once. Never again
made me so stupid I wouldn't have known my own name if it wasn't stenciled in my underwear.
MineralMan (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:46 PM
THE ANTI-OSTEOPATHIC PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
2. It's also very effective when used occassionally.
Plus, it's the one of the most effective allery and hay fever medications available, by prescription or over the counter.
In fact, I just took one an hour ago. It seems a mean old spider bit me on the arm yesterday while I was cutting some weeds. It was just itching like crazy. So, I took one benadry (Waldryl, to be exact). The itching is gone, and at a cost of, maybe 2 cents. Hurrah for modern medicine.
safeinOhio (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 05:19 PM
Response to Reply #2
12. I have had massive allergy attacks send me to hospital. When I feel one coming on I inject it and it keeps me out of emergency. Much safer than an eppipen. If I can't sleep, I just enjoy being up. Problem with using it for sleep is, it becomes weaker and less effective the more often you take it.
Dorian Gray (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 07:19 PM
Response to Reply #2
14. Damn
I've had bronchitis and I'm pregnant. I was able to take the Z Pack, but the doctor told me that Benadryl was the safest of all medications to take while pregnant to help any cold symptom that I might have. Plus Robitussin DM. Without my benadryl, I probably wouldn't have slept for the past two weeks at all.
RobinA (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-29-10 10:00 PM
Response to Reply #2
20. I Take It For Sleep now and then and find it effective. It's not addicting, and if I take it early enough I don't have a hangover the next day. Maybe when I'm 70 I'll stop.
Oregone (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:46 PM
THE OREGANO PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
3. Pot is a much better sleep aid
Seriously...what a wonder drug. Since Ive been using regularly (every few days) I can't keep awake past 12. Instant sleep. No more insomnia. And Im not even taking it for that. I haven't slept this regularly and soundly ever in my entire life (had problems since a very young age)
Cleita (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:47 PM
Response to Original message
4. I used to take lots of it for my allergies and sinus problems. I do believe it has affected my mind or it could be just old age. I haven't taken it in years as I now live in a place that doesn't trigger as many allergies.
sui generis (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:57 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. yeah tell me about Dallas
a half a Zyrtec turns me into a drooling slack jawed zombie for 24 hours, Allegra makes my stomach bleed, Benadryl makes me stupid, Claritin makes my spit taste funny. All of the anti-cholinergics are bad body trips for me, so WHAT if I don't sneeze.
The best thing to induce sleep at night is to get up and start your day early and don't stop till you drop. Your body will eventually say WTF the sun is down and so am I. Being sedentary, eating within two hours of sleeping, eating sugar, drinking tea, coffee, soda or immoderate amounts of liquor before sleeping are all bad ideas and probably just as bad for your brain in the long run.
The best thing to induce sleep at night is to get up and start your day early and don't stop till you drop.
The problem with that is that it doesn't involve chemical drugs.
And the primitives want pharmaceuticals because they're easier than changing lifestyle habits.
Taverner (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:56 PM
Response to Original message
6. It's an upper
That stuff just keeps me awake
Better to go with Ambien or Melatonin
Political_Junkie (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 04:06 PM
Response to Original message
8. I take benadryl for my allergies.
I only take it when they're severe, because it makes me irritable.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 04:08 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE, #09 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2009
Response to Original message
9. Too many variables.
It would be instructive to know why people were taking it. Were sleep disorders due to other medical problems or a co morbidity with alcohol abuse? Did they compare people with chronic sleep deprivation with insomniacs who self medicated with the recommended dosage of benadryl?
I really hate studies like this one that scare monger without giving more complete information.
qb (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 05:01 PM
Response to Original message
10. Another shitty thing the drug companies do when they relabel Benadryl as a sleep aid...they double or triple the price.
I occasionally take Benadryl as a sleep aid, especially if my allergies are acting up. I haven't felt any stupider yet.
Warpy (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 05:26 PM
THE DEFROCKED WARPED PRIMITIVE, #09 TOP PRIMITIVE OF 2009
Response to Reply #10
13. I took it for allergies longer than I needed it for sleep (and still consider it more benign than my alternative, Flexeril, which flattens me for about 12 hours) and always got the cheapest knockoff packaged for allergies and still do. If you take it for sleep, buy the allergy packages and look for the generic diphenhydramine.
I've been on the stuff during allergy season since I was four years old. If there was anything to this study, I'd already be tied to a wheelchair in a nursing home, soiling myself.
EvolveOrConvolve (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 10:23 PM
Response to Reply #13
16. I'm the same way
I have severe allergies - so bad that I often can't sleep because of the irritation, the terrible headaches, etc. Benadryl (or a generic version) is the only thing that helps when it gets really bad in the late spring and early fall. The rest of the year I do a nasal spray that works great, but during the worst times, only a Benadryl keeps my going.
Like you, I've been doing that since I was a young kid (I'm only in my late 30's now), but if it really effected my cognitive abilities I'd be brain dead by now.
HuckleB (1000+ posts) Thu Jul-29-10 10:06 PM
Response to Reply #13
21. Flexeril makes me plain stupid.
Not that I'm all that bright in the first place.
salvorhardin (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 05:19 PM
Response to Original message
11. So that's why my dog is so stupid
He takes two 50mg benadryls a day during spring, summer and early autumn for his allergies. Dog couldn't balance my checkbook if his life depended on it and don't even get me started on his trashy reading habits.
Manifestor_of_Light (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 09:49 PM
Response to Original message
15. Benadryl never made me sleepy.
Doctor gave me 100 mg to supposedly make me sleepy.
Did not do a damn thing. Whereupon I got incredulous/dirty looks from said doctor.
Yeah it will dry up my sinuses some, and I smear it on my skin when it itches, but it does NOT make me sleepy.
Worthless.
Celebration (1000+ posts) Wed Jul-21-10 12:53 AM
Response to Reply #15
18. goes to show you
That drugs affect different people different ways. That's why the anecdote of "I've been taking it for decades and it never hurt me, so it must be okay" doesn't really hold any water.
truedelphi (1000+ posts) Wed Jul-21-10 02:08 AM
Response to Original message
19. My dad took this drug since it came on the market.
And when the doctor stopped prescribing it, as he thought my dad's heart problems meant he should no longer take it, dad discovered he could get it over the counter.
And he died at the young age of ninety. With every brain cell he ever had working great.
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Benadryl saved my cousin's life when he was swarmed by bees. I have occasional asthma, and nothing else is as effective at stopping the allergic reaction. In an emergency, you can open a capsule and put it between your gum and lip for very fast relief.
Using it solely for the reason of falling asleep is stupid though. Using it as prescribed can be extremely beneficial.
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Benadryl saved my cousin's life when he was swarmed by bees. I have occasional asthma, and nothing else is as effective at stopping the allergic reaction. In an emergency, you can open a capsule and put it between your gum and lip for very fast relief.
Using it solely for the reason of falling asleep is stupid though. Using it as prescribed can be extremely beneficial.
This is good to know!!!
I used to take an epipen when I traveled. The one time I needed one, I didn't have one. Then when I had them, I didn't use them, and they would expire. Much easier to take the Benadryl and use it as you suggest.
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This is good to know!!!
I used to take an epipen when I traveled. The one time I needed one, I didn't have one. Then when I had them, I didn't use them, and they would expire. Much easier to take the Benadryl and use it as you suggest.
Gotta agree, being asthmatic myself.
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Benadryl saved my cousin's life when he was swarmed by bees. I have occasional asthma, and nothing else is as effective at stopping the allergic reaction. In an emergency, you can open a capsule and put it between your gum and lip for very fast relief.
Using it solely for the reason of falling asleep is stupid though. Using it as prescribed can be extremely beneficial.
Thanks for the heads up. I use it for bee stings and runny nose. It works great for me but does make me drowsy. However, I would never think of using it for a sleep aid...that's what beer is for. Also works on your dogs. Our vet told us they need 3 times more by body weight.
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This is good to know!!!
I used to take an epipen when I traveled. The one time I needed one, I didn't have one. Then when I had them, I didn't use them, and they would expire. Much easier to take the Benadryl and use it as you suggest.
This would not replace an epi-pen!
It can help an epi-pen by counter-reacting the allergic reaction, but my understanding is that an epi-pen would likely still be necessary to stop the reaction. If no epi-pen is available, it may be enough to help until EMT's get there, but they would likely proceed to use an Epi-pen.
They still had to call 911 for my cousin, and the EMT used epinephrine, but the Benedryl kept him alive long enough for them to get there.
Please, do not avoid an epi-pen based on my comment, I don't want a death on my hands!
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qb (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 05:01 PM
Response to Original message
10. Another shitty thing the drug companies do when they relabel Benadryl as a sleep aid...they double or triple the price.
I occasionally take Benadryl as a sleep aid, especially if my allergies are acting up. I haven't felt any stupider yet.
I take it for allergies. It works better than anything, but only before bed because it turns me into a zombie. I will always look in the sleep aid section because sometimes the sleep ones are cheaper.
Cindie
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Benadryl saved my cousin's life when he was swarmed by bees. I have occasional asthma, and nothing else is as effective at stopping the allergic reaction. In an emergency, you can open a capsule and put it between your gum and lip for very fast relief.
Using it solely for the reason of falling asleep is stupid though. Using it as prescribed can be extremely beneficial.
"Toots" is allergic to bees, and any other flyin', stingin', POS, To the point we have to give her an injection of epinephrine, then get her to the ER as fast as possible! Not sure what they giver her there but I think it's benadryl or some thin' similar in an IV.
Scares the hell outa me every time it happens! Been lucky the past few years, and haven't had to make a trip to the illegal alien healthcare establishment.
One of the reasons I kill everything that fly's sportin' a stinger around the ranch!
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I take it for allergies. It works better than anything, but only before bed because it turns me into a zombie. I will always look in the sleep aid section because sometimes the sleep ones are cheaper.
Cindie
I stopped using Benadryl and switched to loratadine (generic Claritin). I don't like pills that make me drowsy. :(
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Whats wrong? The 4 blunts of Jamacian ganja chased with a bag of cheetos is not enough to get you to sleep?
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This would not replace an epi-pen!
It can help an epi-pen by counter-reacting the allergic reaction, but my understanding is that an epi-pen would likely still be necessary to stop the reaction. If no epi-pen is available, it may be enough to help until EMT's get there, but they would likely proceed to use an Epi-pen.
They still had to call 911 for my cousin, and the EMT used epinephrine, but the Benedryl kept him alive long enough for them to get there.
Please, do not avoid an epi-pen based on my comment, I don't want a death on my hands!
Oh, ok.
I get a reaction to an excessive amount of MSG. Only once did it start to close up my throat, and I was in Mexico. Thankfully, it was when I was still married and we were with a bunch of other drs. One of the wives was a nurse and she knew what was happening. She ran and got her husband, who always took emergency med stuff and he gave me a shot. For years, I carried an epipen when we were out of town. If you remember the seasoning - Praise Allah - that stuff is like poison to me.
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For people that like to crap on the big pharmaceutical companies at every opportunity, they sure do depend on and like using the products developed and manufactured by said pharmaceutical companies. :whatever:
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rurallib (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:46 PM
Response to Original message
1. I took a benedryl once. Never again
made me so stupid I wouldn't have known my own name if it wasn't stenciled in my underwear.
Hello rurallib, meet marijuana. Marijuana, meet DUmmy...
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Oregone (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-20-10 03:46 PM
THE OREGANO PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message
3. Pot is a much better sleep aid
Seriously...what a wonder drug. Since Ive been using regularly (every few days)
and...and...hummm...what? Where am I?
What was I saying? Where am I?
I forgot, what was I...
f1x0r3d...
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I don't go anywhere without benedryl. I haven't had an epi-pen in years, but I carried one all throughout my childhood. Bees and Wasps, and Ants oh my!
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For people that like to crap on the big pharmaceutical companies at every opportunity, they sure do depend on and like using the products developed and manufactured by said pharmaceutical companies. :whatever:
Oh, you misunderstand. They love, love, love the products that pharmaceutical companies produce, especially the mind altering ones. They just don't think they should have to pay for them.
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Oh, you misunderstand. They love, love, love the products that pharmaceutical companies produce, especially the mind altering ones. They just don't think they should have to pay for them.
Kind of like everything else.
[youtube=425,350]P36x8rTb3jI[/youtube]
I wonder how Peggy Joseph is doing today.