Years after benzo healing - Benadryl withdrawal

Hi all...I joined this site over 7 years ago and it saved me from the horror of short term Ativan WD. It took about 2.5 - 3.0 years, but I was back to normal.

 

I few weeks ago I started coming down with symptoms after taking Benadryl for a cold. I've taken it for years with no problem, and I only take it when I have a cold or some allergies.

 

It hit me with a vengeance. I felt off and would wake 3-4 times per night with heart palps, nausea and some depression. This continued on for another 5 or 6 nights, and at the same time, I started getting pins and needles in my extremities, nausea, a stuffy nose, shaky hands and burning eyes. On about night seven I got severe hypnic jerks and could no longer sleep. I now get these every night and only get a bit of sleep after a day or two of zero sleep. When I do get a bit of sleep, I wake a couple of times drenched in night sweats and with heart palps.

 

This all started 3 days after my last pill. I began to wonder if this could really be caused by the Benadryl so, one night when I couldn't sleep, I tried 25 mg. It got me a bit of sleep  but, the next day I had severe tachychardia, which it never gave me before. Also, 3 days after taking it my symptoms went through the roof.

 

I'm wondering. Has anyone had  withdrawal from , or, experiences with this stuff. The actual chemical is diphenhydramine and it's in most OTC sleep aids and OTC cough preparations. I've been going through this now for 19 days and it only seems to be getting worse.

diphenhydramine and I don’t get along for some reason right now. Nothing too extreme though.

anti-histamines can mess with your nervous system.  I don't think your symptoms are gaba related (or benzo).  Being 2 years out, I am much more sensitive to *some* histamine blockers then others. for ex. doxepin+seroquel give me horrible muscle symptoms even at low doses (both drugs act as anti-histamines at low doses). similar is remeron. I can handle diphenhydramine and hydroxyzine but some mild muscle issues exist with those.

stop taking diphenhydramine, and some good CBD might help you till you back to normal which shouldn't be too long.

 

If you have "...taken it for years with no problem", your sxs probably have nothing to do with Benadryl.

 

But the fact that you are coming down with a cold (or some infectious disorder probably does.

 

Also, I wouldn't take Benadryl for a cold caused by a virus (most often) or bacterium.

Also, I wouldn't take Benadryl for a cold caused by a virus (most often) or bacterium.

 

diphenhydramine and I don’t get along for some reason right now. Nothing too extreme though.

 

You need to take that as a warning...The WD from this crap is horrible. I went online and found dozens of anecdotal cases, and hell, were those people suffering. Most symptoms are the same as benzos. Most of the people that I read just reinstated.

 

Found an article by a chemical dependency doctor and she warned of protracted withdrawal from diphenhydramine.

diphenhydramine and I don’t get along for some reason right now. Nothing too extreme though.

anti-histamines can mess with your nervous system.  I don't think your symptoms are gaba related (or benzo).  Being 2 years out, I am much more sensitive to *some* histamine blockers then others. for ex. doxepin+seroquel give me horrible muscle symptoms even at low doses (both drugs act as anti-histamines at low doses). similar is remeron. I can handle diphenhydramine and hydroxyzine but some mild muscle issues exist with those.

stop taking diphenhydramine, and some good CBD might help you till you back to normal which shouldn't be too long.

 

 

I stopped taking it 19 days ago and it's just getting worse. Feels like it could last for a long time. I get hypnic jerks every single night, all night. Sleep is nearly impossible. I'm booked for surgery in 6 days and I know that I'll be up all night the day before and the day that I'm in the hospital, OMG.

if you need to go the drug route with this, I would give a shot at gabapentin/lyrica first. they might stabilize you, and w/d is nothing like benzo + dependance takes a long time to set

I had hypnic jerks before, due to phenibut ingestion. hit me everytime I tried to sleep. awful. it took couple months to resolve - thats how I ended on clonazepam which fixed it.

good luck

 

diphenhydramine and I don’t get along for some reason right now. Nothing too extreme though.

anti-histamines can mess with your nervous system.  I don't think your symptoms are gaba related (or benzo).  Being 2 years out, I am much more sensitive to *some* histamine blockers then others. for ex. doxepin+seroquel give me horrible muscle symptoms even at low doses (both drugs act as anti-histamines at low doses). similar is remeron. I can handle diphenhydramine and hydroxyzine but some mild muscle issues exist with those.

stop taking diphenhydramine, and some good CBD might help you till you back to normal which shouldn't be too long.

 

 

I stopped taking it 19 days ago and it's just getting worse. Feels like it could last for a long time. I get hypnic jerks every single night, all night. Sleep is nearly impossible. I'm booked for surgery in 6 days and I know that I'll be up all night the day before and the day that I'm in the hospital, OMG.

if you need to go the drug route with this, I would give a shot at gabapentin/lyrica first. they might stabilize you, and w/d is nothing like benzo + dependance takes a long time to set

I had hypnic jerks before, due to phenibut ingestion. hit me everytime I tried to sleep. awful. it took couple months to resolve - thats how I ended on clonazepam which fixed it.

good luck

 

So it didn't resolve on its own, you needed to use clonazepam?

  I went online and found dozens of anecdotal cases,  ...

 

But zero documented research, right?

correct, but it messed my gaba system badly. and I didn't know better back then.

I honestly don't think that benadryl can cause any w/d. you prob had a bad reaction it.

 

if you need to go the drug route with this, I would give a shot at gabapentin/lyrica first. they might stabilize you, and w/d is nothing like benzo + dependance takes a long time to set

I had hypnic jerks before, due to phenibut ingestion. hit me everytime I tried to sleep. awful. it took couple months to resolve - thats how I ended on clonazepam which fixed it.

good luck

 

So it didn't resolve on its own, you needed to use clonazepam?