What is benadryl?

tesskerr

I see a lot of you take benadryl for all sorts of things, help you sleep, when you are sick, allergies?

What is it exactly? We have a "benadryl" product here, but it is cough mixture. Same thing?

ashleywiz

It's generally an allergy medicine- but since it's got whatever makes you drowsy, in it-- people will take it for sleep, especially if runny/stuffy noses are a problem.  

that's what it looks like here.

gina0485

It is called diphenhydramine chemically. Not sure which country you are in, tesskerr so I can't speak to the international brand equivalent. Really what it is is an anti-histamine that helps prevent or treat allergic reactions, helps fight nasal and sinus congestion and can also help to make someone sleepy if they don't sleep well. 

ac1259

Diphenhydramine is also typically the main ingredient in sleep medications like Tylenol PM and Unisom...it's cheaper as diphenhydramine typically just so people know. But yeah it's an antihistamine used for allergies and allergic reactions as well...but it's the one thing that always works to knock me out!

ashleywiz

thanks @ac1259 --- you'd think working around the people I do, I'd know these things just by association...but some things haven't stuck. haha

sleepymonkey

It's also the same ingredient that's in Dramamine so it's good for motion sickness/nausea as well.

gina0485

Dramamine is actually dimenhydrinate which sounds very similar. They do work similarly to one another with some technical differences

Jen4033

My allergies often cause bad post nasal drip for me.... giving me a sore throat in the mornings. benedryl helps this for me. I took one almost every night when PG with DS.  This time, I've taken it here & there. I've been afraid to since Ds hasn't been sleeping well & I didn't want to get all groggy when i had to get up to comfort him back to sleep.