Mixing Benadryl with Alcohol: Is It Safe? Indiana Center for Recovery

Joseph Gilmore has been in the addiction industry for three years with experience working for facilities all across the country. Benadryl and alcohol both act on your central nervous system. The appropriate functioning of acetylcholine is essential for memory and learning. So, inhibiting its action can temporarily compromise these functions.

• It is important to remember that mixing drugs can bring about unpredictable results.
• There are also Benadryl withdrawal symptoms, which seem to affect other organs in the body and damage them.
• The state they end up in puts them at great risk of hurting themselves.
• You should consult your doctor for professional medical advice before taking Benadryl after drinking.
• So, inhibiting its action can temporarily compromise these functions.

Diphenhydramine also causes serious side effects, including painful urination and vision problems. Though diphenhydramine is most readily available in OTC medicines, it is still capable of producing effects. Users take it recreationally because it reportedly induces calm, mild euphoria, and hallucinations. Diphenhydramine is available as a capsule, liquid-filled capsule, tablet, dissolving tablet, powder, oral liquid, and dissolving strip. The substance can come alone or in combination with other fever reducers, decongestants, or pain relievers.

Medication Interactions

Too much Benadryl can cause a wide variety of side effects, ranging from sleepiness and dry mouth to coma and possibly death. Combining them can cause your CNS to slow down, which is harmful. This might result from drowsiness, sleepiness, and difficulty performing mentally and physically demanding tasks. Alcohol is also known to inhibit memory and learning temporarily. So, mixing Benadryl and alcohol may again have a more noticeable effect on learning and memory. Benadryl and alcohol are both known to dehydrate the body.

Usually, this ‘slow down’ effect is not dangerous, but it can become threatening if another depressant is taken at the same time. An individual may have forgotten they took benadryl, or just did not know about the potential dangers. Either way, the two combined in the body can take a serious toll. It’s best to refrain from drinking alcohol while taking Benadryl. Since you can get Benadryl without a prescription at pharmacies and grocery stores, you may assume it’s safe to use. However, Benadryl is a powerful medication with dangers.

Risks and Side Effects of Mixing Benadryl and Alcohol

As such, operating machinery or vehicles while taking Benadryl and another drug or alcohol can be very dangerous, and lead to serious injury or even death. During the first few days of taking Keppra, it’s best to stop drinking alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you. Continue to read more about the possible risks of mixing Keppra and alcohol. It is important to remember that mixing drugs can bring about unpredictable results.

The depression of your CNS can cause decreased heart rate, slow your rate of breathing, loss of consciousness and can lead to a coma in rare cases. One study found that people who take one anticholinergic drug per day for at least 3 years have a raised risk of dementia. It should be noted that this study included all anticholinergic drugs, not just Benadryl. Benadryl is a widely used medication for treating allergy symptoms, but it can cause problems when mixed with alcohol. If you take Zoloft, you may wonder if you can drink alcohol.

Other Behaviors and Effects of Alcohol Addiction Exhibit Themselves in the Following Ways:

Benadryl can cause side effects, including drowsiness and sedation, which impair reaction speed and coordination. Combining Benadryl with alcohol can intensify these side effects and will impair an individual’s daily functioning. This can be fatal if it involves certain activities, such as driving or operating heavy machinery.

Since you can get Benadryl over the counter, it doesn’t cross your mind that it might be dangerous to mix it with alcohol. However, longitudinal research would be required in people who consume high levels of Benadryl and alcohol to know whether this has any effect on the risk of dementia. Some types of medication, including cough syrup and laxatives, also contain alcohol. Some people are more prone than others to losing consciousness when sedated. In these people, combining Benadryl and alcohol is more likely to cause a loss of consciousness.

Drowsiness

But both drugs work on your central nervous system , which is made up of your brain and spinal cord. Tell your doctor if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding while taking an antihistamine. Don’t drive or perform any activities that require focus until you know how the antihistamine medication affects you. Cardiac arrest can occur due to the effects of Benadryl on the central nervous system.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American, allergic rhinitis affects 20 million adults in the United States each year. And millions more experience various other types of allergies—everything from insect bites and pet dander to shellfish, peanuts, and mold spores how to hold an alcohol intervention for a loved one . If your allergy is severe enough, you might carry an EpiPen or receive allergy shots from your doctor. For most people, however, over-the-counter allergy medicine is the first line of defense. Alcohol and Benadryl side effects and dangers are not to be taken lightly.

The drug helps to reduce allergy symptoms, including rashes and coughs and irritated eyes, throat, and nose. If your allergy med of choice is diphenhydramine, also known as Benadryl, the answer is an emphatic NO. The same rule goes for other first-generation allergy medications such as chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), clemastine and hydroxyzine . Consuming alcohol can create a high amount of risk for individuals who take Benadryl. Some medications, like cough syrups or laxatives, contain alcohol themselves and should not be taken simultaneously with Benadryl. This specific combination is unlikely to cause an overdose, but the combination can still be tremendously unpleasant, and can feel like intoxication.

Since Benadryl is used to treat various medical conditions, developing Benadryl addiction might not be intentional. Those who use the medicine to treat their insomnia risk developing Benadryl addiction. Patients with Parkinson’s disease who receive a prescription for Benadryl to treat their tremors and muscle spasms also risk becoming addicted to the medication. Patients with schizophrenia are more likely to get addicted because Benadryl helps them cope with the negative effects of antipsychotic medication use. In all people, mixing Benadryl and alcohol can make it much harder to control their bodies. This reduction in muscular coordination can be dangerous for people of all ages, especially the aging population.

The most common side effects include drying of the mouth, throat, and nose, headaches, and drowsiness. In addition to regular outpatient programs offering weekly therapy, we also provide more does beer really make you fat intensive forms of treatment. Our IOP is a part-time outpatient program with up to 15 hours of weekly treatment, while our full-time PHP is the most intensive form of outpatient treatment.

If you or a loved one unintentionally mixes diphenhydramine and alcohol, rest in a safe environment should restore balance. You may sleep too much or feel lazy in the process—the drugs can aid other side effects to disrupt your sleeping, such as nausea and dizziness. Benadryl is one of the most used over-the-counter medications. Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine, and Benadryl is the brand-name version of it. Antihistamines are medications that affect the actions of the compound histamine in your body.

The risk of falling unconscious is one of the main reasons why mixing Benadryl and alcohol often leads to personal injury. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only health risk that someone can experience. Benadryl is a potent drug, despite the ease of accessing it for allergy relief. Alcohol is a legal, sedative drug that can change how a person acts. A person who becomes addicted to this drug cocktail will need drug and alcohol rehab. Both drugs cause intense drowsiness when consumed separately.

All told, Benadryl sales rose to $6 million a year, and the Ohio-born chemist benefited handsomely. His daycare provider fed him Benadryl so that he could fall asleep, but the child never woke up. The provider was later charged with criminally negligent homicide. A wide range of factors determines how the body responds to chronic heavy drinking, but this activity can result in significant harm. Under no circumstances should Benadryl and alcohol be mixed before engaging in any activity that required mental alertness, such as driving. Benadryl may interact with other types of medication, which can heighten the side effects.

The symptoms that most of us occasionally feel, like runny nose, itchy eyes that constantly water, and constant sneezing, often indicate an allergic reaction to something. When they hit, the person suffering from them is often desperate for some relief. Luckily, an entire class of medicines can help treat allergies https://en.forexpulse.info/ by blocking the histamines that cause them. Taking Benadryl and drinking alcohol makes it difficult to control body movements in people of any age. This lack of motor control is one of the bigger risks people mixing these substances will face. The state they end up in puts them at great risk of hurting themselves.

A Connecticut mother was accused of killing her two children by administering diphenhydramine in one and diphenhydramine and alcohol in the other. Our expert team is dedicated to helping you overcome the hold that alcohol has over you. No matter where your alcohol abuse has taken you, there’s hope for recovery. Contact us today to speak with a professional caregiver ready to hear your story. The risk of falling unconscious is one of the main reasons why combining alcohol and Benadryl often leads to personal injury. Unfortunately, that isn’t the only health risk that you can experience.