Paging Polly, Tex, Gabes, Kari, Joe, and all re:Benadryl
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Paging Polly, Tex, Gabes, Kari, Joe, and all re:Benadryl
Recommended dosage and frequency?
"It's not what I believe. It's what I can prove." - A Few Good Men
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Joefnh
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- Location: Southern New Hampshire
Hi there Rich, I guess the first question is what are you taking it for?
I take it occasionally for sleep and find that 50 - 100 mg an hour before bed helps. For seasonal allergies I usually take Claritin. For me Benadryl has an occasional nasty habit of making my hyper about 25% of the time I take it
To help with D in relation to lets say a dental procedure, Benadryl is a H1 agonist and I would think that a dose of 50 - 100mg would be beneficial, I believe you can take that every 4 hours. Because of the sedating effects, unless they are desired, Claritin might be a better choice of a H1 agonist.
I know Gabes has had good results with I believe it was Claritin before dental procedures.
I take it occasionally for sleep and find that 50 - 100 mg an hour before bed helps. For seasonal allergies I usually take Claritin. For me Benadryl has an occasional nasty habit of making my hyper about 25% of the time I take it
To help with D in relation to lets say a dental procedure, Benadryl is a H1 agonist and I would think that a dose of 50 - 100mg would be beneficial, I believe you can take that every 4 hours. Because of the sedating effects, unless they are desired, Claritin might be a better choice of a H1 agonist.
I know Gabes has had good results with I believe it was Claritin before dental procedures.
Joe
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Joefnh
- Rockhopper Penguin
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Rich I believe Claritin would work as well and compared to benedryl it lasts 24 hours. Benedryl lasts 4 to 6 hours. The 'hyper' reaction to benedryl is random for me, I dont take it often, but I have had times when I take it to aid with sleep and it has ocassionaly made me feel hyper.
This past week I was in the hospital for IVIG infusions each day and as a standard pre-medication, they give you IV prednisone and IV Benedryl. I get 25mg IV Benedryl and that knocks me out for most of the infusion session which lasts about 5 hours
This past week I was in the hospital for IVIG infusions each day and as a standard pre-medication, they give you IV prednisone and IV Benedryl. I get 25mg IV Benedryl and that knocks me out for most of the infusion session which lasts about 5 hours
Joe
Rich,
For some of us, certain antihistamines seem to work better than others. I haven't used Benedryl in many years, so I can't offer any advice based on personal experience with it. I take an Allegra (24-hour rating) most mornings. I tried Claritin for seasonal allergies, a year or so ago, and it didn't seem to do much for me, so that's when I tried Allegra, and settled on it. One of these days I may get around to trying Zyrtec, but so far I haven't tried it.
Many members here have much more experience with using antihistamines for MC symptoms than I. Until very recently, I mostly used antihistamines for relief of allergy symptoms. Interestingly, after being able to eat chicken without any problem for all of my life up to this point (I practically lived on chicken soup back when I was recovering), I have found that if I keep chicken soup (for example) in the fridge for much more than one day after it is thawed, I run the risk of GI histamine problems (IOW, gas, bloating, and D).
IOW, at 24 hours it is fine, but if I eat it after 48 hours at fridge temps (I'm talking 34–38 degrees F here), I will develop minor symptoms. If I eat any of it the next day (after roughly 72 hours at fridge temps), the symptoms well be relatively severe, suggesting a major histamine problem.
I have not tried taking additional antihistamines to counteract the chicken soup histamine buildup problem (other than the single Allegra tablet each morning). I'm pretty sure that the symptoms would be much worse if I didn't take that morning Allegra. Instead, I just don't eat chicken soup that's been thawed for more than about a day. YMMV, of course.
Note that immunologists/allergists prescribe up to 4x the labeled dosage rates for OTC antihistamines when treating chronic urticaria issues, suggesting that up to 4x dosages are generally safe for most people. Of course, it's always best to not take more medications than needed in any situation. Research shows that dosages of OTC antihistamines in the 10x and above range (for example) tend to be toxic.
Tex
For some of us, certain antihistamines seem to work better than others. I haven't used Benedryl in many years, so I can't offer any advice based on personal experience with it. I take an Allegra (24-hour rating) most mornings. I tried Claritin for seasonal allergies, a year or so ago, and it didn't seem to do much for me, so that's when I tried Allegra, and settled on it. One of these days I may get around to trying Zyrtec, but so far I haven't tried it.
Many members here have much more experience with using antihistamines for MC symptoms than I. Until very recently, I mostly used antihistamines for relief of allergy symptoms. Interestingly, after being able to eat chicken without any problem for all of my life up to this point (I practically lived on chicken soup back when I was recovering), I have found that if I keep chicken soup (for example) in the fridge for much more than one day after it is thawed, I run the risk of GI histamine problems (IOW, gas, bloating, and D).
IOW, at 24 hours it is fine, but if I eat it after 48 hours at fridge temps (I'm talking 34–38 degrees F here), I will develop minor symptoms. If I eat any of it the next day (after roughly 72 hours at fridge temps), the symptoms well be relatively severe, suggesting a major histamine problem.
I have not tried taking additional antihistamines to counteract the chicken soup histamine buildup problem (other than the single Allegra tablet each morning). I'm pretty sure that the symptoms would be much worse if I didn't take that morning Allegra. Instead, I just don't eat chicken soup that's been thawed for more than about a day. YMMV, of course.
Note that immunologists/allergists prescribe up to 4x the labeled dosage rates for OTC antihistamines when treating chronic urticaria issues, suggesting that up to 4x dosages are generally safe for most people. Of course, it's always best to not take more medications than needed in any situation. Research shows that dosages of OTC antihistamines in the 10x and above range (for example) tend to be toxic.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
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Rich
Benedryl is not avail in aus.
I have used claritine for h1 symptoms and rantadine for h2 symptoms.
How is your Vit d3 level ????
I am about to start using Vit C and zinc as antihistamine, and increase magnesium intake.
Benedryl is not avail in aus.
I have used claritine for h1 symptoms and rantadine for h2 symptoms.
How is your Vit d3 level ????
I am about to start using Vit C and zinc as antihistamine, and increase magnesium intake.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I am one of us who uses antihistamines for my MC symptoms. I take one Allegra in the morning and one Benadryl an hour before bed. If I know I will be eating something high in histamine,or going out to eat or wine tasting….. I will either take a DAO supplement or an H-2 antihistamine that day ( like Zantac or Pepcid) to counteract any reaction I might have. I try to eat low histamine, but it doesn't always work out that way :)
Leah
PS. One Benadryl tends to help me sleep, two can hype me up. Weird.
Leah
PS. One Benadryl tends to help me sleep, two can hype me up. Weird.
A word of caution about Zyrtec..it's so effective it can become addictive. Many people, my daughter included, experience severe itching when they try to strop taking it. My daughter took it daily for a month, and itched like crazy for almost a week when I took her off. Never again. Now she takes Allegra during the day and Benadryl at bedtime. We recently discovered Claritin does nothing for her.
1987 Mononucleosis (EBV)
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
2004 Hypomyopathic Dermatomyositis
2009 Lymphocytic Colitis
2010 GF/DF/SF Diet
2014 Low Dose Naltrexone
Zizzle wrote:My daughter took it daily for a month, and itched like crazy for almost a week when I took her off. Never again.
Whoa! Thanks for the warning. I'm thinking that I may not get around to trying it after all. 
Hmmmmmm. That's interesting that similar to my experience, Claritin didn't seem to help her, either.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.