{"id":69813,"date":"2025-08-15T08:49:06","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T08:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/69813\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T08:49:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T08:49:06","slug":"is-benadryl-safe-why-experts-are-concerned-about-this-allergy-med","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/69813\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Benadryl Safe? Why Experts Are Concerned About This Allergy Med"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may want to reconsider reaching for the antihistamine Benadryl at the first sign of sneezing, itching, or hives<\/a>. Although this familiar pink pill has been a medicine-cabinet staple for decades, some experts now say it\u2019s time to let go of Benadryl for good.<\/p>\n

With the advent of newer antihistamines over the past two decades, Benadryl is no longer an over-the-counter go-to for regular allergy treatment<\/a>, says\u00a0Sarah Taylor-Black, MD<\/a>, an allergist and a clinical immunologist at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. \u201cWe definitely don\u2019t recommend Benadryl for chronic daily use,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A recent medical review of the risks and benefits of Benadryl and its active ingredient, diphenhydramine, concluded that the drug should lose its over-the-counter status, and potentially be removed from the market altogether. \u201cIt\u2019s time to say a final goodbye to diphenhydramine, a public health hazard,\u201d the review authors wrote.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/p>\n

Breaking up with diphenhydramine would have effects beyond Benadryl \u2014 the antihistamine is found in more than 300 drug formulations, including sleep aids and cold and flu treatments.<\/p>\n

But other physicians and public health experts think that\u2019s an overreaction, and that Benadryl is still a useful and affordable medication \u2014 when used appropriately.<\/p>\n

How Benadryl Works<\/p>\n

Benadryl was the first prescription antihistamine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in 1946, and is considered a \u201cfirst-generation\u201d antihistamine. It works by blocking histamine, a chemical the immune system releases during allergic reactions, to help ease symptoms like sneezing, watery eyes, or itchy skin.<\/p>\n

But unlike newer allergy medications, Benadryl also crosses the blood-brain barrier and enters the central nervous system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat causes some side effects that don\u2019t happen as much with the newer, \u2018second generation\u2019 medications,\u201d says\u00a0Michael Steiner, MD, MPH<\/a>, the pediatrician-in-chief at UNC Children\u2019s Hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who wasn\u2019t involved in the recent review.<\/p>\n

Newer antihistamines like cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin), and fexofenadine (Allegra) are just as effective as diphenhydramine but have fewer side effects, are less sedating, and last up to 24 hours, says Dr. Taylor-Black. \u201cBenadryl is only effective for 4 to 6 hours,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Is It Time to Retire Benadryl?<\/p>\n

Some experts argue that Benadryl has outlived its usefulness \u2014 and may now be doing more harm than good.<\/p>\n

Their reasons include:<\/p>\n

Significant side effects:\u00a0Benadryl causes drowsiness, delayed reaction time, and confusion. One small study even found that diphenhydramine impaired driving more than alcohol.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s particularly dangerous in people over 65,\u201d because of the risk that these side effects may lead to accidental falls, says\u00a0Stefanie Ferreri, PharmD<\/a>, a professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, also in Chapel Hill, who also wasn\u2019t involved in the review.Cognitive risks:\u00a0Benadryl blocks acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in movement, memory, and digestion, among other functions. Studies have linked anticholinergic drugs like benadryl to cognitive decline and an increased risk of dementia<\/a> with long-term use.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/p>\n

Linked to poor quality sleep:\u00a0While diphenhydramine does make it easier to fall asleep, it has downsides. There\u2019s evidence it may decrease the quality of a person\u2019s sleep, and that the more you take it, the less effective it becomes. It may also make you feel groggy the next day.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cChronic use of diphenhydramine for sleep is not a good idea and has side effects,\u201d says Dr. Steiner. That\u2019s the case with any sleep medication; long term use comes with side effects, he says.Was approved using outdated standards:\u00a0Diphenhydramine was approved nearly 80 years ago, before the FDA required rigorous safety trials. Some countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, now require a prescription for higher-dose forms of diphenhydramine.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/p>\n

When Is It Okay to Use Benadryl?<\/p>\n

While some experts are calling for an end to its routine use, others say Benadryl still has a place in the right situations.<\/p>\n

Benadryl may still be useful for:<\/p>\n

Emergency allergic reactions:\u00a0It\u2019s important to note that it is safe to give one dose of Benadryl immediately after an allergic reaction to an insect sting or food, says Taylor-Black. \u201cIts fast-acting, sedating properties can be helpful in those acute situations, though epinephrine is still the first treatment for anaphylaxis<\/a>,\u201d a serious allergic reaction that may include throat swelling, she says.Occasional use in children:\u00a0For children with allergic disorders who need medications daily, Benadryl isn\u2019t the best choice because of the side effects, says Steiner. \u201cBut when used appropriately, it\u2019s safe and effective for short-term use in children and is typically very well tolerated,\u201d he says.Short-term nighttime itch relief:\u00a0The drug can be useful for children with eczema<\/a> (a chronic condition linked to allergies) who are struggling to sleep. \u201cIf a child can\u2019t sleep and is scratching themselves all night, Benadryl for a couple of weeks is a situation where the pros probably outweigh the cons \u2014 but you don\u2019t want somebody taking it daily for their entire life,\u201d Taylor-Black says.Low-cost symptom relief:\u00a0\u201cOne nice thing about diphenhydramine is that compared with some of the newer medications, it\u2019s very inexpensive, so that should be taken into consideration,\u201d says Steiner. While Benadryl has side effects, and should be used carefully, it does have 80-plus years of data to support its use, he adds.Over-the-Counter Drugs Can Carry Risks<\/p>\n

Steiner says that people should keep in mind that \u201cover-the-counter\u201d does not mean that a medication is without risk. \u201cTo become over-the-counter, medicines have to be within a certain safety and risk profile, but it doesn\u2019t mean that all over-the-counter medications are safe for use in any condition and under any circumstance,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When emailed for comment, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the trade association for over-the-counter medications, shared a statement in favor of keeping medications with diphenhydramine available to consumers.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why it\u2019s been used as a trusted ingredient in a wide-range of OTC medicines for decades: When used as directed, these medicines provide well-established therapeutic benefits for common health ailments like allergies, the common cold, motion sickness, minor skin irritations, and occasional sleeplessness,\u201d read the statement.<\/p>\n

CHPA points out that Bendryl\u2019s common side effects, such as drowsiness or dry mouth, are also well-established, clearly disclosed on the Drug Facts label, and widely recognized by healthcare professionals and consumers alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to underscore that these products are not intended for long-term use. Like all medicines, responsible use is essential, and consumers should always follow directions and warnings on the Drug Facts labels and consult healthcare providers if they have questions,\u201d the statement says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You may want to reconsider reaching for the antihistamine Benadryl at the first sign of sneezing, itching, or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[64,63,137,490],"class_list":{"0":"post-69813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}