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Benadryl on the shelves of a Montreal pharmacy on July 7, 2026. (Lola Kalder, CityNews)<\/p>\nQuebec is considering tighter controls on Benadryl and other medications containing diphenhydramine after the overdose death of an 18-year-old in 2023.<\/p>\n
Under a proposed regulation, the medications would be moved behind the pharmacy counter, with pharmacists required to document each sale as the province looks to reduce the risk of misuse and overdose.<\/p>\n
Dr. Michael Kalin, a Montreal family doctor in the C\u00f4te Saint-Luc, joined CityNews to discuss the proposal.<\/p>\n
Does Quebec\u2019s proposal to tighten access to Benadryl make sense and why?<\/p>\n
So first of all, it doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re pulling Benadryl from the market. It just means that the medicine won\u2019t be available on the shelf. Instead, you\u2019ll have to go to a pharmacist and the pharmacist can give it to you without a prescription from behind the counter. This allows for extra control and also allows the pharmacist to discuss the possible side effects.<\/p>\n
Many people use Benadryl for allergies or to help them sleep. Is it still a medication you recommend, and if so, in what situations?<\/p>\n
So Benadryl is widely used. It\u2019s a first-generation antihistamine. So I think we\u2019ve all used it when we got a bug bite, perhaps some poison ivy. And it\u2019s very effective. But the main side effect is sedation. It can make people very drowsy. So while it\u2019s very effective, it\u2019s short-acting, and there are newer medicines that have come out that are equally effective. And I think we know the names Reactine, Claritin, Allegra, and they\u2019re very effective. They last a full day and they don\u2019t have the same side effects as for sedation.<\/p>\n
So the proposal is to maintain the second-generation antihistamines over the counter. But the first generation will be behind the counter where a pharmacist would have to discuss the added side effects. And it\u2019s not that we need a prescription for it, but they\u2019re just an extra control, a safety control.<\/p>\n
Benadryl on the shelves of a Montreal pharmacy on July 7, 2026. (Lola Kalder, CityNews)<\/p>\n
What are the risks of taking too much diphenhydramine, particularly for teens and young adults?<\/p>\n
Well, and unfortunately, it was a tragic death of an 18-year-old and that precipitated this. And this is the result of the coroner report and recommendation. It\u2019s not (behind) the counter in any other jurisdiction in Canada; all of the other provinces still have it over the counter. But the allergy association has recommended it move behind the counter because there\u2019s a real risk. And it\u2019s not the only medicine that\u2019s behind the counter. We can think of certain pain medicines, cough, syrups, morning-after pill, and these also are behind the counter. So I think it makes sense as far as a safeguard. The risk is low, but it can happen. And if we can save one life, then it\u2019s worth doing.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBenadryl on the shelves of a Montreal pharmacy on July 7, 2026. (Lola Kalder, CityNews) <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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