I'm Just Plain Ol' Weird
Over the last several months, I have occasionally taken OTC sleep aids. Sometimes I just needed help getting to sleep. Sometimes I had a bad headache and took a "PM" version of a pain killer. And then sometimes, like this week, I took an antihistamine to help me sleep despite being congested with the flu. This week, I learned that the active ingredient in all those OTC medications is the same - diphenhydramine, also known as Benedryl. Yes, when you take Tylenol PM or Percogesic as a pain killer, you are also taking a healthy dose of antihistamine.
Anyway, I have wondered why I've woken up several times over the last few months in a night sweat. I'm not quite old enough to be having those yet. But they didn't happen often enough to really worry me. Until Wednesday night. The only thing I took before going to bed Wednesday night was Wal-dryl, the exact same thing as Benedryl without the fancy price tag. I woke up every hour, on the hour, disgustingly hot. I was sweating and could not really get any sleep until I lowered the air conditioner to 67 degrees. That was the first time I recall ever taking Benedryl. I called The Doctor to see if she'd ever reacted that way to Benedryl - nope. I called a sister in my congregation who is a retired nurse to see if she'd ever heard of that reaction - nope. I searched the internet looking for info that anyone on the planet had ever had that reaction - not a single instance recorded.
I figured I was just some freak and determined to never take Benedryl again. That left me with Claritin D. But I still wanted something to help me sleep the next night. Not bothering to read the label, cause why would a pain killer also be an antihistamine, right?, I took a dose of Percogesic. I did this two nights in a row. Thursday night, I remember being a little warm, but not as bad as the previous night. But I also had not reset my air conditioner to be warmer. Friday night, I actually had a fever and woke up in the middle of the night so drenched in sweat that I had to change clothes. First, I knew that my fever had broken. But that's also when it occurred to me to check the contents of the Percogesic. For two nights in a row, I'd taken a double dosage of decongestant, though not exactly the same one.
I just can't believe that I'm the only one this happens to. I have not seen any evidence on the internet that this happens to other people. Although, there is one man at work who claims that antihistamines do the same thing to him. He claims they also make his heart race and give him weird dreams.
What about you? Have any of you ever had a strange reaction to Benedryl?
[and now a word from our sponsors...hopefully, not Benedryl]
Anyway, I have wondered why I've woken up several times over the last few months in a night sweat. I'm not quite old enough to be having those yet. But they didn't happen often enough to really worry me. Until Wednesday night. The only thing I took before going to bed Wednesday night was Wal-dryl, the exact same thing as Benedryl without the fancy price tag. I woke up every hour, on the hour, disgustingly hot. I was sweating and could not really get any sleep until I lowered the air conditioner to 67 degrees. That was the first time I recall ever taking Benedryl. I called The Doctor to see if she'd ever reacted that way to Benedryl - nope. I called a sister in my congregation who is a retired nurse to see if she'd ever heard of that reaction - nope. I searched the internet looking for info that anyone on the planet had ever had that reaction - not a single instance recorded.
I figured I was just some freak and determined to never take Benedryl again. That left me with Claritin D. But I still wanted something to help me sleep the next night. Not bothering to read the label, cause why would a pain killer also be an antihistamine, right?, I took a dose of Percogesic. I did this two nights in a row. Thursday night, I remember being a little warm, but not as bad as the previous night. But I also had not reset my air conditioner to be warmer. Friday night, I actually had a fever and woke up in the middle of the night so drenched in sweat that I had to change clothes. First, I knew that my fever had broken. But that's also when it occurred to me to check the contents of the Percogesic. For two nights in a row, I'd taken a double dosage of decongestant, though not exactly the same one.
I just can't believe that I'm the only one this happens to. I have not seen any evidence on the internet that this happens to other people. Although, there is one man at work who claims that antihistamines do the same thing to him. He claims they also make his heart race and give him weird dreams.
What about you? Have any of you ever had a strange reaction to Benedryl?
[and now a word from our sponsors...hopefully, not Benedryl]
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