Health - 75mg of Diphenhydramine every night. Health concerns.

[PsychoActivist]

Hi guys, SWIPA is dependent on Diphenhydramine.
He wants to keep this story short but he wants everyone to understand his situation.
You see, he used to be a VERY heavy drinker. He went through detox and after the physical withdrawals were over he hardly ever slept. He had developed extreme chronic insomnia along with social anxiety disorder. He started seeing a shrink who was giving him benzo prescriptions. Before long he was prescribed 2mg's Alprazolam 3 times a day and 60mg's of Temazepam before bedtime. He would get his monthly scripts and they would be gone in less than 2 weeks. He was abusing the hell out of them. After almost a year of this he kicked the Benzo habit and went through terribble withdrawals from that as well.

Still needing something to help him sleep he began taking anywhere from 25-75 mg's of Diphenhydramine every night in combination with 3mg's of Melatonin and sometimes a few others such as Valerian, Passion Flower, Kava, 5-HTP... the list goes on. He has tried everything and the only thing that is guranteed to work is the Diphenhydramine, which he now takes 75 mg's every night. This has been going on for about a year. I have tried to read around but there is not much info available on the effects of long term use. I was curious if anyone else uses it this way or had any similar experience or even have read anything about any long term effects.
SWIPA has tried using just the Melatonin or other herbal supplements without the DPH and it just doesn't work.

If anyone has any experience or advice it would be greatly appreciated.

[Jasim]

I have had insomnia problems myself and have tried a variety things, many which you have mentioned. I know this doesn't answer your question, but consider this... How would you rate the Quality of your sleep after using diphenhydramine? Personally I have noticed a negative aspect of using diphenhydramine to help me fall asleep. Many times its the quality of sleep that matters most.

The best thing I can recommend to you is to stop using any substances. Try weaning yourself down using melatonin. You can cut melatonin pills easily or obtain dosages as small as 300 micrograms (0.3 mg) per pill. I recommend melatonin because it is the natural sleep-inducing chemical and I have noticed a much better, restful sleep associated with it.

The most important thing to deal with insomnia is to get your body adjusted to getting ready to sleep in a very specific way.
Go to bed at the same time every night.
Avoid activities other than sleeping in your bedroom, especially using the computer or watching TV!

When weaning yourself off of any medication Do Not try to rush it. Take it slow. Try 1 week at a dose that works for you, then slowly lower it each consecutive week.

Also, be aware that diphenhydramine is a psychoactive chemical. As with all psychoactive chemicals you may have emotional ups and downs and changes in mood while attempting to stop use.

Jasim added 4 Minutes and 16 Seconds later...

To clarify, melatonin is relatively safe. SWIM has taken over 6mg, and I would expect 9mg to be very safe. If 1 week on a particular dose of Melatonin isn't enough then take longer. Do Not rush it. Again, melatonin is psychoactive in that it affects serotonin levels. Be aware that mood and emotional changes may result. Experiment and use personal judgment.

[PsychoActivist]

Yeh swim still takes the Melatonin in combination with the DPH. He cannot take above 3mg's of it at a time though or else it gives him headaches. The quality of sleep he gets from the DPH is pretty good though. The only problem with it is that he wakes up once about an hour after he falls asleep (about 2-3 hours after initial dose) for a few minutes goes downstairs and gets a drink or maybe some junk food and then falls right back to sleep. Since DPH is fairly short acting he has no problems getting up in the morning and does not really wake up with a "drugged" feeling. This is also a 1 up it has on Doxylamine (another sleep aid I forgot to mention) which on the contrary DOES make him not want to get up. He really does not want to stop using the DPH. It is not effecting him in a negative way at all right now. He is just concerned with the possibility of any negative long term effects.

[Jasim]

My apologies, I misunderstood. Let me address your question.

At a dose of 75 mg per 24hrs, swiy should suffer no major health problems.

A couple of things to keep in mind. Diphenhydramine for use as a sleep aid typically reduces REM sleep cycles (dreaming), which has a negative effect on quality of sleep. But swiy doesn't seem to have this problem.

All antihistamines lower the amount of stomach acid produced. This could cause digestive problems. If swiy stomach acid is routinely low, it could potentiate the development of digestive tract infections, including ulcers. Consuming raw or undercooked foods may also pose a hazard. It is possible that swiy body has already adapted to the antihistamines and increased stomach acid production to compensate. This scenario could lead to too much acid in the stomach upon a cessation of diphenhydramine use.

[Paroxysm]

Considering a therapeutic dosage could and would be up to 50mg for ceasing runny noses, itchy skin/eyes, sneezing, etc. - I would hardly consider 75mgs a risk. Someone with allergies would probably take up to 100 mgs daily easy. I am no doctor but that is just my intelligent input.