Benadryl

[shai76]

Every time I take it I end up with the most awful stomach cramps and diarrhea. The, of course, I feel so tired and sick. I get tunnel vision and feel like I'm going to pass out. Before I though the D and cramps were from the food allergy problems that I took the Benadryl for in the first place. But I'm not sure because even when I take it for slight environmental allergy problems I end up sitting on the toilet all night doubled over in pain. errrr

Anyone else have the same problem?

[Rusla]

Is it the generic or the real stuff?

[hez]

I use the children's liquid and do not have problems. I remember it being gluten-free but I could not find that information on their website. I will keep looking and post if I find something.

Hez

Found this on the Benadryl website.

Hez

Q. Do any of the Benadryl® products contain gluten?

A. We do not specifically test for the presence of gluten in our products. Therefore, we cannot certify them to be gluten free. While we can tell you that there are no gluten-containing grains in this product, we cannot guarantee that cross-contamination with gluten did not occur in the manufacturing process.

[tarnalberry]

They have the standard CYA statement for their items, which pretty much translates to gluten-free for their items. BUT you could be having a bad reaction to the drug itself. If that happens every time you take it, I highly recommend that you stop taking it, and look into other antihistamines. Some people do not respond well to some drugs. Have you had similar responses to any other antihistamines?

(The active ingredient in Benadryl, diphenhydramine, is a first-gen anti-histamine, which also has significant Open Original Shared Link. The side effects you mention are all listed in the Open Original Shared Link for the drug. So it may simply be that you are highly sensitive to drugs with these properties, or perhaps you're taking something else that has these properties that's causing a multiplicative effect? Either way, perhaps a second- or third-gen antihistimaine would work better for you?)

[Carriefaith]

Check out this link:

Open Original Shared Link

The ingredients are at the bottom of the link.

[Rusla]

I was sure the real stuff was gluten-free however, I do not know about generic brands.

[shai76]

Okay, it's actually the generic CVS brand benadryl. I've never had a problem until I started this specific brand. Regular Benadryl never caused me a problem, unless I developed an allergy to it...which happens to me sometimes. What other antihistamines are there that are as effective for people with severe allergies? I have to take it when I break out in hives, and start to have throat swelling. I also carry an epipen but I will only use that as a last resort.

[flagbabyds]

you can get prescription hydroxizyine,

i have always reacted to benadryl and i think that i am allergic to the med, it also has corn in it which i am really highly allergic to so that could be it also

i use hydroxizine in place of epi-pen cause i am also mildly allergic to epi as it makes my heart do funny funny things and makes me throw up.

[shai76]

you can get prescription hydroxizyine,

i have always reacted to benadryl and i think that i am allergic to the med, it also has corn in it which i am really highly allergic to so that could be it also

i use hydroxizine in place of epi-pen cause i am also mildly allergic to epi as it makes my heart do funny funny things and makes me throw up.

I'm also allergic to corn, but I've never had that bad of a reaction to it. Usually it just causes me some wheezing, and eczema...not this gastrointestinal distress. It's so extremely painful. It feels like someone is twisting my insides, ringing them out like a wet rag. It's just awful.

I see my allergist Monday to have my sublingual drops refilled. Maybe I will talk to her about getting a new kind of antihistamine.

[flagbabyds]

yeah, i'm anaphalyxis to corn and soy but also allergic to epi so it really really sucks!

[shai76]

yeah, i'm anaphalyxis to corn and soy but also allergic to epi so it really really sucks!

Wow, that would be scary! I'm anaphylectic to soy (and other beans and legumes) and milk. My other allergies are bad, but not as bad as my bean and milk allergy!

[flagbabyds]

yeah corn and soy and wheat are my worst allergies but epi also screws up my heart badly and makes it really hard to move or breathe

it really sucks so i carry hydroxizine around with me at all times and use that instead

[grantschoep]

As with lots of drugs, some people react very differently. I, for example am some one that took Ambian, and don't remeber about 3 weeks of my life. Ambian is a great sleep aid for people, for me, one rare side effect was complete amnesia, true I was very sick at the time.

Benadryl, I know the official brand name is gluten-free. I used to have to take it alot, unfortunatly(IMHO) I'm not a person that gets tired from benadryl.

[pixiegirl]

what is hydroxizine and is it as effective as an epi?

Susan

[tarnalberry]

Okay, it's actually the generic CVS brand benadryl. I've never had a problem until I started this specific brand. Regular Benadryl never caused me a problem, unless I developed an allergy to it...which happens to me sometimes. What other antihistamines are there that are as effective for people with severe allergies? I have to take it when I break out in hives, and start to have throat swelling. I also carry an epipen but I will only use that as a last resort.

You might want to go back to brand-name Benadryl, then, if it didn't cause a problem. But other antihistamines I've had are atarax (hydroxyzine) and zyrtec (the latter being a metabolite of the former). Both still have anticholinergic properties (antihistamines tend to, and the atarax more than the zyrtec), but I believe the generic (prescription) of atarax is gluten-free. it can make you sleepy (atarax more than zyrtec), but it is cheep 'cause it's been around for a while.

I'm not sure *anything* is going to be as effective as an epi-pen... it's a totally different route of delivery.

[Carriefaith]

what is hydroxizine and is it as effective as an epi?

I am also interested in this. I am highly allergic to something, I think wheat or milk. I have epipens.

[ylimaf]

Yes Benedryl is gluten free. The pediatrician double checked it for us. Yes our pediatrician understands celiac disease. He was the one who noticed it when I had no clue it even existed. The generic brand might well have gluten in it. Generic brands are made in such a way to make it cheaper to buy and wheat is cheaper to to work with. We use the name brand quite often with no side affects. Our 2 year old has celiac disease and is anaphalactic with milk. With 4 other children who have no issues with milk, our 2 year old finds occasion weekly to get it on him or in him. If I were you get the name brand and be comfortable.

[shai76]

Yes Benedryl is gluten free. The pediatrician double checked it for us. Yes our pediatrician understands celiac disease. He was the one who noticed it when I had no clue it even existed. The generic brand might well have gluten in it. Generic brands are made in such a way to make it cheaper to buy and wheat is cheaper to to work with. We use the name brand quite often with no side affects. Our 2 year old has celiac disease and is anaphalactic with milk. With 4 other children who have no issues with milk, our 2 year old finds occasion weekly to get it on him or in him. If I were you get the name brand and be comfortable.

Thanks! I bought some today. I bought the Benadryl name brand gel caps that are dye free. I'm still afraid of trying it. Those tummy aches were terrible!