Diphenhydramine is perfectly safe (it isn't actually a CNS depressant so it+alcohol won't put you into respiratory depression) and as a low power sleeping aid is often stronger than benzos (it will make you feel really sleepy normally).
However, be warned it just doesn't have the stopping power of benzos or barbs. If you are still coked up or methed out benadryl will just make you feel sleepy and unable to go to sleep while enough benzos will knock you out on pretty much anything..
Melatonin will do jack. Supposedly it can help reset your sleep cycle with air travel. It is not however a sleep aid in any traditional sense. I have taken over half a bottle perfectly sober and not even felt the remotest urge to lie down.
Ohh and all the OTC sleep aids (as far as I have come across, benadryl, tylenol pm etc..) are all simply histamine_1 antagonists so it really doesn't matter which one you take. Just don't eat half the bottle. High doses of diphenhydramine can get you very agitated and having bizarre hallucinations.
Ohh kava kava is a little differnt (as is valerian root I think but I am not familiar). It actually works for me as a sleep aid but here I find I do have to take like half the bottle (like 900mg kavaketones or whatever).
[ 11 August 2002: Message edited by: quale ]
[ 11 August 2002: Message edited by: quale ]