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Misc Is benadryl (diphenhydramine) physically addictive?

Mycophile

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 3, 2014
Messages
4,285
So I always take Melatonin to sleep at night but for whatever reason about 7 months ago around January I started also taking 2 pills of benadryl at night which is 50mgs because each pill is 25mgs and 2 of them is the normal dose.

Now, over time I increased it to 2 1/2 which I guess is probably like 63mgs or whatever and noticed it became harder to sleep on just 2 if I ever didn't take that extra half.

Then over time I progressed to 3 pills (75mgs) and had a lot of trouble sleeping on less.

Finally now I take 3 1/2 pills at night (I guess about 88mgs or so) and if I don't take that extra half it's hard to sleep even on my melatonin and one night I even went up to 4 pills (100mgs).

Now...i drink a SHIT LOAD of coffee so sleeping meds become more of a necessity, so if I can cut down maybe that will help.

Point is...I notice that tolerance builds up with benadryl/diphenhydramine and you need more for the same effect but is that exactly the same thing as a PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE??

I'd known before that tolerance builds with it cause my brother did the same thing.


But now I want to completely stop taking and quit the bendryl/diphenhydramine but I'm concerned that I may be physically dependent on it to fall asleep.


So is this the case??

I HAVE heard on here of people who took OBSCENE amounts (recreational amounts MUCH higher than what I take) of DPH and actually did have physical withdrawal symptoms....but am I at that point yet??


Do you guys think my inability to sleep without the DPH even on my melatonin is maybe more psychological than physical??


And is it possible for one's tolerance to a certain drug to rise WITHOUT actually being physically dependent on it??

Do you guys think it will be impossible for me to sleep without taking Diphenhydramine now??


And how do you guys recommend I stop taking it??

SHould I do a taper??

I'd rather stop cold turkey cause I am trying to lose weight and have been unable to and I read online that DPH can cause weight gain or inability to lose weight.

Have any of you guys heard of that or experienced difficulty losing weight on benadryl?


Thanks
 
Like, could I just quit cold turkey and experience some trouble sleeping a few nights in a row and then be off of it?

I'd rather do that than have to ween off of it slowly because I have heard it causes trouble losing weight and I want to lose a lot of weight this month.

I mean wouldn't I EVENTUALLY get tired enough to fall asleep without it despite any kind of "addiction"?
 
Point is...I notice that tolerance builds up with benadryl/diphenhydramine and you need more for the same effect but is that exactly the same thing as a PHYSICAL DEPENDENCE??

Physical dependence is where you need a drug for your body to act normally, like, if you stop taking the drug you don't just feel bad, you actually get sick.

Do you guys think my inability to sleep without the DPH even on my melatonin is maybe more psychological than physical??

If you've been taking diphenhydrmaine for 7 months, then no, it's not just psychological, you're probably dependent on it for sleep.

And is it possible for one's tolerance to a certain drug to rise WITHOUT actually being physically dependent on it??

Yes.

Do you guys think it will be impossible for me to sleep without taking Diphenhydramine now??

It's not "impossible", it will probably be very difficult if you are trying to do so in your usual bedtime environment. Go tire yourself out before bed, go for a long run or bike ride or something and then follow it up with a really hot shower... avoid blue lights during night time (disrupts natural production of melatonin) and try not to lounge about in your bed without falling asleep (get up and go do something somewhere else for a while). Practice good sleep hygeine. And try to minimize your melatonin dose, less is more with it.

I am trying to lose weight and have been unable to and I read online that DPH can cause weight gain or inability to lose weight.

To be honest I had no idea diphenhydramine had this effect, but if it does exist it would probably be related to stimulation of appetite and not some sort of metabolism changes. It also seems to me that as long as you have a mild caloric deficit (calories in < calories out) you'll lose weight, sleeping pills or no sleeping pills. It would be a violation of the law of conservation of energy if you could take a drug and remain at the same wight while not eating enough.

Like, could I just quit cold turkey and experience some trouble sleeping a few nights in a row and then be off of it?

That seems like the obvious thing to do. Diphenhydramine is not an opioid or anything like that which would result in serious withdrawal symptoms.

It may help you if you drink less coffee on days where you don't take diphenhydramine for sleep. Caffeine can actually have long lasting effects on sleep, especially if you take high doses of it. As in, it'll negatively effect your sleep up to 6-8 hours after taking a dose.

I want to lose a lot of weight this month.

Nobody should lose "a lot" of weight at once, it ain't healthy and sets you up for the possibility your weight will just rebound in future. Everything in moderation.
 
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^^^^^

Thanks.

So I guess I AM physically dependent on it...that sucks.

So do you think it would be smarter to go cold turkey off the DPH and just be tired for a few days rather than do a slow taper??


And if I were to just go cold turkey and just stop taking it altogether like tonight or tomorrow night...just by your guess...how many days do you think it might take to break my physical dependence to it so I no longer need it to sleep??

Would it take more than a few days?

Like maybe a week?



(Also, I am aware of how much weight is safe to lose...been a long time athlete and dieter, but thanks)
 
Anyone else know approximately how many days I might need to abstain from benadryl to break my dependency and sleep normally without it??
 
It's impossible to say with certainty, everyone's different.

If you discontinue it cold turkey at doses under 100mg/day I'd say you won't need a taper (and doing so will only prolong your sleeplessness as smaller DPH doses won't work effectively as a sedative)
I would think the major effects shouldn't last more than a few days. But obviousy there's a lot of lifestyle factors at play.

And by the way, Myco, you really don't need to PM me every time you make a thread or post a reply. I do get around to reading these in due time. Just... work on being patient?
 
It's impossible to say with certainty, everyone's different.

If you discontinue it cold turkey at doses under 100mg/day I'd say you won't need a taper (and doing so will only prolong your sleeplessness as smaller DPH doses won't work effectively as a sedative)
I would think the major effects shouldn't last more than a few days. But obviousy there's a lot of lifestyle factors at play.

And by the way, Myco, you really don't need to PM me every time you make a thread or post a reply. I do get around to reading these in due time. Just... work on being patient?


Yeah, sorry about that, I do need work on being patient lol.

Ok, so most likely just a few days of some more difficulty sleeping then.

That's what I figured and I think at least some of it is probably psychological as oddly I can nap during the day easily and I don't have much (or maybe any depending on how long ago I took it for the night before??) left in my system at that point.....so that being said I obviously "can" sleep without it.

I guess I'll just go cold turkey over the next couple of days.

thanks
 
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