Dr. Anna Wolfson says she sees harmful misuse of the allergy remedy diphenhydramine in her clinic day by day.
“If someone has an allergic reaction to a food, people will say, ‘Don’t worry, I have diphenhydramine in my purse,’ and I would say, ‘Really, epinephrine is the first-line treatment for food allergies,’” stated Wolfson, an allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Diphenhydramine may be dangerous if folks take it after having an allergic response to meals, she stated, as a result of the drug – finest identified by the model title Benadryl – makes them drowsy and may trigger them to overlook indicators that their signs are getting worse.
“It’s time to move on. For every single indication that people are using diphenhydramine, there are better drugs that are more effective at treating the symptoms people are trying to treat with fewer side effects,” she stated. “I’ve had patients where I worried that diphenhydramine was impairing their ability to drive or fully participate in their daily lives.”
Wolfson isn’t alone in preferring options. In a review printed in February, allergy experts from Johns Hopkins University and the University of California, San Diego known as for the elimination of diphenhydramine from over-the-counter and prescription markets within the United States, saying it’s outdated, harmful and eclipsed by safer options.
A primary-generation antihistamine accepted in 1946, diphenhydramine is extensively used for allergy symptoms, sleep assist and chilly signs. It’s a standard over-the-counter remedy within the US, with utilization rising in the summertime months as folks use it to deal with itching from bug bites or poison ivy, in addition to sneezing and runny nostril attributable to grass and pollen allergy symptoms, in accordance with the American Pharmacists Association.
Despite its longstanding presence in American properties, the authors of the brand new overview say it poses disproportionate risks, particularly for kids and older adults, than newer antihistamines.
“Patients should trial alternatives agents like loratadine, which is Claritin, or cetirizine, which is Zyrtec, or fexofenadine, which is Allegra,” to alleviate allergy signs, Dr. James Clark of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery on the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the lead writer of the paper, informed NCS.
The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents the OTC medication business, says that widespread uncomfortable side effects related to merchandise containing diphenhydramine are disclosed on the label. However, it notes, “these products are not intended for long-term use.”
“When used as directed, these medicines provide well-established therapeutic benefits for common health ailments like allergies, the common cold, motion sickness, minor skin irritations, and occasional sleeplessness,” the group stated in an announcement on behalf of Benadryl’s maker, Kenvue. “Like all medicines, responsible use is essential, and consumers should always follow directions and warnings on the Drug Facts labels and consult healthcare providers if they have questions.”
If you have got allergy symptoms, it’s possible you’ll need to keep away from the sort of remedy
Antihistamines work by blocking receptors known as H1, a part of the physique’s system for responding to allergens, which set off signs like sneezing, itching and a runny nostril. But older medication like diphenhydramine don’t simply block the allergy-related receptors, they will additionally have an effect on different components of the mind. Diphenhydramine usually causes sedation, cognitive impairment, and in some instances, harmful cardiac results, the authors wrote.
In older adults, the drug can keep within the physique for as much as 18 hours, leading to lingering sleepiness, disorientation and growing threat of falling. The overview additionally highlighted a attainable hyperlink between long-term diphenhydramine use and dementia.
In youngsters, the risks may be much more pronounced. The overview’s authors cite instances of unintentional overdose; paradoxical reactions comparable to agitation, excessive sedation and coma; and even loss of life, notably with pediatric formulations, due to unintentional ingestions. The remedy was linked to a number of youngster hospitalizations and fatalities in the course of the viral “Benadryl Challenge” on TikTok.
Dr. Manuela Murray, director of normal pediatrics and pressing care on the University of Texas Medical Branch, says diphenhydramine “should not be used lightly.”
“It should always be used under the guidance of a Medical Professional, and it is only indicated to treat allergic reactions and motion sickness,” Murray wrote in an e-mail.
The remedy is commonly misused and “doesn’t offer a benefit for treatment of cold symptoms, and it is not a safe sleep aid medication,” she stated. In reality, it will probably have the other results in youngsters, resulting in hyperactivity.
Dr. Alyssa Kuban, a pediatrician and affiliate medical director at Texas Children’s Pediatrics, additionally stated that she finds diphenhydramine overused for signs it doesn’t instantly deal with and that there are safer options.
“I see some families use diphenhydramine when the child has a cold or upper respiratory infection, thinking it will help with the congestion and help them to sleep better at night,” she stated. “This is not effective for cold symptoms, nor is it very safe.”
She recommends over-the-counter cetirizine to deal with youngsters with hives, seasonal allergy symptoms or an itchy rash. Cetirizine can be longer-lasting and never as sedating as diphenhydramine, she says.
Murray agrees that loratadine and cetirizine are safer for kids over 6 months, and saline drops and suctioning are higher options for infants.
Diphenhydramine seems in over 300 OTC formulations, usually blended into mixture merchandise for coughs, colds and flu. The authors of the overview say that, like merchandise with pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine ought to at minimal be moved behind the counter, permitting pharmacists to information sufferers towards second-generation options.
The American Pharmacists Association says sufferers ought to use warning with mixture cough and chilly merchandise that comprise diphenhydramine.
Pharmacists could suggest different medicines for older adults who’ve a historical past of being cognitively affected by sure medicines, the group says, and it “encourages patients and parents/caregivers to ask their pharmacist for the most appropriate treatment recommendation for their symptoms” with the least quantity of uncomfortable side effects.
The overview authors additionally emphasize that there isn’t any sturdy scientific knowledge which will counsel that diphenhydramine works higher than different choices. Although it might scale back signs like sneezing and itching, it has minimal impact on nasal congestion and doesn’t outperform second-generation medication in randomized trials. Newer choices, comparable to oral cetirizine, supply 24-hour protection with fewer hostile occasions.
However, within the US, the remedy stays a staple. According to the overview, greater than 1.5 million prescriptions are nonetheless written yearly, not counting untracked OTC purchases.
“In the past, it has been a useful medication that has helped millions of patients; however, its current therapeutic ratio is matched or exceeded by second-generation antihistamines, especially due to their markedly reduced adverse reactions. It is time to say a final goodbye to diphenhydramine, a public health hazard,” the authors wrote.