Dear Naja,



Mari

but I will chime in anyway.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is related to the phenothiazine family of antipsychotics. Its tranquilizer potential is much less.
It however is a strong anticholinergic (causes dry mouth, dry eyes and will dry out membranes and perhaps make sinus worse over time). It also works on some receptors in the brain--you can read about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine

Children often have paradoxical reactions to it...leading to agitation etc. Typically they outgrow that. Many drugs have paradoxical effects in children since their brains are not developed. Some adults retain that reaction.

As people age, Benadryl is in the "do not use" category, because anticholinergics are not handled well in the elderly.
It can cause dementia-like confusion.

Benadryl is also used for some dystonias, especially those caused by drugs like Risperdal and Geodon.

It remains a potent antihistamine and is lipophilic and crosses the blood brain barrier to cause sedation. It blocks the neurotransmitter effects of histamine in the brain. Many people do not know that histamine is a neurotransmitter that is thought to be the "releaser" for other neurotransmitters. This is why it is so complex and hard on some people.

Many products for cough/cold/sleep now have doxylamine in them
instead of other antihistamines. Unisom and Nyquil are examples.

I've used Benadryl for years...but had to give it up. My doctor kept at me, and I did notice the drying effects on my eyes and nose were becoming significant. I've switched to 1/2 dose Zyrtec (5mg). I can't tolerate the full 10mg dose of that either, but it is working for me at 5mg as an antihistamine.
It does nothing for me for sleeping...in fact 10mg keeps me awake. Zyrtec is related to Atarax, with less sedation. It is chemically similar to Atarax.

welcome back Mrs. D hope you had a nice vacation!
bizi

I was sick twice. I have some posts scattered on the forums here, if you search me.

A sorbitol reaction from some Hershey's kisses, and a viral assault that resembled my old shingles (stiff neck, photophobia, nausea, ear pain).

It rained ALOT, and I only wore shorts maybe 5 days in all.
It was a cool summer, so I read alot of good books and worked on my flowers, and took pictures with my sort of new camera.

My avatar is a fledgling hummingbird who visited frequently and was pretty tame at first. The rainbow in my signature was a rare event, after one of the many storms. My hubby got a double rainbow pic, which I will scan in soon and post. I have never seen a double rainbow before!

We had many deer events. I have some pics on Pet forum, too.
A raccoon came in the house one night and spooked me when I was alone (my hubby returned to work for a while).
That was not fun. She came in the cat door and ripped open the corn for the deer. I guess I didn't put enough out for HER.
The bunnies were also very tame this season, coming every day.

I've been home now for a couple of days and watching TV.
(we have NO TV where we live for the summers).

I see Singulair being heavily promoted in just the last day or so.
Very engaging ads IMO. The patent must be due to expire soon, because ADS become
more frequent before that event.

I will say I took this when I was working steadily daily, because I am allergic to some drug dusts/residues. This is an occupational hazard for me. Singulair really helped, and especially for my minor asthma.

BUT--- Singulair has been in the news recently for causing DEPRESSION.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...ide-link_N.htm

Two seasons ago I was forced to get a light visor during the winter to help with depression. A major first in my life.
At that time I was using Singulair daily. Now I am getting old, and that is also significant.

But if folks here are considering using Singulair for allergies, be advised that this risk may impact bipolar depression.
Singulair blocks leukotrienes, which are the triggers for releasing histamine, which then causes allergic symptoms.
Since histamine is a neurotransmitter releaser in the brain, it follows that disrupting this sequence may impact mood.
I know it impacts the immune system, because severe infection and/or pneumonia are listed as side effects for Singulair therapy. Leukotrienes are the signals when you become infected with viruses or bacteria that cause infection. Blocking them, removes the signal to your white cells to attack the invader.

Don't assume that if you suddenly become depressed for no reason, that your RX meds could not be a reason. If you are using Singulair, that just might be a trigger for you.