Question by Pattt17: How is benadryl and sleeping pills the same thing?
I read that sleeping pills (diphenhydramine) is the exact same thing as bendadryl? How is this possible? Benadryl obviously treats allergy symptoms, but all the diphenhydramine does is make people sleep.
Best answer:
Answer by Nurse Susan
1] Most over the counter sleeping pills [ at least in the USA ] are diphenhydramine
2] Benadryl is a brand name of diphenhydramine
3] diphenhydramine can be sold for allergy relief, or for sleeping
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Diphenhydramine is a first-generation anithistamine first synthesized in 1943. It was originally made for allergy relief. Being a first-generation atnihistamine, it has a powerful hypnotic effect.
Since the creation of diphenhydramine, newer and more effective antihistamines have been created. These drugs are known by the brand names Zyrtec, Claritin and Allegra. These second generation antihistamines have a much weaker hypnotic effect than diphenydramine, while still being more effective in allergy relief.
Diphenhydramine is rarely used for allergy relief anymore, and is a common ingredient in over-the-counter sleep aids.
Benadryl is mostly used today as a sleep-aid, not for allergy relief.
Well, The Intellectual gets some things right, but Benedryl is still a commonly prescribed and 1st line drug for allergic reactions, both orally and IV.
And often recommended for mild sleeping problems.
They AREN’T!!!!!!!!!!!
OTC sleepers often use Benadryl for it’s sedative effect. Prescription sleeping pills are different.
Thats one of the common misconceptions the public has about medications, most people think ‘one drug one problem’ while in reality this is not the case at all.
diphenhydramine is the generic name of benadryl. It is an antihistamine, and that was initially what it was used for but it was quickly realized that it had a very common side effect of making people drowsy, so the manufacture researched on it, and got it approved for that use as well.
To be frank it is a shame benadryl doesn’t advertise itself as a sleep aid too, it ends up with a lot of people taking ‘advil PM’ or ‘tylenol PM’ which both contain pain medications that are not needed in most cases, most patients taking them only need the diphenhydramine.
On top of both those uses it is also used in benadryl cream’s to stop itching, and is sometimes used with other medications in specially made mouthwashes for various painful oral conditions.
A very very useful drug to say the least