15-07-2025
Does Benadryl Do More Harm Than Good?
Q: My allergist says that Benadryl isn't safe. What's the issue, and what should I use instead?
When your nose is running and the achoos won't quit, you might reach for Benadryl.
This drug — whose generic name is diphenhydramine — provides almost immediate allergy relief. And with Benadryl around since the 1940s, it's become the 'Kleenex' of antihistamines, said Dr. Anna Wolfson, an allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital.
But experts believe it's time to say goodbye because of how older antihistamines like Benadryl cross the blood-brain barrier, causing grogginess and increasing the risk of falls, car accidents and potentially even dementia.
If you're on a deserted island and Benadryl is the only allergy drug available, you should take it, Dr. Wolfson said. But in almost every other case, there are safer, better options.
How does Benadryl work?
Our bodies produce the chemical histamine to rally the immune system against germs. But the same alarm can be set off by springtime flowers, peanuts and other menaces. Antihistamines block this false alarm, helping prevent or relieve allergy symptoms.
Benadryl, Zzzquil and other drugs with diphenhydramine can also make you drowsy, since histamine helps the brain stay alert, said Dr. Zachary Rubin, an Illinois-based allergist and author of the upcoming book, 'All About Allergies.'
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