Is Benadryl really that bad of an idea?

[[mo...]]

I've been getting conflicting reports about Benadryl use during a benzo taper. I'm tapering off .5 mg ativan and was doing ok since my taper started 13 days ago. All of a sudden im very anxious and can't sleep. My body is exhausted and my eyes stay shut but my mind keeps racing on the surface. I never get that release into sleep if you know what I mean. I took Benadryl for 2 years pretty consistently before starting Ativan steadily since December. I never really built a true tolerance to it as I only ever took the 25 mg pills once per night. I am so desperate now and feeling crazy and depressed from this poor quality sleep I'm getting along with the chronic headaches that Advil doesn't touch. Is benadryl really a bad idea at this point? If I use it sparingly will it ruin my taper or guve me worse s/x? Can anyone share their direct experiences with Benadryl during a taper? Any thoughts/ideas are also welcome!

[[gi...]]

Hi,

Alot of people have found benedryl to be safe and helpful for them in withdrawl for sleep issues.  It's not addictive and does not have alot of stimulant qualities that other antihistimines do.  I use it quite often for sleep when the insomnia kicks in and used it thruout my taper too.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not.  It won't mess up your withdrawl or taper but if you are overly sensitive to medications then it might revv up your symptoms temporarily but then again lots of things can do that in withdrawl such as caffeine, sugar , vitamins etc.  If you had no issues with it before then you might want to try it to get some sleep.  Best of luck.  Ginia

[[fi...]]

What is your current dosage of Ativan?

 

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[[el...]]

It's going to be different for everyone, some say it effects gaba or even revs them up.  For me, it works great.  I've gotten off klonopin before, alternating days, with small doses of diphenhydramine and then trazodone.  I did a slower taper and was able to sleep again without those things within a couple weeks of being done.  Amazing how different our bodies can be, some people build tolerance after a couple days, you took it effectively for two years.  I recently just took it over a month straight every night without building tolerance.  People rarely talk about cutting these pills.  I say take the least you need, that will help for tolerance too.  I cut diphenhydramine tabs and get an effect with as small as an 1/8 tab, though it depends on what's going on how much I need.  This way I avoid hangover effects as well.