If you are taking this common drug for sleeping, stop now, new study finds

When you have trouble falling asleep, you will take just about anything to help you sleep. However, just because a medicine can help you sleep does not mean you should take it for this purpose. A recent study noted that a common drug that is often used to help people fall asleep can actually have significant unwanted side effects. Read on to find out which popular drug you should stop taking to help you sleep and for a drug that might keep you awake, if you can’t sleep this over-the-counter drug might be why, experts say.

As an April 6 article from McMaster University published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association noted, “Antihistamines are among the most commonly and incorrectly used drugs in the world.” While antihistamines are recommended to treat symptoms of hay fever and hives, they have other non-compliant uses, including for insomnia, according to the document. Benadryl, ZzzQuil, Tylenol PM, Dramamine, Unisom, and many other over-the-counter (OTC) sleeping pills include antihistamines. The recent McMaster University article argues for avoiding the use of these drugs to treat anything other than hay fever or hives.

Harvard University reported that in 2017, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) officially recommended against treating chronic insomnia with common over-the-counter antihistamine medications due to a lack of evidence of their efficacy or safety. “There are definite concerns about their risks,” said Suzanne bertisch, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in an article on the university’s website. And for more potential dangers in your medicine cabinet, the FDA just issued a new warning regarding these over-the-counter pain medications.

While your over-the-counter antihistamine can do the trick and help you fall asleep faster, it could have side effects. The McMaster University article noted that antihistamines can affect cognitive functions, such as school or work performance, and that an overdose can even lead to death. According to the Baylor College of Medicine, “Antihistamines have side effects that include altered mental status, urinary retention and dry mouth. Although these side effects are generally mild and well tolerated in young patients without other medical problems, they may present a risk, especially for the elderly. “

Plus, the antihistamines you take to improve your sleep may ultimately have the opposite effect. “The use of antihistamines can lead to sleepwalking and other parasomnias. This can certainly happen with Benadryl as with other hypnotic agents like Ambien”, assistant professor of medicine Phillip alapat, MD, said in an article on the Baylor College of Medicine website. Although antihistamines can help you fall asleep, the overall quality of sleep is often not very good and the medication has its limitations. “Using Benadryl or any antihistamine for sleep has no long-term benefit,” Alapat continued. “Most people develop tolerance very quickly.” And to make sure you stay safe, if you take Tylenol with it, your liver is in danger, experts say.

However, not all antihistamines are the same. The McMaster University paper noted that first-generation antihistamines are the ones to worry about, while newer antihistamines are generally safer. Benadryl, ZzzQuil, Tylenol PM, Dramamine, Unisom, and many over-the-counter sleeping pills contain first generation antihistamines, while allergy medications like Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra, on the other hand, contain second generation antihistamines.

The McMaster University article noted that the latest generation antihistamines are safer, yet more effective, and just as affordable as the first generation antihistamines. The newer antihistamines also have fewer side effects, such as drowsiness, which means they probably wouldn’t make it easier to sleep. And for more useful information delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Antihistamines are also used off-label to treat asthma, eczema, and coughs, but that is not what they are intended for. “People need to rethink what they store in their home cabinets as allergy medication, what hospitals keep on their formulary, and what policy makers recommend. The message needs to get out there, ”said McMaster University allergy expert and clinical researcher. Derek chu said in a statement.

“Antihistamines are best used for relieving the symptoms of hay fever and hives, but not for asthma, eczema, cough or insomnia,” the statement concludes. So the next time you find yourself taking that bottle of Benadryl for a panacea, think again. And for more advice on what medications you should and shouldn’t be taking, this is when you should take Tylenol instead of Advil, doctors say.