Re: BENADRYL
Good info June! Thanks! ALSO, I think it is interesting to note that Benedryl and Sominex are the SAME pill (considering they both have the SAME active single ingredient). This kinda irks me because one is marketed for allergy purposes and the other is marketed for sleeping purposes! Shanasy
Re: BENADRYL
Yeah it is strange that the same things that can cause BEB can also open eyes for some. I don't know if it lasts or not. I had used Benadryl off and on all my life for allergies or sleep because I thought it was safe and it worked. It never worked to open my eyes after BEB.
It is a common practice to use the exact product under a different name for a different use and it is advertised like it is a brand new drug and is usually more expensive. Example was the hype for the medication to help people stop smoking and it was a very very old antidepressant which could be bought for a lot less money under the old name. Recently there was something that was in the news about a drug being targeted for women for PMS or something and under a new name, but was a drug that had been around for years for something else. Now that drug companies can advertise we will be seeing this more and more.
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
I have only taken benadryl a few times because of this. Out of curiousity, what are the names of these other drugs under new names, so we know if we have taken any of these?
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
Wellbutrin is an old antidepressant and then years later was brought out as a "new" stop smoking drug(Ziban) and costs much more than the older drug which was exactly the same drug. I can't remember the other drug that was also an antidepressant....it may be Prozac. When the time ran out and it could be sold in generic form cheaper, the drug company was going to loose millions so they renamed it and started marketing it to women for PMS or something similar and didn't mention it wasn't something brand new, but Prozac with a new name. Sneaky, huh?
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
I took Ambien for awhile. It's a sleeping pill. One of the side effects mentioned is it may cause drowsiness. Ann Doyle
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine and Ann
lOl! I hope i don't wake the neighbors.
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
Glad you got it Delaine. Ann
Re: BENADRYL/Delaine
Very sneaky. I'm glad you know all this stuff. i guess if it works for some people that's good.
Re: BENADRYL
June,
It's the anti-cholinergic properties of the diphenhydramine that can make it effective for some with BEB. Everyone just has to weigh the benefits and disadvantages for himself. But you are right that we all need to know the possible consequences of what we take.
Virginia in AL
Re: BENADRYL/Virginia
What specifically does anti-cholinergenic mean?
Anticholinergic inhibits acetylcholine
"Anticholinergics inhibit the muscarinic actions of acetylcholine at receptor sites in the autonomic nervous system." They decrease smooth muscle tone, decrease secretions, dilate pupils, decrease nausea and vomiting, decrease involuntary movements, & (some such as atropine)increase the heart rate.
"Acetylcholine is a compound that is released at nerve endings of the autonomic nervous system and is active in the tranmission of nerve impulses." It is a neurotransmitter released at neuromuscular junctions and stimulates the muscle fiber to move.
Benadryl is actually an antihistamine made for allergy symptoms, chronic sinus problems, motion sickness, night time sedation, infant colic, nonproductive cough, and antiparkinsonism. It does affect the Central Nervous System and can cause increased light senstivity, fatigue, poor coordination, anxiety, dizziness, and dry mouth and membranes which would include dry eyes & blurred vision, urinary retention and forms of anemia.
Re: BENADRYL/Virginia
One hypothesis for the cause of BEB is that there may be a disturbance of various "messenger" chemicals involved in transmitting information from one nerve cell to another. One of these "messenger" chemicals is acetylcholine. It transmits the brain's message to blink to the muscle that causes the blink (or spasm, in our case). Taking an anticholinergic medication reduces the acetylcholine, thus reducing the "message sending," which in turn would cause less spasming. Unfortunately for us, it reduces the acetylcholine link to muscles all over the body which can cause some of the CNS side effects that we have.Virginia in AL - Delaine, I thought you did a good job; I just wanted equal time. ;-)
--modified by Virginia at Wed, Mar 06, 2002, 23:13:26
Re: BENADRYL/Virginia
Bravo! You would love the book Molecules of Emotion. I know in my heart and gut this is a neurotransmitter problem. The problem is we don't know how to fix it.....but we'll keep working on it.
I put my bluebird house up today and within 20 minutes a pair of bluebirds where checking out the real estate. 70 here tomorrow. Oh what fun!
Re: BENADRYL/Virginia/Birds
Thanks, both of you for your explanations. Perhaps that is also what the parsitan does?
I am also a birdwatcher, as was my mother, despite the fact that one of my brothers called us weird for doing this . It relaxes me with their quirky little movements. I get mostly cardinals, chickadees, lost mourning doves, titmice, red headed woodpeckers, and sometimes blue jays, occasionally a hummingbird and at one time there was a darling goldfinch. My blue parakeet gets very excited over the female cardinals, and starts preening himself madly. Every morning I listen for the birds, and I know the world is still there.
--modified by Kathy in Atlanta at Fri, Mar 08, 2002, 06:39:58
Re: BENADRYL
Good post, June. I think not much attention is paid to the negative
effects of meds like benedryl since they are now over-the counter and
easy to obtain. I have been using 50mg of benedryl a day plus an
anti-anxiety for the past year and have been doing well with it. I've noticed my short term memory is decreasing--that together with some
heart palpitations (which can be a side effect of benedryl)have caused
me to stop it for awhile. The anti-cholinergic properties of the med
help both my eyes, and meige, but mostly my breathing irregularities.
It also seems to be sound policy to give the body a break every so often
from meds--although tapering off is mandatory with the benzodiazepines
such as klonopin, serax and valium. It's never simple as our bodies
keep changing with response to age, food, meds, etc. etc.
Joanne M. San Diego, CA
Re: BENADRYL/Joanne
This is a really good post, Joanne and it is very wise of you to both mention and recognize these other factors! But it makes it even more complicated, all of these.Because of all these fluctuations, it seems as if very few days are just normal days.
--modified by Kathy in Atlanta at Sat, Mar 02, 2002, 04:19:40
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