Jump to content

HPPD from Benadryl (diphenhydramine) or similar drugs


Recommended Posts

For those who got HPPD from using Benadryl or similar OTC antihistamines/sleep aids, was Benadryl your sole drug of choice or were you using a variety of drugs?

 

I'm asking because I wasn't a poly-drug user (I tried weed a few times and MDMA once), but my go to was diphenhydramine aka Benadryl (for sleep and as a muscle relaxant). Yet somehow I ended up with 'HPPD'. The other thing is I was using diphenhydramine on a nightly basis for almost 2 years.

 

Now here's the kicker, I looked up what the effects of long term use of diphenhydramine and anticholinergics were (I don't know why it never occurred to me to do so) and I found that the effects of long term use are eerily similar to the symptoms of HPPD. I mean they're practically identical. You can see for yourself (diphenhydramine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine#Adverse_effects and anticholinergics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticholinergic#Side_effects ).

 

So, I'm thinking that if your only drug use was Benadryl or a similar drug, and you developed HPPD symptoms, I think it may not even be HPPD at all. I think it may just be a manifestation of the long term effects of using anticholinergic drugs like Benadryl. It doesn't provide any hope really other than the fact you might not have HPPD at all.

 

As for treatments, supposedly racetams, alpha-GPC, and choline work, but I don't have enough evidence to back this up. 

 

Despite this, it still doesn't explain my sudden onset of noticeable symptoms (I may have had symptoms before and was just ignorant of them). Just a theory is all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

I know. They've done studies, mostly in older folks and found that long term use of anticholinergics like DPH definitely have an effect on the brain. Most notably long term use leads to a highly increased risk of Alzheimer's and if you're young like me, both an increased risk of Alzheimer's and earlier onset of Alzheimer's. Not to mention chronic central anticholinergic syndrome.

 

At least it was just DPH though and not something like MDMA. Hoo lord, if I did MDMA every night, hell even just like 3 times a week, for even just a few months I would be in a much worse position than I am now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.