My 6 Month Benadryl Abuse Addiction
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Viginia
Posts: 4
My 6 Month Benadryl Abuse Addiction
Hi im new to sober recovery and ive read on articles in this forum and i couldnt find anything about benadryl abuse addiction because its rare for a person to become addicted to benadryl..
Im a 16 year old that has abused many pills but the most one that ive favorited was benadryl until i ran out ....
i used benadryl 6 months ago to help me sleep and i guess you can build up a tolerance to antihistamines and i kept upping the dosage after i found out that you can get "high" from benadryl... ive read reports on drugs-forum about the experiences of diphenhydramine and the disturbing effects they produce ...
well when i started taking doses 3 nights a week at 500mg and after 2 hours of play call of duty every match is like 7-10 minutes i would keep popping 6 after every game mode and my dosage would usually up to about 950-1250mg on those nights and after i couldnt sleep the nights i didnt take benadryl i started to take 1000mg after 2 months of abusing it for its effects.. the first time i did trip on diphenhydramine was that i actually liked the effects of the drug and it was easy to get 400 25mg a bottle at kmart so i would steal it from kmart and i needed to go get a bottle every 3 days or so... one night i took 1500mg at once and took no more because my friend wanted me to come outside and it was like 9:45 so i tried to put my slip on sandals and everytime i tried to put my feet in the sandals my legs muscles kept twitching like really bad away from the shoes and they fealt really weak ... when i managed to climb out my window i got outside but fell immediatly into the dirt when i climbed out.. i tried a couple times to stand up and i couldnt my whole body as having uncntrollable spasms and when my friend went around the corner for 5 minutes i tried to stand up again .. then i fell and all the muscles in my body started jerking around and twitching ..my head and body was jerking back and forth but i couldnt stop . the only thing i could do was keep my eyes open and i did( i was so scared i thought i was going to die and i knew it was happening but i dont know what it was called that happened) ... it went on for about 30 seconds and after it stopped i just didnt move, just calmed down , and just focused on breathing normally .. i sat in the dirt till my friend came back about five minutes later and he helped me by lifting me up and carrying me to the side of my house for a half an hour and kept me calm until i put my arm around his shoulder and he helped me into my house and i managed to get to my bed ... every time i lifted my legs up and sat on my bed and looked at them they started to spasm again so i just made myself throw up and until all the diphenhydramine was out of my system .. the next day i took all my diphenhydramine and dumped it into the trash and i am currently 7 days sober but am having really bad troubles falling asleep ..... is their anything that can help me sleep better because it takes 1 hour 30 minutes for me to fall asleep even when im tired and does anyone know what that seizure type thing was when i couldnt control my muscles
thank you for reading my story
Im a 16 year old that has abused many pills but the most one that ive favorited was benadryl until i ran out ....
i used benadryl 6 months ago to help me sleep and i guess you can build up a tolerance to antihistamines and i kept upping the dosage after i found out that you can get "high" from benadryl... ive read reports on drugs-forum about the experiences of diphenhydramine and the disturbing effects they produce ...
well when i started taking doses 3 nights a week at 500mg and after 2 hours of play call of duty every match is like 7-10 minutes i would keep popping 6 after every game mode and my dosage would usually up to about 950-1250mg on those nights and after i couldnt sleep the nights i didnt take benadryl i started to take 1000mg after 2 months of abusing it for its effects.. the first time i did trip on diphenhydramine was that i actually liked the effects of the drug and it was easy to get 400 25mg a bottle at kmart so i would steal it from kmart and i needed to go get a bottle every 3 days or so... one night i took 1500mg at once and took no more because my friend wanted me to come outside and it was like 9:45 so i tried to put my slip on sandals and everytime i tried to put my feet in the sandals my legs muscles kept twitching like really bad away from the shoes and they fealt really weak ... when i managed to climb out my window i got outside but fell immediatly into the dirt when i climbed out.. i tried a couple times to stand up and i couldnt my whole body as having uncntrollable spasms and when my friend went around the corner for 5 minutes i tried to stand up again .. then i fell and all the muscles in my body started jerking around and twitching ..my head and body was jerking back and forth but i couldnt stop . the only thing i could do was keep my eyes open and i did( i was so scared i thought i was going to die and i knew it was happening but i dont know what it was called that happened) ... it went on for about 30 seconds and after it stopped i just didnt move, just calmed down , and just focused on breathing normally .. i sat in the dirt till my friend came back about five minutes later and he helped me by lifting me up and carrying me to the side of my house for a half an hour and kept me calm until i put my arm around his shoulder and he helped me into my house and i managed to get to my bed ... every time i lifted my legs up and sat on my bed and looked at them they started to spasm again so i just made myself throw up and until all the diphenhydramine was out of my system .. the next day i took all my diphenhydramine and dumped it into the trash and i am currently 7 days sober but am having really bad troubles falling asleep ..... is their anything that can help me sleep better because it takes 1 hour 30 minutes for me to fall asleep even when im tired and does anyone know what that seizure type thing was when i couldnt control my muscles
thank you for reading my story
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 1,145
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time at the moment. SR is a good place to be. Congratulations on being free of them for 7 days.
About your sleeping - sleeping is often out of sorts when we give up things we are addicted to. Well, it can be all over the place just through anything - stress, changes, all sorts of things. I find that a good way to get myself off to sleep is to relax as much as possible before bed time. I like to have a long bath, not watch television (maybe read a book) and drink a big mug of horlicks (I'm not sure they have that in the US, but it's a malted milk drink and it is great for relaxing) or if you can't find something like that, a nice cup of cocoa or hot chocolate.
Give it time... eventually your body and mind will get used to the differences and you will feel so much better, and hopefully your sleep will be OK soon, too.
Good luck and well done again.
About your sleeping - sleeping is often out of sorts when we give up things we are addicted to. Well, it can be all over the place just through anything - stress, changes, all sorts of things. I find that a good way to get myself off to sleep is to relax as much as possible before bed time. I like to have a long bath, not watch television (maybe read a book) and drink a big mug of horlicks (I'm not sure they have that in the US, but it's a malted milk drink and it is great for relaxing) or if you can't find something like that, a nice cup of cocoa or hot chocolate.
Give it time... eventually your body and mind will get used to the differences and you will feel so much better, and hopefully your sleep will be OK soon, too.
Good luck and well done again.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Viginia
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by suki44883 
Please see a doctor. He or she can answer all of these questions.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Viginia
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by MrsKing
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time at the moment. SR is a good place to be. Congratulations on being free of them for 7 days.
About your sleeping - sleeping is often out of sorts when we give up things we are addicted to. Well, it can be all over the place just through anything - stress, changes, all sorts of things. I find that a good way to get myself off to sleep is to relax as much as possible before bed time. I like to have a long bath, not watch television (maybe read a book) and drink a big mug of horlicks (I'm not sure they have that in the US, but it's a malted milk drink and it is great for relaxing) or if you can't find something like that, a nice cup of cocoa or hot chocolate.
Give it time... eventually your body and mind will get used to the differences and you will feel so much better, and hopefully your sleep will be OK soon, too.
Good luck and well done again.
About your sleeping - sleeping is often out of sorts when we give up things we are addicted to. Well, it can be all over the place just through anything - stress, changes, all sorts of things. I find that a good way to get myself off to sleep is to relax as much as possible before bed time. I like to have a long bath, not watch television (maybe read a book) and drink a big mug of horlicks (I'm not sure they have that in the US, but it's a malted milk drink and it is great for relaxing) or if you can't find something like that, a nice cup of cocoa or hot chocolate.
Give it time... eventually your body and mind will get used to the differences and you will feel so much better, and hopefully your sleep will be OK soon, too.
Good luck and well done again.
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Welcome OG!
I'm relieved you've stopped taking the Benadryl - it sounds like a major wake-up call to me. I'm glad you were straight up with your doctor about it. Have you talked to your parents?
You said you've "abused many pills," so this is a pattern for you. It really can't end well if you continue in this mindset, you know? Your brain isn't even fully developed until age 25, so messing with the chemistry of your brain now can have long terms effects you're not aware of.
Many of us have learned the hard way that chasing that high can have some terrible consequences. I'm glad you're here - you might want to try a word search on Benadryl and see if any posts come up. Even if there aren't any, this is a great place to learn about what people are doing to get free from addiction. The kind of drug doesn't matter as much as the fact that we've all wrestled with the drive to keep doing things that are self-destructive.
Glad you're here!
I'm relieved you've stopped taking the Benadryl - it sounds like a major wake-up call to me. I'm glad you were straight up with your doctor about it. Have you talked to your parents?
You said you've "abused many pills," so this is a pattern for you. It really can't end well if you continue in this mindset, you know? Your brain isn't even fully developed until age 25, so messing with the chemistry of your brain now can have long terms effects you're not aware of.
Many of us have learned the hard way that chasing that high can have some terrible consequences. I'm glad you're here - you might want to try a word search on Benadryl and see if any posts come up. Even if there aren't any, this is a great place to learn about what people are doing to get free from addiction. The kind of drug doesn't matter as much as the fact that we've all wrestled with the drive to keep doing things that are self-destructive.
Glad you're here!
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: New York
Posts: 96
Just my personal opinion... if your doctor said they never heard of this addiction etc... seek a second opinion... years ago the abuse of OTC drugs like cough medicine, benedryl or anything with DXT in it..did in fact cause all of the symptoms you went through...it is DEADLY if continued. I myself one time very innocently and accidentally took too much cough medicine in a very short period of time ( i had a terrible post nasal drip and nothing was working) in any event i felt exactly how you did (except for the seziures).. took until the next day for me to feel better...but i did it on accident... as far as sleeping aides..i would certainly seek a doctor and be HONEST about the addiction..they may or may not be able to prescribe something for you depending on your history...but im sure then can help ease your transition.
any drug of choice... pills, OTC drugs, alcohol..anything and everything... is dangerous!!! stay clear, stay sober and dont become another young statistic...
many blessings to you and welcome to SR!!! you will find allot of support here... you may also want to check out the other forums for people who are addicted to various drugs..you may find some answers about the DXT addiction and such... best of luck to you dear!
any drug of choice... pills, OTC drugs, alcohol..anything and everything... is dangerous!!! stay clear, stay sober and dont become another young statistic...
many blessings to you and welcome to SR!!! you will find allot of support here... you may also want to check out the other forums for people who are addicted to various drugs..you may find some answers about the DXT addiction and such... best of luck to you dear!
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Join Date: Aug 2003
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I would also suggest finding a dr who can answer your questions about what happened to you. Hopefully you can get some advice about your sleeping problems too.
I'm glad you found us.
I'm glad you found us.
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 114
I was never taking it in the same amount but I was drinking a bottle of kiddie liquid benedryl to help me sleep. I did that for close to a year and when I stopped trying to sleep was hell for the first couple of weeks. I've heard the same thing about all sleeping pills too. You just have to ride it out for now, you will be able to sleep without them soon.
The best advice I have for you is to have perfect sleep hygiene for at least 6 months to a year. Remove all electronics from your bedroom and turn them off 30 minutes before you go to sleep. If you can't sleep read instead of turning on the TV, computer or games. And most importantly no matter how much sleep you've gotten the past night get up and out of bed at the same every morning.
I'm glad you've already seen the doctor although I'd maybe see if you could go to someone else what happened with your legs is terrifying. It needs to be checked out and if your regular GP isn't taking you seriously because they've never heard of this as an addiction then it's time to find someone else.
The best advice I have for you is to have perfect sleep hygiene for at least 6 months to a year. Remove all electronics from your bedroom and turn them off 30 minutes before you go to sleep. If you can't sleep read instead of turning on the TV, computer or games. And most importantly no matter how much sleep you've gotten the past night get up and out of bed at the same every morning.
I'm glad you've already seen the doctor although I'd maybe see if you could go to someone else what happened with your legs is terrifying. It needs to be checked out and if your regular GP isn't taking you seriously because they've never heard of this as an addiction then it's time to find someone else.
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: U.S.A.
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Hi OGStarship. I am glad you stopped taking those benadryl. You really should talk to a doctor about what you have been through. Also, if that happens again, you should go to the hospital. Pills are very dangerous, even the kind you can buy without a prescription.
There are many articles out on the web you can read that will give you suggestions on how to fall asleep and get a good night's rest. Sleep is a big problem for people with ADHD. One thing for me to be careful of so that I can fall asleep is how much light I get at night. I also am ADHD and am very sensitive to light. Because I like to get up early (so I want to go to sleep early), in the summer, I have to force myself to come inside by around 7PM and I don't have bright overhead lights. I also do not watch TV or play video games or on my smartphone for 2 hours before the time I want to go to sleep. All you have to do is figure out what time you would like to get up in the morning and count back the number of hours you want to sleep each night (I like to get 8 hours of sleep). So, if I want to get up at 6:00 AM, I need to fall asleep by 10 PM the night before. Then, you count 2 hours back from 10 PM, that means no video games, overhead lights, or TV (blue light) after 8PM. It is boring at first, but now I like to read books instead.
The reason the light keeps you from falling asleep is because it tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime, so your brain does not allow the release of melatonin (which is what makes you sleepy). Also, a drop in body temperature will make you sleepy. So, take a hot shower right before you go to bed and turn the temperature down in your bedroom. The colder the better. I also have room-blackening shades on my bedroom windows and NO lights in my bedroom, not even an alarm clock or the light on the DVD player (I cover that little green light with a Post-It Note).
Hope something here helps.
There are many articles out on the web you can read that will give you suggestions on how to fall asleep and get a good night's rest. Sleep is a big problem for people with ADHD. One thing for me to be careful of so that I can fall asleep is how much light I get at night. I also am ADHD and am very sensitive to light. Because I like to get up early (so I want to go to sleep early), in the summer, I have to force myself to come inside by around 7PM and I don't have bright overhead lights. I also do not watch TV or play video games or on my smartphone for 2 hours before the time I want to go to sleep. All you have to do is figure out what time you would like to get up in the morning and count back the number of hours you want to sleep each night (I like to get 8 hours of sleep). So, if I want to get up at 6:00 AM, I need to fall asleep by 10 PM the night before. Then, you count 2 hours back from 10 PM, that means no video games, overhead lights, or TV (blue light) after 8PM. It is boring at first, but now I like to read books instead.
The reason the light keeps you from falling asleep is because it tricks your brain into thinking it is daytime, so your brain does not allow the release of melatonin (which is what makes you sleepy). Also, a drop in body temperature will make you sleepy. So, take a hot shower right before you go to bed and turn the temperature down in your bedroom. The colder the better. I also have room-blackening shades on my bedroom windows and NO lights in my bedroom, not even an alarm clock or the light on the DVD player (I cover that little green light with a Post-It Note).
Hope something here helps.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Viginia
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by artsoul
Welcome OG!
I'm relieved you've stopped taking the Benadryl - it sounds like a major wake-up call to me. I'm glad you were straight up with your doctor about it. Have you talked to your parents?
You said you've "abused many pills," so this is a pattern for you. It really can't end well if you continue in this mindset, you know? Your brain isn't even fully developed until age 25, so messing with the chemistry of your brain now can have long terms effects you're not aware of.
Many of us have learned the hard way that chasing that high can have some terrible consequences. I'm glad you're here - you might want to try a word search on Benadryl and see if any posts come up. Even if there aren't any, this is a great place to learn about what people are doing to get free from addiction. The kind of drug doesn't matter as much as the fact that we've all wrestled with the drive to keep doing things that are self-destructive.
Glad you're here!
I'm relieved you've stopped taking the Benadryl - it sounds like a major wake-up call to me. I'm glad you were straight up with your doctor about it. Have you talked to your parents?
You said you've "abused many pills," so this is a pattern for you. It really can't end well if you continue in this mindset, you know? Your brain isn't even fully developed until age 25, so messing with the chemistry of your brain now can have long terms effects you're not aware of.
Many of us have learned the hard way that chasing that high can have some terrible consequences. I'm glad you're here - you might want to try a word search on Benadryl and see if any posts come up. Even if there aren't any, this is a great place to learn about what people are doing to get free from addiction. The kind of drug doesn't matter as much as the fact that we've all wrestled with the drive to keep doing things that are self-destructive.
Glad you're here!
but if i would keep doing it would cause permanent damage but ive stopped it so hopefully my body isnt permanently damaged
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Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 1
I had the same exact problem when I was your age, only if was taking them for years after, it all started when I told my mom is couldn't sleep, that's when I was introduced to benadryl, it worked to put me to sleep, I'm not exactly sure when I started to abuse them but I eventually got up to the point I was taking 30 at one time every night... I absolutely loved tripping out on them because it was intense and felt like you were in another world. Well one night, I accidentally took more than I realized because when your on them things you literally forget whatever your thinking about within seconds, no ********, well I was in the shower and then next thing I know I'm on the ground having a seizure, I think I might have overdosed, I remember the feeling tho, it's scary as hell! I had to push my legs against the door and my hands on the tub so I could stiffin my body to try to make it stop and it worked, I must have fell out of the shower when this started though because after it was over I couldn't move my arm because it dislocated out of the shoulder socket and now I'm permanently stuck with it, and every single time I move it the wrong way it pops out of place, I wish I have never touched those things, plus I feel like a dumbass because I mean come on, it was benadryl. I just figured I'd share with you and tell you that you weren't alone, but the shaking and stuff (seizure) that you experienced was most likely because you might have taken to many, that's just my opinion tho, it's the most obvious one
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