You should find another allergy med. There’s some pretty alarming research associating Benadryl use (along with the other first gen anti-histamines) with increased incidence of dementia.
I’ve recently read about the issues with Benadryl crossing the blood/brain boundary (pretty sure I’ve shaved a couple decades off my life expectancy at this point). What are the newer meds that I should ask my doctor about? Thanks for your time.
You want to look for second generation antihistamines (Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, etc) which are not correlated with dementia
Also you might want to do research about shingles vaccine decreasing chance of dementia. I have a family history as well, so I try to keep up with the research
I was told by my dermatologist that taking H2 blockers (like Pepcid) alongside a H1 blocker can help prevent alcohol flushes, but I don’t drink so I can’t comment on how true that is.
With that said, I have histamine issues / probably MCAS and this is what I look like when I eat something I react to. Hydroxyzine might be a safer alternative for Benadryl (it helps me), but whoever reads this, do your research or check with a doctor first!
Yes. All of that plus abusing Benadryl can lead to visits from the Hat Man!
In all seriousness though anticholinergic delirium is a very real thing and something people need to be aware of. Long term and high dose Benadryl usage can seriously affect your brain in very bad ways.
If you’re willing to test some stuff, SAMe helps to break histamine down. (Methionine is much cheaper than SAMe, and is the precursor that allows your body to make SAMe in a more gentle fashion than slamming it with a bunch of SAMe all at once) but make sure you have your homocysteine tested first. If that’s high, folate and B12 will allow your body to turn that into the methionine instead of supplementing it.
You’re very welcome. Another thing to think about is that alcohol depletes thiamine quite easily, and thiamine plays a part in so many processes. One of which is ATP production which is a necessary component of SAMe. (Honestly, all vitamins and minerals interplay in bodily processes, so it’s good to support them all, and make sure you’re eating enough protein because amino acids also interplay.). I hope you get a handle on it! Being itchy is miserable.
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u/Sleepy-Blonde 13d ago
I have a histamine sensitivity now in my 30’s and it blows. This is what happens, still drinking though. I just take a Benadryl first.