DrugLib.com — Drug Information Portal

Rx drug information, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, news, and more

Benadryl (Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride) - Summary

 
 



BENADRYL SUMMARY

Benadryl®
(Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride Injection, USP)

Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) is an antihistamine drug having the chemical name 2-(Diphenylmethoxy)-N,N-dimethylethylamine hydrochloride.

Benadryl in the injectable form is effective in adults and pediatric patients, other than premature infants and neonates, for the following conditions when Benadryl in the oral form is impractical.

Antihistaminic

For amelioration of allergic reactions to blood or plasma, in anaphylaxis as an adjunct to epinephrine and other standard measures after the acute symptoms have been controlled, and for other uncomplicated allergic conditions of the immediate type when oral therapy is impossible or contraindicated.

Motion sickness

For active treatment of motion sickness.

Antiparkinsonism

For use in parkinsonism, when oral therapy is impossible or contraindicated, as follows: parkinsonism in the elderly who are unable to tolerate more potent agents; mild cases of parkinsonism in other age groups, and in other cases of parkinsonism in combination with centrally acting anticholinergic agents.


See all Benadryl indications & dosage >>

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Published Studies Related to Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)

A trial of midazolam vs diphenhydramine in prophylaxis of metoclopramide-induced akathisia. [2012.01]
STUDY OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effects of midazolam and diphenhydramine for the prevention of metoclopramide-induced akathisia... CONCLUSION: Coadministered midazolam reduced the incidence of akathisia induced by metoclopramide compared to placebo but increased the rate of sedation. No difference was detected from diphenhydramine. Routine coadministered 20 mg diphenhydramine did not prevent metoclopramide-induced akathisia. Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of short-term diphenhydramine administration on aqueous tear production in normal dogs. [2011.11]
Objective To perform a randomized, placebo-controlled, masked clinical trial using a cross-over design to determine the effect of oral diphenhydramine on aqueous tear production in normal dogs. Animals studied Seventeen dogs with normal ophthalmic examinations...

Evaluation of the subjective and reinforcing effects of diphenhydramine, levetiracetam, and valproic acid. [2011.06]
Few unscheduled sedating medications have been evaluated for their subjective and reinforcing effects in humans. To increase the information available about unscheduled sedating medications and to evaluate the ability of human laboratory measures to discriminate between scheduled and unscheduled sedating drugs, 24 subjects with a history of experience with several classes of drugs of abuse, including sedatives and/or alcohol, and who reported liking a test dose of pentobarbital 300 mg, were randomized to single doses of diphenhydramine 400 mg, levetiracetam 4000 mg, valproic acid 1500 mg, diazepam 30 mg or placebo in a double-blind, 5-way crossover study...

Efficacy of intramuscular nalbuphine versus diphenhydramine for the prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus after cesarean delivery. [2011.03]
BACKGROUND: Pruritus is the most common side effect of epidural morphine analgesia. Diphenhydramine is a widely used agent for the treatment of urticarial pruritus. Nalbuphine is a mixed opioid agonist-antagonist and has been reported to be effective in treating opioid-induced pruritus. We compared the effectiveness of intramuscular diphenhydramine and nalbuphine for the prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus after cesarean section... CONCLUSION: Nalbuphine proved better than diphenhydramine for prevention of epidural morphine-induced pruritus in patients who underwent cesarean section. Prophylactic intramuscular nalbuphine (10 mg) is effective in decreasing the incidence and severity of pruritus and does not affect analgesia.

Next-day residual sedative effect after nighttime administration of an over-the-counter antihistamine sleep aid, diphenhydramine, measured by positron emission tomography. [2010.12]
Antihistamines often are self-administered at night as over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aids, but their next-day residual sedative effect has never been evaluated using a reliable quantitative method such as positron emission tomography (PET). We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in which we evaluated the residual effect the next day after nighttime administration of diphenhydramine, a commonly used OTC sleep aid, in terms of brain H receptor occupancy (HRO) measured using (1)(1)C-doxepin-PET...

more studies >>

Clinical Trials Related to Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)

Pharmacogenetic Factors and Side Effects of Metoclopramide and Diphenhydramine [Active, not recruiting]

Diphenhydramine for Acute Migraine [Completed]
Parenteral diphenhydramine is commonly used as adjuvant therapy for acute migraine despite the fact that data supporting this practice do not exist. The investigators propose a randomized double blind study to test the hypothesis that 50mg of intravenous diphenhydramine, when added to standard migraine therapy, will result in a greater rate of sustained headache relief than standard migraine therapy alone. For this study, standard migraine therapy will be 10mg of intravenous metoclopramide. Sustained headache relief is defined as achieving a headache level of "mild" or "none" within two hours and maintaining a level of "mild" or "none" for 48 hours. Patients who present to the Montefiore emergency room (Bronx, NY) with an acute migraine will be approached for participation. They will be screened for medication contra-indications and non-migraine etiologies of headache. The study will be randomized. Assignment will be concealed. Participants and researchers will be blinded. Efficacy outcomes and adverse events will be assessed every half hour for two hours in the ED and by telephone 48 hours after medication administration. A sample size calculation, based on pilot data, revealed the need for 374 participants. An interim analysis will be performed after 200 participants have been enrolled with the goal of assessing for lack of conditional power.

Diphenhydramine, Lorazepam, and Dexamethasone in Treating Nausea and Vomiting Caused By Chemotherapy [Terminated]
RATIONALE: Diphenhydramine, lorazepam, and dexamethasone may help lessen or prevent nausea and vomiting in patients treated with chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether diphenhydramine, lorazepam, and dexamethasone are more effective than standard therapy in treating nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying diphenhydramine, lorazepam, and dexamethasone to see how well they work compared with standard therapy in treating nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in young patients with newly diagnosed cancer.

Study to Evaluate Diphenhydramine in Children and Adolescents [Completed]
To characterize the pharmacokinetics of diphenhydramine in two pediatric populations: children, ages 2 to < 12 years, and adolescents, ages 12 to < 18 years.

Study of Promethazine for Treatment of Diabetic Gastroparesis [Recruiting]
Adult diabetic patients (ages 18-65) with gastric emptying scintigraphy-confirmed delayed gastric emptying will be recruited to participate in the study. Using double-blinded methodology, study participants will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment arms: promethazine 12. 5 mg three times daily for 28 days or placebo three times daily for 28 days. The primary outcome will be the change in gastroparesis symptom severity, as measured by the Gastroparesis Cardinal Symptom Index (GCSI) at four weeks compared to baseline. Participants will be seen for a clinic evaluation at weeks 0, 2 and 4, during which symptom scores, adverse events and treatment compliance will be assessed. It is hypothesized promethazine treatment will be superior to placebo in improving symptoms of gastroparesis.

more trials >>

Reports of Suspected Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) Side Effects

OFF Label USE (56)Drug Hypersensitivity (35)Urticaria (31)Hypersensitivity (27)Nausea (27)Drug Ineffective (26)Hallucination (25)Pain (23)Pruritus (22)Product Quality Issue (20)more >>


PATIENT REVIEWS / RATINGS / COMMENTS

Based on a total of 3 ratings/reviews, Benadryl has an overall score of 7.67. The effectiveness score is 7.33 and the side effect score is 6.67. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst.
 

Benadryl review by 43 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   No Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Hives
Dosage & duration:   25 mg taken every 2 hours for the period of 3 days
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   None
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   At the onset of my condition of hives, I tried to avoid taking any medications and was hoping to ride it out. By the second day, the itching got unbearable so I gave in and took Benadryl to counteract the severe itching I was having. At this stage, the hives were in full swing so the medication was only 50% effective but it helped enough for me to resist scratching myself. As time went by, the itching slowly subsided and the hives went away (lasted about five days).
Side effects:   When I first took Benadryl, I took two tablets (50 mg) on an empty stomach. The medication left me nauseated and lethargic.
Comments:   After the initial dosage taken (described above), I reduced the dosage to just one tablet (25 mg) but I increased the frequency to one tablet every two hours. I figured this would be equivalent to the recommended directions of 2 tablets every 4 hours but I spread the tablets out to keep the effects of the medication fresh. I also learned not to take this medication on an empty stomach. It worked since I did not suffer any nausea, drowsiness, dry mouth, or upset stomach.

 

Benadryl review by medical professional caring for 11 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   allergic reaction
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken one time dose for the period of one time dose
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   solumedrol
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   it was IV push; it was common to parents; it was accessible; dosage for pediatrics was easy to calculate. treated pts itching, swelling and hives.
Side effects:   pt became very agitated. started screaming. couldn't sit still. pt was speaking and not making sense. pt had altered mental status for about 5min. blood pressure and heart rate increased.
Comments:   pt eventualy wore himself out, and fell asleep. itching and swelling relieved.

 

Benadryl review by medical professional caring for 11 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   allergic reaction
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken one time dose for the period of one time dose
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   solumedrol
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   it was IV push; it was common to parents; it was accessible; dosage for pediatrics was easy to calculate. treated pts itching, swelling and hives.
Side effects:   pt became very agitated. started screaming. couldn't sit still. pt was speaking and not making sense. pt had altered mental status for about 5min. blood pressure and heart rate increased.
Comments:   pt eventualy wore himself out, and fell asleep. itching and swelling relieved.

See all Benadryl reviews / ratings >>

Page last updated: 2011-12-09

-- advertisement -- The American Red Cross
 
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Site usage policy | Privacy policy

All Rights reserved - Copyright DrugLib.com, 2006-2017