Can i take 25 mg of Benadryl everyday, every 6 hours and avoid any food or pet allergies??

I am curious if I can take Benadryl daily without harm to myself or becoming immune to it. I suffer from allergies from various foods that are unknown at this time and some cats, not all cats and Ibuprophen (which I will not take even if i am on Benadryl). I worry constantly about anaphylaxis since it happend once due to an allergic reaction from Ibuprophen. My PCP precsribed Zyrtec for me to take daily but it is not for food allergies. Benadryl works great for me and if I only take one 25 mg tablet, I am not too sleepy. Will this be a safe alternative for me?? I have no insurance and can't afford to go back to the doctor just yet to discuss this, I called and spoke ith a nurse who said I needed another appointment to talk to the doctor. Please help!! I really need to find something to help as it is causing me MAJOR anxeity and I have had to go to the ER in an ambulance 4 times this month. Thanks so much!!

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, welcome to the forum, benadryl is quite effective in treating allergies. Benadryl is a drug belonging to anti histamines, they are first generation means it is associated with sedation, more than second generation antihistaminics like citirizine. With this drug there can few side effects like excitation, irritability, nervousness, paradoxical excitement, restlessness etc.

You can go for the long term therapy; side effects will not be matter of concern except for mild sedation and sometimes headache. I suggest you to consult a dermatologist for more info and prescription. Take care and regards.

[bsmsl]

You need to take several actions:
1) You MUST identify the foods you are allergic to.  One way to do this is by keeping a food diary.  Write down EVERYTHING that you eat, when you ate it and how much you ate.  Then record any reaction you may have.  Some people go to an elimination diet for a week or so and then slowly add back foods to see if they react to them, kind of like when you start a baby on solid foods.  Some common food allergy culprets that you might want to test first and wheat, glutten, milk, eggs, peanut, soy, and sesame.  Some of these are very hard to find in foods. You have to read the ingrediants list very carefully.  
I would also suggest that your avoid eating out until you learn more about your allergens.  Peanut, soy and sesame can be hidden as oils in prepared foods and are especially prevalent in Oriental cooking.  Most people can handle rice and chicken.
When you can afford to see an allergist, that would be a very wise thing to do.  They can be very helpful in identifying your allergies.  
OH, you could also be reacting to things that were in the feed fed to live stock.  I have a friend that does that.  She can only eat certain organically raised bison and lobster (no beef at all).  Her grower changed feed once and she reacted to that meet when she got it.  

2) You NEED an Epi-Pen.  Maybe the Twin-Ject (that is two Epi-pens that come together as one prescription because you get two of them).  These won't be cheap without insurance, but they could save your life.  If you use it, you are supposed to follow-up with a doctor's or ER visit.  It could keep you out of the ER with their bills though if you respond well and follow-up with your doctor.  A $200 - $300 doctor's bill is much better than an $1000 Er bill.  Add on an ambulance ride and an Epi-Pen could save you a lot of money in the long run.

3)  As the doctor said, Benadryl can be taken as your describe. There are no danger of doing so.  I have bad pollen allergies and take several 24 hour Zyrtec a day (Claritin and Allegra did nothing).  In the spring I get very itchy with the pollen allergy.  I layer on a few Benadryl when it gets unbearable.

I hope that helps you and gives you some actions to take so that you can start controlling your reactions better.

Oh, I am also allergic to ibuprophen.  You should avoid ALL NSAIDs - aspirin, naproxen, celebrex, ibuprophen...  NSAID allergies tend to cross react with each other.  Stick with Tylenol for a pain reliever if you have to use one.  

Take care and feel better.
God bless.

[Robertgem]

I am not a doctor but I have taken one 25mg benadryl every night for a long time without any side effects. It helps my allergies and helps me get a good night sleep. If it has not given you any problems before I wouldn't think it would bother you if you don't take more than one, but ask a pharmacist at the drug store for free advice. Most pharmacists will give you free information on over the counter meds. You really need to figure out what foods you are allergic to. You can do this by removing it and other likely candidates from your diet for two weeks and see if you feel better. After that you introduce one possibly allergic causing food at a time back into your diet and see if that causes symptoms of allergy. That is what my ENT did with me and the results were amazing.

[Nikodicreta]

     Hi and welcome to the forum.

According to one study:
Top 10 long term Benadryl side effects:

                            (% of long term users)
1 Insomnia                (9.33%)
2 Fatigue                (8.67%)
3 Dizziness                (6.67%)
4 Headache                (6.00%)
5 Nausea                (4.67%)
6 Depression               (4.00%)
7 Cognitive Disorder (4.00%)
8 Chest Pain                (3.33%)
9 Muscle Cramps         (3.33%)
10 Consciousness - decreased (3.33%)

Should you have any of the above issues, I would recommend
that you really should look at alternatives.

Why not explore Holistic Allergy Elimination.
I have done a lot of treatments using the "Allergy Antidotes" Protocols.
Sandy  Radomski, an  N.D. and Allergy Specialist and is the  creator of this  program.
Seek a Therapist in your area.
She's trained 1000's around the world, and I'm one of them from Canada.
Very efficient, successful and  usually permanent allergy elimination. And reasonable fees!
There are also N.A.E.T (Dr Nambudripat's Allergy Elimination Techniques) Doctors and Practitioners. Very similar approaches- both holistic ( Energy Medicine).

On your own, you can do Dr.Coca's 1-week Pulse Test (free download). And a real eye opener for the possible  allergies and disease implications.
It will give you-  with accuracy - all the ingested substances you are reactive to.
Excellent diagnostic tool, and it show positives for any of the 5 types of allergies
and sensitivities, including hidden, delayed or phantom.

  Life is  precious, and  a healthy life even more.
  We all deserve a better and healthier life,
   and so do you!
    Blessings,
   Nikodicreta