Addiction Recovery

[amandas286]

A friend recommended that I take a Benadryl before a concert 3 years ago because I was anxious. I never thought it could work for anxiety but I took it. I felt like a walking zombie. My anxiety was low but I could barely stay awake. A few months later I took it again at another concert. It helped. The summer of 2010...which was 5 months after the concert I remembered Benadryl worked for my anxiety so I began taking it on and off but usually just slept during the day until I grew a tolerance and could stay awake. At this point I took Benadryl 9 days in a row and felt like a zombie. All the rest of 2010 and 2011 I took it on and off. I'm on a good benzo now and it works wonders so I barely take Benadryl anymore but the temptation is there! In 2011 it got to the point where I could drive on it. I relied on it. I haven't taken it more than 6 times over the past year but recently I took one before bed and feared another addiction coming on. I have the capsules that break and was tempted to sprinkle the powder and mix it in an alcoholic drink to calm down. See I'm calm with the benzo but the Benadryl is a habit. At this point in time I prevented myself from putting it in a drink and want to throw away the box I have left. I'm scared. Benadryl may not be heroin, coke, or heavy pain killers... But it's still habit forming. I need support... Do I need to go to a specialist? Im in my 20s I graduated from college two years ago...so I really need to get my life together.

[Special_K]

The findings on this subject are that Benadryl is not physically addictive. It is all mental. Benadryl is usually used as sleep aid. People who become reliant on it for sleep, get it in their minds that they cannot sleep without it, which can cause their insomnia.

Seek help from a physician. They can help you straighten this out.

[flamingoccm]

1. If you're going to take the drug, just take it. Don't mix it with alcohol. It's really not safe to mix a sedative with a depressant. 

2. Like the other gURL said, it's not physically addictive. It's psychologically addictive. Basically, you've convinced yourself that you need it. Seeing a professional may not be a bad idea. If you really have an issue with anxiety, there are better (and safer) medications you can get in order to reduce those symptoms. If you don't feel like you can control yourself with Benadryl in your house, get rid of it.