Benadryl and Shortness Of Breath: What Users Say

• Jus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2020

For Allergic Reactions "This is an old thread but thought I would share. I was in the hospital in labor. I developed a reaction to the epidural that caused severe itchiness. They gave me something that didn't help, and after several hours of itching, a nurse gave me IV Benadryl. I immediately couldn't breathe and felt like someone kicked me in the chest. I was warm all over, nauseous, and on the edge of passing out. An EKG also showed I had a heart arrhythmia from it. I've taken oral Benadryl in the past with no problems. Now it's on my list of allergies, and I tell every doc I see. Most terrifying experience."

• use...
• October 28, 2014

For Allergic Reactions "I was given Benadryl at the hospital for an allergic reaction. It instantly shot my heart rate up to 217 bpm, and instantly my mouth got dry. I couldn't swallow, my chest felt hot, like an elephant was sitting on it, and I got really cold. It put me into shock, my body wouldn't stop shaking, I could breathe. It was so scary, I thought I was dead. Thanks to the doctor's quick response, he saved me, but it almost killed me."

• Abb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 29, 2020

For Urticaria "I was admitted to the hospital with a bad case of hives. I was put on an IV. They injected Benadryl into my IV to help with the hives. Within seconds, I couldn't breathe. The nurses had just injected it and were leaving to do some other errands. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't speak, and I knew I was gonna die. I managed to pull myself up in the bed, sitting up, and started pounding on the side of the bed rails to get attention. That's when one of the nurses turned around and saw that I could not breathe. Within seconds, I had doctors and nurses around my bed. I now have to list Benadryl as an allergy. I probably should carry a medical bracelet just in case. That was a horrifying day."

• Chr...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 1, 2016

For Urticaria "I was diagnosed with chronic idiopathic angioedema in 2005. I was 8 months pregnant and woke up one morning, and my face was unrecognizable. I called my doctor, and they said, 'Oh, it's probably just pregnancy swelling.' I am an only child, so I didn't know about facial swells. My husband came home and said, 'This is NO pregnancy swelling.' This was in 2003. It continued weekly, so we took pictures and took them to my ob-gyn. He had been practicing medicine for over 30 years and had never seen anything like it. I saw numerous doctors and was finally diagnosed. I was in the hospital, and I swelled up. I was given too much Benadryl. It took my breath away, and I couldn't speak. Another nurse came in and yelled at the nurse. It has to be given slowly, or it's very dangerous."