Diphenhydramine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• June 15, 2012

Diphenhydramine for Nausea/Vomiting "I have emetophobia, that is, a pervasive fear of vomiting. I do not know if this affects vomiting, but if I feel nauseous, Benadryl works wonders. My stomach settles right down and my anxiety lowers just enough for me to deal with it without the use of benzodiazepines."

• Deb...
• September 5, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "So awful! I never have an issue going to sleep, I just wake up too early. I took these as I had a long journey the next day. I was awake till 3:50 AM, really restless and buzzing! Felt like I was wired on coffee! Woke feeling exhausted and just terrible! They have the opposite effect - I’m throwing the rest in the bin and now have to drive for three hours feeling so awful!"

• Abi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2021

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I have used Sominex on and off for 2 years due to anxiety and night sweats (I am a 48-year-old female, maybe hormones are playing up here...). If I don't take it, I wake up after 3 or 4 hours and then hardly sleep. When I do take it, I sleep for 6 hours, then wake up but only for 10 or so minutes and am able to go back to sleep, getting 8-10 hours overall. I feel so much more rested. It's a lifesaver. My GP told me it's fine to carry on if it helps. Highly recommend."

• Blu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I bought these Nytol from Boots, and the man behind the counter, the pharmacist, didn't even ask me any questions. They do work, but I have anxiety and a history of panic attacks. These made me panic because I was going off to sleep, but because I knew it was from the tablet, I panicked and felt out of control. I felt shaky and had two panic attacks. These make you feel very strange in a way that isn't nice. That normal internal chatter you have in your head is cut off, so you are relaxed but feel disconnected from yourself. They make you feel drowsy and not alert. Also gave me diarrhea. So overall, horrible experience."

• Cow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "Ugh, just no. The first time I tried this tablet, I took a whole one. Did what it said on the tin, and I was knocked out within the hour. I slept for thirteen hours and woke up feeling terrible. Groggy, dizzy, and as if my limbs were tied down with iron weights. I wanted to cry at the tiniest things and felt bloody awful. Having slept for so long, I couldn't sleep it off. The next night, I took half a pill. In the morning, I didn't have the same grogginess, but I wasn't firing on all cylinders. I was also gripped with horrible anxiety that stayed with me until about 9 PM. I didn't take anything last night, and I feel absolutely fine. I find it difficult to chalk this up to coincidence."

• bro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2022

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I have had trouble getting to sleep after I stopped taking oxycodone that I had been taking for broken ribs. ZzzQuil actually had the opposite effect than what it promised. Was jumpy and couldn't get to sleep for hours. I gave it three days to work, and each was the same. Rubbish!"

• Qui...
• June 21, 2017

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "At first, I thought I found the perfect drug, I slept finally! But the side effects are pretty much there. (Dizzy, blurred vision, strange emotions, anxiety), and after every use, they are getting stronger."

• Anonymous
• October 14, 2015

For Insomnia "Took 100mg to fall asleep and slept walked in the middle of the night! I took a bottle of lotion out of the bathroom cabinet, and I must have watered it down and shook it up because it was liquid the next day and sitting by my refrigerator! What the f**k! I have no memory of this, and the next day I was anxious and depressed all over the place emotionally."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2022

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "Extremely scary. I took a full dose of the liquid form the first night detoxing THC, and I actually thought I was going insane. It did not help me sleep at all, it made me super anxious and restless instead. I honestly was better off just going to bed with no sleep aid. If you are in a similar situation, save your money and sanity and try another solution."

• tjh...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 11, 2021

For Insomnia "Short-term, it helped with my insomnia, however, long-term, I think it made things worse, which is perhaps to be expected. I don't think any doctor recommends it as a long-term solution. I now have difficulties with my bladder (frequency, incontinence), which also contribute to my insomnia. Now, when I take it occasionally for sleep, it does very little other than make me feel a bit sedated and anxious/weak. If you use it as it's designed to be used, you probably won't have problems, just don't abuse it."

• 707...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 8, 2016

Diphenhydramine for Allergic Rhinitis "Works better than most prescription drugs for allergies and chronic sinusitis (I've had sinus surgery 4 times due to this), whose side effects are health threatening. I will only take at night due to the drowsiness, this drowsiness can turn into nervousness if I don't fall asleep and keeps me up all night. I do have drowsy days often with naps from sitting and just passing out. I find that if I continue taking it every night, about the fourth night, I begin to have vivid and horrible nightmares. I also get drenching night sweats - the two are not always together, one night I may have one or the other. I take one (1) tablet."

• Nev...
• February 3, 2023

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "Tried this for the first time, and never again. I had the worst case of anxiety and restless leg syndrome that I’ve ever experienced in my life. Woke up tired from being up more than if I didn’t take it. On top of that, horrible dreams as well."

• Anx...
• January 13, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I used to use Nytol a fair amount at uni, but then stopped for about 2 years. I recently tried it again, and I have had a horrible night. Dry mouth and restlessness accompanied by severe anxiety, but nothing else. I have been trying for a few hours to get to sleep, and alas, nothing. I won’t be taking it again."

• Sam...
• June 16, 2019

For Cold Symptoms "I used generic diphenhydramine HCl 25 mg capsule to help with a runny nose, sore/scratchy throat, and sneezing because of a common cold. I took only one capsule before sleep at night. It made me sleepy right away. But it made me nauseated, helped with a runny nose and sneezing. I don’t like that while I was asleep I kept feeling jittery."

• syl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2017

For Nausea/Vomiting "If you got a migraine cocktail in the ER, then the med that gave you the anxiety was most likely the Compazine. It makes you feel very anxious, that's why they give the Benadryl with it to counteract the side effect of anxiety. (Migraine cocktail consists of Benadryl, Compazine, and Depakote or Solumedrol). I had to take more Benadryl to get rid of the severe anxiety."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2019

For Nausea/Vomiting "My review is about the IV and IM form of diphenhydramine (for migraines). 1. Works great for migraines and helps other drugs work better. 2. Can cause anxiety and restlessness. This has to do with how quickly your body processes the drug. 3. You will build up a tolerance quickly, so do not take this every day. 4. If receiving this through an IV, ask them to push it slowly. It can burn, and it also makes me cough."

• hus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2018

For Insomnia "I usually have severe and chronic insomnia 3 years ago until now due to anxiety and stress. I took diphenhydramine for the first time 2 years ago, it works perfectly. I had 9 hours of sleep with high quality. I retook it this week for 3 nights because I have occasional insomnia due to the stress and anxiety I am passing through. It turns me sleepy, however, I have many side effects like severe anxiety, waking up during the night every 40 minutes, and low-quality sleep. It seems that this substance works once, and drowsiness is just a side effect."

• My...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 10, 2021

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I had taken a Sominex years ago... just one, at around 8 PM... my husband woke me up at 2:30 PM the next day still out of it and more than able to continue sleeping. This Wednesday I took just half a tablet after my first experience being one of complete knock out. I slept okay, fits and starts, but again was woken up at 2:30 PM. But I wasn't aware that being on lamotrigine for seizures, I shouldn't have taken it at all. I'm only on a very low dose of medication but have had the worst focal aware seizures for 4 days now. I can't wake up properly and I feel cold, washed out, and paranoid. Just be aware of what other medication you're on before you take it."

• Stu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2020

For Insomnia "While Benadryl works for insomnia, it also (for me) had side effects of mild nausea, anxiety, chills, and elevated pulse and BP, also short-term memory issues. After a little over 2 weeks, I stopped because of them and found myself going through withdrawal - a lot of anxiety and not feeling well. I wish someone had mentioned this could happen in my internet searches before I started, but there was nothing. Once I stopped and this happened, I searched 'Benadryl withdrawal' and there was LOTS of information to be found and symptom lists. For me, this made me sleep but with bad side effects while taking and then stopping. Be careful using even for a fairly short time!!!"

• Anonymous
• March 6, 2010

For Nausea/Vomiting "I had a severe migraine, was driven to the hospital when regular pain relievers did not work. I was given IV Benadryl along with an anti-nausea medicine and fluids. I felt sleepy almost immediately, and my pain was lessened. The huge downside was that I felt a huge amount of anxiety for 48 hours afterward. I do not suffer from anxiety normally. I believe this was an adverse reaction of the Benadryl."

• San...
• June 25, 2015

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "Very ineffective. Caused me to have a racing heart, not sleep, and to feel depressed and anxious the next day. Don't recommend."

• Alm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 29, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Nausea/Vomiting "Made me very anxious and didn't help my nausea at all."

• Noa...
• October 24, 2020

Diphenhydramine for Insomnia "I took two, which the box says you can, and I feel alert and buzzing. Took same before another night, worked fine. I feel more anxious."