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Aler-Dryl (Generic Diphenhydramine)

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Why is this medication prescribed?

Diphenhydramine is used to treat hay fever, allergies, or the common cold-related runny nose, sneezing, and red, itchy, and watery eyes. Diphenhydramine is additionally used to treat cough brought on by slight airway or throat irritation. Diphenhydramine is also used to treat sleeplessness and to prevent and treat motion sickness (difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep). Diphenhydramine is also used to treat persons with early-stage parkinsonian syndrome, a neurological condition that impairs muscle coordination, balance, and movement, as well as people who have movement issues as a result of pharmaceutical side effects.

Diphenhydramine will ease these disorders’ symptoms, but it won’t treat the underlying cause or hasten recovery. Diphenhydramine shouldn’t be given to kids to make them sleepy. Diphenhydramine belongs to the group of drugs known as antihistamines. It functions by preventing the body’s natural histamine from producing the symptoms of allergies.

How should this medicine be used?

Diphenhydramine is available as a tablet, a tablet that dissolves quickly, a liquid-filled capsule, a dissolving strip, powder, and an oral liquid. Diphenhydramine is typically given every 4 to 6 hours to treat the symptoms of allergies, colds, and coughs. Diphenhydramine is typically taken 30 minutes prior to departure, as well as, if necessary, before meals and at bedtime, to combat motion sickness. Diphenhydramine is administered before night when used to treat insomnia (30 minutes before planned sleep). Diphenhydramine is typically given four times daily after being used three times daily to address irregular movements. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any instructions you do not understand, and carefully follow any instructions on the packaging or on the label of your prescription. Administer diphenhydramine as prescribed. Never take it in larger or less amounts or more frequently than recommended by your doctor or the label.

Diphenhydramine is available both on its own and in combination with decongestants, painkillers, and fever reducers. Find out which product is best for your symptoms by consulting your doctor or pharmacist. Before combining two or more over-the-counter cough and cold medications, carefully read the labelling. If you take these products together, you can experience an overdose because they might both contain the same active ingredient. This is crucial if you plan to give children cough and cold drugs.

Cough and cold remedies sold over-the-counter, notably those containing diphenhydramine, can have fatal side effects in young children. Give these goods to kids who are under the age of four not at all. If you provide these goods to kids between the ages of 4 and 11, use caution and pay close attention to the instructions on the container.

Make sure the medication is appropriate for a child of that age by carefully reading the package label before providing diphenhydramine or a combination product containing diphenhydramine to a child. Products containing diphenhydramine intended for adults should not be given to children.

Before administering a diphenhydramine product to a kid, read the package label to determine the recommended dosage. Use the dose on the chart that corresponds to the child’s age. If you are unsure about how much medication to give the child, consult their doctor.

Do not measure your dose if you are consuming the drink with a regular spoon. Use a spoon designed specifically for measuring medication, the measuring cup that came with it, or both.

If you’re using the dissolve-on-tongue strips, put one on your tongue at a time and then swallow it once it melts.

Place one of the rapidly dissolving pills on your tongue and close your mouth if you’re taking them. The tablet can be ingested with or without water and will dissolve fast.

Take the pills whole if you’re taking them. Avoid attempting to open the capsules.

Other uses for this medicine

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you’re interested in using this drug for any other conditions.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before taking diphenhydramine,

  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist if you have any allergies prior to using diphenhydramine, whether to the drug, any other medications, or any of the components used to prepare the drug. For a list of the ingredients, consult your physician or pharmacist or look on the label of the container.
  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products that you are now taking or intend to use. Mention any of the following: additional diphenhydramine products (including those applied topically), additional cold, hay fever, or allergy medications, pharmaceuticals for anxiety, depression, or seizures, muscle relaxants, narcotic pain medications, sedatives, sleeping pills, and tranquillizers.
  • Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had any of the following conditions: ulcers; difficulty urinating (due to an enlarged prostate gland); heart disease; high blood pressure; seizures; or an overactive thyroid gland. Glaucoma, a condition in which increased pressure in the eye can cause gradual loss of vision. If your doctor has advised you to follow a low-sodium diet, let them know if you plan to use the liquid.
  • Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking diphenhydramine.
  • You should be aware that diphenhydramine is typically not recommended for usage in older individuals, with the exception of managing severe allergic responses, as it is not as safe or effective for treating your illness as other medication(s). If you are 65 years of age or older, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using this medicine with your doctor.
  • You should let your doctor or dentist know that you are taking diphenhydramine if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
  • You should be aware that this medicine may cause you to feel sleepy. Prior to understanding how this drug affects you, avoid using machinery or driving a car.
  • Keep in mind that drinking alcohol can increase the drowsiness brought on by this drug. You should abstain from alcohol while using this medication.
  • You should be aware that some brands of chewable tablets and rapidly disintegrating tablets containing diphenhydramine may be sweetened with aspartame, a source of phenylalanine, if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), an inherited condition that requires you to follow a special diet to prevent damage to your brain that could cause severe intellectual disability.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

What should I do if I forget a dose?

Usually, diphenhydramine is administered as needed. Take the missing dose of diphenhydramine as soon as you remember it if your doctor has prescribed it. If the next dose is soon due, skip the missed one and carry on with your regular dosing plan. To make up for a missing dose, do not take a second one.

What side effects can this medication cause?

Side effects from diphenhydramine could exist. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

  • Throat, nose, and mouth are dry
  • Drowsiness
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Reduced appetite
  • Constipation
  • Chest congestion that is worse
  • Headache
  • Muscle tremor
  • Excitement (especially in children)
  • Nervousness

There could be some severe negative effects. Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

  • Vision issues
  • Having a difficult or painful time urinating

Other negative effects of diphenhydramine are possible. If you encounter any odd issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088)

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

In case of emergency/overdose

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

What other information should I know?

Ask any inquiries you may have regarding diphenhydramine to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.

Brand names

  • Aler-Dryl®
  • Allergia-C®
  • Allermax®
  • Altaryl®
  • Banophen®
  • Ben Tann®
  • Benadryl®
  • Bromanate AF®
  • Compoz Nighttime Sleep Aid®
  • Dicopanol®
  • Diphedryl®
  • Diphen®
  • Diphenadryl®
  • Diphenhist®
  • Diphenylin®
  • Dytan®
  • Hydramine®
  • Nytol®
  • Pardryl®
  • PediaCare Children’s Allergy®
  • Siladryl®
  • Silphen®
  • Sominex®
  • Unisom®
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