Questions about new sleep medication
I am planning on trying a new sleep medication (Diphenhydramine/nytol) and I'm worried about the side effects and want to know what kind of things can be done to minimize them.
One thing I'm concerned about is if I will wake up at all in the night or if I will completely sleep for the whole night. I ask this because I usually get up and use the toilet in the night, which I prefer to do rather than hold it all night.
This brings me to the next issue, which is urine retention. I want to know if I should drink water or not before I go to sleep and how this will affect urine retention. Should I drink water before bed when taking this and if so how much?
Another concern I have is how long the drowsiness lasts after I wake up.
Finally, does the amount of medication I take affect any of these things? If I take about half of the dose, will I still be able to get the effects of being able to fall asleep easily but without all the negative side effects?
There are also a load of other side effects listed here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphenhydramine#Adverse_effects
If there are any other side effects I haven't thought of or that I should be aware of, please let me know.
Hi
. I see you are new to the community. Welcome!
We are not medical experts, but I can tell you about my experience taking Benadryl now and then for sleep with my doctor's blessing. Benadryl has the same active ingredient, so it is comparable. I do not suffer from true insomnia, but I do have trouble falling asleep when I am stressed. Though Benadryl does help me sleep, I do wake up easily enough if I need to use the bathroom or if a family member (human or animal) needs me during the night. I might be a bit groggy, but I can definitely function. If it relieves some anxiety, try wearing a pad for the first night or two just in case. You will probably not need it, but it might put you at ease.
If I can sleep at least six hours, I am not groggy in the morning. I feel even better if I can sleep eight hours. I have never experienced grogginess with melatonin, but melatonin sometimes gives me nightmares and Benadryl does double-duty when my allergies are acting up.
In general, doctors do not advise drinking water immediately before bed. Usually, they suggest that you drink lots during the day and stop drinking a few hours before bed. Diphenhydramine can dry out your membranes though. I sometimes use sinus spray to prevent sinus infections. I already have issues with dry eye, so I keep gel drops on my bedside stand and often wear an eye mask to bed to ensure I don't open my eyes during the night. (Yup. I sometimes sleep with my eyes partly open.) You can keep a bottle of dry mouth melts on your nightstand as well if you are concerned about that potential side effect.
All those side effects sound super scary, but keep in mind that not everyone experiences them. Rarely does anyone suffer from all of them and some people experience none at all. You might be one of those people. Did your doctor recommend diphenhydramine or did you decide to give it a try before talking with your doctor? Have you suffered from insomnia long? Diphenhydramine can be great for occassional use or for short stretches when you are trying to get back in track, but doctors usually don't recommend it for long-term use.
I hope this helps and that you are able to get a good night's sleep. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
