Many people find it hard to fall asleep and they tend to take just anything that can help them doze off quickly. However, experts have said that just because a drug makes people fall asleep that does not mean they should take it deliberately. A new study has shown that a common drug that usually helps people doze off can cause major adverse side effects. The study has found that antihistamines are the most commonly and wrongly used drugs by people across the world to fall asleep. Experts have said that usually antihistamines are prescribed to treat symptoms of hay fever and outbreaks of hives. However, they are used for other off-label purposes as well such as insomnia. Drugs like Benadryl, ZzzQuil, Tylenol PM, Dramamine, Unisom, and many other over-the-counter (OTC) drugs contain antihistamines.
The authors of the study have advised that people should not use these medicines for anything other than fever or hives. The findings of this study have been released in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In 2017, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has officially advised that people should refrain from using common OTC antihistamines based drugs to treat severe insomnia, as there is no data available for their efficacy and safety. Dr. Suzanne Bertisch who is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School has said that these medications might be linked to a number of health issues. The new study has been done by experts from McMaster University.
Health experts have said that antihistamines drugs might be able to make people fall asleep quickly but they might cause severe side effects as well. The findings of the McMaster study have shown that antihistamines can harm cognitive function such as school or work performance. An overdose of such medicines can result in death as well. The data from the Baylor College of Medicine have shown that antihistamines drugs can lead to certain side effects such as altered mental state, urinary retention, and as well as dry mouth. The authors of the study have said that young people can very well deal with these side effects without developing any further medical issues; these medicines can affect elderly people severely.
They have said that at times some medications that are taken to improve sleep can have the opposite effect on people. Antihistamines can result in sleepwalking and parasomnias as well, said the experts. Experts have warned that these side effects can definitely take place with Benadryl just as with other hypnotic agents such as Ambien. These medicines can induce sleep but the quality of sleep will not be good, said the experts. The study has shown that these drugs do not have long-term benefits. The majority of people who use these medicines develop resistance to drugs quite quickly.
The findings of the study have revealed that not all antihistamines medications are the same. The authors have said that first-generation antihistamines are the ones that can cause adverse side effects. At the same time, newer antihistamines are considered safe. Medicines such as Benadryl, ZzzQuil, Tylenol PM, Dramamine, and Unisom have the first generation antihistamines. On the other hand, allergy drugs such as Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra include second-generation antihistamines. The study has clearly noted that newer antihistamines drugs are safer and are more effective.
These later-generation antihistamines are as affordable as the first-generation antihistamines medicines. Newer antihistamines drugs are linked to fewer side effects such as tiredness. Antihistamines are used off labels to treat asthma, eczema, and coughing. However, they are not supposed to be used for these conditions. Health experts have said that people should be careful what medicines they use for allergy-related issues.