Benadryl for Allergies — Is It Ototoxic or Safe?

[JuneStar]

My allergies are so crappy this time of year. Is Benadryl ototoxic? Or safe to take? Any alternatives?

Thanks!

 

[JohnAdams]

According to bing.com search thingy

Is Benadryl ototoxic
While it is true that certain medications, particularly antibiotics, can cause tinnitus because of ototoxic reactions, Benadryl is not one of them. Benadryl is marketed as a decongestant and is taken primarily by those who have cold or allergy problems and can actually sometimes help those with tinnitus.

 

[JuneStar]

ok thank you!!! and helps you sleep!

my allergies are prob making my tinnitus worse. yuck. damn mold! can't wait till winter! I always have issues this time of year. all this yucky post nasal drip and Eustachian Tube drainage.

 

[Lane]

Is Benadryl ototoxic?

Benadryl is not one of them

From what I can gather, it can be. It's considered an anticholinergic drug, all of which I believe are considered ototoxic. I read one account online of a man who took a single dose of Benadryl, and four years later, was still dealing with the tinnitus it caused.

My own tinnitus was caused by a single dose of the anticholinergic drug Promethazine, also known as Phenergen. Most decongestants and cold and allergy medications are anticholinergic, and should be considered carefully. I would assume fragile ears would be more susceptible to ear damage than those that are healthy.

 

[coffee_girl]

If it helps, I take benadryl every year for 1 month in June due to hay fever. It has never impacted my T.

 

[David077]

The same drug as Benadryl helped me with tinnitus, but also cause RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome).

 

[Lane]

Benadryl helped me with tinnitus, but also cause RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome)

The link below will take you to an article that gives a pretty in-depth, scientific explanation of how acetylcholine affects muscle contraction, and could provide you with some insights into how it caused your RLS -- @JohnAdams. Anticholinergic drugs essentially block acetylcholine receptors in the body, which is why they work as they do, and can negatively affect normal muscle contraction. Unfortunately, for some people, the side effects can be disastrous.

In my case, the anticholinergic drug I took tightened and constricted literally all my muscles, especially in the weaker areas of my body. A slightly problematic knee was pulled completely out of its normal alignment, and still has not recovered. Same thing happened in my lower back, neck and shoulder areas, mostly on my right side. I'm currently doing extensive physical therapy to try to correct some of these drug-induced misalignments; including TMJ realignment.

This abnormal muscle contraction may be the primary reason I developed significant tinnitus. There are acetylcholine receptors in all parts of the body, but--of note to people with tinnitus and/or hyperacusis--I discovered they're also located in the inner ear. So if an anticholinergic drug is negatively affecting the muscles in the body in an unusual way, it's easy to imagine how it could cause some pretty serious inner ear and/or eustacian tube dysfunction, including Tonic tensor tympani syndrome (TTTS). I have symptoms of all of these things.

I have concerns there's an under-appreciation of how many of the drugs that are often discussed on this forum are anticholinergic, and how they have the potential to exacerbate the very ear problems we're trying to heal from. -- Check out THIS POST for a fairly comprehensive list of anticholinergic drugs.
............................................................

The Effect of Acetylcholine on Muscle
Acetylcholine is a chemical messenger, a neurotransmitter, released by nerve cells in many parts of the peripheral nervous system. It controls the contraction of all skeletal or voluntary muscles, for instance.

 

[Lane]

I take benadryl every year for 1 month in June due to hay fever.

Hi @coffee_girl,

Have you ever heard of or considered a treatment called nasal specific? A balloon is inserted into the sinuses, and then expanded, opening the sinus pathways. A friend of mine told me she had miserable allergies all her life until her chiropractor told her about this technique. She did it once, and all her allergies went away.

After hearing her story, I decided to have it done, and had great results. -- It's now become more manstream, often used by some ENTs. Unfortunately, they took a relatively simple procedure (my chiropractor charges me $50), and turned it into a several thousand dollar one, which includes putting a person under anesthesia.

 

[coffee_girl]

Hi @coffee_girl,

Have you ever heard of or considered a treatment called nasal specific? A balloon is inserted into the sinuses, and then expanded, opening the sinus pathways. A friend of mine told me she had miserable allergies all her life until her chiropractor told her about this technique. She did it once, and all her allergies went away.

After hearing her story, I decided to have it done, and had great results. -- It's now become more manstream, often used by some ENTs. Unfortunately, they took a relatively simple procedure (my chiropractor charges me $50), and turned it into a several thousand dollar one, which includes putting a person under anesthesia.

Yikes, that sounds like a crazy mark up! Well my allergies aren't that terrible that I need to get gassed voluntarily so nope lol

 

[dnl]

I took Benadryl to sleep after the initial onset of my tinnitus and it was fine. I've taken it a few times since and I again, haven't noticed that it effects the volume of tinnitus at all. Anecdotally, being congested seems to be correlated with my tinnitus being louder. Everyone is different, but I think it's pretty safe.

 

[glynis]

@JuneStar ,
I have post nasil drip.
I have allergies and take fexofenadine 120mg daily along with a nose spray and Montelucast with other things.
love glynis