Diphenhydramine for Insomnia User Reviews (Page 4)
Brand names: Benadryl, Banophen, Benadryl Allergy, ZzzQuil, Diphen, Benadryl Children's Allergy, Sleep Tablets, Diphenhist, Calm-Aid, Unisom SleepGels, Dormin, Nytol, Simply Sleep, Dytuss, Dicopanol, Buckley's Bedtime, DPH, Valu-Dryl, Diphenyl, Altaryl, Sominex, Help I Can't Sleep, Siladryl Allergy, Snooze Fast, Sominex Maximum Strength Caplet, Unisom SleepMinis, Unisom Liquid, ConRx Allergy, Hyrexin, Hydramine Cough Syrup, Bydramine, Diphedryl, Diphen AF, Diphen Cough, Aler-Dryl, Allergia-C, Benahist-10, Benahist-50, Benoject-50, Diphenadryl, Genahist, Aller-G-Time, Sleep Tab II, Nytol QuickCaps, Trux-adryl, Beldin, Belix, Vicks QlearQuil Nighttime Allergy Relief, Hydramine, Silphen Cough, Diphenylin, Hydramine Compound, Nytol Caplet, Compoz Nighttime Sleep Aid, Sleepinal, Allermax, Diphendryl Twilite Banaril Aler-Tab Sleep-ettes D Diphenydramine Quick Melt Diphenmax Ben-Tann Dytan Vanamine PD Pharbedryl Histaprin Z-Sleep Aurodryl Children's Allergy Unisom SleepMelts Complete Allergy Relief Miles Nervine Scot-Tussin Allergy Sleepwell 2-nite …show all brand names
Reviews for Diphenhydramine
- Nut...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- June 4, 2020
"I took half a Sominex last night to try to get a deep sleep. I slept better, but I am a wreck today. Bad headache, nausea, and extreme muscle fatigue and weakness. Wondered whether it was the Sominex, and reading some of the reviews, it looks like it is. Even had to nap this afternoon and still feel awful. Binned it."
- Qui...
- June 21, 2017
"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."
Frequently asked questions
- What are the strongest sleeping pills?
- What is the max dose of diphenhydramine for adults?
- How Fast Does Benadryl Work? Onset Time and Duration
- Does diphenhydramine raise blood pressure?
- pet...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- October 15, 2019
"I was using the liquid form, and it was fine, working for me, but yesterday I took 2 of these pills. I slept for 5 hours, and now I have a terrible headache. I took 2 painkillers, but it doesn't help at all. I can't sit or work or concentrate. Terrible pill, will not take it again."
- Pef...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- March 25, 2020
"Nytol did not help my insomnia. A waste of money. I don't know how the company dares to make the claims it does in its adverts in the UK. The problem with the product has a warning that it may make you feel drowsy - if only it did."
- Ano...
- August 6, 2008
"This stuff works ridiculously well. The first time I took it, I woke up the next morning and I was instantly wide awake and full of energy, it's like nothing I've ever had before. Absolutely no drowsiness carrying on to the next day."
- Bra...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 1, 2020
"For years, I’ve suffered from insomnia. I could fall asleep, but I would often wake hours earlier than I was supposed to and would wind up exhausted all day. Lately, I’ve had trouble falling asleep in addition to staying asleep. I’ve tried melatonin and sleepy tea with no success, but I was desperate and gave ZzzQuil a try. I typically get very sleepy 30-60 minutes after taking it and can sleep for 8 hours without feeling “hungover” in the morning. My body is actually a little stiff when I get up because I haven’t even moved all night."
More FAQ
- Does Mucinex help with Covid?
- Can diphenhydramine be used as a sleep aid?
- Does Benadryl help with or cause anxiety?
- Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride vs Citrate: What's the difference?
- Mot...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- August 3, 2017
"Certainly helps me to sleep. But first time I slept for about 12 hours, which meant that I slept badly the following night. I now take 3/4 of the tablet for a solid 8 hours. I suggest trying 1/2 or 3/4 your first time. The first half hour or so on waking leaves me groggy, then I'm fine. Also seems to help me sleep really well the following night. I use only occasionally."
- bro...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 25, 2022
"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!"
- Sco...
- August 23, 2020
"A complete waste of money. I have had recent sleep problems, so thought this would be a solution. It had no effect whatsoever, apart from causing a headache. This made the dire warnings I got from the pharmacist when I bought it about long-term usage and dependency completely laughable. I considered returning the garbage to them and demanding my money back."
- Ann...
- June 12, 2020
"I have insomnia for the past several months, and a friend told me to try ZzzQuil. I took it at 10:00 p.m. and went to bed 30 minutes later, but still can't sleep the entire night. I was so disappointed that it did not work at all. What a waste of money."
- Fir...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 17, 2021
"I decided to try these after a period of either not being able to sleep or waking up and not getting back to sleep. Having read quite scary side effects of prescription sleeping tablets, I thought I'd try these first. So... I did drift off to sleep around 30-40 mins after taking a tablet. I woke up in the night to go to the bathroom but did get back to sleep much faster than usual. The downside was feeling spaced out (a bit like a hangover) until lunchtime the next day! I'd not take them if I had an early start or important meeting. I'd recommend trying them but don't expect anything amazing. If your sleep issues are acute due to a trauma, etc., then I'd suggest these wouldn't work sufficiently."
- Can...
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- April 24, 2020
"Started taking these Unisom SleepGels a year ago. Very effective. I was taking them only Sunday night through Thursday night. I noticed I was getting very nauseous on the weekends and couldn’t pinpoint why. I felt amazing throughout the week. Horrible on weekends. Found out it was because I wasn’t taking them on weekends. Now I have to take them every night. I am very worried it will get me sick. But the nausea is so bad."
- Saz...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- October 26, 2018
"I have used this product on and off, every couple of months, for several years. I use it to sleep well and lay in, as opposed to helping me get to sleep. Oddly, I find it either knocks me out, as planned, or doesn't work at all! Half the time it has no effect on me whatsoever, which is what lowers my overall rating. When it does work, it successfully keeps me asleep and allows me to lie in longer than usual in the morning. Because of this, I'd never take one if I had to get up for work! It doesn't impede me waking in the night to use the bathroom, and I go straight back to sleep afterwards. They recommend taking it half an hour before bed, but I take it earlier in the evening so it doesn't impact me quite so much the following morning. I can stay awake easily for a couple of hours (or more) after taking it, so I personally couldn't recommend it for aiding falling asleep."
- Sle...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 18, 2020
"I personally wouldn’t recommend this to my worst enemy. I woke up roughly three hours after putting my head on the pillow with the absolute worst headache and stomachache I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’m not trying to bash this product, only sharing my personal experience. It might work for others, just not me."
- Ins...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- August 29, 2020
"Little (minuscule) help with insomnia, but bad, bad side effects. In the morning, very tired, groggy, not able to function normally. The morning feels like I am recovering from some illness. The worst sleep medicine ever!!!!"
- Dax...
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- March 17, 2013
"My doctor had prescribed Ambien. Before taking it, I wanted to know side effects. Found that it can have very negative unwanted side effects. Therefore, did NOT even take one tablet. Threw them out! So, I turned to the Equate Nighttime Sleep Aid, 50 mg, which was a good choice. Helped me to sleep well. I do, though, awake, although briefly, around 2:30-3:00 AM after having gone to bed at 9:00 PM. Notice some daytime sleepiness at times."
- Sle...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- January 13, 2023
"I took this for sleeplessness caused by anxiety. Personally, I found that Nytol knocked me out and kept me asleep, which was great because I needed the sleep, but the next morning, each time I would wake up and lose my balance, I felt faint and lethargic the whole next day after taking them, alongside aches and pains all along my body and heart palpitations."
- Man...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- September 7, 2020
"ZzzQuil seemed to work well the first time I tried it. Felt a bit stiff when I woke up, not sure I even moved. Slept long and hard (that's what she said). Seriously though, seems legit. Have not tried it a second time yet. I took two. Was surprised."
- Anonymous
- Taken for 5 to 10 years
- July 5, 2021
"I frequently have very poor sleep and spend most of my days exhausted. Nytol is a lifesaver for me! I take a 50 mg tablet an hour before I want to be asleep, and within 45 minutes, I am really sleepy. I then have a good night's sleep, wake up feeling so much better, and it works every time! I don’t take it more than a couple of nights in a row and have at least a week between those two nights, as I worry about it becoming a habit, but I can honestly say it doesn’t seem to have any adverse effects at all. It’s a game changer for me and my quality of life."
- Man...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- March 1, 2018
"Seemed to work the first day, but then with weeklong use, started to make me nauseous and have a very upset stomach. I took it an hour before bed and it only made me feel like I was sick with allergies, which is odd."
- Mil...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- February 27, 2021
"Totally ineffective, makes me wake every hour at 12 a.m., 1 a.m., 2 a.m., onwards. Still takes me about 90 mins to get to sleep. Weird, uncomfortable nightmares, feel like by the end of it I’m only getting about 3 hours of decent sleep! I would rather take quetiapine."
- Non...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- December 26, 2020
"I've used Nytol one a night before, and it's been extremely effective for a short time. However, I've used it recently and had the most disturbing effects. Awful repetitive dreams... Waking me scared after 2 hours. Getting up, then my vision was, let's say, very distorted, with all I can say is that if I looked in an empty coffee cup, it looked like thousands of tiny flies were buzzing around in it. I used it the next night with exactly the same effect, so I will never use it again. Would rather go without sleep!!!"
- Anonymous
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- January 15, 2016
"This medication works well if taken as directed for your insomnia and for no longer than about 1 month. I began taking 1-50 mg twice a week, which worked very well, but I continued to increase the dosage every 2 weeks. It did make me tired enough to fall right to sleep after about 45 minutes of taking it and with no drowsiness the following morning."
- Woo...
- Taken for 2 to 5 years
- January 23, 2021
"I have used this for years. I’m peri-menopausal and my sleep routine is awful. I normally sleep 3-4 hours a night if I’m lucky, but with the help of this medication, I get 8-10 blissful hours. However, until about midday the following day, I feel tired and lethargic, but it’s worth it so my body gets some sleep... I only take it once a week. I’m going to try half a tablet twice a week and see how it goes!"
See also:
Learn more about Insomnia
- Anticholinergic Drugs to Avoid in the Elderly
- Benzodiazepines: Overview and Use
- What are the dangers of mixing sleeping pills with alcohol?
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Professional resources
- DiphenhydrAMINE monograph
- Diphenhydramine (FDA)
- Diphenhydramine Capsules (FDA)
- Diphenhydramine Injection (FDA)
- Diphenhydramine Oral Solution (FDA)
Other brands
Benadryl, Benadryl Allergy, Diphen, Dicopanol
"I think this is a brilliant drug to take when you want to break a run of bad nights. I tried it as I couldn't take Night Nurse (which I used to take) as it has contraindications with another tablet that I take at the moment. I only need half a tablet, like other people, I can get up in the night if I have to and go back to sleep. I wake up feeling refreshed. Thank you, Sominex."