Benedryl

Question:

: : I’ve been taking Benadryl every night for years.  It helps : with the itching but does nothing that I can see for the : psoriasis. : : Bob Ranger : Syracuse, NY  USA :

:: :: One of my friends in med school suggested that I might :: take Benedryl nightly to help with P.   :: His rationale: P is like an allergy, where the body :: attacks itself.  Treat it like an allergy?  Now, don’t :: jump all over me, or my friend (who is in the process of :: learning), but is there anyone who has done this? Antihistamines do nothing for my psoriasis in either pill or topical forms.  Not all antihistamines seem to have the anti-itch effect on skin as some seem to work just on nasal/sinus areas.  The dyphenhydramine-based antihistamines (Benadryl) seem to be the ones that work on your whole body (nasal, throat, skin). I take antihistamines to reduce the itching.  The nasal antihistamines don’t do anything for the itching, but Benadryl calms my skin.  Anti-itch meds includes the following in order of decreasing effect for me: a.  Topical Benadryl gel (very strong effect) b.  Topical hydrocortizone (one percent) c.  Zyrtec (5mg oral pill, works about 11 hours) d.  Eucerin anti-itch spray (short term effect) e.  Benadryl (25mg oral pill) I have not tried Allegra yet.  Claritin doesn’t work on my nasal congestion and so I’ve assumed that it also doesn’t work on itching.  Claritin is like that; it works for many people, but there are some that it has no effect upon because they metabolize it such that the intermediate product (which is the actual active ingredient) isn’t made effectively. The HMO doctor doesn’t want to prescribe Zyrtec for me as it is expensive to the HMO and to me (large copay). But because it lasts so long and doesn’t make me drowsy (I am one of the lucky ones for Zyrtec), I buyout a seems to have a "pet" doctor who will tamely write a prescription on his request.  The Zyrtec is a good "emergency" anti-itch for me when I absolutely need a long-lasting anti-itch period of time where I need all of my concentration (and no sleepiness from the dyphenhydramine). Note that the active ingredient in Benadryl is also the active ingredient in Tylenol-brand sleeping pills.  No wonder why taking Benadryl makes so many people sleepy. Zyrtec is a low to moderate sleepiness inducer, so it may be the better choice for many.  However, it is much more expensive as it is a prescription medication. List of best prices for anti-itching antihistamines: a.  Zyrtec – Costco pharmacy b.  Benadryl topical — Walmart, $5.20 for 4oz bottle c.  Benadryl 25mg — Costco, $4 for 400 generic pills!! d.  Benadryl 25mg — Sams Club, $3.29 for 100 generic e.  Benadryl 25mg — Walmart, generic 25mg pills f.  Eucerin anti-itch spray — Walmart g.  hydrocortizone — Costco has best price on tubes h.  hydrocortizone — Sams Club 1/3 higher than costco i.  hydrocortizone — Walmart, generic Equate brand All right, not everything above is an anti-histamine, but I thought you’d appreciate the listing regardless. Obviously, Costco beats Sams Club prices hands down. I guess Sam’s Club has higher prices since it doesn’t want to cannibalize sales at the parent Walmart stores. I’m sure that Sam’s Club could shove the prices lower if the Walmart corporate parent allowed it. If you find a place with better pricing, let us know. A note about the Eucerin anti-itch spray is in order as it makes use of menthol as its active ingredient. I would say that the dimethicone in the spray also has a calming effect on skin.  Because it is a spray, it is convenient to take on trips where I can just umm, give myself a surreptitious squirt. Another note:  Benadryl dosage is up to two of those 25mg pills.  If you are light-weight, perhaps one pill is enough, but if you weigh more, you will probably need the larger dose. In my portable cosmetics bag, I carry Zyrtec, Eucerin spray, and of course the reliable dyphenhydramine. I am not looking forward to the winter; I guess I will have to build up a stockpile of Zyrtec.  I suppose that since the psoriasis items have been taking over most of the space, I should call my cosmetics bag a "psoriasis care bag" but I’m still kind of in the process of denial.  *sigh* help with Zyrtec and other stuff in this posting. It’s good when your friends support you.  It’s kind of like having an effective support group. Lafiel

Response:

>One of my friends in med school suggested that I might take Benedryl nightly >to help with P.  His rationale: P is like an allergy, where the body attacks >itself.  Treat it like an allergy?  Now, don’t jump all over me, or my >friend (who is in the process of learning), but is there anyone who has done >this? >He is the only one besides my fianc

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