I now have the ears of a sunburned bald eighty-year-old man, can I take Benadryl for it

December 19, 2011 4:40 PM

Can I use both Benadryl cream and Benadryl pills at the same time? (And can you diagnose why I have a rash on my limbs and my ears are itchy and swollen?)

The pharmacist told me to take both, but the box says to, uh, not do that. Can I ignore that warning?

(I'm using the CVS generic version, by the way, if that matters, which I'm guessing it doesn't.)

Also, while I'm asking, I gather that the warning about taking alcohol with this stuff is more about becoming drowsy, not potential liver damage as with Tylenol?

And just one last thing, I'm taking this because I have incredible swelling of my ears (which is kind of cool, actually, but it would be even cooler if wasn't happening to me). It started with one ear itching, then the other, and then the next day a rash broke out on my limbs.

Could this be due to a sun/heat allergy? I'm visiting my folks in Florida, but I'm coming from a place that just rains all the time (think Seattle weather).

posted by Busoni to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

This is not medical advice, but I've used both at the same time. I wouldn't exceed dosing recommendations, however.

The thing I would recommend is asking a pharmacist, but it seems you already have.
posted by xingcat at 4:46 PM on December 19, 2011

Pharmacists are very knowledgable, and one told you to do it. Don't do it forever, but once is completely fine -- recommended doses on OTC medicine are unlikely to be absolute limits, if someone like a doctor or a pharmacist tells you to do something else for a short period of time.

And the alcohol can change how the antihistamines are metabolized in your body, so yes, it will make you more drowsy, but it also might limit the effectiveness of the antihistamines (or, less likely, cause them to have too strong an effect). Do not use alcohol especially if you are already increasing your dose of the antihistamines. Bad bad idea.
posted by brainmouse at 4:49 PM on December 19, 2011

I've taken prescription grade benadryl before and the dosage was about twice the dosage of the OTC version. Same stuff, just a bigger pill. Knowing that and the pharmacist recommendation, I think you're fine.
posted by magnetsphere at 5:00 PM on December 19, 2011

I would not recommend taking both at the same time -- they both get in your body and you might get too much at once.
posted by ozone14 at 5:08 PM on December 19, 2011

Not medical advice. I would trust a pharmacist more than, well, lots of people. Certainly more than the internet, even the MeFi section of the internet.
The warning about alcohol is about oversedation, and the systemic absorption of topical benadryl cream is not huge if your skin's intact (there's literature about toxicity in kids with chicken pox lesions, but they were basically coated in the stuff and they had open sores everywhere.)
I don't know why you're in allergy hell but it's not the typical picture of sun sensitivity. I can think of three things that might produce a contact dermatitis starting with your ears and then involving the rest of your body, and I bet MeFites can come up with others:

- shampoo (if you rinse your scalp thoroughly but don't manage to get your ears or the rest of you)
- laundry detergent or dryer sheets (pillowcases come into direct contact with ears, but the sheets only touch you where your nightwear doesn't)
- sunscreen (but I bet you thought of that)
posted by gingerest at 5:14 PM on December 19, 2011

I've done it, but I'm sure following the instructions is a better call.

I also wanted to suggest perhaps there's something in your pillow/bedding that's irritating you? I have bad allergies (especially to dust mites, which live in bedding, and to pollen, which comes in on your hair/body and coats your sheets/pillowcase) so I was told by my allergist to buy a protective casing for my mattress and pillows and wash the bedding as frequently as I could. My ears don't puff up, but my eyes get all disgusting if I don't do that during springtime.

I mean, it could be food, or sun, or something else, but it's so easy to just wash your sheets with a detergent you know you're not reactive with and see if that helps.
posted by vegartanipla at 5:18 PM on December 19, 2011

Response by poster: I'm thinking there's a possibility the rash in the limbs and the ears are unrelated. I think there's a good chance the rash on the limbs is from staying out in the sun for an hour, but the ears are something else. But who knows.
posted by Busoni at 5:35 PM on December 19, 2011

I would try to avoid taking more than, say, twice the recommended dose of diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) for your body weight. If you take too much (and this includes what is absorbed from the cream), you will eventually run into the wide-ranging list of unpleasant side effects mentioned in this Wikipedia article.
posted by Juffo-Wup at 5:46 PM on December 19, 2011

If you can stand it, you could put ice packs on your ears, which might at least make them feel better.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:06 PM on December 19, 2011

Did you help your parents purchase/transport/install/decorate a natural Christmas tree, perhaps over two days? The needle irritation and/or sap could be the culprit vis-a-vis your rash.
posted by carmicha at 6:31 PM on December 19, 2011

I've taken both at the same time and survived, but I only used the cream on a pretty small surface area.
posted by Eshkol at 8:32 PM on December 19, 2011

As Eshkol said, the cream is meant to be used on a small area of your skin. The problem is that some people take creams and cover themselves in them, and this can result in enough absorption to cause an overdose. Especially if they're itchy enough to need the pills too.

If you have an itchy rash on both your body and your ears, oral steroids would probably help with it as well as the oral diphenhydramine (treating it as a presumptive allergic reaction). If the rash on your body is not itchy, only your ears are, you can probably stick to topical because that's a small area. (ianyd) Here's a sad case report of a toddler who died after having large areas of his body covered in topical Benadryl - do not read if you have a weak stomach, it includes an autopsy description. This prior AskMeFi question includes a link to the original FDA ruling that added the warning about using topical and oral together, and that document addresses in detail the reasoning behind it.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:41 PM on December 19, 2011

Can you use another anti-itch cream besides Benadryl? Something like say, Calamine lotion or Band-Aid anti-itch gel?

I think this would be a great question for a poison control hotline.
posted by IndigoRain at 11:10 PM on December 20, 2011

New meds? I got horrible, horrible hives from Wellbutrin a month or so into taking it. I proceeded to use both Benadryl tablets and Benadryl spray. OH how I used the Benadryl spray. Much better than the cream-- I recommend it. Anyway, I didn't die.
posted by Because at 3:12 AM on December 22, 2011