Others kinda covered it but I am someone who unfortunately has personal experience so I can offer details others can’t. Diphenhydramine, AKA benadryl or DPH, when used in doses higher than recommended, produces deliriant effects similar to substances like datura. At first you feel like gravity had increased on you from all sides. You are sinking and compressing. Your head feels heavy and has an outward pressure. Your mouth is dry. There is a tickling on your arms and legs, its the spiders. Every once and a while shadows move in the shapes of people. You could swear you were just talking to your mother, where did she go? How did I get in the bathroom? Why is it so hard to pee? You are so thirsty. Then you wake up. That was roughly 200mg for me, that’s 8 ish pills. Some people have much stronger hallucinations and often shared ones but this is the gist.
Higher than recommended dosage? I’m a tall fat fuck so you’d think my body would need a little more than 1 tab of the OTC version to trip balls off of, but I feel so much more comfortable just living with my allergies than taking a Benadryl and being able to see all the demons crossing into our dimension.
Well they’re also an anticholinergic, which means they block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is the chief chemical messenger controlling functions of the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s really important in brain and muscle function.
What are the effects of anticholinergics?
Effects can include dry mouth and sore throat, resulting from the impaired secretion by exocrine glands. Another side effect is tachycardia, or a higher than usual heart rate, that occurs when anticholinergics interfere with receptors that typically slow the heart rate. Anticholinergics can also cause urinary retention (i.e., the inability to empty the bladder) and obstipation (i.e., the inability to pass stools or gas) due to decreased smooth muscle motility and tone. Additional anticholinergic effects include blurred vision and light sensitivity. Rarely, anticholinergics can cross the blood brain barrier and enter the central nervous systems, causing mood changes, hallucinations, confusion, or disorientation.
What is anticholinergic toxicity?
Anticholinergic toxicity occurs when anticholinergic agents accumulate in the body and may lead to anticholinergic syndrome, which can cause dry mouth, flushed skin, hyperthermia, and tachycardia. It may also lead to anticholinergic delirium, which is characterized by confusion, hallucinations, and psychomotor symptoms. With lower doses, acute anticholinergic syndrome can resolve on its own after the anticholinergic medication has been stopped and fully excreted. On the other hand, higher doses can be life-threatening, so individuals should be medically reviewed and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil and rivastigmine, can be prescribed as an antidote.
Fyi. Anticholinergics are a class of drugs which have been linked to dementia when used regularly by those 65 and older. Imbalances in acetylcholine are linked with chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Oh trust me I’m veeeeeery familiar with anticholinergics and parasympathetic agonists both. I swear we devoted more time to those classes of drugs than we did beta-1 and beta-2 agonists for some reason.
Maybe the lecturer had a huge fear of organophosphate poisoning.
Its an awful experience most people don’t do more than once. People who do are often engaging in a form of self harm. It should not be sold imo, its beneficial effects can be matched by later generation antihistamines without the negative effects. Causes dementia too iirc
Others kinda covered it but I am someone who unfortunately has personal experience so I can offer details others can’t. Diphenhydramine, AKA benadryl or DPH, when used in doses higher than recommended, produces deliriant effects similar to substances like datura. At first you feel like gravity had increased on you from all sides. You are sinking and compressing. Your head feels heavy and has an outward pressure. Your mouth is dry. There is a tickling on your arms and legs, its the spiders. Every once and a while shadows move in the shapes of people. You could swear you were just talking to your mother, where did she go? How did I get in the bathroom? Why is it so hard to pee? You are so thirsty. Then you wake up. That was roughly 200mg for me, that’s 8 ish pills. Some people have much stronger hallucinations and often shared ones but this is the gist.
Higher than recommended dosage? I’m a tall fat fuck so you’d think my body would need a little more than 1 tab of the OTC version to trip balls off of, but I feel so much more comfortable just living with my allergies than taking a Benadryl and being able to see all the demons crossing into our dimension.
I’ve taken hard drugs before and had no real issues with them, but half a Benadryl and I get angry, which is very unusual for me.
Benadryl gives my partner and his mother the skin-crawlies. It’s such a bizarre medication.
Histamine receptors, especially 3, are more important than people realize.
Well they’re also an anticholinergic, which means they block the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is the chief chemical messenger controlling functions of the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s really important in brain and muscle function.
Fyi. Anticholinergics are a class of drugs which have been linked to dementia when used regularly by those 65 and older. Imbalances in acetylcholine are linked with chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
Oh trust me I’m veeeeeery familiar with anticholinergics and parasympathetic agonists both. I swear we devoted more time to those classes of drugs than we did beta-1 and beta-2 agonists for some reason.
Maybe the lecturer had a huge fear of organophosphate poisoning.
Jesus. And they sell this stuff over the counter???
Its an awful experience most people don’t do more than once. People who do are often engaging in a form of self harm. It should not be sold imo, its beneficial effects can be matched by later generation antihistamines without the negative effects. Causes dementia too iirc