Can You Take Benadryl With Hyland's Products?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses if Benadryl can safely be taken with Hyland's products.
I asked a question before about some Hyland's products, but I forgot to ask if it was safe to give with Benadryl. Is it? I am asking about the cough and mucus version.
Nov 04, 2022- There is no known interaction between Hyland's Cough & Mucus products and Benadryl, and they are considered safe to take together. Hyland's products are homeopathic and contain only very small amounts of their listed ingredients, which makes them generally free of clinically significant drug interactions. Even the nighttime formula of Hyland's Cough & Mucus is unlikely to cause additive sedative effects when combined with Benadryl due to the minimal amount of active ingredients present.
Answer
There is no known interaction between Hyland's Cough & Mucus and Benadryl. They are considered safe to take together.
Most Hyland's products, including the one you mentioned in your question, are homeopathic, and contain only very small amounts of their listed ingredients. Due to this, homeopathic products are generally free of clinically significant drug interactions.
What Is In Hyland's Cough & Mucus?
You didn't mention in your question if you are asking about the daytime or nighttime formula of Hyland's Cough & Mucus. Nevertheless, there is no data to suggest Benadryl interacts with either of them, even the nighttime formula.
Hyland's Cough & Mucus Daytime contains the following ingredients:
- Antimonium Tartaricum 15X HPUS
- Bryonia Alba 15X HPUS
- Ferrum Phosphoricum 12X HPUS
- Hepar Sulph Calc 12X HPUS
- Ipecacuanha 12X HPUS
- Phosphorus 15X HPUS
- Pulsatilla 12X HPUS
- Rumex Crispus 6X HPUS
- Citric Acid
- Glycerine
- Glycyrrhiza Extract
- Natural Grape Flavor
- Purified Water
- Sodium Benzoate
Hyland's Cough & Mucus Nighttime contains the following ingredients:
- Antimonium Tartaricum 15X HPUS
- Bryonia Alba 15X HPUS
- Chamomilla 6X HPUS
- Ferrum Phosphoricum 12X HPUS
- Hepar Sulph Calc 12X HPUS
- Hydrastis Canadensis 15X HPUS
- Ipecacuanha 12X HPUS
- Phosphorus 15X HPUS
- Pulsatilla 12X HPUS
- Rumex Crispus 6X HPUS
- Citric Acid
- Glycerine
- Glycyrrhiza Extract
- Natural Grape Flavor
- Purified Water
- Sodium Benzoate
You can see that both products contain very similar ingredients, with the nighttime formulation only adding 'chamomilla' and 'hydrastis canadensis'.
All of the ingredients in these products are homeopathic, which utilizes the principle of 'like cures like'. In other words, homeopathic products use small amounts of ingredients that in larger doses, would cause the symptoms that are being treated.
The 6X and 12X indicates the level of dilution (e.g., a 6X dilution indicates a 1:1,000,000 dilution). There are only very, very small amounts of active ingredients in these preparations.
None of the ingredients in either of these Hyland's products are known to interact with Benadryl (diphenhydramine).
Generally, you want to avoid combining Benadryl with other products intended for nighttime use to avoid additive sedative effects. However, in this case, due to Hyland's being a homeopathic product and the ingredients being in such small amounts, it likely has only a mild sedative effect (if at all).
Final Words
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References & sources
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Homeopathic
- A system of medicine that uses extremely diluted substances believed to trigger the body's natural healing processes.
- Drug interactions
- When two or more medications affect each other's effectiveness or cause harmful effects when taken together.
- Dilution
- The process of reducing the concentration of a substance by mixing it with another liquid, making it weaker.
- Diphenhydramine
- The active ingredient in Benadryl, an antihistamine used to treat allergies and itching.
- Sedative effects
- The calming or sleep-inducing properties of a medication that make a person drowsy or less alert.
- Active ingredients
- The chemical compounds in a medication that produce the intended therapeutic effect.
- Additive
- When the combined effect of two substances is equal to the sum of their individual effects, typically referring to increased side effects.
- Antihistamine
- A medication that blocks the effects of histamine in the body to reduce allergy symptoms and itching.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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