Is Benadryl Safe To Take With Zarbee's Cough Syrup?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses whether or not it is safe to combine Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup with Benadryl.
My child is sick and I like to stick with more natural medicines if I can. I have been giving them Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup, but they are still having some trouble sleeping. Is it safe if they take Benadryl too?
Jul 11, 2021- There is no known interaction between Benadryl and Zarbee's Cough Syrup, so it is safe to take them together.
- Zarbee's products contain only natural ingredients like honey, grapefruit seed extract, vitamin C, and zinc, which do not interact with Benadryl.
Hi Jennifer and thank you for reaching out!
It's always a good idea to check into whether or not there is a potential interaction, or risk of side effects, when combining medications and we're happy to help.
Benadryl With Zarbee's Cough Syrup
The good news is that there is no known interaction between Benadryl (which contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine) and any ingredient in Zarbee's products.
Zarbee's products are considered 'drug-free' and only contain natural ingredients, so interactions between them and pharmaceuticals, like Benadryl, are extremely uncommon. It is safe to combine with most drugs.
Now, this isn't to say that anything that is 'natural' doesn't have the potential for drug interactions, because they do, but again, Zarbee's Cough Syrup contains nothing that is known to interact with Benadryl.
It is important to note Zarbee's has a number of different products on the market, all with different ingredients, but you specifically mentioned Zarbee's Children's Cough syrup, which, according to their website contains:
- Dark honey
- Grapefruit seed extract
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
Below is an image of the 'Supplement Facts' panel of the product.
I want to point out that 'dark honey' is simply a different variety of honey that is said to contain more vitamins and nutrients than non-dark honey. It doesn't make it any more or less safe to use in children and may even be more beneficial than 'normal' honey.
Again, there is no known interaction between Benadryl and any of the ingredients shown above.
In fact, after doing a little research, all of those ingredients have very few reported interactions with any drug, let alone Benadryl. Some studies report that honey could potentially affect anticoagulants like warfarin, but it isn't known if it is to a degree that is clinically relevant, and it isn't relevant to your situation.
Lastly, as mentioned, there are many different Zarbee's products available. Some contain melatonin, like Zarbee's Children's Nighttime Cough Syrup. While there isn't an interaction between between Benadryl and melatonin per say, they both can cause drowsiness, but since you are using these products at night to help your child sleep, there isn't an issue here.
Thank you again for your question! Please reach out to us any time.
References & sources
- Herb-Drug Interactions: What the Science Says — NIH
- Natural Standard Drug Interactions (subscription required) — Natural Standard
- Effect of natural honey on human platelets and blood coagulation proteins — PubMed
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Antihistamine
- A medication that blocks the effects of histamine in the body to reduce allergy symptoms and help with itching and swelling.
- Diphenhydramine
- The active ingredient in Benadryl that works as an antihistamine to treat allergies and help with sleep.
- Drug interaction
- A situation where two medications affect each other's effectiveness or cause unexpected side effects when taken together.
- Pharmaceuticals
- Medical drugs or medications that are produced and used to treat, prevent, or diagnose diseases and health conditions.
- Supplement Facts
- A label on products that lists all the ingredients and their amounts, similar to a nutrition facts panel.
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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