benedryl hangover

a few years ago during a particularily depressing time in my life, i was in desperate need of sleep. i saw a shrink who prescribed a number of prescription sleep remedies, none of which did the trick. said shrink then introduced me to the wonders of a little over the counter miracle called benedryl.

the benedryl did what no other drug before it had managed...it granted me sleep. the kind of sleep where you wake up in a puddle of drool, unsure of exactly who you are or what planet you hail from. it was bliss. eventually antidepressents resolved the depression as well as the sleep issue and i no longer needed my friend benedryl to help me into blissful slumber.

years later, a pediatrician clued me in on the useful application of benedryl in getting children to sleep. of course this was only to be used in extreme measures, such as long car trips, or overnight stays in strange places. i would never use it on a night where i just wanted the little buggers to settle down and give me some peace and quiet to keep me from going insane for f sakes! whew.

lately i have been having sleep issues again. tossing and turning throughout the night, waking up and not being able to get back to sleep. so, the night before last, i took two benedryl before bed. yes, two. i didn't want to mess around with just one pill. oh no. i wanted to make sure it WORKED.

i slept like a rock that first night. slept through the entire night. i woke up to my alarm yesterday completely foggy and groggy and my head felt like it weighed a ton. my limbs felt like they were moving in slow motion. actually, i suppose they were. i finally dragged myself out of bed and tried to get on with my day.

at work yesterday, i felt like a zombie. my mouth was like a cotton ball. my eyes were on fire. my head weighed a ton and was pounding incessantly. i was moving very slowly. i broke my new rule and had a cup of bf prescribed mt. dew. no help. it finally dawned on me late morning...i felt like i was hung-over. then, omg! it's the benedryl! i ended up taking yesterday afternoon off. i took a good two hour nap. woke up in a puddle of drool and still pretty groggy.

last night i didn't sleep well again. today i feel the same as i did yesterday.

note to self: just say no to benedryl over doses.