Two Children with a Paradoxical Reaction to Benadryl

by Kris Kirkbride
(marrietta,oh)

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD , FIRST THING TO DO WHEN YOUR CHILD IS HAVING A ALLERGENIC REACTION , IS TO GIVE THEM BENADRYL. BENADRYL, HAS ALWAYS MADE ME AND OTHER'S I KNEW SLEEPY. MY 3 YR OLD SON HAD GOTTEN INTO POISON IVY, SO NATURALLY I REACHED FOR THE BENADRYL. IT WAS LATER IN THE EVENING , I THOUGHT HE WOULD STOP ITCHING AND FALL ASLEEP.

MY OTHERWISE CALM CHILD, BEGAN TO RUN AROUND THE HOUSE SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS, LITERALLY BOUNCING OFF WALL'S IN THE HOUSE. I WAS TERRIFIED ! NEVER HAD I SEEN HIM ACT THIS WAY! THIS WENT ON FOR HOURS, I HAD NO CLUE WHAT TO DO!

HE FINALLY FEEL ASLEEP AROUND 1:00a.m., I WAS AT MY WITS END, MY NERVES WERE SHOT.I CALLED HIS PEDIATRICIAN IN THE MORNING TO ASK IF THIS WAS A NORMAL RESPONSE TO THE MEDICATION. WHAT REALLY FLOORED ME WAS THEY TOLD ME THEY NEVER HEARD OF BENADRYL HAVING THAT REACTION. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE WAY I WAS TREATED. THEY ACTUALLY ACTED LIKE I WAS INSANE! AFTER THAT EVENING THAT WILL FOREVER HAUNT ME, I WOULD NOT GIVE HIM ANYMORE. I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY YOUNGEST SON COULD TAKE IT AND SLEEP, BUT MY OLDEST FLIPPED OUT OF CONTROL!

I HAVE BEEN VERY LEERY ABOUT GIVING IT TO HIM AGAIN, AND HE IS NOW 19yrs old! I HAPPENED TO BE BLESSED 8yrs AGO TO GIVE BIRTH TO MY LITTLE GIRL, AS WE SPEAK, SHE IS SUFFERING FROM AN ALLERGIC REACTION THINKING MY OLDEST SON'S EXPERIENCE WAS A FLUKE, AS I WAS TOLD, AND MY YOUNGEST SON NEVER HAD THAT PARADOXICAL REACTION(ALTHOUGH AFTER THAT EVENING I SPENT WITH THE TASMANIAN DEVIL, I NEVER GAVE HIM BENADRYL AGAIN IN FEAR, I GAVE MY SWEET LITTLE GIRL A BENADRYL. I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT WAS HAPPENING, I WAS RELIVING THE NIGHTMARE FROM OVER TEN YEAR'S AGO! SHE STARTED RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE, SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS ,BEATING ON THE WALLS, KNOCKING EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF HER OVER, WHEN SHE WOULD TALK SHE WAS SPEAKING WORD'S A MILLION TIMES A MINUTE. SHE IS A VERY SHY CHILD, MUCH LIKE MY OLDEST, WE WANTED HER TO SPEAK UP MORE BUT BY THE END OF THE NIGHT WE WERE PRAYING FOR HER TO SHUT HER MOUTH ! THIS TIME I WAS FINALLY GIVEN AN ANSWER , AND WAS TAKEN SERIOUSLY. SOME CHILDREN DO HAVE THE OPPOSITE REACTION TO BENADRYL. NOT MANY BUT A FEW. SO I GOT TO LIVE THAT NIGHTMARE TWICE IN MY LIFETIME. AND I CAN PROMISE YOU THIS, UNLESS IT WOULD BE TO SAVE HER LIFE, I WILL NEVER GIVE BENADRYL TO MY DAUGHTER AGAIN ! WHAT REALLY MAKES THIS INTERESTING IS THAT MY OLDEST AND YOUNGEST CHILD, TWO OF THE MOST CALM YOU COULD HAVE, HAD THE EXACT SAME REACTION AND YET MY YOUNGEST SON IS /WAS THE MOST HYPER CHILD I KNEW, ALWAYS INTO SOMETHING. AND YET YOU'D THINK THE HYPER CHILD WOULD HAVE HAD THE REACTION INSTEAD OF PUTTING HIM TO SLEEP! NO ONE ELSE IN OUR ENTIRE FAMILY HAD EVER HAD A PARADOXICAL REACTION TO BENEDRYL YET , TWO OF MY CHILDREN DID- OUT OF 5 PERCENT OF CHILDREN WHO DO!

BUT I DO THANK GOD EVERYDAY FOR NOT LETTING MY YOUNGEST SON , THE HYPER ONE , HAVE THIS REACTION. I KNOW THAT WHAT I WENT THROUGH WITH MY TWO CALM CHILDREN WAS ENOUGH TO PUT A PERSON INTO A BREAKDOWN! Yet ALONE TRYING TO IMAGINE IF I WOULD HAVE HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, GOING THROUGH THAT WITH MY HYPER CHILD ! I REALLY DON'T THINK I WOULD'VE MADE IT THROUGH THAT ! PARENTS PLEASE TAKE CAUTION WHEN GIVING YOUR CHILDREN BENADRYL, IF YOU THINK THIS IS A EXAGGERATION , TALK WITH OTHER PARENTS THAT HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS TYPE OF PARADOXICAL REACTION TO BENADRYL. BECAUSE I WOULDN'T WISH THIS UPON ANYBODY!!