# Diphenhydramine and restless legs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 7, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173 "2009-07-07T05:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/1 "2009-07-07T05:56:12Z")
Why does Simply Sleep (diphenhydramine) give me restless legs for about an hour after I take it. NyQuil sometimes does this; not as often, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/2 "2009-07-07T12:34:23Z")
This stuff (also known as Benadryl) is notorious for aggravating RLS. Any antihistamine can do so, actually, but Benadryl is sort of the poster child for the linkage as it’s the active ingredient in over the counter sleep aids (i.e. does exactly the OPPOSITE of what you want it to do). [http://rls.org/Page.aspx?pid=543](http://rls.org/Page.aspx?pid=543) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/3 "2009-07-07T15:01:13Z")
Yep, I hate diphenhydramine. It makes me feel very sleepy, yet I am unable to sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/4 "2009-07-07T15:17:05Z")
In my personal experience, I can get the benefit I need for allergy control from a children’s dose (12.5 mg) of diphenhydramine. That’s half of what’s in one adult regular pill. It makes me a little drowsy, enough to help me fall asleep, but doesn’t give me unpleasant side effects or make me too drowsy to stay awake if I take it during the day. It’s possible the standard dose is higher than you need. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to discuss the right dosage for you :). ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/5 "2009-07-08T23:38:06Z")
Interesting. For perhaps 10 years now I have noticed a bit of RLS when taking codiene. I wondered if it was perhaps because I was moving my legs less when taking it, so that they actually DID need to move more to have their normal activity level. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/6 "2009-07-09T01:39:24Z")
Thanks, everyone! I had no idea! ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/7 "2009-07-09T01:39:48Z")
> [@Napier](#): > > Interesting. For perhaps 10 years now I have noticed a bit of RLS when taking codiene. I wondered if it was perhaps because I was moving my legs less when taking it, so that they actually DID need to move more to have their normal activity level. That would be pretty odd - codeine is an opiate, and those generally HELP restless legs. I once had some cough syrup with codeine and my symptoms were much better; ditto other times since then where I’ve had Vicodin. Was there anything else in the codeine prep you were taking? Of course, for every rule, there’s an exception! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diphenhydramine-and-restless-legs/502173/8 "2009-07-09T02:50:23Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > That would be pretty odd - codeine is an opiate, and those generally HELP restless legs. I have RLS and codeine has no effect on it at all, nor any other opiate. Benadryl definitely makes it worse. I take clonazepam, which seems to work pretty well and doesn’t give me any of the side effects usually attributed to it except possibly morning headaches (though I used to get those anyway.)