Allergy medicine overuse: "Itโs time to move on," says Boston allergist Dr. Anna Wolfson
July 13, 2026โPeople who are stressed, sneezing and/or prone to addiction are now reaching for over-the-counter (OTC) allergy pills, whether they have allergies or not. The active ingredient, diphenhydramine โ or "DPH," as some folks call it โ has become a popular way to get high. Sneezy, meet Dopey!
Medications like Benadryl can be vital for people with severe allergies; often they also carry an inhaler. But what about DPH just to get high?
โItโs time to move on. For every single indication that people are using diphenhydramine, there are better drugs that are more effective at treating the symptoms people are trying to treat with fewer side effects,โ Dr. Anna Wolfson, an allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNN Health last year.
โIโve had patients where I worried that diphenhydramine was impairing their ability to drive or fully participate in their daily lives.โ
Sources include:
CNN Health, Common allergy medicationโs risks outweigh its usefulness, experts say, by Asuka Koda, August 1, 2025: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/01/health/allergy-drug-diphenhydramine
