My understanding is that diphenhydramine (generic name for the trade name "Benadryl") does not alter what some doctors call "the brain's architecture of sleep" the way some prescription sleep meds can.

If this individual takes more acetaminophen (aka, "Tylenol") during the day, then perhaps the bedtime dose may be complicating the picture. But if they are only taking the recommended dose at bedtime every night, it's unlikely that even that is dangerous to the liver.

This assumes that there isn't a pre-existing liver condition. It also assumes that the individual does not drink much alcohol.

I am not necessarily suggesting that it's a good thing that you need to take the diphenhydramine to get to sleep. The biggest issue for me might be that there's another reason you can't get to sleep.

There are many things that can cause this. Caffeine intake, other medications, depression, some health problems -- if you haven't had a medical exam, this might be a good time to do it, both because of your concerns about the Tylenol PM and to see if there's another sleep-related issue.

In the meantime, make sure you're only taking the recommended dose of the Tylenol PM, watch other intake of acetaminophen and goes easy on the alcohol. Definitely don't wash the Tylenol PM down with anything containing alcohol.

Before I forget: I do agree with what someone else suggested here about looking for diphenhydramine alone. In Tylenol PM, it's the ingredient that helps with sleep. The "Tylenol" part is help with any pain you might be experiencing.

I don't think it's necessarily worth throwing away any Tylenol PM you have unless any of the things I mentioned are problems (drinking, taking other acetaminophen, etc.). But if you're in the market for more, save some money and decrease your acetaminophen intake by picking up some generic/store-brand diphenhydramine. And, of course, take it as the directions indicate unless your physician should advise differently.

Yes it's bad, but not maybe as bad as you may think. (You, yourself, obviously think it's bad enough to post your question in a relatively anonymous forum and in the "Addictions" category.)

Any kind of sleep medication can become habit forming, even if not physically addictive. Your body no longer responds to this the same way as it once did, as it your system has grown resistant to the relatively small dose of antihistamine found in Tylenol PM for its sedative properties. You have, perhaps, become mentally hooked on taking it. For those of us that have trouble falling asleep, bedtime can be a very stressful time, further preventing the relaxation needed before our minds will finally "let go". The very act of taking these pills each night may have, over time, become a necessary ritual that you equate with preparing for sleep.

I would seriously consider talking with someone about this, as it can become just as crippling as not being able to fall asleep, the very thing you sought to overcome through its use.

Best wishes.

yes. ive been taking the generic form of tylenol pm's for about 3 and 1/2 years now and i dont know if they are damaging to my health or not. i do know however , with or without them i still awake at about 5 am every morning , win,lose,or draw...no matter what time i go to sleep. my sleep still comes in spurts of about 4 hours or so. regardless of whats been posted, we wont know if there is truly any damage until we find someone who's been taking the pm's consistingly over a period of about 40 years or so . until then we can only speculate. i know people who've taken far worse drugs for sleep deprevasion, and there livers or kidneys havent given out. im not advicating the pm's, but until a long term study of 40 yrs or more, will we truly understand what damage they may, or may not cause.

Okay. . . .here's the deal! I'm assuming you're taking it for the "sleep aid" in it! And, you're right! It DOES help for that! But taking too much aspirin is hard on your liver and kidneys and if you needed emergency surgery, you could potentially be in a life-threatening situation with "bleeding too easily". Aspirin typically needs to be "stopped" two weeks before surgery is scheduled if you ever needed it! So, to sleep. . . . .take. . . . .BENADRYL! Yeah! The antihistamine! Voila! There you go!

I have been taking TP for around 13 years now. I started with taking 2 every night for years and then slowly got down to taking 1 and 2 if I knew I had a tough day ahead and really need the sleep. I have talking to several doctors and each said you can not get addicted to it. Is is good to do every night? Not really, if I skip it one night for something like driving all night to florida then I break out in a rash the next day from the lack of histamine in my system. I have now started taking melatonin and one PM and find I sleep really well even in an unfamiliar bed/house. Will soon try just the melatonin.

I take tylenol PM every single night also. Its been about two years since i started taking it. I am in the same boat...cannot fall asleep without it. I would say "yes" it is bad and we need to seek medical advice right away. I am now pregnant and afraid this might cause a problem for my child. One thing I can say is tylenol now has a pill called "simply sleep" it is the sleep aid without the tylenol part.

lol are you kidding me if you went to the doctor and said help im addicted to tylenol pm they would look and you point and laugh lol that is so stupid.My advice is try some herbs you are not physically addicted to tylenol pm it could be mental but all you need to do is just bear with the insomnia for a few days and sleep will come.the only thing i would be concerned about is the aceta. as long as your taking around 1000 mg and not going over you should be ok

I have a bit of insomia on occasion too. What helped me is yoga at about 8pm, and no caffeine after lunch. Still, when it's really bad, ie. I wake up at 2 am and can't fall back asleep, and now it's 3:30... I take 2 Benadryl(Tylenol PM minus Tylenol) and within an hour, off to lala land. The big problem with insomnia is that if you don't really have any other issues, doctors don't believe you.
Another issue with sleep I have is that sleep VERY lightly (if I'm sick, I don't go into REM without meds.), as in my cat is downstairs playing with her "crinkle ball" and it wakes me up. No jingles, just rustling mylar half a house away. Sometimes, this can be bad, in that case, a Benadryl keeps me deep enough under to stay there.
And insomnia isn't always mental illness. I talked to a psychologist a few years ago, she didn't think much of anything was wrong with me. Sometimes, insomia is genetic or medical, though I don't know how much they add to it.
My mom's an insomniac... bad.
And she's mentally healthy, if anyone really is. Both my grandmothers are the same way.
So, it's not alway psychological, sometimes it really is just how it is.
Anyways, yoga was really helpful in calming my mind before bed. A steaming hot bath and a stupid trashy romance novel seem to help a bit too.
Good luck!!

Depends, do you think that drug dependency is bad?

Personally I think drug dependency is indifferent. neither good nor bad - its the person dependent who is 'good' or 'bad'.

Tylenol PM may not be considered a "gateway" drug to other drugs, but I bet if I came over and lit up a joint and passed it to you 30 minutes before bed time you would leave off the T-PM and start smoking pot every night to help you go to sleep.

If that is bad in your books... you get the point.

Seriously go to the Doctor NOW. Tell him/her what you have been using, how much and tell them you can't sleep without it.

He/she will prescribe you with a sleeping aide for a short (very short) period of time to help you to ween off the drug you are dependent on now so you can sleep.

These people saying you can't get dependent on T-PM are, as you clearly know, Wrong.

You may not be dependent upon the drug itself, but you are dependent upon the effects of the drug. Psychological dependency is far more serious than physical dependency. It should not be downplayed nor dismissed.

Dependency and addiction are the same thing. One just sounds better than the other.

Well it may be 'bad'....but not sleeping is worse!