Benadryl For Allergy Relief By Jan Mayrhofer on Sep 01, 2009 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

Benadryl is an antihistamine and is used to counteract allergic reactions to allergens, including dust, pollen, pet dander, and such.

But what may not be commonly known is that it can also be a life-saving miracle in a bottle. I won't pretend to know all the uses of Benadryl in a hospital setting, but I do know that it positively saved my husband's life one day.

With a history of high blood pressure and a glitch on the treadmill/stress test data his doctor noticed, my husband had to have an angiogram in the hospital, performed by a cardiologist. I had waited in the waiting room long enough to start getting nervous, when, finally, his cardiologist came out and called my name. He was looking pale and I started getting kind of scared.

The doctor said that my husband had had an allergic reaction to the contrast dye that is used when an angiogram is performed and that he was slipping away.... "I just started pumping Benadryl into him as fast as I could," he said, "and he finally came around."

He told me we almost lost him.

So now I am a real fan of the stuff! If you ever need something to help with allergies, and you don't mind that it makes you drowsy, I can vouch for the fact that Benadryl can do the job.