September 2025

Over The Counter

• Should You Use NSAIDs
• Antihistamines – Pros & Cons
• PPI – Use & Side Effects
• Do Supplements Worth The $$?

Over the counter medications and supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry exploiting the pain, weakness, and ignorance of people.

In September, I focus my content on these over the counter meds that are common in most medicine cabinets in America, the ones you reach out for without a second thought. I explain how they work, when using them can be beneficial, and when you want to consider other options.

Antihistamines – Pros & Cons

The type of receptors histamine binds to determines its effect.

As a neurotransmitter, histamine promotes wakefulness and alertness. This is why antihistamines like Benadryl make you drowsy. It also plays important roles in cognitive function and memory consolidation.

In the digestive tract, histamine might suppress appetite, increase acid production, and change gut motility patterns. For some people, histamine increases the frequency of bowel movements; for others, it causes constipation, bloating, and gas.

Histamine affects blood pressure by working as either a vasodilator or vasoconstrictor, depending on location and receptor type. It also influences heart rate.

It also regulates reproductive behavior, arousal, and the menstrual cycle.

As you can see, histamine is a powerful molecule that is responsible for far more than just the allergic reaction that we blame it for.

What could go wrong with histamine?

Histamine is a very beneficial signaling molecule until you have excess histamine roaming in your body.

Excess histamine happens when:

Your immune system is overactive and releases histamine to avert invasion, even when the invaders are not harmful, AKA allergies.

Your body does not produce enough DAO, an enzyme that breaks down histamine so the liver can eliminate it from the body.

What happens when you have high histamine?

Histamine receptors are spread all over the body. When you have the right amounts of histamine, it profoundly affects your well-being. However, too much histamine and all these systems that benefit from histamine go out of whack.

• Too much histamine will look like alertness, anxiety, and insomnia for the nervous system.
• In the digestive system, high histamine levels will lead to GERD, bloating, nausea, and cramping.
• High histamine levels will lead to heart palpitations, elevated heart rate, and unstable blood pressure.
• The effects of high histamine on the respiratory and immune systems are well-known symptoms of allergic reactions: mucus production, teary red eyes, cough, congestion, vessel constriction, and fatigue.

Antihistamine to the rescue

Antihistamine drugs block the histamine cell receptors, so histamine can’t activate these receptors. Although there are four histamine receptor types, antihistamines mostly work on two.

Different types of antihistamines target different receptors.

H1 antihistamines block the receptors that prompt the common allergic reactions such as hives, runny nose, congestion, and irritability.

• First generation H1 antihistamines such as Benadryl can cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. That explains the sedative effect of Benadryl.
• Second generation H1 antihistamines include meds like Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra, which don’t cross the blood-brain barrier as much and are less sedating.

H2 antihistamines primarily reduce gastric acid production. I plan to introduce a special post to over the counter meds for reducing gastric acid.

The misuse of H1 antihistamines

High histamine is a symptom, not a condition; Therefore, antihistamines should be used temporarily for symptom relief while addressing the root cause.

Chronic use of antihistamines comes with serious side effects:

The body reacts to continuous use of antihistamines by increasing the number of histamine receptors and increasing the amount of histamine released. The overall effect is that, over time, antihistamines stop working, and the allergic symptoms can be much worse than the baseline symptoms.

Since histamine manages appetite and satiation, if it is out of the equation, you lose your appetite satiation signaling, and your metabolic rate is reduced, leading to weight gain.

Blocking histamine receptors might make you sleepy. I know at least one of my clients who used Benadryl for sleep. However, sleep quality is poor, daytime grogginess is real, and over time, your sleep patterns can get out of whack. Fixing sleep patterns is challenging, so I highly recommend not using Benedryl for sleep.

Antihistamines are very successful in eliminating the excess tears, mucus, and congestion. However, their drying effect can lead to dry mouth, dry mucus in the nose, lungs, and gut, and constipation. If you consider the important role mucus plays in the immune system, that is a big minus.

Last but not least, chronic use of H1 antihistamines is associated with brain fog and memory loss. Studies have found a connection between long-term use of antihistamines and dementia.

If you feel trapped in a cycle where you need antihistamines for symptom relief, but chronic use creates new symptoms while masking the underlying histamine dysregulation. Then you are masking the symptoms while masking the root cause – whether DAO deficiency, mast cell activation, or food allergies – they remain unaddressed.

Antihistamines should be bridges, not destinations.

~Herbalist Thomas Easley

When thinking about histamine, most people think about allergies. Allergic reactions are not fun; they make us reach for the medicine cabinet on autopilot in search of Benadryl or Claritin.

But did you know that histamine acts in the brain as a neurotransmitter that promotes alertness, focus, and memory consolidation?

Chronic use of H1 antihistamines is associated with brain fog and memory loss. Studies have found a connection between long-term use of antihistamines and dementia.

Curious to learn more about the role of histamine in the body and why antihistamines can support some people but not all? My post about antihistamines’ pros and cons is coming up tomorrow.