Quebec coroner calls for more safeguards on Benadryl to prevent abuse

Quebec's coroner's office is recommending safety measures for allergy medication Benadryl after the death of an 18-year-old man.

Quebec’s coroner’s office is recommending more safety measures surrounding the common allergy medication Benadryl, also known as diphenhydramine, following an investigation into the 2023 death of an 18-year-old man in Saint-Matthias-sur-Richelieu.

An autopsy revealed the man had a lethal level of diphenhydramine in his system when he died.

The investigation found that he had acquired the medication from several pharmacies before ingesting them.

The coroner concluded the intent of his death was “undetermined,” but added more should be done to control access to diphenhydramine-based medications.

“I can’t understand why diphenhydramine is available over the counter, especially since Gravol, which also contains diphenhydramine, is not available over the counter. The contradiction is obvious,” coroner Vincent Denault wrote in his report.

Quebec’s Order of Pharmacists has taken the recommendations seriously, according to its president, Jean-Francois Desgagné.

“Every time we, we receive recommendations, we act. We act because our mission is to protect the public,” he said, adding that a committee is now studying whether pharmacists should put Benadryl behind the counter, and implement the same protocols used for accessing Gravol.

He said many pharmacists no longer recommend Benadryl due to its side effects, such as drowsiness.

“Pharmacists do not recommend it very often because we have newer medication which has fewer side effects and is less dangerous,” he said.

But Fady Kamel, owner of Proximed in the Galeries des Sources in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, said that for short-term relief of issues such as insect bites, Benadryl is the fastest acting medication.

He said he’s never had any problems with Benadryl, and putting it behind the counter will mean more work for pharmacists and longer wait times for clients.

“So, for them (pharmacists) to give you the Benadryl, they would then have to open a file,” he said. “And then they (customers) may have to wait in line while we do it.”

Desgagné said while the order considers the coroner’s recommendations, it’s working toward harm prevention, by training pharmacy staff to recognize the warning signs that someone may be in distress.

“If somebody goes to the counter and buys many, many boxes of one particular product. Stop,” he said. “Stop the transaction and go to the pharmacist.”