Benadryl and Autism - a phase IV clinical study of FDA data

Summary:

Autism is reported as a side effect among people who take Benadryl (diphenhydramine hydrochloride), especially for people who are male, 10-19 old, also take Paxil, and have Depression.

The phase IV clinical study analyzes which people have Autism when taking Benadryl. It is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 100,139 people who have side effects when taking Benadryl from the FDA, and is updated regularly.

What is Benadryl?

Benadryl has active ingredients of diphenhydramine hydrochloride. It is often used in allergies. eHealthMe is studying from 104,956 Benadryl users. Check the latest studies of Benadryl.

What is Autism?

Autism (a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts) is found to be associated with 102 drugs and 283 conditions by eHealthMe. Check the latest studies of Autism.

eHealthMe: drug outcomes in the real world

eHealthMe runs one of the largest post-marketing drug safety studies in the world. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Our data-driven phase IV clinical trials have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Tools to study our phase IV findings are available to the public, anonymous and free >>>.

On Sep, 02, 2026

100,139 people reported to have side effects when taking Benadryl.
Among them, 14 people (0.01%) have Autism.

Among these 14 people:

What is the gender of people who have Autism when taking Benadryl? *

female: 27.27 %
male: 72.73 %

What is the age of people who have Autism when taking Benadryl? *

What are other drugs people take besides Benadryl? *

What are other side effects people have besides Autism? *

Foetal Exposure During Pregnancy (exposing your unborn child to contraindicated in pregnancy leads birth defect): 4 people, 28.57%
Strabismus (a disorder in which the two eyes do not line up in the same direction): 4 people, 28.57%
Speech Impairment (Adult) (inability to speak (adult)): 4 people, 28.57%
Scoliosis (a medical condition in which a person's spine is curved from side to side): 4 people, 28.57%
Haemorrhage (bleeding): 3 people, 21.43%
Difficulty In Walking: 3 people, 21.43%
Hydrocephalus (water on the brain): 3 people, 21.43%
Conjunctivitis (pink eye): 3 people, 21.43%
Nasal Disorder (diseases of nose): 3 people, 21.43%
Coordination Abnormal (abnormal movement): 3 people, 21.43%

What are the existing conditions these people have? *

Depression: 6 people, 42.86%
Sleep Disorder: 2 people, 14.29%
Seizures (abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain): 2 people, 14.29%
Astrocytoma, Low Grade (low grade tumour of the brain that originate in a particular kind of glial-cells): 2 people, 14.29%
Hypothyroidism (abnormally low activity of the thyroid gland, resulting in retardation of growth and mental development): 2 people, 14.29%
Brain Neoplasm Benign (non-cancerous tumour of brain): 2 people, 14.29%
Carnitine Decreased: 2 people, 14.29%
Urinary Tract Infection: 1 person, 7.14%
Cough: 1 person, 7.14%
Allergic Rhinitis: 1 person, 7.14%

* Approximation only. Some reports may have incomplete information.

Do you take Benadryl and have Autism?

- Check whether Autism is associated with a drug or a condition
- Predict drug outcomes for up to one year with AI
- Get an AI agent to monitor your drugs continuously

Related studies:

Effectiveness of, long term effects of, and alternative drugs to Benadryl:

Benadryl (104,956 reports)

Autism treatments and more:

Autism (3,825 reports)

Browse all side effects of Benadryl:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Browse all the drugs that are associated with Autism:

Autism (102 drugs)

Browse all the conditions that are associated with Autism:

Autism (283 conditions)

Related publications that referenced our studies

Saeed W, Gupta N, Mendez M, "Drug induced Acute Pancreatitis in an Adolescent with Seizure Disorder and Autism", Research Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 2017 Jul .
Almeida DM, Jean MR, Chystsiakova A, Monahan E, Oliveira SB, Monteiro IM, "Levetiracetam-associated acute pancreatitis in an adolescent with autism: a case report", Pancreas, 2013 Jan .
Saeed W, Gupta N, Mendez M, "Drug induced Acute Pancreatitis in an Adolescent with Seizure Disorder and Autism", Research Journal of Clinical Pediatrics, 2017 Jul .
Almeida DM, Jean MR, Chystsiakova A, Monahan E, Oliveira SB, Monteiro IM, "Levetiracetam-associated acute pancreatitis in an adolescent with autism: a case report", Pancreas, 2013 Jan .

How the study uses the data?

The study uses data from the FDA. It is based on diphenhydramine hydrochloride (the active ingredients of Benadryl) and Benadryl (the brand name). Other drugs that have the same active ingredients (e.g. generic drugs) are not considered. Dosage of drugs is not considered in the study.

How to use the study?

DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting your doctor. If there are any serious or long term adverse effects discovered in the study, discuss the study with your doctor to ensure that proper medication management will be in place if applicable.

Who is eHealthMe?

With medical big data and proven AI/ML algorithms, eHealthMe provides a platform for everyone to run phase IV clinical trials. We study millions of patients and 5,000 more each day. Results of our real-world drug study have been referenced on 800+ peer-reviewed medical publications, including The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, and Nature. Our analysis results are available to researchers, health care professionals, patients (testimonials), and software developers (open API).

WARNING, DISCLAIMER, USE FOR PUBLICATION

WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.

DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.

If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.