Seeing #Benadryl trending got me like

I used to abuse this drug. I started taking it regularly in late November 2018, and didn't stop until late March 2019. Worst 4 months of my fucking life; I started using it as a poor coping mechanism after experiencing some mental/emotional abuse from a group of people online.1/?

It only made matters worse, and it resulted in a full-blown mental breakdown. Combined use of that and Paxil triggered a manic episode (after my doctor doubled my dose), and I ended up being diagnosed with Bipolar I Disorder. I don't know if the abuse directly caused that.2/?

For those who don't know, high doses of DPH can cause delirium. I was taking anywhere from 150-300mg a night. The manic episode on top of that didn't help, as I wound up experiencing euphoria and delirium simultaneously. Terrible combination. I sabotaged so much during 3/?

that 4 month time period. I made a lot of friends and lost almost all of them just as fast as I made them, drained my bank account, missed more than half of my classes, backed out of the Radiography program I was accepted to, and ended up accruing thousands in medical bills. 4/?

I'm still recovering, but I don't think I'll ever shake the Bipolar I diagnosis. I relapsed this past January and dropped out of both of my Spring semester classes. I could say a lot more, but I'll probably end up deleting this thread later anyway. Don't abuse Benadryl. It sucks.