1,555 US drug labels list diphenhydramine, down to anti-itch cream
A US label search returned sleep aids, allergy tablets, night-time cold remedies, pain-and-sleep products and anti-itch creams. One sleep aid's label warns off any other, even one used on skin.
What the study found
The same drug is in the sleep aisle, the cold aisle and the cream
A 6 September 2026 query of the US drug label database returned 1,555 diphenhydramine records: sleep aids, allergy tablets, night-time cold remedies, pain-and-sleep combinations and anti-itch creams. A leading sleep aid's label rules out any other product with it, even one used on skin.
The caveat · Counts labels, duplicates included
A label count is not a product count and not a measure of how many people take these. The same physical product carries several records across repackagers and store brands, so duplicates sit inside that figure. Counts drift as labels are added and withdrawn, which is why the date belongs with the number.