Q. A friend had a severe reaction to a medication. She broke out in an intense itchy rash and her doctor told her to take aspirin, Benadryl and applesauce.
I’ve heard about the first two items, but not the applesauce. What’s the deal on applesauce?
A. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is an antihistamine that can often blunt an allergic reaction and ease hives. As far as we know, however, neither aspirin nor applesauce would counteract an allergic drug reaction. Perhaps the doctor intended the applesauce to “buffer” the aspirin, but that still leaves the puzzle as to why the aspirin was recommended.
