Tylenol PM Class Action Lawsuit Claims Supposedly ‘Non Habit-Forming’ Sleep Aids Can Cause Dependence

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. has misled consumers by falsely advertising Tylenol PM sleep aids as “non habit-forming.”

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The 24-page false advertising lawsuit claims that although the Tylenol PM extra-strength pain reliever and sleep aid is prominently labeled as “non habit-forming,” significant research has shown that the product’s active ingredient, diphenhydramine, can indeed cause dependence.

According to the class action suit, diphenhydramine, an antihistamine commonly used to treat insomnia, triggers a “cocaine-like pattern of stimulation of dopamine transmission” that can result in users becoming dependent on medications that contain the ingredient.

“Tolerance can develop in as little as 1–2 weeks, requiring users to take larger and larger doses for the same sedating effect, and causing dependency in users who find they need diphenhydramine to fall asleep,” the case relays. “The result is habitual use.”

The pharmaceutical company has misrepresented its Tylenol PM product in a bid to capitalize on consumer demand for sleep aids that are safe and do not cause dependence, the complaint contends.

The plaintiff, a California resident, says he bought the product in November 2023 based on the “non habit-forming” claim on the label. The Tylenol PM lawsuit argues that the man, like other consumers, would not have paid as much for the caplets, or purchased them at all, had he known the representation was misleading.

The suit looks to represent anyone in the United States who purchased Tylenol PM sleep aids containing diphenhydramine HCl within the applicable statute of limitations period.

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