What changes between Drewell (ドリエル) and Drewell EX (ドリエルEX) on a Japanese drugstore shelf? The key comparison is 2 regular tablets versus 1 EX soft capsule: each labelled dose contains 50 mg of diphenhydramine hydrochloride. Before choosing a format, check whether self-treatment is appropriate for your sleep difficulty.
I'm Irene, a Taiwan-born pharmacist licensed in Japan and working in a Japanese drugstore. Let's check who must avoid these medicines and whether you need to drive tomorrow before comparing tablets and capsules. Sometimes the most useful next step is a conversation about sleep with a doctor or pharmacist.
Sources checked: 13 October 2026. This guide covers Japanese Drewell / ドリエル and Drewell EX / ドリエルEX, both designated Class 2 OTC medicines. Read the complete leaflet supplied with your product before use.
- When should you avoid choosing either yourself?
- Who needs advice before use?
- Check other medicines, alcohol and tomorrow's driving
- If suitable, compare the two formats
- Once before bed: do not add a middle-of-the-night dose
- If sleep does not improve, or you feel unwell the next day
- Your Rhythm is a separate food range
- Official sources and image credits
When should you avoid choosing either yourself?
Both are labelled to relieve difficulty falling asleep or shallow sleep associated with temporary insomnia. Do not take them if you are:
- Under 15
- Pregnant or possibly pregnant
- Experiencing insomnia regularly
- Diagnosed with insomnia
If poor sleep is an everyday problem, you are being treated for insomnia, or you want to replace prescribed medicine, seek medical advice first. Travelling, sleeping in a different bed or having plans tomorrow does not automatically make these products suitable. Do not make them a daily travel routine or use them to force sleep on a flight.
Who needs advice before use?
Consult a doctor, pharmacist or registered medicine seller first if you are receiving medical treatment, are an older adult, have had allergic reactions to medicines or similar substances, have difficulty urinating, or have been diagnosed with glaucoma or an enlarged prostate. Older adults may experience stronger drowsiness or, conversely, nervous excitement.
The leaflets tell breastfeeding users either not to take the medicine or to avoid breastfeeding while taking it. Discuss an appropriate plan with a healthcare professional; the instruction does not establish a universally safe number of hours after a dose for resuming breastfeeding.
Check other medicines, alcohol and tomorrow's driving
While taking either product, do not use other sedatives, cold medicines, pain/fever medicines, cough/expectorant medicines, or oral medicines containing antihistamines, including some rhinitis, motion-sickness and allergy medicines. Do not take the two Drewell products together. Bring the packaging or a complete medicine list for a compatibility check.
Do not drink alcohol before or after taking it, and do not drive or operate machinery after a dose. If drowsiness or fatigue continues the next day, do not drive or operate machinery until those symptoms have gone. Having slept overnight does not guarantee that the effect has worn off.
If suitable, compare the two formats
The doses below apply only to people aged 15 and over who meet the safety conditions above. Both products are taken once daily, before bed.
| Product / Japanese name | Form | One dose | Active ingredient per dose | Currently listed packs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drewell / ドリエル | Tablets | 2 tablets | Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 50 mg | 6 or 12 tablets |
| Drewell EX / ドリエルEX | Soft capsule with liquid contents | 1 capsule | Diphenhydramine hydrochloride 50 mg | 6 capsules |
After confirming suitability, swallowing preference and additives can help you choose a format. One EX capsule contains the same active-ingredient amount as two regular tablets. EX is not an instruction to increase the dose, and capsule counts are not a strength comparison. The manufacturer describes EX as a quick-dissolving soft capsule; that does not guarantee that every person will fall asleep sooner.
The additives differ too: regular tablets list lactose; EX lists gelatin, soy lecithin and flavouring, among other additives, and is described as lavender-scented. If you have a relevant allergy history or ingredient restriction, check the complete list with a professional. Scent is not a measure of effectiveness.
Once before bed: do not add a middle-of-the-night dose
- Check age, health conditions, other medicines, alcohol and next-day driving before use.
- Use only when having trouble falling asleep or experiencing shallow sleep; do not make it a continuous bedtime routine.
- Push the medicine out of its blister strip. Never swallow it inside a cut-out blister compartment.
- Take either 2 regular tablets or 1 EX capsule once daily before bed, with water or lukewarm water. Do not take it at other times.
- Do not increase the dose or take extra during the night. Too much may cause nervous excitement and other unpleasant effects, making sleep more difficult.
If sleep does not improve, or you feel unwell the next day
If symptoms have not improved after 2–3 doses, stop and take the leaflet to a doctor, pharmacist or registered medicine seller. That is a total number of doses, not permission to take it two or three times in one day or to continue until the pack is empty.
Stop immediately and seek advice for listed reactions such as rash, redness, itching, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness, headache, a heavy head on waking, daytime drowsiness, palpitations, difficulty urinating, fatigue, nervousness, or abnormal behaviour or awareness. Stop and consult if dry mouth or diarrhoea persists or worsens.
Keep the original container and leaflet, away from sunlight in a cool, dry place out of children's reach. Do not transfer the medicine into another container or use it after expiry. The manufacturer's purchase notice asks buyers to discuss their symptoms first, limits sales to one pack per person, and says it will not be sold for excessive use or prolonged continuous use. Do not bypass that conversation to stock up.
Your Rhythm is a separate food range
If the box says ドリエル ユアリズム / Your Rhythm Deep, Relax or Beauty, check again. These are Foods with Function Claims in Japan, with different ingredients and directions from the two medicines here. Do not apply this guide's 50 mg dose or medicine instructions to them, or combine products on your own.
At the counter, explain how long sleep has been difficult, whether it happens every day, your conditions and medicines, alcohol use and any next-day driving. Those details are more useful than simply asking whether EX is stronger.
Official sources and image credits
- SSP: Drewell product information and Japanese leaflet.
- SSP: Drewell EX product information and Japanese leaflet.
- SSP: Current brand product categories. Package and dosage-form photographs come from the manufacturer. This guide helps with identification and label reading; it does not diagnose sleep problems.
