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Concept
Doxylamine
Summary
Doxylamine, sold under the brand name Unisom among others, is an antihistamine medication which is used in the treatment of insomnia and allergies. In combination with pyridoxine (vitamin B6), it is also used to treat morning sickness in pregnant women. Doxylamine is available over-the-counter, and is used in nighttime cold medicines, such as NyQuil, as well as in pain medications containing acetaminophen and codeine, to help with sleep. The medication is taken by mouth.
Side effects of doxylamine include dizziness, drowsiness, grogginess, and dry mouth, among others. Doxylamine is an antihistamine—specifically an inverse agonist of the histamine H1 receptor—and to a lesser extent an anticholinergic—specifically an antagonist of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors M1 through M5. It is a first-generation antihistamine and crosses the blood–brain barrier into the brain, thereby producing centrally mediated sedative and hypnotic effects.
Doxylamine was first described in 1948 or 1949. Several of the first-generation antihistamines, including doxylamine, are the most widely used sleep medications in the world. Doxylamine is also a potent anticholinergic, which means it also works as a deliriant at much higher than recommended doses as a result. Its sedative and deliriant effects have led to some cases of recreational use.
Doxylamine is an antihistamine used to treat sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, hives, skin rash, itching, and other cold or allergy symptoms. It is also used as a short-term treatment for insomnia.
The first-generation sedating antihistamines diphenhydramine, doxepin, doxylamine, and pyrilamine are the most widely used medications in the world for preventing and treating insomnia. As of 2004, doxylamine and diphenhydramine, which are both over-the-counter medications, were the agents most commonly used to treat short-term insomnia. As of 2008 and 2017, over-the-counter antihistamines were not recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for treatment of chronic insomnia "due to the relative lack of efficacy and safety data".
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