What is doxepin

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you. Dizziness or drowsiness can cause falls, accidents, or severe injuries. Use Doxepin Silenor exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets.

Use the medicine exactly as directed. It may take 7 to 10 days before your insomnia symptoms improve.

Keep using as directed and call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 10 days of treatment. Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep the bottle tightly closed when not in use. Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

Do not take Silenor if you do not have time for a full night's sleep before being active again. Health Topics. Health Tools. Doxepin Silenor. Reviewed: June 23, Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant. You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to doxepin, amoxapine, or loxapine, or if you have: untreated narrow-angle glaucoma; or severe urination problems. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information and to understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your e-mail and website usage information with other information we have about you.

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Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor. It can worsen your condition. For pregnant women: It is not known if doxepin is safe for use in pregnant women.

Doxepin should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk. For women who are breastfeeding: Doxepin may pass into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. These effects include drowsiness and breathing problems.

Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.

For seniors: Seniors may be more sensitive to doxepin. This may make them more likely to feel confused or drowsy while taking the drug. For children: Doxepin has not been established as safe or effective for use in children younger than 12 years. It should not be used in people in this age range.

All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. The liver and kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to.

This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, a higher amount of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This increases your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lower dosage or a different medication schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages.

Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. Your symptoms of anxiety should start to improve sooner than that.

Doxepin oral capsule is used for short- or long-term treatment. Stopping it suddenly may cause side effects. These include nausea, headache, and tiredness.

For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. You may have the following symptoms:. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember.

But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects.

How to tell if the drug is working: You should have fewer symptoms of depression or anxiety. You may be in a better mood. It may take two to three weeks of treatment with this drug for your symptoms of depression to improve. Your symptoms of anxiety should improve sooner than that. A prescription for this medication is refillable.