Doxylamine is a prescription medicine. It is used for the temporary treatment of sleeplessness, which is medically referred to as insomnia. Apart from treating insomnia, doxylamine also is commonly used with decongestants to manage symptoms of the common cold, including sneezing, nasal congestion and runny nose. The medication is classified as being an antihistamine, meaning that it functions to obstruct histamine's actions within the body.
Main Use
The most common use of doxylamine is to manage insomnia. It is intended to treat insomnia in the short-term and to handle occasional episodes of sleeplessness during the night. Doxylamine also operates to make falling asleep easier for those who have trouble doing so. The medication affects the central nervous system to bring about drowsiness, which makes falling asleep significantly easier.
Antihistamine
Another common use for doxylamine is for reducing and managing the symptoms of the common cold, allergies and hay fever. These uncomfortable symptoms include runny nose, itchiness, sneezing, watery eyes, nasal decongestion and various others. Doxylamine decreases amount of histamine inside of the body. Histamine is a chemical that is made naturally by the body. Histamine is the culprit of the unpleasant symptoms associated with colds and allergies.
Caution
Although doxylamine has several uses and can be helpful for many, it is not necessarily suitable or safe for everybody. It is vital to consult your doctor before using doxylamine, whether it is to manage sleeplessness or to alleviate the discomfort of a cold or allergies. This is particularly important for those with an enlarged prostate, blockage of the digestive tract, stomach ulcer, kidney disease, glaucoma, urination difficulties, emphysema, bronchitis or any other type of breathing-related disorder.
Pregnant and Breastfeeding Females
Though doxylamine has not been proven to cause damage to unborn infants, pregnant women should speak with their doctors before using doxylamine, to be on the safe side. It is possible that this medication could be excreted into human breast milk, so nursing females should consult their doctors. Children under the age of 12 should not take doxylamine unless given permission.
Overdose
Overdosing on any medication can be dangerous, and doxylamine is no exception. If you fear you might have taken more than the suitable and recommended dose amount of doxylamine, you need to get immediate medical attention. Some symptoms of doxylamine overdose include dry mouth, coordination loss, severe drowsiness and convulsions.
Tags: before using, before using doxylamine, body Histamine, cold allergies, common cold, common doxylamine, falling asleep