Doxepin for sleep online prescription

Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). TCAs work by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine in your brain. Doxepin also blocks histamine receptors in the brain. Histamine is a chemical involved in wakefulness, so by suppressing its activity, doxepin has a sedating effect that helps you stay asleep longer. 

Clinical trials found that doxepin can improve total sleep time and reduce nighttime awakenings. It’s particularly effective for people who wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty getting back to sleep. 

In clinical studies, doxepin significantly improved 3 key issues that plague people with insomnia:

• Wake after sleep onset (the amount of time you spend awake in bed after initially falling asleep)
• Total sleep time (or sleep duration, how much time you spend asleep total per night)
• Sleep efficiency (the percentage of time you spend asleep out of the total time you’re in bed)

People taking doxepin may get 26 to 32 more minutes of sleep per night, according to research. They also spend significantly less time tossing and turning in the middle of the night. According to an analysis by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the amount of time people spend awake in bed after falling asleep drops by an average of 22 minutes on doxepin. People taking doxepin report better sleep quality overall, as well.

Doxepin is especially effective at keeping people asleep in the early morning hours. Taking doxepin nightly for 5 weeks significantly reduced early morning awakenings in a study of adults with chronic insomnia. It also improved their ability to sleep through the night. Other studies show that doxepin can be effective at treating transient insomnia (short-term sleep problems) and for helping people sleep better the first night they take it. 

It’s worth noting that doxepin is effective at helping you stay asleep (sleep maintenance), but isn’t used to help people fall asleep in the first place (sleep onset). If your insomnia is characterized more by difficulty falling asleep versus staying asleep, another sleep medication may work better.

Doxepin dosages for sleep come in 3- and 6-milligram tablets. The recommended dose is 6 milligrams daily for adults ages 18 to 64 and 3 milligrams a day for adults 65 and older.

Take your dose 30 minutes before bed, ideally at least 3 hours after you last ate. You want to take doxepin, get ready for bed, and start trying to fall asleep. It’s important to take doxepin when you have enough time to get a full night’s sleep.

Doxepin shouldn’t be taken with food or immediately after a meal, so you don’t feel sleepy the next day. You shouldn’t mix doxepin with alcohol or other medications that make you feel sleepy or dizzy, to avoid making your sleepiness or dizziness worse. You also don’t want to drive or operate heavy machinery after taking doxepin. Avoid doing these activities until you feel fully awake the next day. 

If you miss a dose of doxepin, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Don’t take an extra dose to make up for the missed dose.

Store doxepin at room temperature in a tightly closed container away from light. Safely dispose of doxepin once it’s expired or you no longer need it. And be sure to keep it out of reach of children and pets.

If you can’t sleep at night, even when you’re tired, doxepin could be a good option for you. Low-dose doxepin is particularly effective for maintaining sleep throughout the night, and it’s less likely to cause next-day grogginess than some other sleep medications.

Other insomnia medications, such as Ambien (zolpidem), are generally considered more effective. And some medications may be more effective if you have trouble falling asleep versus staying asleep, such as Rozerem (ramelteon). Some sleep medications can help with both types of insomnia, including Ambien, Belsomra (suvorexant), and Quviviq (daridorexant). 

Ambien, Rozerem, Belsomra, and Quiviviq are all FDA-approved to treat insomnia. All have side effects that may include, but aren’t limited to, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea, and fatigue. Ambien has an FDA-boxed warning for complex sleep behaviors that can include walking, driving, talking, eating, and other activities while asleep that may result in injury or death.

There are also off-label options for the treatment of insomnia. Trazodone, for one, is an antidepressant that’s sometimes prescribed off-label for sleep. It can be effective but it carries a higher risk of side effects than doxepin, including a boxed warning for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

The best way to find out which insomnia medication is best for you, if any, is to talk to an insomnia specialist.