[The interesting anti-H1 effects in maintenance insomnia: A reflection on the comparative advantages of doxylamine and doxepin]

Abstract

Doxylamine (Donormyl®, Lidene®, Generics) is commonly proposed by pharmacists as a sleeping pill which does not require a prescription. In France, today it is only prescribed for occasional insomnia in adults. In light of knowledge about the role of the histamine H1 inverse agonist drugs in the treatment of insomnia, and specifically the low dose doxepin (3 mg and 6 mg) marketed in the US and Canada (Silenor®), we suggest that the use of doxylamine may be appropriate for treating insomnia in the last third of the night. Better information to the pharmacist on the prescription of this anti-H1 hypnotic would be beneficial to the patient.

Keywords: Doxepin; Doxylamine; Doxépine; Histamine H1 receptor; Insomnia; Insomnie; Pharmacien d’officine; Pharmacist; Récepteur H1 de l’histamine.