Doxepin for Insomnia User Reviews

• zanyl...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 8, 2014

Silenor (doxepin) "For as long as I can remember, I have had issues with falling asleep and remaining asleep. This occurred in childhood also. It seems to be a family trait. However, my doctor prescribed Silenor and what a difference this pill makes! To have always had problems sleeping and then suddenly, a pill changes the problem. Over the years I have taken Lunesta, Ambien, Tylenol PM, Melatonin, Benadryl... all stopped working within a period of 3-5 months. Not so with Silenor. I read some posts stating that Silenor has caused weight gain. I have not noticed such, but I do not keep a weight scale in my house. For the present, I will only say that for a chronic lifetime insomniac, I wish that I had this pill 44 years ago. Age now 49."

• Annie...
• May 13, 2014

Silenor (doxepin) "I couldn't stay asleep, tried Lunesta and Ambien, they had side effects I couldn't tolerate. Sleep center said I had mild apnea and said their monitors showed me sleeping but I felt like I was awake more than they said I was and was literally exhausted every day, felt like I was on the verge of 'losing it,' crying a lot. Was not sad/depressed--was sleep deprived. Have been taking 2 Silenor a night for 2 years: sleep like a baby, 8 hours required, wake up rested, functioning beautifully--I have my life back."

• Good...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 19, 2013

Silenor (doxepin) "This medicine worked beautifully for me; I have no complaints. But when my insurance changed and I couldn't take it any longer, I had to try and go without it. I didn't realize that it had been the source of my weight gain and why I couldn't lose the weight no matter what I tried. After stopping taking it I dropped 10 lbs almost immediately WHILE I WAS ON SPRING BREAK and eating way more than usual and not working out 4 times a week as usual. I'm glad I took it and that it helped me, but I just wanted to share this experience so that others won't mistakenly think that age was causing them to gain weight and not lose it no matter what they tried."

• Mikey...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 14, 2019

"doxepin does keep you asleep but the majority of the time will keep you drowsy and groggy the whole next day. Isn't that why we are taking it so we DON'T feel that way the next day? I would sleep over 8 hours and still feel groggy and drowsy and gross the next day. No thanks."

• RGano
• September 14, 2019

Silenor (doxepin) "I wanted to take a break from Ambien that I had been taking for sleep problems. I've been on Ambien for over 10 years. I took Silenor every night for 60 days. It felt different than Ambien, but honest to God I slept all 60 nights on it. Good to know it works If I need to go back to it! Also, I did not have any Ambien withdrawals."

• Every...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 1, 2014

"I am an addict and have had chronic insomnia for 20 years, so as you would imagine, I've tried everything and abused everything. Doxepin is a miracle med for me. I take 10 to 30 mg depending on how sleepy I am. I have no side effects, no weight gain, no sleepiness the next day. Want extra help? Read up on Magnesium. Just added that with amazing results. Depression and anxiety... well haven't found the miracle for those yet."

• sunbl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 7, 2021

Silenor (doxepin) "Took 3 mg last night and not only fell asleep immediately, but stayed asleep for 12 hours. I did wake up twice to pee, but fell asleep right away. Tonight I'm going to try 1.5 mg, as 12 hours was way too long. But I have no sleep hangover and feel great. Hoping that this will be "the one." Tried everything and so far, this one is the best."

• Ritas...
• August 18, 2019

"I have struggled with anxiety and insomnia for years and have been prescribed all manner of medication (klonopin, Xanax, prozac you name it). Since I was a little kid this has been a problem. Now at 21 I was finally prescribed Doxepin and though I have only been using it (50 mg at bedtime) for a week, it has changed my perspective on anxiety. I feel a sense of tiredness and readiness to go to sleep that I have not felt on any other substance I have used to try and fall asleep. I have been able to get to sleep by 11 pm and wake up at 8 am refreshed and ready for the day which is not something I have been able to say for a long time if ever. My only problem with Doxepin is that when I wake up I have very bad dry mouth (almost cotton mouth) for several hours into the day but it eventually goes away and in no way eclipses the helpfulness of this medication for me. All in all (so far) Doxepin has worked incredibly well for me and I am thankful to finally have been prescribed it."

• ToddOne
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2013

Silenor (doxepin) "I have been taking Silenor every night for 5 months and love it. It doesn't knock me out or make me loopy like Ambien. Silenor just makes me a bit drowsy, but more importantly is that when I wake up in the middle of the night I fall right back to sleep - which is a lifesaver for me. Since it's non-addictive, this is great for just normal calm times in my life, which is 95% of the time. But when I'm stressing out over something and all panicky, then Silenor does practically nothing for me. I have to take Ambien or Ativan during that 1-2 week period I'm stressing."

• eddie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2020

"I wanted to like it. I read all the good reviews. The first night I slept great (felt like normal sleep and not dopey like trazodone/xanax). The next morning I felt TOO good. I am not bipolar. Later I felt unusually emotional. I tried again the next day and had terrible side effects. Feelings of derealization. Dry mouth. Racing heart, clammy, sweating. It made me feel like my soul was being sucked from my body and I didn't care and was just watching myself from 10 inches away. Everything about it was SUBTLE but it felt like it was drastically changing my chemistry in a freaky way. I can't stand the stuff and flushed it down the toilet."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2014

Silenor (doxepin) "Silenor was a nightmare for me. I stuck with it for about 3 weeks and thought I was going out of my mind. I did not sleep at all for the first 4 days and then the hallucinations began. If I did sleep it was in for about 30 minutes at a time and then the terrible nightmares kept me awake for the rest of the night. "

• Trey
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 23, 2020

"Always have had a hard time getting to sleep but these past months it’s gotten so bad I went to the doctor who first put me on trazodone and all that did was make me feel tired I still couldn’t sleep. The doctor then gave me 10 mg of doxepin and said I could take 20 mg if I had too and honestly it doesn’t work. I had my hopes high because he was saying how much he loved the medication. It might as well be a placebo, I took 20 mg and 5 hours later with proper sleep hygiene before and all I have is a dry mouth and the walls look like they’re breathing. It hasn’t really effected me differently and I’ve been taking this medication for awhile now. I honestly can’t recommend this medication."

• Carol...
• December 2, 2016

Silenor (doxepin) "I have had depression, anxiety and insomnia issues for decades, and have tried many approaches for these issues, including psychological, sleep study, endocrine, chiropractic, acupuncture, herbal formulas, homeopathics, aromatherapy, exercise, meditation, diet, and too many depression and insomnia medications to count. While I have had some success, especially with more natural approaches, I found this past several years that NOTHING helped, or it didn't help for long. My doctor recently gave me some Silenor samples to try, and I was absolutely blown away by their efficacy. I took the lower dose of 3mg 30 minutes before bedtime and slept great all the way through the night, 8-9 hours! No side effects, either. I wish I could afford them!"

• JustMe
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 29, 2020

"Didn’t work well for anxiety/depression or insomnia; but worked very well to make me fat (20 pound weight gain) and triglycerides went quite high. Off now. Weight down. Triglycerides went back to normal. Caused metabolic syndrome?"

• Jano
• August 18, 2015

Silenor (doxepin) "I have had trouble staying asleep for several years. No problems falling asleep, but most nights I wake up around 3 or 4AM (five hours into my sleep) and from that point forward I sleep fitfully. I tried Silenor (actually generic Doxepin) for about three weeks. It seemed to help a bit for the first few days, but after a few weeks I noticed no improvement beyond no medication. First few days I experienced about a 1-2 low grade hang-over. The most notable part of the experience was the very vivid dreams I had. They were not nightmares, but they tended to be disturbing and about mundane aspects of life. Things like being late for appointments, dealing with unwanted guests, arguments with friends, etc."

• Cant...
• November 14, 2014

Silenor (doxepin) "I've been on Ambien and it was too strong. It gave me brain fog the next day. Taking half a pill helped but I did not like that it was habit forming. Got some samples of Silenor 3mg and it helped keep me sleeping or if I woke up I would go back to sleep. I only take half a pill with an 8 oz glass of water and that does the trick. It also helps to use earplugs to keep out noise. Ive noticed that some people complain of weight gain. I cant imagine how that could happen if you are sleeping. But if Im awake and nibbling in the middle of the night, unless I up my exercise it's to be expected."

• Bccmor
• September 8, 2014

Silenor (doxepin) "I was on zopiclone for about 14 years and was successful in weening myself off but having difficulty sleeping again. Doctor prescribed Silenor 3mg and with directions "take 1 or 2 tablets as needed". I've opted to take 1/2 tablet (1.5 mg) to start. I've been sleeping and feeling rested on awakening. Not sure if it's psychological or not."

• None
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2020

"Not sure how some are getting 3, 6mg doses. Mine are 50mg and I take 2 capsules each night and barely helps with sleep. No grogginess next day either. Not sure how such a small dose would do anything at all."

• Helped
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2020

"I suffered severe sleep maintenance insomnia for five years, set off initially by menopause night sweats. I started this medication three months ago and it has made a huge difference to my quality of life! It will not be a ‘fix’ in itself, as I’ve found it works well in conjunction with a CBT based approach (cognitive and behavioural sleep management strategies). I started with 20mg as 10 wasn’t effective at first, but I have been able to reduce back to 10mg over the past month with good success. 20mg did leave me with a ‘hangover’ effect in the mornings, but at least I got a solid stretch of sleep!!"

• Timaaay
• March 6, 2017

"I had suffered an unspeakable event a few months agoIf you think of your worst thought, this was worse. I've never been depressed or on any psyc meds in my life. I went about 6 weeks sleeping, perhaps 2 hours per night. I awakened with nightmares of the event. I tried Ambien, which made me fall asleep, but I'd only get 3 hours of sleep on a good night, usually less, awakened by nightmares. The doc gIve me Doxepin 100mg capsules. I slept 16 hours straight! I now take 100mg about 30 minutes before bed and sleep 6-8 hours and most importantly, I don't have nightmares. I don't remember any dreams and I don't have the "Hangover" Ambien gave me. This drug has been a miracle for me literally"

• blh
• May 25, 2017

Silenor (doxepin) "I was prescribed 3 mg tablets for insomnia. The first night I took one about 45 minutes before bedtime and did not find it helped me sleep at all. However, I was extremely groggy the next morning and ended up back in bed by shortly after lunch, sleeping for almost 2 hours. I tried it two more times, taking it earlier each time, but the effect was the same: it takes too long to work and leaves me groggy and unable to function the next day. I will not be taking it any more."

• Urban...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 29, 2015

Silenor (doxepin) "This stuff really did the job. It knocked me on my booty and I am used to taking medications that make you sleepy. This kept me sleeping all night long after about 3 weeks of falling asleep and not being able to stay asleep for more than an hour or two. My prescription is for 25 mg and I only took a half. Just to let you know, You may want to try it when you do not have to work the next day. I am not sure if I could have gotten up in time for work this morning if I had to. I do all medications like this slowly and I never start out at my prescribed dosage. I always start out a lot lower dosage and go up from there if I need to. I do feel a bit of anxiety today. Not sure if it's the medication, or? I am wide AWAKE now. A bit strange."

• M H
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 17, 2017

Silenor (doxepin) "Use to take Ambien but side effect were starting to drive me nuts. Nightmares, almost depressed when waking up. Silenor really saved me. Incredible feeling, like normal sleep. No side effects at all in my case. I'm surprised it's not more promoted."

• Snidely...
• April 7, 2017

Silenor (doxepin) "Silenor's active ingredient is doxepin. A 90 day supply of doxepin (it will be in liquid form to be mixed with water) costs $12 . I gave this information to my doctor and he prescribed the doxepin. My insurance company is not involved and this has saved me a substantial amount of money. I've been using it for about four years and am very happy with the results."

• jimig
• October 30, 2016

Silenor (doxepin) "Great product. I never had a problem falling asleep before, I can and always could fall asleep in 2 or 3 minutes. My problem was during the night when I would wake up at 2am and be up for the day. With Silenor I still wake up on occasion but I go right back to sleep. I have been taking it for months now, still works great. Not groggy the next day. If your problem is getting to sleep this might not be right for you. If your problem is staying asleep or falling back to sleep after waking up during the night then Silenor will be a big help."