Doxepin and Hangover: What Users Say

• Hel...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 27, 2020

For Insomnia "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 behavioral sleep management strategies). I started with 20 mg as 10 wasn’t effective at first, but I have been able to reduce back to 10 mg over the past month with good success. 20 mg did leave me with a ‘hangover’ effect in the mornings, but at least I got a solid stretch of sleep!"

• jjo...
• October 10, 2010

Doxepin for Insomnia "I have used all known sleepers and other off-label medicines for sleep and I have taken Silenor 6 mg for 3 nights. It is amazing. I fall asleep with no problems and stay asleep for 7-8 hours. No hangover or other side effects. I had been taking Remeron 60 mg for sleep, as it was the best of all I had tried. I thought the Remeron was doing an okay job until I tried the Silenor. I am thrilled and feel more rested than I have in years."

• JB1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2017

For Insomnia "I retired over 3 yrs ago, and almost immediately my schedule began to change, ending up in a situation in which I couldn't fall asleep sometimes until as late as 5 or 6 am and not get up until around noon! Yesterday my lung doctor, who also does sleep studies, suggested doxepin. I had already had a bad experience with it many years ago - 10 mg. It put me to sleep, alright, but I felt like a frigging zombie the next day. He told me that was too strong a dose and recommended half of that. He also told me that most insurance companies won't pay for it in any dose except the generic 10 mg. capsule, not the 3mg. tablet or the liquid. So, I half the capsules nightly in water. Slept fine, no hangover. Retired at 11:30 & up at 8. Hope tonight's the same. Dose is key!"

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 29, 2023

For Insomnia "I’ve been using doxepin for a while now, and I find it very useful for helping with sleep. I use 10 mg every night, and I usually get 7-8 hours. The first week or so, yes, I felt pretty hung over and sleepy all day, but that faded as I stuck with it. Does it truly knock me out? I’m not sure. I seem to fall back asleep upon awakening much easier now. I also believe doxepin improves my mood and anxiety overall, which makes sleep easier all on its own. I haven’t gained weight… In fact, it’s the opposite for me. I have way more energy now due to more sleep, so I’ve been exercising and dieting better than when I was getting bad sleep. I have tried 3 mg and 6 mg (I used a compound pharmacy due to those dose sizes not being covered by insurance for some reason), but I don’t find them more useful than 10 mg. I have also used trazodone in the past, and I feel that doxepin works better and doesn’t cause a stuffy nose like trazodone does. I say give it a try!"

• Cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2020

For Insomnia "Took it for insomnia, and I did sleep, woke up several times as usual, but I did sleep better. Trouble came the next morning. I should have taken it on a weekend and not on a workday, almost impossible to get up and moving the next morning, hangover all day. Will not be using again."

• NCA...
• December 15, 2011

Doxepin for Insomnia "I have been using Ambien for several years, and I seem to have built a tolerance so that I am no longer falling asleep nor staying asleep. (Note: I have used both Ambien and Ambien CR.) I was on a 'local' trip and had forgotten my Ambien, so I asked my Dr. if she had samples of anything that would help me sleep. She gave me Silenor samples. While I was extremely happy with the sleep, I did wake up 'hungover' and had a hard time getting moving. I also experienced very real hallucinations. Don't know if they will lessen with use, but I am going to ask for a month's supply to see if it works out after an adjustment period."

• sma...
• February 27, 2018

For Insomnia "I've waited a long time to post this review because I really wanted to like this drug and given a fair trial, but I've been on various doses ranging from 3 mg to 50 mg over the last three years, and I have to say that I don't like the drug at all. I've been using it for insomnia, and sometimes it works well, and other times it doesn't work at all. And every time I reach a certain dose that I think is working, after a few weeks or months, I have to raise the dose again. My main complaint about this drug is the side effects. Generally speaking, it has helped to put me to sleep, but at a great price. It makes me dopey, hungover, feel like sleeping all day long; has given me mental confusion, blurred vision, and even on lower doses like 10 mg or 25 mg, it makes me more depressed because it makes me feel low, tired, doped up. I'm trying to get off it. I would recommend it to other people for short-term use."

• Rae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 2, 2020

For Anxiety "Prescribed doxepin 25 mg for anxiety, and I was afraid to take the whole dose. I’ve divided it into 1/2, 2/3, and into 1/4. The 1/4 didn’t make me feel hungover or very tired the next day, but the other doses did. I’m glad I didn’t try the full dose. I do sleep better and don’t have the hangover, dizziness, or feel tired. The lower dose just takes the edge off my anxiety. I’ll give it another week, then decide if it’s for me."

• Anonymous
• January 13, 2010

For Insomnia "Generic doxepin (25 mg) helped wonderfully with my insomnia...at first. It's great for short-term use because it truly lets you sleep *as long as you want*. However, after about 3 weeks, I started developing tolerance and began taking 50 mg every night. A month later, I was up to 75 mg. In months 4 and 5, I was taking 100 mg every night. With the increased dosage, so increased the unpleasant side effects ('hangovers' in the morning). When I switched to a stronger sedative, I suffered withdrawal in the form of middle-of-the-night awakenings for several weeks. One other note - it's not fast-acting like newer drugs, so I had to take it 2 hours before bedtime in order to feel sleepy."

• Jay...
• January 10, 2016

For Insomnia "I got this for depression, I took 150 mg a day. Now I need 50 mg to fall asleep, sometimes even 100 mg. I don't know how this works for people who take only 10-20 mg. Yes, I get a dry mouth, but that's okay. I noticed that I have very realistic dreams and sometimes a hangover for the next day (after 100 mg)."

• Dia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

For Anxiety "A dermatologist put me on Doxepin because she thought my skin problems might be caused by anxiety. I took it at night; when I got up in the morning, I was so dizzy I had to hold on to walls and furniture to keep from falling! I felt kind of drunk all day; not good for people who have a job and/or other responsibilities. Oh well, my dermatological problems weren't caused by anxiety anyway. I gave this drug a 3 rating because it seems like it would be effective as a sleep aid and to reduce anxiety."

• No...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2021

For Insomnia "I have tried Doxepin for about three weeks. I started at 3 mg and woke up after just a couple of hours, and then it was hard to get back to sleep. I increased the dose to 6 mg and woke after 3 hours of sleep, and then it was hard to get back to sleep. I moved up to 10 mg, and I woke up after 4 hours and could get back to sleep. The hangover gets substantially worse the higher the dose. I think this medicine sucks the soul out of you. You don't feel normal the next day, very forgetful. I am going back to edibles with a little melatonin."

• Jud...
• May 10, 2016

For Insomnia "Tried this pill last night. Did sleep pretty well, but very hungover in the morning. It is just not worth it. Can't function normally today. I was taking Ativan, which was great, but the doctor will not prescribe it anymore. Can't believe that one little pill can make me feel so awful. I will never take it again!!"

• NoS...
• March 10, 2022

Doxepin for Insomnia "Crappy experience. Took one 30 minutes before bed, then another in 30 minutes, then at 12 a.m. took another, then at 2 a.m. took one more. Finally slept for a few hours around 2:30 a.m. The hangover was from zero sleep, I'm afraid nighttime Advil kicks so much better than this crap. Thanks for nothing, Doc."

• GCa...
• August 6, 2019

For Insomnia "Found it to give a full night's sleep with a hangover effect in the morning. Also experienced more dreaming than normal."

• deb...
• November 18, 2011

Doxepin for Insomnia "This medicine did not work as well for me as Lunesta or Ambien, but I like that it is not addicting. It is definitely better than nothing. I did feel mildly hungover the next day."