Doxylamine and Drowsiness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Geo...
• August 12, 2014

For Insomnia "I've taken 25 mg for five nights and found that it does help me sleep. Unfortunately, it can put me to sleep for 12 hours, leaving me feeling groggy and unwilling to do much else for the rest of the day. I might use it on days when sleep is badly needed and I've nothing to do the next day. Possible side effects for elders are serious and apply to me, so that also will limit my use."

• Don...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 19, 2019

For Insomnia "Benadryl (diphenhydramine) gives me restless leg syndrome, but I don’t have that issue with Unisom Sleep Tabs (doxylamine succinate). I have extreme insomnia, and I find that these pills will get me to sleep, and I have no problems getting up in the morning to go to work. It also does not make me groggy."

• And...
• March 1, 2016

For Insomnia "I am taking Restavit to help with long-term insomnia. I am very sensitive to drowsy medicines and have gotten down to taking 1/8 of a tablet with excellent results. Even if I do not feel sleepy when I go to bed, once I close my eyes, I easily drift off to sleep. It also helps with my stress-related anxiety throughout the day. I will be looking at having it compounded to the amount I need, as the smallest dose available is 25 mg, which I cut down to eight pieces. I would recommend it to those waking up groggy trying to cut down the amount to the minimum needed to sleep."

• Sle...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 6, 2016

Doxylamine for Insomnia "I break the 25 mg tabs into thirds and take it about an hour before bed. I try to have at least 7 hours for sleeping. More is better. Only feel groggy when my sleep time is less than 7 hours. Love it! I also use the generic versions."

• Nes...
• September 23, 2019

For Insomnia "One tablet knocked me out cold, the next day, I started to come alive about lunchtime, but felt groggy for the rest of the day. I take a quarter of a tablet now and it works beautifully, I sleep well with nil grogginess the next day. The packet says to take 1-2 tablets, too much for me, I can't imagine taking two tablets! Although I'm a petite lady, I do only weigh 54 kg."

• CLe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2024

Doxylamine for Insomnia "There are two variations of Unisom, one has the same ingredient as Benadryl, the other contains doxylamine. I used the one containing doxylamine. I've taken it (1/2 tablet then decreased to 1/4 tablet) several times, and though it does help with sleep, the side effects of increased anxiety upon waking and worsening of my chronic depression, as well as feeling drowsy throughout the day after waking, make it a no-go for me. I wish I had read more about the potential side effects on mental health prior to taking, as I spent some rough days these past few weeks before realizing this OTC was the culprit."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 27, 2016

For Insomnia "First off, I highly recommend taking only half a pill your first time trying this, unless you are used to sedation from other pills. A whole pill is 25 mg, but that left me groggy the next day to the point that I was worthless. After a few days of 12.5 mg, I then 'graduated' to 25 mg. Hell, I've even tried 50 mg before because I built a tolerance to this stuff. This pill used to put me and keep me asleep, but now it doesn't keep me asleep past a few hours, so I only take 1 pill to put me asleep, then take a prescription drug that has a longer half-life to keep me asleep. But overall, I like this stuff better than diphenhydramine (Benadryl)."

• Anonymous
• August 17, 2020

Doxylamine for Insomnia "I moved to Hawaii 2 months ago and have had insomnia since I've been here. I decided to buy Unisom and give it a try. First time, it did absolutely nothing. Second time, it took approximately 3 hours to fall asleep. So I decided to up the dose to 2 pills. It's a 50/50 chance to fall asleep within 2 hours. When it does work, I wake up groggy and unbalanced and it takes a few hours to shake it off. I don't recommend this product. It just doesn't seem to work like it claims."

• Jos...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 16, 2018

For Insomnia "Like many reviews on here, I get mixed results with this med. Sometimes, I only need 1/2 tab, other times, a full tab. Sometimes, I get good sleep right through, other times, not. Sometimes, I have severe grogginess in the morning, other times, not. Sometimes, I have vivid dreams, other times, not. But generally speaking, the med is always more effective than not taking it. It’s well worth a try for anyone who has trouble with sleep, and perhaps far more effective and safer than heavier prescription drugs for sleep."

• Wif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 8, 2021

Doxylamine for Insomnia "These have saved my sanity. After a rough 2 years that caused me to drink more than I should, my sleep cycles became extremely disrupted. I gave up alcohol, but nothing helped restore my sleep. I am leery of prescription meds due to a history of dependence. Nothing I tried over the counter worked. Benadryl didn't touch me, so I didn't expect much. In the past 2 years, I averaged 2 hours of sleep a night. Because of my experience with nothing working, I took 2 of these the first night. BIG mistake. I slept 13 hours and could hardly stay awake the next day. The last 2 nights, I have taken one and slept 8 hours but still some grogginess. I will try 1/2 tab tonight, but this medicine has given me so much hope for sleeping again."

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

Doxylamine for Insomnia "I do not sleep well ever. I needed something to help my body realize it's time for bed, and this Equate Sleep Aid definitely does the job. Does it keep me asleep? No, but it does help me fall asleep. I also wake up the next day feeling pretty good. Sometimes I feel groggy, but after I motivate myself, I feel great."

• Ica...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 6, 2017

For Insomnia "A half of a tablet gives me 4 hours of sleep. One whole = 8 hours. Rarely do I have any aftereffects like drowsiness unless I was exceptionally tired. I use this very sparingly, all sleep aids can be psychologically habit-forming, even if not physically so. Only if I can't sleep for 3 or more days consecutively, or in periods of extreme stress. Tried many other products, only this one works great for me."

• Cbe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2018

For Insomnia "I am a 49-year-old, very active and physically fit woman. I had been having trouble falling asleep several times a week, sometimes from stress, sometimes for no reason. Tried Unisom 25 mg, and within 30 minutes, I always fall asleep and stay asleep for at least 7 hours. No grogginess in the morning, I get up, work out, and go to work. Again, I only use this about 2 or 3 times a week."

• Sle...
• May 6, 2017

For Insomnia "I was offered these by my pharmacist after taking Phenergan, which had ceased to work. I took them now for three nights, didn't fall asleep for over an hour but stayed asleep until 8:30 am, a small miracle and so much better than my usual routine, bed at 11 pm, sleep at 2:30-ish, wake until daylight, fall asleep when it's time to get up. Next two nights I didn't need one, so far so good. Very pleased. Yes, a bit drowsy in the morning but easy to work off when busy."

• lar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 22, 2018

For Insomnia "I take two tablets 2.5 hours before I need to go to bed, by then, I am happy to crawl into bed that otherwise wouldn't be until 2 a.m. I only take it because I have to get up at 5 a.m. for work and want to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. I wake up fine, but can feel groggy, which is no worse than feeling tired after a lack of sleep."

• iin...
• April 27, 2018

For Insomnia "I must be hypersensitive to this medication, as the first time I took one whole tablet, I couldn't wake up! Slept for about 20 hours. Very scary! No other medication or alcohol involved. Ended up only taking about an eighth of a tablet on weekends or when I wasn't required to wake to an alarm."

• ECG...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 9, 2016

For Insomnia "I am a 43-year-old healthy female and have suffered from insomnia due to stress and/or alcohol withdrawals on and off for years, and have taken almost everything except Lunesta, from natural to prescription remedies. This works but literally only once - it's like a tolerance is built up even faster than zopiclone. I hate the groggy feeling it leaves, and over time I think it has contributed to depressive disorder. I'd say the box is right - not for continued use."

• AMK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 6, 2021

For Insomnia "I recently started experiencing bad insomnia for no obvious reason. I tried both diphenhydramine and melatonin, and neither had any effect. I took a 25 mg tablet last night, fell asleep immediately, slept for a solid 8.5 hours, and had a hard time dragging myself out of bed at that time. I still feel a little dopey 18 hours after taking the pill. No other side effects. This seems to work really well as a sleep aid, but next time I'll try only half a tablet (I'm 110 pounds)."

• edt...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 9, 2017

For Insomnia "This product works, not as well as zolpidem, but it works. I know that drugs work differently on each person and can only tell you what it does to me. I first took it at 11 p.m. Got very drowsy and slept mostly through the night. If I was woken up by my wife getting up or the cat jumping on the bed, I went back to sleep. The problem is I woke up very groggy, and it lasted till 4 p.m. the next day. The next night, I took one pill at 8:30 p.m., and I was groggy till 3 p.m. the next day. Zolpidem made me sleep through the night, and I woke up fresh and awake. I don't know if I can take this product very often."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2021

For Insomnia "I have problems with falling/staying asleep and had tried melatonin and OTC sleeping pills with diphenhydramine. Melatonin did help me fall asleep, but not stay asleep. The pills with diphenhydramine did not help at all. After researching my insomnia, I found Unisom Sleep Tabs with doxylamine and gave those a try. Could not fall asleep last night, was up till 12:30 am (went to bed by 11 pm) and decided to take 1 Unisom tablet. Within a half an hour, I was asleep. I did wake up briefly once during the night, but went back to sleep quickly and slept till 10:30 am the next morning. I don't feel groggy, although I felt as if I could have slept even longer. Next time I need to use it, I will take a tablet a half an hour before bedtime to avoid the late wake-up in the morning. Overall, I am very happy with my first try of Unisom with doxylamine. Finally, a product that works for me!"

• Sle...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 19, 2022

For Insomnia "I’ve been taking Unisom for about 2-3 years nightly now. I can’t take Benadryl as it makes my restless legs and anxiety worse the next day. Doxylamine has been completely different. Firstly, I don’t feel druggy tired when I take it. It feels to me like a “natural” sleepiness. Second, it’ll help me return to sleep as I wake through the night (I’m still a light sleeper and co-sleep with my kids). I also don’t feel groggy at all like others mentioned, well okay, tbh, wake-up time has always been hard for me. But no real difference with this medicine. Coffee is priority no. 1 in the morning. I take the whole pill. My only concern is now that I’ve taken it nightly for a few years, when I run out of it around the second day, I start to feel really sick (mentally & physically). It seems like withdrawals, especially as it goes away as soon as I take it again. I’m not too sure, but I’m worried I’ll have to start lowering my dose and alternating."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2018

For Insomnia "Always worked in previous times. I got Chemists Own recently, I felt it was not working. Now I have realized I am drowsy the next day and night. Not working fast enough, but working for a long time. Will not be buying again."

• Pur...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 6, 2021

For Insomnia "Have been using Dozile on and off for 5 years. I have always had trouble falling asleep, initially, 1 tablet was way too much and left me drowsy in the mornings, so I cut it down to half. Now I only take 1/4 of a tablet with 1-2 Panadol and fall asleep quite quickly and sleep till morning."

• red...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2017

For Insomnia "Using 4 weeks or so. Initially half a tab since I'm sensitive. I wasn't experiencing severe grogginess as with another sleep aide years ago. But it didn't always put me to sleep, and I would wake often. Now using the full dose, sleep came sooner and harder, but I still wake at least once a night, and though there's no extreme grogginess in the morning, it makes me sleep about 10 hours and takes me a couple of hours to wake up. I have begun taking a natural-based energizer to wake up and also drinking black tea, and this morning I also took an extra 'energizing' daily vitamin plus a green tea capsule. I never seem to fully wake, I am feeling exhausted, and I notice irritability and a foul mood. I'm not going to keep using it. Worse than before I started."

• ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 5, 2023

For Insomnia "I have suffered from insomnia my entire life, and despite trying various medications and therapies, nothing helped until I tried benzos. Unfortunately, the positive effects were short-lived due to the severe tolerance effect. However, several years ago, I became interested in the potential mineral imbalances that can cause insomnia. Although I was initially skeptical, I decided to experiment by recording what I ate and its mineral content. I discovered that my ratios were off, and I was deficient in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and to a lesser extent, calcium. Like many Americans, my sodium intake was too high, which caused my body to excrete too many other essential minerals. To address this, I reduced my sodium intake to 1.5 grams and increased my potassium to 6 grams, while bringing the other minerals closer to normal levels. This allowed me to sleep like a baby, but it's challenging to consistently replicate this regimen. Nonetheless, my overall sleep patterns have improved significantly. When I have trouble sleeping, I take 25 mg of doxepin, which works well but leaves me feeling groggy the next day. I have found that obtaining minerals from food sources, especially potassium, is the best way to improve my sleep."