Real Life Pharmacology - Pharmacology Education For Health Care Professionals

In the podcast this week, I talk about doxylamine pharmacology. Doxylamine is a first-generation antihistamine; it is commonly an active ingredient in night-time medications like Unisom, Nyquil, and Mucinex. The pharmacology of doxylamine is similar to other first-generation antihistamines, it competitively inhibits the binding of histamine at H1 receptors. Its main uses are as sleep aides, in cough-and-cold medications, but doxylamine has also been given with pyridoxine to treat nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Doxylamine’s adverse reactions are related to its anticholinergic properties, they include dry eyes, dry mouth, increased fall risk, sedation, urinary retention, constipation, and confusion. Contraindications include concurrent use with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, known hypersensitivities, concomitant alcohol use, and if the patient has the following conditions: elevated intraocular pressure, narrow-angle glaucoma, asthma, peptic ulcer disease, urinary bladder neck obstruction, or gastric o