Pharmacology - Questions about Doxylamine Succinate.

[no-go]

SWIM has a few questions regarding Doxylamine Succinate purely involving its intended use as a sleep-aid. The questions are pharmacological, mostly for how to maximize its effects and additionally, to account for the following observations.

- Equate Night Time Liquid (Comparable to NyQuil Cold/Flu Liquid) with 10% alcohol is the most effective at the adult dosage, which at 30 mL contains 1000mg Acetaminophen, 30mg Dextromethorphan, 12.5mg Doxylamine succinate. Works on an empty or full stomach.
- Dosage by liquicaps are less effective. IR pills containing only 25 mg Doxylamine Succinate seem insufficient for intended use.

Swim wonders,

(1) What causes liquid forum (syrup) to work extremely well for sleep, but pills not to work? Is it the alcohol, acetaminophen, or dextromethorphan?
- The IR pill induces drowsiness, but does not comabt insomnolence and may even exacerbate it. Tried double and triple doses with no improvement, and next-day fatigue and misery. The addition of two-three beers helps the onset of sleep on an empty stomach, that's it.
(2) Is doxylamine succinate active *only* through hepatic in metabolism? Are sublingual or intra-nasal routes absolutely impossible? If hepatic only, what are the best stomach conditions to facilitate metabolism (empty stomach, what pH, etc.)?
(3) What can be done to make IR pills more effective or as effective as the liquid form dosage? (One wishes to avoid the acetaminophen).

thanks in advance for any helpful answers.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Swim would suggest going with unisom to avoid the acetaminophen and all the other stuff all together.Unisom which is simply doxylamine succinate is effective provided one takes a high enough dose and hasn't gained a tolerance.

[jok3r]

The alcohol might cause the doxylamine succinate to break down faster in your stomach. Acetaminophen and Dextromethorphan products such as Robitussin and tylenol both have warning on the labels to avoid alcoholic beverages... but who knows?

[Orchid_Suspiria]

The pill form certainly works in swims experience though tolerance develops at a rather rapid pace.