AboutDr. Ravindra Bhaskar Ghooi Expertise I can provide information on drugs and medicines, their actions, uses, interactions and adverse effects. To avoid confusion, generic names of
medicines may please be provided. I am a pharmacologist, having worked
on animal and human pharmacology, and presently I am the Dean of Bilcare Research Academy, where we teach courses on clinical research. We dont work on saturdays and sundays, hence questions reachng me on these days will be replied on Monday, please bear with me.
Question I have been a light sleeper for all of my adult life, hearing every noise and not being able to go back to sleep. For years, I have been taking an OTC sleeping aid containing doxylamine succinate which works well for me. I get a good 7-8 hours of sleep with little or no grogginess the following day. Lately, I have noticed a bothersome "jittery" feeling during the day, much like you feel when blood sugar drops due to hunger. But, my blood sugar tested fine and this "feeling" occurs even when I'm not hungry. Sometimes, I feel like my arms and legs must be quivering, but it doesn't show. It's a sensation that feels a little like adrenalin rush, jitters, like something constantly crawling under the skin. There has never been any chest discomfort or shortness of breath. I was wondering if the long-term use of doxylamine succinate could be causing this. I would appreciate any advice you can offer.
Thanks,
Camille
Answer Hi Camille,
While I understand what exactly you feel, I am unable to state the underlying medical problem. In so far as doxylamine is concerned, there is nothing in the literature to suggest that it could be the cause, but that does not mean it cannot be. I suggest you stop this medication for a few days, switch over to soemthing else like say xanax, and see if it improves the condition.
One of the best ways of knowing if a symptom is related to a drug is to stop the drug and see if it goes away. This is known as dechallenge. If it works we will know the reason and may be we can do something about it.
Best wishes
Ravi Ghooi
