Drug interactions
Doxylamine + Hydrocodone
Severity: Moderate
Doxylamine and Hydrocodone: moderate interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine that can add to hydrocodone's drowsiness and impair alertness and psychomotor performance. Older adults also face greater anticholinergic effects such as confusion and urinary retention.
What this interaction means in plain words
Doxylamine and Hydrocodone can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken.
Doxylamine belongs to Respiratory; Hydrocodone belongs to Musculoskeletal.
Why it happens
Additive CNS depression from opioid agonism and central H1-antihistamine sedation.
What to do
Avoid using doxylamine as a sleep aid in patients on opioids, particularly older adults. If used, monitor for oversedation and warn about driving.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Should I take them at different times of day?
- Does the dose of either medicine need to change?
- Is there anything I should avoid, such as alcohol or certain foods, while on both?
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Other interactions of Hydrocodone
- Alvimopan + Hydrocodone Contraindicated
- Bupropion-naltrexone + Hydrocodone Contraindicated
- Hydrocodone + Isocarboxazid Contraindicated
- Hydrocodone + Olanzapine / samidorphan Contraindicated
- Hydrocodone + Phenelzine Contraindicated
- Alfentanil + Hydrocodone Major
Other interactions of Doxylamine
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Doxylamine with Hydrocodone?
MediHelp rates the interaction as moderate. Doxylamine and Hydrocodone can affect each other. The combination is often manageable, but it may need a change of dose, a change of timing, or extra checks while both are taken. Doxylamine is a sedating antihistamine that can add to hydrocodone's drowsiness and impair alertness and psychomotor performance. Older adults also face greater anticholinergic effects such as confusion and urinary retention.
How serious is the interaction between Doxylamine and Hydrocodone?
MediHelp rates it moderate, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid using doxylamine as a sleep aid in patients on opioids, particularly older adults. If used, monitor for oversedation and warn about driving.
What other medicines interact with Hydrocodone?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Hydrocodone with, for example, Alvimopan, Bupropion-naltrexone, Isocarboxazid. The full list is on the Hydrocodone page.
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