Doxylamine succinate, one of the antihistamines available without
a prescription for patients suffering from insomnia, is also an
antihistamine with the potential for abuse. Although there are case
reports about the addictive potential of antihistamines, there are not
many studies on doxylamine succinate addiction in the literature.
To our knowledge, there have been no case reports on doxylamine
succinate addiction in Turkey. This case report presents a patient (43,
M), who started using over-the-counter doxylamine succinate at 25
mg/day due to insomnia, gradually increased to 125 mg/day for the
last 3 years continuing his doxylamine succinate intake for 5 years
uninterrupted, as well as his treatment process. In addition, possible
causes and consequences of doxylamine succinate and the potential
for abuse of antihistaminic drugs are discussed through the case.
Keywords: Antihistamines, drug dependence, doxylamine