Stress and other negative effects on the nervous system account for most of the causes of insomnia. The sleeping pill Donormil will help eliminate this adverse effect. In case of various sleep disorders, this drug can quickly resolve the problem and improve sleep.
With regard to Donormil, as with all other medications, it is necessary to note the need before starting the course to carefully read the instructions for the drug, find out about its compatibility with alcohol, and read about contraindications and side effects.
General characteristics of the drug
The drug Donormil, the active ingredient of which is doxylamine, is an over-the-counter sleeping pill. The drug, according to the feelings of patients taking the medicine, slightly changes the structure of sleep, slightly reducing its depth.
The manifestation of anticholinergic activity is a characteristic feature of Donormil. The drug, in addition to its hypnotic effect, can relieve nausea. Donormil is preferable in cases where emergency measures to improve sleep are required, but for some reason it is impossible to get a doctor’s consultation and, therefore, a prescription. In more routine situations, your doctor may prescribe Zopiclone (Imovan).
Release form, composition, indications
The drug is available in the form of white tablets, film-coated and rectangular in shape. There is a notch on the surface for the convenience of dividing the tablet into two parts.
One piece contains 15 mg of doxylamine succinate, an active ingredient with a hypnotic effect. Additionally, the composition contains: magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, lactose monohydrate.
Donormil is sold in polypropylene tubes with a lid of 10 or 30 pieces, placed in a cardboard box along with instructions.
Application is indicated for:
- sleep disorders caused by pain;
- sleep disturbances resulting from emotional shock;
- chronic fatigue and difficulty falling asleep.
pharmachologic effect
The drug has two types of effects. Being a blocker of antihistamine receptors, it acts as an antiallergic drug. The hypnotic effect of the drug is associated with the effect on certain areas of the brain responsible for arousal. Antiallergic drugs often cause a similar effect.
Donormil differs from other over-the-counter sleeping pills in that it has no destructive effect on brain cells and is a completely safe remedy. This drug will help not only with difficulty falling asleep, but also in cases of causeless restlessness, excitability, and constant anxiety.
Taking Donormil helps normalize sleep: shortens the period of falling asleep, prolongs night sleep and improves its quality - thanks to its strongly expressed sedative effect
Dry mouth
This is perhaps the most common side effect of Donormil. It can also be expressed as thirst, morning hoarseness, or other similar symptoms.
If the phenomenon is not very pronounced, it can be completely ignored - there will be no harm to health from this. If it bothers you significantly, then you can try reducing the dosage of the drug, for example, from a tablet to half a tablet. Perhaps the effect will not be lost, and the side effects of donormil will disappear. If this does not help, it is better to replace the drug with another one.
Directions for use and doses
The drug is dosed in tablets. A single dose is 1/2 or 1 tablet, taken 15 minutes before bedtime. The tablet should be taken with a small amount of water. If sleep has not occurred after 15 minutes, you can take 1 more tablet. However, increasing the dose is possible only as directed by your doctor.
Melatonin supplements for sleep
Effervescent tablets should be placed in a glass of water at the rate of 1 tablet per 100 ml of liquid. Drink after complete dissolution, that is, when gas bubbles stop releasing.
Both dosage forms are taken 15 minutes before going to bed, one tablet orally. As a result, you fall asleep and deepen your sleep.
It should be noted that there is a need for at least 7 hours of sleep (this is how long the effect of the drug lasts) after taking Donormil - otherwise the patient will wake up sluggish and disoriented.
If the patient's age exceeds 65 years or the person suffers from liver/renal failure, the dose of Donormil - if necessary - must be reduced compared to the usual one.
When taking Donormil for 5 days and there is no effect (sleep has not returned to normal), a conclusion is drawn that the drug is ineffective. They refuse it and switch to taking another drug from the group of sleeping pills.
Price, where to buy, reviews
You can buy Donormil at a pharmacy or order it online. The price for 10 pieces starts from 120 rubles, for 30 pieces – from 290 rubles. Manufacturer: UPSA, France.
Reviews from doctors about the tablets indicate their popularity in the treatment of transient sleep disorders. Doctors note high efficiency and lack of addiction. To avoid negative effects, it is important to correctly calculate the dose.
Patients like that the tablets do not provoke nightmares, promote a smooth fall into sleep, and help with nervous shock when taken in small doses.
Contraindications
Treatment with Donormil is contraindicated in the following conditions:
- angle-closure glaucoma,
- urethritis and prostatic hyperplasia,
- lactase deficiency,
- congenital galactosemia,
- glucose-galactose malabsorption.
The drug is not prescribed to pregnant women, women during lactation, patients with a history of doxylamine succinate intolerance and children under 15 years of age.
Donormil is prescribed with caution and in reduced doses to patients with impaired renal and liver function and sleep apnea, since the effect of this drug at night increases the risk of respiratory arrest.
For elderly people over 65 years of age, Donormil is recommended only after a comprehensive examination: the drug increases the risk of falling in case of night awakenings. In addition, persons on a salt-free diet (for example, hypertensive patients) should take into account the sodium contained in the drug - 563 mg per tablet.
The therapeutic course of the drug Donormil can cause daytime drowsiness - driving a car should be temporarily avoided, as well as working with other dangerous mechanisms and activities that require a quick reaction.
Use of sleeping pills during pregnancy and breastfeeding
The lactation period is an absolute contraindication to the use of Donormil. The reason is the ability of the active substance, doxylamine succinate, to easily pass into breast milk.
This carries the risk that the baby will receive a dose of the drug that is high for him through milk. Although it should be noted that no studies have been conducted confirming the toxic effect of Donormil through breast milk on the child’s body.
Pregnancy is not a categorical contraindication to taking Donormil, but in this case a careful approach and medical supervision are required. The drug is prescribed in minimal doses and for a short course
Donormil's analogs
Level 4 ATC code matches:
Benadryl
Clemastine
Sungmil
Diphenhydramine
Tavegil
Analogues of the drug in terms of the composition of active ingredients and release form include the following drugs: sondox , sonmil , sonnix . The price of analogues, depending on the form of release (depending on the number of tablets) ranges from 13 to 41 UAH.
The price of sleeping pills without a prescription, which is not an analogue of this drug, varies from 20 to 85 UAH.
Lethal dose of sleeping pill Donormil
Donormil, like many other sleeping pills, is of interest to mentally ill people who are prone to suicide. Such individuals believe that drinking a large dose of sleeping pills and not waking up is the easiest and most painless way to take one’s own life. However, in reality, without pharmaceutical knowledge, this is too difficult to implement.
Usually the dose taken is not enough to kill, but it is quite enough to cause irreversible disability, not to mention the mandatory treatment in a psychiatric hospital for unlucky suicides.
The lethal dose of Donormil has not yet been determined. There is no risk of death from taking Donormila tablets, but severe poisoning is guaranteed when using large doses. Symptoms of overdose: excessive excitability or drowsiness, disorientation, dry mouth, nausea, convulsions and coma.
Morning sleepiness
Some people experience after-effects of Donormil: difficult awakenings, morning drowsiness, disorientation and lack of coordination in the first hours after getting out of bed.
These problems can be dealt with in several directions:
Increase sleep duration. Carefully calculate the time of taking the drug so that you begin to engage in conscious activities no earlier than 7-8 hours after taking the pill.
Reduce the dose of the drug in the hope that the therapeutic effect will remain and the side effects will go away.
Simply avoid complex activities that require attention in the morning.
Consult your doctor and change the drug.
Combination of alcohol and sleeping pills
The simultaneous use of Donormil and alcohol is absolutely prohibited: their effects are incompatible. Studies have shown that their effects mutually enhance each other, which causes fairly rapid addiction.
In addition, a person who drinks alcohol is resistant to sleeping pills, so he is forced to increase the dose of the medicine in order to fall asleep. An increased dose in combination with alcoholic beverages is very dangerous and can cause serious side effects.
Side effects with an increased dose of Donormil while drinking alcohol:
- loss of coordination of movements;
- severe drowsiness;
- general lethargy.
Donormil has a sedative effect on the nervous system, and alcohol has a depressant effect. Their combined effect depresses the central nervous system in an excessive manner. If the patient continues to drink alcohol while taking Donormil, the following mental symptoms and conditions may develop:
- unjustified aggression,
- prolonged depression,
- epileptic signs.
Somatic signs include increased body temperature, trembling in the arms and legs, and, occasionally, rapid heartbeat and fainting. Death may also occur. Observation of any of these signs is a signal to immediately seek medical help.
It is necessary to clearly know that even a small amount of alcohol taken after Donormil creates an addictive effect. Although the drug itself is not addictive unless combined with alcohol.
And you also need to remember about the limited duration of the Donormil course. Its reception should not be too long. Otherwise, an increase in dose will be required - as a result, there is a risk of poisoning from an overdose. To avoid such an outcome, you should carefully read the instructions and do not prolong the use of the drug beyond the specified period.
Donormil can be taken by older people
Reviews of sleeping pills
Albina, 25 years old, Moscow: After the birth of my second child, I started having problems sleeping. Until I finished breastfeeding, I did not take any medications to improve sleep. Donormil was recommended to me by the doctor who took care of the pregnancy. Buying the drug did not cause any difficulties - Donormil is available without a prescription. After 5 days, sleep returned to normal.
Nikolai Karpovich, 32 years old, Minsk: Insomnia appeared after severe stress. Neither walks in the fresh air before bed nor meditation helped. My wife bought Donormil without a prescription, and everything changed. I fall asleep and sleep for 7 hours without reacting to extraneous sounds as I did before.
The most important
The drug is sold without a doctor's prescription, but this is not a reason to resort to it at the slightest reason. First, you need to try to improve your sleep using non-drug methods: maintain a work-rest schedule, and eliminate nervous stress. If these measures are ineffective, it is best to seek help from doctors.
If the doctor has prescribed Donormil, then it would be better to exclude all other anti-allergenic drugs, refrain from driving vehicles and from work that requires increased attention. Such restrictions must be adhered to for several days after taking Donormil.
Visual impairment
Most often this manifests itself as blurred vision. You have to strain your eyes, especially when working with documents and small objects. Sometimes dry eyes appear, which is especially unpleasant for people whose profession involves using a computer.
If you read reviews about the side effects of Donormil, two things become clear. First, such a reaction can occur both at the beginning of treatment and after some time. Secondly, as a rule, it does not go away on its own. In case of significant visual impairment, you should stop taking sleeping pills.
