You should not use antihistamine medication to make a child sleepy. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. MAO inhibitors include isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, rasagiline, selegiline, tranylcypromine, and others.ĭo not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. A dangerous drug interaction could occur. You can learn more about this product here.You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to dextromethorphan or doxylamine.ĭo not use NyQuil Cough if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days. Nutrigenesis® Magnesium – a clean, probiotic-cultured magnesium complexed with absorption-inducing cofactors.Magnesium Taurate – Magnesium that is bound to Taurine, an amino acid that promotes GABA.Magnesium Bisglycinate – a chelated mineral formulation bound with glycine to maximize intestinal absorption.PerformanceLab, a company I trust, has a good sleep aid that contains three different forms of magnesium: My sleep doctor recommends this brand.Īnother option is to take magnesium, which is very important for promoting GABA. I do not recommend either medication to help with sleep due to the increased risk of over-sedation, falls, fractures, hospitalization, delirium, and dementia in older adults.Ī safer option is to take melatonin. NyQuill contains doxylamine, an antihistamine, in addition to acetaminophen and dextromethorphan, to treat cough and cold symptoms. ZzzQuil is labeled as a nighttime sleep aid and only contains one ingredient, diphenhydramine. Zzzquil and Nyquil are over-the-counter medications that can be used as sleep aids. You can get an inexpensive single-ingredient option here or a combination formulation with magnesium and L-Tryptophan here. If they say yes, I tell them to round them up and throw them in the garbage when they return home.Ī better option is melatonin. The first question I ask my patients in my older adult clinic is if they use any over-the-counter medications containing antihistamines. The evidence is clear and established, as verified by this often-cited landmark study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.Ĭlick the image above to learn more about my 2-in-1 eBook, infused with years of my clinical and teaching experience This is because chronic use of anticholinergic drugs in older adults is directly linked to an increased risk of falls, fractures, hospitalization, delirium, confusion, worsening of dementia, and premature death. Older adults should not use any antihistamines to help them fall asleep. To avoid daytime drowsiness, try to limit them to only nighttime use. So, use these medications with caution when driving or operating machinery. You can read about the different types of Dementia, their causes, and treatment in my detailed article here, and the dangers of anticholinergic medications here.īoth antihistamines can cloud your thinking and reflexes. For people living with Dementia, this can be life-threatening. This can be especially dangerous for older adults. Specifically, it can cause confusion and memory loss due to the abovementioned anticholinergic effects. However, because acetylcholine is important for learning and memory, blocking its effect can have unwanted side effects. On the other hand, NyQuil contains the following ingredients: ZzzQuil only contains diphenhydramine and is labeled for use solely as a nighttime sleep aid. Our best guess is that they are similar in potency based on our knowledge of how they work in the brain. There are no studies or investigations comparing both antihistamines directly. NyQuil and ZzzQuil work quickly to help you fall asleep (around 30 minutes) and stay asleep (around 4 to 6 hours). Acetylcholine is important for key bodily functions such as learning, memory, and muscle contractions.īlocking acetylcholine in your brain can make you sleepy. The term healthcare providers use to describe this mechanism is “anticholinergic” effects.Īcetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, a chemical messenger. The main way they do this is by blocking a brain chemical called acetylcholine. How do Zzzquil and NyQuil make you sleep?īoth antihistamines help you fall asleep through their sedating effects. NyQuill contains doxylamine succinate and two other ingredients. Zzzquil contains diphenhydramine, which is the active ingredient in Benadryl. However, the antihistamines are different in each formulation. Zzzquil and Nyquil contain different antihistaminesīoth medications contain antihistamines that are sedating.
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