Doxepin (Silenor)

What the word means

Doxepin is the drug. Silenor is the brand of the low-dose version sold for sleep.

It’s a tricyclic antidepressant, and this is a good example of how much dose changes a medication’s identity. At the higher doses once used for depression, it behaves like a tricyclic, with the anticholinergic baggage that comes with the class. At the very low doses used for insomnia, it acts mostly as an antihistamine and is aimed specifically at the problem of waking up in the night and not getting back to sleep.

The appeal is that it isn’t habit-forming, unlike Z-drugs and benzodiazepines.

Where to read the full guide

Shrinktionary defines the word.

Read the full doxepin guide at PsychiatryRx, which covers what dose does what, side effects, and how it compares with other sleep options.

Related terms you’ll see next

• Insomnia
• Tricyclic antidepressant
• Z-drug
• Trazodone

When to seek professional care

The dose here is not interchangeable, so never adjust it on the assumption that more will help you sleep better. If chronic insomnia is the problem, ask about CBT for insomnia, which guidelines put ahead of any sleeping medication and whose benefit lasts after treatment ends. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, get help right away by calling 911, or call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Doxepin (Silenor):</strong> Doxepin is a tricyclic antidepressant that, at very low doses, is used as a non-habit-forming sleep medication for staying asleep. The dose is what changes what it does.</p>
  <p>&mdash; <a href="https://shrinktionary.com/terms/doxepin/">Shrinktionary</a>, a plain-English mental health dictionary, medically reviewed by a board certified psychiatrist.</p>
</blockquote>