Doxylamine Succ-Pyridoxine

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Harshi Dhingra, M.D.

Last Reviewed: May 05, 2025

Warnings


Doxylamine-Pyridoxine (Diclegis) Risks, Warnings, and Complications


Doxylamine-pyridoxine may cause or worsen health problems in some people. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before other treatments for nausea and vomiting if you are at an increased risk of adverse effects. Some of the risks of taking doxylamine-pyridoxine include:

  • DROWSINESS: Doxylamine is an antihistamine and has sedative effects. Be careful while doing any activity that requires mental alertness, such as driving or operating heavy machinery. These side effects can be worse if the medicine is used in combination with other CNS depressants, such as muscle relaxants. Avoid drinking alcohol while on doxylamine-pyridoxine, as this can cause central nervous system depression, increase the risk of severe drowsiness, and lead to falls and accidents. 

  • WORSENING OF OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS: Doxylamine-pyridoxine has anticholinergic effects and should be used with caution in women with certain other medical conditions such as increased intraocular pressure, narrow angle glaucoma, pyloroduodenal obstruction, stenosing peptic ulcer, or bladder neck obstruction. 

  • FALSE POSITIVE RESULTS ON URINE DRUG SCREEN: There are reports of false positive results on urine drug screens for methadone, opiates, and phencyclidine phosphate (PCP) in patients treated with doxylamine and pyridoxine. Tell laboratory personnel you are on this medicine before any lab tests.


Precautions Before Starting Doxylamine-Pyridoxine (Diclegis)

Tell your doctor if you have ever had an allergic reaction to doxylamine (Unisom), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), any of the active or inactive ingredients in doxylamine-pyridoxine formulations, other antihistamines, or any other medications. Your pharmacy can give you a list of ingredients. Examples of other antihistamines include dimenhydrinate (Dramamine), promethazine (Phenergan), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), clemastine (Tavist), and carboxamide (Arbinoxa).  

Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. This can help avoid possible interactions between doxylamine-pyridoxine and your other medicines.

Give your doctor a complete medical history before starting doxylamine-pyridoxine. This medicine may not be safe for people with certain health conditions, such as asthma or other respiratory syndromes, increased intraocular pressure or glaucoma, stomach ulcers, intestinal blockage, or urinary problems.

Do not nurse an infant on breast milk while on this medicine.

Precautions During Use of Doxylamine-Pyridoxine (Diclegis)

Keep all your medical and lab appointments. Follow the dosing instructions carefully, and do not take a higher dose or more frequent doses than prescribed.

Doxylamine-pyridoxine can make you drowsy and dizzy. Avoid driving and operating heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

Avoid drinking alcohol while on doxylamine-pyridoxine. Alcohol can make side effects like drowsiness and dizziness worse, increasing your risk of falls and accidents.

Doxylamine-Pyridoxine (Diclegis) Drug Interactions

Other drugs can affect how doxylamine-pyridoxine works. Possible drug interactions with certain medications can increase the risk of severe adverse effects. Some of the medications that should not be taken at the same time as doxylamine-pyridoxine include:

  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Examples of monoamine oxidase inhibitors include phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), isocarboxazid (Marplan), and tranylcypromine (Parnate)

Give your doctor or pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, nonprescription drugs, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Also, tell your healthcare professional if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications when used with prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements.