The antidepressant drug doxepin has been associated with a number of different adverse effects, including the following.[1][2][3]
The incidence of these adverse effects is not totally known as the scarcity of well-designed clinical trials involving doxepin prohibits it. Side effects that are common (based on its pharmacology or the frequency of these side effects with related agents) appear with a * superscript whereas the side effects which are serious are in bold. Doxepin is licensed to be used in much smaller doses (viz., 3mg and 6 mg) in some countries, the side-effects profile of which may differ from this list.
- Nausea*
- Dizziness*
- Drowsiness*
- Dry mouth*
- Constipation*
- Blurred vision*
- Headache*
- Urinary hesitancy*
- Agitation*
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Tachycardia (high heart rate)
- Skin rash
- Facial oedema
- Photosensitisation
- Urticaria (hives)
- Pruritus (itching)
- Indigestion
- Bone fractures
- Taste disturbances
- Diarrhoea
- Anorexia (weight loss)
- Aphthous stomatitis (canker sores)
- Gynaecomastia (swelling of the breasts in men)
- Galactorrhoea (lactation that is unassociated with breast feeding or pregnancy)
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Flushing
- Alopecia (hair loss)
- Eosinohpilia
- Blood dyscrasias (abnormalities in the cellular composition of blood)
- Increased liver function tests
- Hyperpyrexia (high fever ≥41.5 °C or 106.7 °F)
- Seizures
- Confusion
- Malaise
- Increased appetite*
- Changes in ECG parameters (e.g. QRS & PR interval)
- Ataxia
- Hallucinations
- Paraesthesias
- Nervousness
- Numbness
- Tinnitus
- Hepatitis (liver swelling)
- Exacerbation of asthma
- Hepatic (liver) abnormalities
- Urinary retention
- Extrapyramidal symptoms
- Testicular swelling
- Hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar)
- Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar)
- Hyponatraemia (low blood sodium)
- Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH)
- Closed-angle glaucoma
- Alzheimer's disease or dementia* [4]