List of side effects of doxepin

The antidepressant drug doxepin has been associated with a number of different adverse effects, including the following.

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 serious side effects 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*