There has been mixed reviews about if Nyquil and if actually makes people sleepy or not. When I ask my friends and family, some say it makes them pass out immediately but others say it does nothing for them. According to research, there are certain chemicals in Nyquil that make you drowsy, but if you use Nyquil often, this side effect may no longer happen because your body becomes used to it. My question is what in Nyquil actually makes you sleepy?
Nyquil contains doxylamine succinate or chlorpheniramine maleate . These two chemicals can cause an individual to become drowsy. Alcohol is also in Nyquil as an inactive constitute which can make someone extremely tired, especially if you take a large dosage at once. KnowsWhy.com says the following about Nyquil and its contents that lead to a users drowsiness:
“Doxylamine succinate which is one of the constituents of Nyquil is an antihistamine which is known to make one sleepy. It is sometimes used for treatment of insomnia. Too much use of this chemical might lead to the creation of hallucinations in us. It is known that some of the antihistamines that cause drowsiness are increased by alcohol. As Nyquil has both of them as its ingredients, it can severely cause sleepiness. Nyquil also consists of Tylenol as an ingredient for fever. This medication also consists of dextromethorphan, high fructose corn syrup, polyethylene glycol, purified water, red 40, saccharin sodium and sodium citrate. As experienced by many people, Nyquil makes them have a sound sleep. Acetaminophen is another ingredient of Nyquil. Acetaminophen is a fever reducer but does not cause drowsiness. Dextromethorphan will cause cough to subside but simultaneously also leads to drowsiness,” (KnowsWhy.com, 1).
I find when I use Nyquil, I fall asleep within a half hour to an hour after taking the prescribed dose. Other people have had no drowsy symptoms and say its one conscious that makes them fall sleep after taking it because they are well aware Nyquil is known for making people fall asleep.
In conclusion, there are actually chemicals in Nyquil that make you fall asleep and it is not just a myth. Not only are these chemicals found in Nyquil, but in other antihistamines.
Work Cited
1.) http://www.knowswhy.com/why-does-nyquil-make-you-sleepy/
2.) http://archive.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/15-11/st_nyquil
I have never used NyQuil but I have also heard that it works for some people. I personally am always wary about taking over the counter drugs because I do not know if they will always work. I think it makes sense that our bodies could become used to something and then it not work the same or not work at all. It would be interesting if someone would do a study on one group of people who become drowsy after taking the NyQuil and another that does not, to see why exactly this happens. It might be effective if they would do a double blind placebo and see what kind of results they could produce.
I remember my mom telling me that after taking Nyquil I would get really drowsy so the best time to take it is before I go to sleep. I believe her state is true because right after I take it, I usually pass out. According to your blog, we get drowsy from Nyquil due to two chemicals. However, besides explaining about these chemicals, I believe you should add an experiment done about Nyquils in order to strengthen your blog post. According to this website, http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/nyquil/drowsiness, there seems to be correlation between age and drowsiness when taking Nyquil. As age increases, drowsiness also tends to increase. However, we can’t simply assume this conclusion because there is always the possibility of chance and confounding variables.
This is a great post and a great microcosm for the idea of tolerance. I always thought our bodies building up a tolerance to drugs is interesting. It makes sense that our bodies want to be self-reliant and discourage small doses of drugs, but in lots of cases (for example, with Nyquil), it would be much more helpful if your body would just take the chemicals and fall asleep easily.
Personally, whenever I use NyQuil I tend to feel very weak, which makes me lay down, and then within only a couple minutes, I am fast asleep! Since you described NyQuil containing all these other depressant medicines in it, I wonder if NyQuil is just as effective or maybe even more effective than other sleeping medicine. NyQuil is supposed to be taken by those who have a cold and need help being comfortable sleeping at night, it is not supposed to be taken solely for the sleepiness effect. It would be interesting to see a controlled study done which compares which is stronger; sleeping medicine or NyQuil? Here’s NyQuil’s relative http://zzzquil.com/
I find this to be the same with coffee only instead of it making you sleepy it keeps you awake. I know most people drink coffee to stay awake because of the caffeine which increases your heart rate. Although I know many people rely on it I feel as if in some cases it makes me even more tired than I already was. I don’t drink coffee very often so I don’t think I have a sort of tolerance to it. I know it has been proven to work but I feel like it’s more of a psychological thing. I wonder if thats only me or if it occurs to other people as well. For info on the effects of coffee go to this site
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-does-coffee-affect-your-brain-2014-8
Thank you for writing about this! It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who passes out right after taking this drug. I made the mistake of taking it before going to class once and I had to leave early because I found my presence entirely worthless because I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to retain any information. It’s interesting that some users don’t find this side affect though. I have had friends who have never felt sleepy when taking the drug while others avoid it all together because they have a hard time waking up. I wonder if this side affect was partially intended due to the fact that when you are sick you probably are lacking sleep. Maybe this side affect is a good thing and actually helps us to get better faster.
Here is a link to an article that confirms your beliefs
http://www.livescience.com/41999-antihistamines-drowsy-benadryl-allergies.html
Also, now I am interested to know the difference between DayQuil and NyQuil. NyQuil and DayQuil have the same ingredients except for NyQuil has antihistamine and DayQuil has a nasal decongestant. Both contain the pain reliever, acetaminophen. To learn more about the differences, visit:
http://www.differencebetween.net/science/health/drugs-health/difference-between-nyquil-and-dayquil/
That’s an extremely relevant topic since everyone is sick right now. I’ve always been afraid to use NyQuil because I never get my full eight hours of sleep. I’ve also heard that it puts you right to sleep and does its job. I personally have never used it, but i hear it works. However, after reading this, I am a bit skeptical about using it, especially if it may lead to hallucinations.