What is the recommended dosage for Diclectin (doxylamine/pyridoxine)?

Recommended Dosage for Diclectin (Doxylamine/Pyridoxine)

The recommended dosage for Diclectin is 4 tablets daily, taken as 2 tablets at bedtime, 1 tablet in the morning, and 1 tablet in the afternoon, with dosing adjusted according to body weight and symptom severity. 1

Standard Dosing Regimen

• The standard recommended dose of Diclectin is up to 4 tablets per day, which contains 10 mg doxylamine succinate and 10 mg pyridoxine hydrochloride per tablet 1, 2
• The typical administration schedule is:
  • 2 tablets at bedtime
  • 1 tablet in the morning
  • 1 tablet in the afternoon 1

Dosing Considerations

• Dosing should be adjusted based on:
  • Patient's body weight
  • Severity of nausea and vomiting symptoms 2
• Research shows that many women receive subtherapeutic doses (often only 2 tablets daily) despite experiencing moderate to severe nausea and vomiting of pregnancy 1
• When doses were increased from 2 tablets to 4 tablets daily, significant improvements were observed in:
  • Duration of nausea (reduced from 4 to 3 hours)
  • Frequency of vomiting (reduced from 1.6 to 1.3 episodes per day)
  • Overall symptom severity scores 1

Higher Dosing Safety

• For women with severe symptoms or higher body weight, doses higher than the standard 4 tablets per day may be considered 2
• Safety data supports doses ranging from 0.1 mg/kg to 2.0 mg/kg (equivalent to 1-12 tablets daily) without increased maternal adverse effects 2
• Higher doses have not been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes or increased rates of birth defects 2

Effectiveness

• Diclectin has demonstrated significantly greater improvement in nausea and vomiting symptoms compared to placebo in randomized controlled trials 3
• The delayed-release formulation is designed to provide symptom control throughout the day 4
• Nearly 50% of women using Diclectin in clinical trials requested to continue the medication after the study period, compared to only 32.8% in the placebo group, indicating good patient satisfaction 3

Common Side Effects

• Approximately one-third (33.6%) of women report adverse effects temporally related to Diclectin 2
• The most common side effects include:
  • Sleepiness
  • Tiredness
  • Drowsiness 2

Alternative Dosing When Diclectin Is Unavailable

• In countries where Diclectin is not available, an alternative regimen of pyridoxine 50 mg twice daily plus doxylamine 25-50 mg has shown comparable efficacy to other antiemetics 5
• This alternative bi-daily dosing has demonstrated safety and effectiveness for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy 5