Sominex is the trademarked name for several

over the counter Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescr ...

sleep aids. Two different formulations of Sominex are available, depending upon the market. Both formulations contain a significant dose of a first generation

antihistamine Antihistamines are drugs which treat allergic rhinitis, common cold, influenza, and other allergies. Typically, people take antihistamines as an inexpensive, generic (not patented) drug that can be bought without a prescription and provide ...

with

hypnotic Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...

properties. In the United States, Sominex is marketed by

Prestige Brands Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc. (formerly Prestige Brands, Inc.) is an American company that markets and distributes over-the-counter healthcare and household cleaning products. It was formed by the merger of Medtech Products, Inc., Prestige B ...

and has as its active ingredient

diphenhydramine Diphenhydramine (DPH) is an antihistamine and sedative mainly used to treat allergies, insomnia, and symptoms of the common cold. It is also less commonly used for tremor in parkinsonism, and nausea. It is taken by mouth, injected into ...

hydrochloride.

Diphenhydramine Diphenhydramine (DPH) is an antihistamine and sedative mainly used to treat allergies, insomnia, and symptoms of the common cold. It is also less commonly used for tremor in parkinsonism, and nausea. It is taken by mouth, injected into ...

hydrochloride is also marketed as a sleep aid in Canada under the same name. In the UK, Actavis UK markets

promethazine Promethazine is a first-generation antihistamine, antipsychotic, sedative, and antiemetic used to treat allergies, insomnia, and nausea. It may also help with some symptoms associated with the common cold and may also be used for sedating people ...

hydrochloride under the Sominex name. Actavis also markets a product by the name of Sominex Herbal, which is an herbal sleep aid with three natural active ingredients:

hops Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant '' Humulus lupulus'', a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to w ...

, valerian, and passion flower extracts. In India, the Sominex name is used by Lunar BioPharma Pvt. Ltd. to market a nutritional supplement intended to provide "long lasting relief from heart burn, acid peptic disorders and indigestion". This formulation of Sominex is not related to the two formulations (containing either

) that are marketed as sleep aids by

and

Actavis Actavis Generics (formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals and Actavis plc, prior to the acquisition of Irish-based Allergan Inc) is a global pharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing, manufacturing and marketing branded pharmaceuti ...

in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively.

and

are both marketed by names other than Sominex for several indications including and besides their use as sleep aids. For example,

is sold under the brand name Benadryl as an anti-histamine for use against allergies. Tylenol PM contains

in addition to

acetaminophen Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a medication used to treat fever and mild to moderate pain. Common brand names include Tylenol and Panadol. At a standard dose, paracetamol only slightly decreases body temperature; it is inferior ...

for the purpose of inducing sleep and reducing pain and/or fever.

Promethazine Promethazine is a first-generation antihistamine, antipsychotic, sedative, and antiemetic used to treat allergies, insomnia, and nausea. It may also help with some symptoms associated with the common cold and may also be used for sedating people ...

is marketed by the brand name Phenergan for use against allergy symptoms and motion sickness in the US, where a prescription for

is required. It is also available in the form of a syrup either alone or in combination with one or more of several other active ingredients including codeine and dextromethorphan, for the treatment of allergy symptoms, cough, or cold, among other uses. In Canada,

is available as an over the counter anti-histamine by the name of Histantil.

History

As early as the 1950s, Sominex was being promoted in

television commercials A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

. One ad spot featured the image of the sleeping pill tablet itself as a classic

bouncing ball The physics of a bouncing ball concerns the physical behaviour of bouncing balls, particularly its motion before, during, and after impact against the surface of another body. Several aspects of a bouncing ball's behaviour serve as an intro ...

to follow the lyrics of their

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

, shown on the lower third of the screen.

References

H1 receptor antagonists {{sedative-stub