Prochlorperazine and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2013

Prochlorperazine for Anxiety "I was first given Compazine in the hospital for severe nausea associated with a migraine. I suffer from migraines, generalized anxiety, and panic attacks, but I was admitted to the hospital due to the worst panic attack I've ever had. They were giving me Valium, but cautiously. When the nurse gave me Compazine for the first time, my nausea and anxiety left at the same time, and quickly too. I was able to finally rest/sleep comfortably. Even though it is prescribed for nausea, I would recommend asking your doctor about Compazine for anxiety. It will make you sleepy, but like I said, the feeling of being comfortable in my own skin for a change is worth it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2015

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "Very bad side effects. Given by IV in the emergency room for severe migraine. Jaw clenching, agitation, loss of appetite, groggy, incessant urination (with a foul smell). Side effects lasted for a week after administration."

• Dai...
• September 15, 2017

For Anxiety "I received this medication over the counter at my local chemist for severe nausea, dizziness, and headache. It worked within 30 minutes to alleviate the nausea completely, and the headache is subsiding. I also have severe anxiety - the side effect of drowsiness has occurred but has helped calm me down a lot, so I can rest, and the dizziness is no longer noticeable, so I see that as a bonus."

• Hun...
• May 1, 2016

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "I was given this medication to help with the side effects of chemo and radiation, and it was okay the first day, but as the days went on, I began to feel irritated, groggy, and extremely restless, but I was really tired, like super tired. It kept me so drained that I slept for 22 hours! Almost all the side effects mentioned above (or below), I experienced them too. I will never take this again! I'd rather be nauseous!"

• Jen...
• May 9, 2016

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "I was given this through an IV in the ER. I had terrible nausea, and Zofran didn't touch it. Even though Compazine did take my nausea away, it left me incredibly groggy yet restless. I spent the entire rest of the day in a haze. I've never abused drugs, but I would imagine this is how you would feel when coming off of some sort of high, yet it lasts all day long. I kept feeling angry and anxious as well. I would much rather have nausea and will never take this medicine again!"

• Anonymous
• July 20, 2010

For Nausea/Vomiting "I have BPPV and have tried many different tablets, none of which had any effect until I tried these, which I have been taking as a preventative measure for around six months. They are great for preventing nausea (not so good at stopping nausea if it has already started - especially if you are unable to keep them down long enough!). The downside is that they do give me absolutely blinding headaches (taking lots of co-codamol helps!) which can last for a few days. Due to this, and the long-term effects they can have, I try to limit the amount I take and am finding that one tablet every three days is generally doing the trick. Due to the length of time the headaches last and the length of time between taking tablets, this suggests to me that they stay in your system for a few days. As I have been an insomniac for a few years now, I cannot comment on the drowsiness. In summary, they are not perfect but are an acceptable alternative to spending my day at work vomiting and staggering around like a drunk, which happened more than once before I started taking these tablets."

• Mig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2016

For Nausea/Vomiting "I was prescribed this drug to take along with Relpax for my severe migraines, which are often accompanied by terrible nausea. Within an hour after taking it, I began feeling horribly anxious, afraid, panicked, and with a sense of impending doom. I couldn't sit still, and yet I felt groggy. I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin and worried that I was losing my mind. Sleeping was impossible, yet being awake was miserable. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't work, and distract myself. A doctor finally prescribed an anti-anxiety medication, Klonopin, which eased the symptoms. But I felt this way for over 48 hours."

• Can...
• October 4, 2019

For Nausea/Vomiting "ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE!! Came into the doctor for new vertigo and feeling virusy (I have POTS and chronic fatigue too). Doctor said he would give me some Stemetil (prochlorperazine) in IV for vertigo. Within 10 minutes of this being injected in, I wanted to crawl out of my own skin, it was so uncomfortable. Dizziness became 10 times worse, all my muscles stiffened up, and I could barely walk. Extremely restless, although super drowsy and could barely keep my eyes open. It was 10 a.m. when I got it, and I ended up going back home and lying in bed fully awake but not being able to open my eyes for 12 hours. Intense shivering, didn't eat a thing, dizziness so bad I couldn't stand, and intense tachycardia from any form of movement. It took 12 hours before I got any form of relief, mum nearly rushed back into the ER. It took 3-4 days of recovery to be able to get out of bed properly. IF YOU HAVE A CHRONIC ILLNESS, DO NOT TAKE THIS STUFF. Never felt so awful in my entire life, legit wanted to die."

• Use...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 11, 2022

Prochlorperazine for Anxiety "I went to the ER Saturday night after a terrible migraine. The pain was so bad, nothing was helping. Vomiting too. They finally admitted me and gave me Toradol, Compazine, both through an IV. Within 10 minutes, I felt like I was panicking. I couldn't sit still. I just wanted to run out. I had to get a CT scan, and I just wanted to run out! It was so scary and so weird, I thought it was just me, but after reading the side effects, I see how 'normal' and frequent it is. Once I was on my way home, anxiety persisted. I took a quick shower and went to sleep. Thankfully, I was able to fall asleep because I was so drowsy, but I basically slept the entire next day. Anxiety lasted about 24 hours. They gave me a prescription for this medication, I will NEVER take this medicine as long as I live. It was TERRIBLE!"

• Anonymous
• December 5, 2017

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "I was given this for nausea that could not be helped with Zofran. I take it on an as-needed basis or when the Zofran won't work. I have a lot of stomach issues, and I can say this stuff definitely helps. It does make me a little sleepy, but I'll take that any day over feeling sick and throwing up. The downside is the restless side effect. I feel like I have to keep moving unless I somehow manage to fall asleep. Then I am knocked out. Sometimes I take Valium or Benadryl to combat the feeling, but that leaves me groggy and unable to function."

• Dia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2018

For Nausea/Vomiting "Worked well for getting rid of the nausea, however, the side effects were horrible. I felt jittery, anxious, and drowsy. The drowsiness only lasted a day, but the anxiety this drug gave me was horrible. I felt like a zombie for two days, and I couldn't manage to focus or sit still at all. I would rather experience nausea than the side effects of this drug. I would not recommend this to anyone. One of the worst experiences of my life."

• Kal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2023

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "They gave it to me to help with the anxiety and nausea from being in severe pain and the like. It felt like I was going crazy, couldn’t sit still, groggy but restless and antsy, pulling on my hair, wanting to throw things and rip my IV out. Benadryl didn’t help. Ativan did. Now, after 6 or so hours, I’ve only got a smidge of grogginess now."

• Gin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 26, 2022

For Anxiety "For me, prochlorperazine is an absolute lifesaver. I have severe anxiety due to emetophobia (fear of vomiting). I'll have bad days where I get so nauseous and so worked up that I end up having debilitating panic attacks. As soon as I feel one coming on, I'll take a single tablet and within 15-30 minutes the nausea is gone and I'm totally calm. I'll then be fine for the rest of the day so I can actually get on with stuff. The only 'adverse' effects I notice are it makes me feel a bit dopey, dry mouth, and then eventually really hungry... which is great because the anxiety usually stops me from being able to eat! 100% recommend giving this a try for acute anxiety/nausea."

• Dre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 24, 2020

For Nausea/Vomiting "I actually had a way different experience than everyone else here. I could NOT stay awake at ALL on this medication. They were giving it to me so much after my thyroidectomy, and I didn't understand why I could barely even get up and pee. It turns out this just makes me sleep. Helped with my nausea for sure, but I would even fall asleep talking to nurses. And coming off of it was terrible, I felt insane. Never again."

• Joj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 9, 2022

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "I was sent to the ER by my GP on Tuesday this week for an irregular ECG. I was feeling completely fine with just a small amount of dizziness. My doctor decided to give me prochlorperazine (Compazine) through my IV. Within 15 minutes, I started to lose my patience. My body started to shake involuntarily. I was becoming aggressive towards my poor partner, who couldn’t understand what was happening. My anxiety was awful!! I begged the nurse to stop the fluids, but she said she was following doctors' orders. I’m 19 years old. It’s been 3 days, and within the first 2 hours, I had vomited, involuntary shakes, high heart rate, and drowsiness. On the second day, I felt better, I had just a bit of a sore stomach from vomiting the day before. And now, on the third day, I’ve been vomiting all afternoon, involuntary shakes, and a tight chest stopping sleep. I’ve been obsessed with reading reviews to find answers to when this will end!"

• Gin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 9, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting "Very odd. Anyway. For me, prochlorperazine is an absolute lifesaver. I have severe anxiety due to emetophobia (fear of vomiting). I'll have bad days where I get so nauseous and worked up that I end up having debilitating panic attacks. As soon as I feel one coming on, I'll take a single tablet, and within 15-30 minutes, the nausea is gone, and I'm totally calm. I'll then be fine for the rest of the day so I can actually get on with stuff. The only 'adverse' effects I notice are it kind of makes me feel stoned - a bit dopey, dry mouth, and then eventually really hungry... Which is great because the anxiety usually stops me from being able to eat! 100% recommend giving this a try for acute anxiety/nausea."

• Gin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 9, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting "Very odd. Anyway. For me, prochlorperazine is an absolute lifesaver. I have severe anxiety due to emetophobia (fear of vomiting). I'll have bad days where I get so nauseous and worked up that I end up having debilitating panic attacks. As soon as I feel one coming on, I'll take a single tablet, and within 15-30 minutes, the nausea is gone, and I'm totally calm. I'll then be fine for the rest of the day so I can actually get on with stuff. The only 'adverse' effects I notice are it kind of makes me feel stoned - a bit dopey, dry mouth, and then eventually really hungry... Which is great because the anxiety usually stops me from being able to eat! 100% recommend giving this a try for acute anxiety/nausea."

• Det...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 2, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting "I notice this medication doesn't have very good reviews, and I'm sorry it has not helped more people like it has for myself. For me, though, it has been a life changer. Prochlorperazine not only helps me tremendously with my nausea and vomiting due to having ulcerative colitis, but it also helps manage my anxiety and has knocked my migraines down from 5 to 6 times a week to about 2 migraines a month. I hope it continues to work as well as it is. I do not experience any drowsiness from it either. I'm on 10 mg 4 times a day."

• Luv...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2019

For Nausea/Vomiting "They gave me this in the ER along with Benadryl. The combo knocked me out cold!! I went in for vomiting, high fevers, and headaches. Every time I did manage to wake up, my body and eyes were so heavy and tired that I couldn't even talk. The most I could do was look around the room for a minute at my fiancé, and I would fall right back to sleep. After a few hours, when I finally started to wake up some, the doctor came in to release me to go home. They sent me home with a script, and it works just fine for me!!"

• Dre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting "I was given this medication in the form of 5 mg tablets to take 3x a day to treat nausea and dizziness from a stomach virus. I’m not 100% sure currently, but I’m feeling pretty confident in saying that it’s the worst medication I’ve ever been prescribed. I suffer from OCD with the usual intrusive thoughts that come with it, and to combat this, I take Zoloft daily and Clonazepam semi-regularly. HOWEVER, within a day of taking Compazine, my anxiety has started to creep back in, the intrusive thoughts have started again. I have a throbbing headache, fatigue, and drowsiness, and in an effort to find the cause, I did some research on the drug only to find that it’s not recommended to take with Clonazepam, and it’s also had a study on it linking it to an increase in OCD. So why the GP I saw thought it’d be a good idea to prescribe it to me while knowing this, I don’t know, but I can safely say since starting it, my anxiety and OCD have started to creep back in."

• Chi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2019

For Nausea/Vomiting "Took one tablet of prochlorperazine for nausea caused by vertigo/stress. Had extreme drowsiness, anxiety, nausea, nightmares, and headache. Will not take any more. Far too strong. Still getting side effects 5 days later."

• com...
• October 6, 2021

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "The ER doc explained that Compazine should be given with Benadryl to counteract the bad side effects described above. The combination effectively stopped my daughter's migraine in about 20 minutes. We went home, and she slept for a few hours and felt a little groggy. That's it!"

• Anonymous
• February 4, 2021

For Nausea/Vomiting "I was recently prescribed this medicine for vertigo by my GP. After 3 tablets, I went into a 4-hour sleep. Upon waking up, I could not read any text off the television, had to be helped up stairs to bed, and upon waking up, couldn’t walk even with a stick. Immediately stopped and reported to my doctor, only a few hours now and it will be completely out of my system. This is definitely one to avoid. Take care."

• Anonymous
• February 9, 2020

Prochlorperazine "I'll never take that shit again, never. Once I got discharged from the hospital, I could still feel it, and it made me drowsy and sleepy all day. I cannot do anything but lay in my bed. Worst experience ever. I will never do it again."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2019

Prochlorperazine for Nausea/Vomiting "I went to the ER with a migraine that was way off the charts painful. I was also really nauseous and throwing up every 10 minutes. I had been given dilaudid, Benadryl, and reglan the last time I had to go to the ER for the same reason. The reglan had actually made my nausea worse, so this time the doctor gave me Compazine, which helped the nausea sooo much! I didn’t have any side effects except for a little sleepiness. I would definitely recommend this medication to anyone who can’t use reglan."