Promethazine for Sedation User Reviews (Page 4)

• Bea...
• August 29, 2018

"For trouble falling asleep (no problem with staying asleep). I work as a heavy machinery operator. Prescribed by my doctor. I asked for a short-acting sleep aid. First attempt - Took at 8 pm. Didn't sleep any earlier. Felt strange and disconnected the next day until afternoon. Second attempt a week later - Taken at 10 am for a nap. Didn't work. But my sinus cough cleared right up - wonderful! Still awake and alert at 6 pm, I went to dinner. I didn't get my usual redneck flush from beer - then at 8 pm, I became very drunk and uncontrollably sleepy after 4 beers. I was asleep by 9 pm. Results: It stops sinus drip and cough in 30 minutes. It prevents face flushing reaction to food and alcohol. It gets a bit sedating after around 10 hours and wears off around 18 hours later. Be very careful with alcohol, even many hours later!!! Conclusion: Not useful for getting to sleep. Too long acting. To sleep at 9 pm, I would need to take it at work in the morning, too risky."

• Dev...
• October 3, 2017

"I've seen people on here say this is NOT an over-the-counter medication where I live. Also, this is nothing like Ambien - Ambien is a benzodiazepine medication, so if you're expecting that, then don't! Works good for upset stomach as well as mild sedation. Don't expect a 'Xanax' effect, but it will help with your appetite and allow for some rest. Also works well to help nausea if you take medications that make you sick, like morphine, for example. I am NOT a professional or even in the medical field. There are way too many 'shadetree' pharmacists out there, so consult a real one for a real diagnosis or answer. It's just they won't tell you what you 'want' to hear like people on these forums will."

• Lyn...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 28, 2020

"I have been taking this medicine for 2 years for my IBS, which is really, really bad, and I get it around 3 a.m. I wake up with stomach spasms so bad it feels like having a baby with no medicine for pain. I passed out plenty of times because of how bad the pain gets, so my gastro doctor gave me promethazine. The good part is I don’t have to take it every day, sometimes I only take it once or twice within a year, but it works well. Just it's hard for me to wake up if I take it at 3 a.m., I don’t wake up until 8 p.m. the next day. I love how it works, but I hate that I can’t wake up."

• C J...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2023

"Interesting results with this drug. The first time I took 25mg, it completely wiped me out in about an hour after taking and led to an 11-hour sleep, something I've never had before. I would be lucky to sleep for 4 hours, so it worked as expected. But... The next day, I felt really weird, slightly light-headed. People commented on how 'spaced out I looked', so I clearly wasn't in a position to drive or work. Although this was a weekend, thankfully, so only take this if absolutely needed and expect side effects the next day."

• Fin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2023

"Literally only been taking it for three days, and my insomnia is actually worse than it was beforehand. I was told it would only take 30 minutes to kick in, but I tossed and turned for up to 3 hours, then woke up every hour or so for absolutely no reason. I'm honestly not sure if I want to continue taking it because I'm even more exhausted than I was previously, with a wicked headache and dry mouth to boot. Its only saving grace is that it might help deal with some of the nausea that comes with starting a new antidepressant, but even then I'm doubtful it will."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2021

"Be careful. For sedation, yes, it works. I was given this to help the transition from one SNRI to SSRI, and I was initially told to take 2 at night. I went for only one. Yes, it worked, but the next day I had a hangover like I had been drinking all night, and only had a few hours of sleep. Sounds fun, it was not a nice relaxing feeling, more like you are fighting to feel yourself again. So use with caution. If I have to use it again, a quarter of one would do the job. Regards."

• ski...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2018

"This is the worst drug I've ever taken. Headaches, tongue swelling, eyelids swelling, and a rash on them. I've got sore legs, sore arms, and feel so ill. My doctor took me off Zopiclone and replaced it with this medicine. I wouldn't recommend this drug to anybody or give it to a patient with mental health problems."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 29, 2022

"Have been taking this drug for a month for insomnia. The first couple of nights, I was excited to experience getting off to sleep, which was a relief! After about a week, despite sleeping, I was feeling very tired during the day with a very low mood. After a couple of weeks, its effectiveness in helping me sleep had reduced, and I was feeling more nervous during the day. Now, after a month, I wake up if I do sleep with intense feelings of nervousness for hours, which never really goes, and experience dreams at night that cause anxiety. I intended to reduce the dose and come off these pills."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 6, 2022

Promethazine "I only take Phenergan for sleep as a last resort, and only the low dose. Phenergan does help me sleep, but it gives me intense nightmares and leaves me feeling really stressed and anxious. It also makes me drowsy the next day, so I basically can't function. Even for sleep, though, it only works for a few days and then wears off. So, only good for the short term in my case. I wouldn't dare try the stronger stuff, I think it would be too much. As for allergies, it works well and instantly. So there's that at least. Still get the side effects, though."

• Dea...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2021

"This medication did make me drowsy, but it gave me horrendous restless legs, which kept me awake all night. Unless I took codeine with it, I later realized I was basically taking it every night. Promethazine and codeine can stop you breathing in your sleep. I've stopped taking it, but I'm always craving it because the mix of the two is so addictive. It's like liquid heroin, a few rappers have died from overdosing on it."

• suz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 11, 2024

"I've taken this to help with sleep and anxiety. I can take 50 mg at night. At first, it worked quite well, but now not so much, and I will soon be stopping it to find something else that will help balance my mood and have a sedating effect. I think short-term it is good, but you do become reliant on it to sleep, and after a while, it doesn't work as well. If I don't have it, I would be awake all night! I still struggle to sleep taking 50 mg now."

• Boo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2021

"My doctor said I should try these instead of the usual zopiclone I have been prescribed for severe bouts of insomnia. I took two 25 mg tablets, and they took over two hours to start making me sleepy. I still woke up a few times but went back to sleep, and when it was time to get up for work, I was so groggy, weak, and disoriented I had to call in sick. The grogginess and malaise lasted into the evening. I don't think I'll be taking them again, the grogginess is way too much. Zopiclone knocked me out straight and didn't make me as groggy the next day, even though they made me get a headache and feel irritable. I prefer that to the severe groggy feeling."

• sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 21, 2023

"Has anyone else found it doesn't work? I had episodes of acute anxiety and wasn't sleeping. I was prescribed promethazine to help with sleep. I was told to take it on alternate nights. The first night, I slept until 5 a.m., but since then, I sleep from 11 p.m. until 1 or 2 a.m., and that's it. I often wake with a racing heart and drenched in sweat."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2022

"I was having problems finishing work at 09:15 in the morning and returning to work the same day at 9:15 pm and only sleeping for 3 hours between, but now I take one, and I wake 7-8 hours later and can stay alert at night easily. I take one tablet a week."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2022

"This drug has ruined my life. I have been researching it since... I’ve been on a psych ward as a direct result. I woke up extremely trippy and started trying to kill myself. My son had to go with my parents, he is heartbroken. I was fitting in the hospital as well. I am now paranoid. I never sleep, and my life as I know it is over. My whole personality has gone. I’m paranoid, and after almost two months, I can still feel it in my face, brain, and body. My tongue swelled up and was hanging out, I couldn't breathe. I hallucinated and lost my cognitive abilities and my personality. I know my son can’t come home as this has not gotten better. I cannot organize myself. I have autism and ADHD, generalized anxiety. I felt dizzy, everything wobbled, and I now don’t know what to do with myself. All I could say when I woke up was 'it just won’t go' - and it still hasn’t."

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2021

"I was on a big dose of temazepam sleeping pills per night. Still didn't sleep. Four Valium, still didn't sleep. Largactil, Seroquel, clonazepam, pot, CBD oil, therapy. They either did nothing, or I built up a tolerance within a very short period of time. Phenergan 50mg was suggested by the psychiatrist. I have severe CPTSD, bipolar, depression, shocking anxiety. With Phenergan and a Valium, I sleep. Maybe five to six hours. I have to have breaks and use oxycodone as I suffer chronic pain, fibromyalgia, emphysema. It helps sleep, then I build a tolerance, so round and round we go. Yes, I walk daily. Meditate. See a psychologist. See a psychiatrist. Have a great supportive partner and my dog. My mind is wired differently. Good luck to you all. I would highly recommend Phenergan. Start at 25mg first though."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2018

"This helped me on and off. I used to take Sominex, which is also promethazine hydrochloride, but yeah, it doesn't work every time, so I suggest you take it now and again with not any more than 2 tablets (50 mg). It does help with appetite and can give you that high feeling. I remember being on it once and sleeping for like 20 hours."

• Big...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 19, 2017

"Did nothing at all. Took another one, nothing. Very disappointed. After reading these reviews, I really thought I'd found something that would help me sleep. Only one person it didn't work for. Guess I'm number two. Typical."

• Har...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2024

"I was prescribed 25 mg of promethazine nightly and as needed for insomnia, nausea, and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) relief. I didn't find that it worked for my insomnia at all and didn't make me sleepy. However, it did help with my itching and hives some and worked moderately for the nausea, although it did take around 90 minutes for it to kick in. Personally, I'd only rely on the effectiveness of promethazine for mild allergy symptoms and nausea, not insomnia or sleep disturbances. I do think it worked better than Zofran (ondansetron), but not as well as Compazine (prochlorperazine) for nausea."

• dat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 7, 2022

"I take 50 mg two hours before bed. It was the ONLY medication that would give me 7 hours of sleep. Usual sleep was 4 to 5 hours with the usual sleep meds (if they worked). Unfortunately, at this high dosage, the drug can cause seizures. This was the only side effect, but I had to stop. If you can tolerate 50 mg, it worked amazing for chronic insomnia."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2022

"Take this as I struggle to sleep due to stress and horrendous anxiety. My Dr wouldn't give me sleeping tablets, so recommended Phenergan. I take two 25 mg before bed, and it takes about 1 hour until I'm super chilled and sedated. Honestly, best thing you can get over the counter. Only slight issue is, for some reason, I get hungry and tend to raid my kitchen, but I'd still rather have this medication with me."

• Rik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2022

"Taking 25 mg promethazine for insomnia due to anxiety/panic/OCD since a week or two now for insomnia. It helps me well, it helps me fall asleep without any significant side effects (I nod off a bit more easily during the day, but that's OK). Only downside is that I'm not allowed to drive with it in my country."

• Sha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 5, 2021

"Recently I had some trouble sleeping (had an accident due to not enough sleep/too much work) and so went to the doctor to see if I could get Stilnox (which I'd had previously), and he suggested promethazine. It works great if I take it about 3 hours before I want to sleep (either 25 mg - sometimes works) or 50 mg (always works unless I'm extremely stressed). However, I do notice I'm 50% slower and dumber at all work tasks the following day if I take 50 mg. Sometimes it's worth it though just for a good night's sleep. Normally I just take it occasionally, but one week I was having a lot of trouble sleeping and so I took a bigger dose. When I woke up the next morning, my phone was in the bathroom sink, and I have no memory of how it got there. So overall it worked well, but I'm sticking to 50 mg max from now on. Also, I don't think this would have worked for me 15 years ago when I had real insomnia, but it works now for fairly mild sleep problems."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 20, 2022

"I have been taking 50 mg to help me sleep for about a year now because of insomnia. I’d be careful with this drug!! As it beyond helps, it knocks you for six. I would struggle to get out of bed in the morning and feel like rubbish. I started to have weird dreams that I was having seizures, which I think I actually was in my sleep. I am also trying to come off them now. Your brain will completely start to rely on them to sleep, as I’m finding out 3 weeks in on cutting it off, and my insomnia is worse than it ever was before! Completely regret starting them and can’t believe my doctor let it get to this stage as they look like harmless hay fever tablets at first!! Please be careful!!!"

• Daz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2022

"I have had an ongoing ear infection for 18 months and sleep just doesn't happen! Doctors prescribed these to help me get some sleep. First night I took two as it said take 1 or 2..... I had zero sleep! Took kids to school and struggled to drive. Came home, sat down, and slept for 4 hours and woke feeling like death. That night I took just 1 and went off very quick. I woke an hour later thinking I'd slept for 8 and I was absolutely soaked in sweat, didn't get back to sleep! That day I sat down again and must have fallen asleep within seconds as I can't actually remember anything. We are on day 3 now, and I am still going to try 1 more as I soooo need to sleep."