Phenergan and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Kaz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2020

For Sedation "My partner was prescribed 25mg to take each night as he wasn't sleeping. The first night he took one, it wiped him out, and he was soaking with sweat. I had to help him get undressed and into bed, he was that drowsy. The next day he looked drugged up. Then the second night he took another and never woke up, he passed away in his sleep. I thought he was just sleeping until I found him. The post-mortem came back unascertained, and I have been told it will take anywhere between 6-8 months to get an answer. However, this is the only new medication he had taken. His other meds he took regularly, so I blame this. Please be careful with this drug."

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 29, 2020

For Sedation "I took 25mg Phenergan to help me sleep. It worked! I've been taking it for almost 2 years but only recently realized, when I stopped taking it, that it was causing me to have a low mood and a REALLY dry mouth to the point where I needed a drink with me at every meeting because it would affect my speech. When I stopped taking it, I woke up 4-5 times in the night, which is normal given I've got small children, but woke in the morning feeling a lot more clear-headed, less headaches, and didn't have the need to guzzle glasses of water! Pharmacists only ever warned of drowsiness but not these side effects so wanted to share them with everyone! This medicine will get you to sleep, but it comes with a significant cost!"

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 27, 2020

For Nausea/Vomiting "I have panic disorder, so when stressed out I get very nauseous and frequently throw up. The pandemic made my episodes more frequent, so I went to my doctor. Zofran had no effect on me, so they prescribed this pill. It totally cures the nausea. I do get a bit drowsy, but since I take it when I’m hyped on adrenaline anyway, it’s usually a relief. I only need 1/4 of a pill, which I take an hour or so before eating or if I feel like a panic attack is coming on. I gave it 9 just because it doesn’t help if I take it right when I feel like I’m going to throw up, you need to take it preemptively. But despite this, I would recommend this to anyone who gets nauseous due to anxiety! I love that it has no side effects and it has helped so much in my recovery."

• Anonymous
• September 19, 2010

For Sedation "Although I have fairly high blood pressure - for which I take medication, and use asthma inhalers to prevent asthma, I have found Phenergan to be absolutely marvelous for insomnia - I have an overactive mind! I find it's best to take it about four hours before I go to bed - then it knocks me out for the night. Sometimes I still feel a bit drowsy in the mornings and have discovered I only need the lowest dose to get a good night's sleep. I only take it the night following a sleepless night. Hope this is helpful."

• Gin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2019

For Sedation "I only take 6 mg (1/4 of a 25 mg tablet) at night before I have to work the next day, i.e., Sun to Thurs night. The first time I took a whole pill, never again as it knocked me out, but the next morning I had to stay home as I was so drowsy! I prefer this to taking Lorazepam."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2015

For Sedation "Took one 25mg to help me sleep, however, the next day I felt awful. Like I'd been drugged, just couldn't wake up. This lasted all day. I won't be taking them again. My wife, on the other hand, takes them every night with no problems."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2015

For Sedation "Took one 25mg to help me sleep, however, the next day I felt awful. Like I'd been drugged, just couldn't wake up. This lasted all day. I won't be taking them again. My wife, on the other hand, takes them every night with no problems."

• Mom...
• June 20, 2014

For Nausea/Vomiting "I have used this medication many times for nausea. It always helps quickly and completely. The only reason it does not get a perfect score is that it knocks me out! I'll be groggy for the rest of the day even with only one dose."

• scg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2021

For Sedation "I don't know if I classify myself as an insomniac, but I usually wake up a lot of times in the night, which disturbs my sleep and makes me tired in the day, so I decided to try Phenergan. This medication should really be taken just before you go to bed, I wouldn't recommend taking it while you're watching TV or anything because, in my experience, you have to be trying to fall asleep for this to work. Even then, it's a horrible drug. 25 mg is too little, and I still wake up in the night a lot, 50 mg is way too much, and I'm pretty sure my throat closed up for a second in the middle of the night because I woke up gagging, and I don't suffer from sleep apnea, so that was weird. Either way, any dosage of this stuff causes terrible daytime drowsiness the next day, I'm not sure if that's down to the half-life of the medication or whether it is purely because it gives you really poor quality sleep."

• EC9...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2023

For Sedation "After experiencing a severe onset of anxiety, I developed insomnia and couldn't sleep for over three weeks, remaining awake throughout the night. Additionally, I woke up with nausea and vomited for some days. I was prescribed 25 mg to take before bed to help with sleep and nausea. The first time I took it, I slept for 12 hours! I felt drowsy the next morning but also refreshed and didn't wake up with nausea. The second time I took it, I slept for 8 hours and was still a little drowsy. Taking 25 mg before bed definitely helps sedate me and improves my sleep throughout the night."

• Yan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 9, 2017

For Nausea/Vomiting "Has anyone experienced sadness after starting to take this drug? I am on 25 mg for a few days and feel that it has helped with the nausea a little bit with the anxiety, but it has made me sleep all day and feel sad. I normally have trouble getting onto strong meds such as antidepressants, but I don't know if this is a case of this or something else. I am scared of becoming depressed."

• Pre...
• April 17, 2010

For Nausea/Vomiting "Phenergan is an excellent medication for sleep and nausea. It also helps with pain associated with headaches. Phenergan allows your stomach to feel much better and your pain to slightly subside. It's a good night's rest guaranteed. Phenergan had absolutely no side effects, aside from sedative effects... which were welcomed after I had been so ill with nausea and vomiting. Take it, feel better, and get back to life."

• Oli...
• January 22, 2020

For Light Sedation "This does the job for stressful periods of insomnia, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have something important to wake up for the next morning - one 25 mg pill makes me feel drowsy for hours after waking."

• Anonymous
• September 25, 2010

For Nausea/Vomiting "For uncontrolled nausea and vomiting that has been diagnosed as a migraine variant, the Phenergan suppository is the only medicine that works. It put me to sleep and helps to greatly lessen the nausea. This medication works! Getting a physician to understand the diagnosis is not always easy."

• Yar...
• December 9, 2018

For Urticaria "Chronic hives - 25 mg works well after desloratadine ceased working for me. Side effects of sedation, lethargy, falling asleep very quickly (sometimes inappropriately), dry eyes and mouth. (If I was working and not retired, the side effects may not have been manageable)"

• The...
• March 8, 2011

For Allergic Reactions "Phenergan (promethazine) is very effective for nausea and vomiting. It is generally not used for urticaria or respiratory allergies. It is very strong and will make you drowsy. I recommend taking it when you are going to lay low for a while. We don't give it IV anymore because we had some serious tissue damage reported when it infiltrated under the skin. I am not sure that we still give it IV. Lately, it is either given as a suppository or as a pill."

• Bro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2021

For Light Sedation "I had taken 25 mg at 10:00 pm to help me sleep. At 2 am, I took another because I was still awake! Now, at 3:30 am, I am still awake. I am drowsy, but my whole body feels weird, kind of an irritating sensation, it's awful. I am going to have a cup of tea (caffeine) to see if it will counteract this horrible weird sensation. No more Phenergan for me, that's for sure. I feel I have to move around all the time."

• Anonymous
• October 26, 2009

For Nausea/Vomiting "I've had this prescribed for surgical procedures, with migraine medications, and when I take opioids because they cause swelling and intense itching. This is great. It ends vomiting, suppresses nausea, eliminates swelling and itching. The generic is very inexpensive and works quickly. The drowsiness side effect is unlike most drugs with this caution; I can wake quickly and think clearly, no 'drugged' or heavy, fogged thinking."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2010

For Nausea/Vomiting "This drug is wonderful for stomach viruses, motion sickness, anything involving stomach nausea. The only side effect I have felt is the sedative effect. If you are a nervous flyer, I would recommend 12.5 mg 30 minutes before takeoff."

• Ran...
• March 24, 2009

For Motion Sickness "Phenergan seems to prevent some motion sickness with fewer side effects (but slightly less effectiveness) than Transderm-Scop. The primary side effect of Phenergan is some drowsiness, which is dose-related."

• Nic...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 20, 2017

For Opiate Adjunct "Been taking promethazine 10 mg for years now to get rid of motion sickness. I can’t travel on public transport. But then I noticed after running out of my prescription that there was 25 mg Phenergan you could buy at the chemist with 56 tablets. So I saw you could take them to help you sleep, so I started taking them with my zopiclone sleeping tablets, which didn’t really work (shouldn't be taken together). The usual dose for sleeping is 25 mg to 50 mg at night, but I have been taking more than that (which is dangerous). Some advice would be very much appreciated."

• Jul...
• July 11, 2021

For Nausea/Vomiting "Second trimester of pregnancy and had lost 30 lbs due to hyperemesis. None of the other nausea meds were working, they even gave me suppositories. I was admitted to the hospital, and I ended up on an IV drip of Zofran for a couple of days to give me some relief. Once they took me off the drip, I was scheduled to get the Zofran regularly. One particular nurse was terrible about giving me my medication on time, and I got so sick they had to look for an alternative. She gave me Phenergan, which made me drowsy, uncoordinated, disoriented, and gave me restless leg for a while. That experience was terrifying. When the doctors came in to check on me, they told me that I was given too big of a dose, so they were going to try it again at half a dose. That half dose was AMAZING!!! It took away the nausea immediately and allowed me to sleep comfortably. That became my regular nausea med for the rest of the hyperemesis, and I was given a prescription to use at home as needed. It saved my life."

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

For Sedation "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."

• Mig...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 22, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting "This has been a game changer for my migraines. If I do not catch them in time, I cannot keep anything down, which means the Imetrex doesn't have time to work. It becomes a vicious cycle and can last for a few days. Phenergan stops that cycle! The only drawback is the drowsiness - I am limited to taking 1/4 pill at a time so I can still function when the migraine has gone away. Do NOT drive until you know how this medicine will affect you."

• Cit...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 17, 2025

For Light Sedation "I use it mainly while traveling. I take it when I know my mind is restless and a sleepless night looms ahead. It knocks me out within half an hour in the hotel room. I used to take 25 mg, but that would cause drowsiness the next day. Then, I found out that half a pill worked just as well. I have tried tranquilizers and alternative medicines, but Phenergan works best without any major side effects."