Promazine

Promethazine: Allergy Relief, Nausea Treatment, and Sedation.

Promethazine is a medication used to help with allergy symptoms, reduce or prevent nausea and vomiting, and provide sedative or pain-relieving effects after surgery. It works by blocking certain histamine receptors in your body, which helps to reduce itching, sneezing, and other allergy symptoms. It also affects parts of the brain that control nausea and vomiting.

Uses

• Allergy Symptoms: Promethazine is commonly used to treat nasal, eye, and skin reactions caused by allergies.
• Nausea and Vomiting: It helps to alleviate nausea and vomiting from motion sickness, anesthesia, or surgery.
• Sedation: The medication can be used for sedation before or after surgery to help patients relax.
• Pain Relief: When used with other medicines, promethazine can provide pain relief after surgery.
• Severe Allergic Reactions: It is also used to treat severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis).

How It Works

Promethazine blocks histamine receptors to reduce allergy symptoms like itching and sneezing. It also affects the brain’s vomiting center to prevent nausea and vomiting. Additionally, it has sedative properties, making it useful for inducing sleep or reducing anxiety.

Side Effects

Common side effects of promethazine include drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, and dry mouth. It is available as tablets, liquid, and rectal suppositories, and can be given as an injection by a healthcare provider.

Important Notes

Patients should be counselled about the potential risks of CNS and respiratory depression, reduced seizure threshold, and bone marrow depression. The effects of promethazine generally last 4-6 hours but can last up to 12 hours.