PlainPill

Promethazine

The short answer. There isn't much data on Promethazine yet — 6 mentions, 3 with a clear outcome — so treat these numbers as anecdotal. It is well studied — 51 meta-analyses on PubMed. The most common complaint is drowsiness.

What users report
34%helped3 reports · few reports
1 helped2 mixed0 didn't help

From 6 mentions in total — the rest didn't say how it went and aren't counted.

Clinical research
AStrong research base
51
meta-analyses
196
RCTs
2,856
papers

What Promethazine does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

betterno changeworse

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

AStrong research base

3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev · 2020 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Drugs for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults after general anaesthesia: a network meta-analysis

Conclusion: We found high-certainty evidence that five single drugs (aprepitant, ramosetron, granisetron, dexamethasone, and ondansetron) reduce vomiting, and moderate-certainty evidence that two other single drugs (fosaprepitant and droperidol) probably reduce vomiting, compared to placebo. Four of the six substance classes (5-HT₃ receptor antagonists, D₂ receptor antagonists, NK₁ receptor antagonists, and corticosteroids) were thus represented by at least one drug with important benefit for prevention of vomiting. Combinations of drugs were generally more effective than the corresponding single drugs in

PubMed 33075160 ↗
BMC Psychiatry · 2025 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
"Pharmacological management of acute agitation in psychiatric patients: an umbrella review"

Conclusion: This umbrella review offers a comprehensive overview of the pharmacological management of psychomotor agitation in patients with psychiatric disorders. Among the most frequently used medications in the reviewed studies were haloperidol, olanzapine, and lorazepam. The findings underscore the importance of tailored treatment approaches and the need for further research to refine the management of psychomotor agitation in psychiatric settings.

PubMed 40133850 ↗
Ann Emerg Med · 2025 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacologic Therapies for Nausea and Emesis in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis

Conclusion: Within a minimally contextualized framework, as single agents, intravenous tropisetron and intravenous prochlorperazine are definitely among the most effective, intravenous metoclopramide and intravenous droperidol are possibly among the most effective, and oral ondansetron is definitely among the least effective; considering certain adverse reactions, intravenous metoclopramide, intravenous droperidol, and intravenous promethazine are definitely among the most harmful.

PubMed 40772912 ↗
JAMA · 2016 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
Treatments for Hyperemesis Gravidarum and Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review

Conclusion: For mild symptoms of nausea and emesis of pregnancy, ginger, pyridoxine, antihistamines, and metoclopramide were associated with greater benefit than placebo. For moderate symptoms, pyridoxine-doxylamine, promethazine, and metoclopramide were associated with greater benefit than placebo. Ondansetron was associated with improvement for a range of symptom severity. Corticosteroids may be associated with benefit in severe cases. Overall the quality of evidence was low.

PubMed 27701665 ↗

Dosage people report

We don't list doses for prescription medications. Dosing should only come from a doctor or pharmacist.

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

drowsiness ×3unrefreshing sleep ×1

What users say

First-hand experiences, quoted verbatim. We show one positive and one negative where both exist.

“I am prescribe promethazine, I sleep when I take that however it does not work if I take it every day.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
“It really does help with falling asleep, but I never wake up feeling refreshed afterwards.”
MixedRead the discussion ↗
Top discussions (4)

Other options for sleep

User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 3, 2026. How we rate