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Advice wanted about phenergan causing excess drowsiness

purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
Hey guys, just looking for some info about using phenergan. I've been prescribed it for my sinus symptoms to try and get me off nurofen plus for a while (I have nausea and mild constipation, possibly from nurofen plus). I took one 10mg tablet at 7pm last night, seemed to have no effect and then suddenly I just couldn't stay awake from 8pm. I slept pretty well, but couldn't stay awake the next morning. I got up at 9am, but dosed on and off until 12.30.

I know phenergan makes you drowsy, but is that the normal amount of drowsiness it causes from just one 10mg tablet? Will my body get used to it and it not affect me quite as bad, or should I just give up before I waste days sleeping for half the day? The drowsiness I felt was comparable to a severe crash from CFS, where I can pass out from exhaustion even if there is an insane amount of noise and commotion going on nearby.

The doctor also suggested polaramine (I think, hard to read his writing). Is this perhaps a better option? I haven't researched it yet.

Thanks so much for any input about your experiences or knowledge. I'm so exasperated over my constant head symptoms/sinus and nausea on top of my CFS and POTS, it's all just hard to figure out.
 
Last edited:

Mary Poppins

75% Smurf
Messages
560
I'm surprised you weren't prescribed a nasal spray, for sinus symptoms. There's some pretty effective ones around, like Rhinocort.

Phenergan is pretty strong in some people. I'm not sure about polaramine, haven't had it for years.

What about claratyne or Zyrtec?

Hope you feel better soon, allergies this year are horrid.
 

lafarfelue

Senior Member
Messages
433
Location
Australia
Phenergan is strong stuff and has a long half life (meaning the drowsiness lasts). I don't take it for more than two nights in a row because otherwise it feels like I'm walking/functioning underwater for the next day (or sometimes two). It seems to have cumulative effect in that regard, although over time it's effectiveness wears off if taken consistently.

I try to take it on nights where I have nothing planned for the next day, so that I can indulge the drowsiness and take it super easy on awakening.

Hope you can find more to help with the chronic sinus stuff.
 

ryan31337

Senior Member
Messages
664
Location
South East, England
I found Cetirizine, a supposedly newer and non-drowsy anti-histamine made me feel like a zombie for the first week. My body did adapt after that and it no longer causes drowsiness now. Could be comparing apples and oranges though, Phenergan does look like a bit of a blunt instrument!
 

purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
I'm surprised you weren't prescribed a nasal spray, for sinus symptoms. There's some pretty effective ones around, like Rhinocort.

Phenergan is pretty strong in some people. I'm not sure about polaramine, haven't had it for years.

What about claratyne or Zyrtec?

Hope you feel better soon, allergies this year are horrid.
I have been prescribed numerous nasal sprays, but nothing has helped. I don't have the typical sinus symptoms and a CT scan showed no inflammation when it was all at it's worst. I have no nasal symptoms, only sometimes get facial pain and it's usually only mild-moderate, often occurs with occipital headaches that are also mild-moderate. The main issue is the pressure I feel deep inside my head and sometimes the roof of my mouth, a lightheaded type feeling, and that I feel much more brain fog when these symptoms are worse. When I take nurofen plus, the inside of my head just feels lighter and clearer and I can actually think.

I had no head symptoms until I had the flu while going on a plane and during descent, my ears hurt heaps and then I couldn't hear properly for a few days. After that, I had ear problems for a while and then sinus type problems and now just this kind of half sinus but not totally kind of symptoms.

But doctors never seem that interested in doing much about it, even though I say it is messing up my life. They're more inclined to advise me about how to manage the stress it creates and that I should do CBT for stress.
 

CCC

Senior Member
Messages
457
Phenergan is something people give their children to make them sleep - e.g. on long-haul flights or when they're teething badly and you've all gone three days with no sleep. I'm not surprised it knocked you out. This is the main thing it is (or was) used for by some families. I have heard Americans are very shocked when they hear things like this, by the way.

That said, it can make some kids off-the-wall hyper (not mine). It had no effect at all on one of my children - the one who now is at home with whatever this illness is.

Polaramine also induces drowsiness in some people, but i haven't had it for years. It was totally ineffective for hay fever/sinus. I can remember wondering what it was really designed to do because it was so useless.

For roof-of-the-mouth and face sinus, I find inhaling eucalyptus oil can help if it is a the pressure in the face feeling. Sucking frozen milk so it sits on the roof of the mouth also helps with the pain (frozen milk or yoghurt seems to be a more bearable temperature than ice). Clove oil applied directly to the site of facial pain is good too - my theory is that it dulls the nerve pain, but I have no evidence other than 'it seems to work' to back that up.

I have nothing to suggest for eye-pain sinus, sorry.
 

lafarfelue

Senior Member
Messages
433
Location
Australia
This is maybe a bit left of field (but then so is pretty much most of what we peeps deal with!), but perhaps it's related to the Trigeminal nerve...?

http://fpa-support.org/learn/classifications-of-facial-pain/

en3067038.jpg


Even if the descriptors may not fully meet what you're experiencing, it could be worth exploring if it's a pinched nerve or something else non-sinus related!
 

purrsian

Senior Member
Messages
344
I expect you've tried plain nurofen/ibuprofen? without the 'plus' of codeine?
Yea, I sometimes have plain nurofen with plain panadol, which is a combination doctors recommend for my finance's back pain. I find it helps if I actually have headaches or facial pain, but it doesn't help the usual foggy, pressure type feelings I get. I think it must be the codeine that gives me the clear feeling, as both nurofen plus and cold and flu tablets help more than plain nurofen.

Phenergan is something people give their children to make them sleep - e.g. on long-haul flights or when they're teething badly and you've all gone three days with no sleep. I'm not surprised it knocked you out. This is the main thing it is (or was) used for by some families. I have heard Americans are very shocked when they hear things like this, by the way.

That said, it can make some kids off-the-wall hyper (not mine). It had no effect at all on one of my children - the one who now is at home with whatever this illness is.

Polaramine also induces drowsiness in some people, but i haven't had it for years. It was totally ineffective for hay fever/sinus. I can remember wondering what it was really designed to do because it was so useless.

For roof-of-the-mouth and face sinus, I find inhaling eucalyptus oil can help if it is a the pressure in the face feeling. Sucking frozen milk so it sits on the roof of the mouth also helps with the pain (frozen milk or yoghurt seems to be a more bearable temperature than ice). Clove oil applied directly to the site of facial pain is good too - my theory is that it dulls the nerve pain, but I have no evidence other than 'it seems to work' to back that up.

I have nothing to suggest for eye-pain sinus, sorry.
I asked my mum and she's had phenergan but only had mild drowsiness, just during the night which was fine. She's had polaramine too, but so many years ago she's forgotten what it was like.
Thank you for the tips, I'm interested in trying them. I prefer more natural methods where possible. We have lots of linaments and sprays around for my fiance's back pain, but all too strong to use around the face I think.

This is maybe a bit left of field (but then so is pretty much most of what we peeps deal with!), but perhaps it's related to the Trigeminal nerve...?

http://fpa-support.org/learn/classifications-of-facial-pain/

en3067038.jpg


Even if the descriptors may not fully meet what you're experiencing, it could be worth exploring if it's a pinched nerve or something else non-sinus related!
Don't worry, I like left of field ideas! Can't learn more if you don't explore. I don't really meet the descriptors, but it's an interesting idea to think about anyway.

I've really noticed in recent days that my nausea, brain fog, physical foggy feeling in my head, head pressure and mild pain, all of it is very connected. When I have one, I have them all, and when one goes, they all go. So I'm considering the idea that it's all connected to my POTS and blood flow. I'm seeing a neurologist on Tuesday about POTS (after a year long wait) so I'm keen to see what he says about it all, particularly the nausea which is one of my worst symptoms right now.

The phenergan actually seemed to help my nausea for the whole day after I took it and the nausea returned the following day. I've read that it can be used to treat nausea. So tonight I'm going to try half a tablet and see how I go. I don't mind a bit of drowsiness the next morning and honestly I'd quite welcome drowsiness at night to ensure a good sleep. Just would rather not be a zombie all the time. CFS does that to me enough already lol