1 May 2026Oral drugsSource update: February 2024
Promethazine oral
Promethazine guidance for short-term insomnia and for agitation with haloperidol in psychosis, with strong sedation precautions.
Prescription under medical supervision
This guide page is for structured reference only and does not replace a clinician, pharmacist, or emergency review. Dose choice, route choice, interactions, and safety decisions still need professional judgment.
Therapeutic action
Sedating H1 antihistamine.
Indications
- Insomnia.
- Agitation or aggressive behaviour in patients with acute or chronic psychosis, in combination with haloperidol.
Forms and strengths
- 25 mg tablet.
Dose and duration
Insomnia
- Adult: 25 mg once daily at bedtime for 7 to 10 days maximum.
Agitation or aggressive behaviour in patients with acute or chronic psychosis, with haloperidol
- Adult: 25 mg, to be repeated after 60 minutes if necessary.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Administer with caution and monitor use in older patients and in patients with prostate disorders, closed-angle glaucoma, epilepsy, orthostatic hypotension, severe renal impairment, or severe hepatic impairment.
- Also monitor patients taking central nervous system depressants or drugs with anticholinergic effects.
- May cause drowsiness, dizziness, headache, confusional state, hypotension, photosensitivity, anticholinergic effects, and rarely seizures, extrapyramidal symptoms, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, or allergic reactions.
- Avoid alcohol during treatment.
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: avoid.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page reproduces the structured reference information for this batch while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections.
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