View Full Version : Oral use - Promethazine Recreational Potential?
A friend came up to me asking advice on promethazine. This is what he wrote:
Hey, quick question... You ever hear of Promethazine? I found a bottle in the back of our medicine cabinet (prescibed to me in, like, 1994), and looked around.
Erowid has nothing useful (just mentioned that it is often combined with ephedra and/or codeine), though I did find a vague article in some medical journal which mentioned patients who experienced hallucinations and psychosis or something. Nothing in relation to dosage...
Do you have any ideas as to possible recreational dosages... or know anything at all about this mysterious substance?
Thanks!
I never fuckin heard of it. Anyone know anything about this drug?
Its an anti-histamine with supposed sleep-aid properties.
Normally SWIN would say that an antihistamine wont get you high, but
the sleep-aid properties makes SWIM ponder if this drug does in fact
have any worthwhile effects. Though SWIM can't really provide any
insight into the recreational effects of this drug, he can at least
provide you with some linkage to its pharmacology and chemistry:
Keep (http://Keep) us posted, SWIM is intrigued to know of this compounds effects.
The promethazine with codeine does get you high. I don't know about some stuff from '94 though. Promethazine by itself doesn't do anything.
Promethazine causes hallucinations by the same mechanism as all
anticholinergics (ie - atropine, scopalamine, meclazine, hydrocyamine,
other antihistamines like hydroxazine, diphenhydramine, etc..). They are
the not fun / delerium variety and are also quite narrow in the margin
between hallucination and death. If you want this sort of high, you might
as well go eat some datura - probably more fun and safer.
Snapper
Fantasian
24-05-2006, 01:59
Just thought i'd mention SWIM has recently tried Cylizine which comes under the same family of drugs. SWIM has written experience reports on this and please use the search forum to find them.
In brief the effects were very strange, large gravity disturbance, trance like vision and delusions of things looking differant.
On a side note IV cyclizine creates a cold rushing effect up the spine.
If SWIY is more interested in these drugs please feel free to PM me and ill do my best to fill you in on SWIM's experiences. I remember back before SWIM experimented and it was difficult to find much information on these for recreational use.
raven3davis
24-05-2006, 03:14
Promethazine is not a recreational drug. SWIM thinks that the only recreational version of premethazine is the promethazine which contains codeine. If SWIM recalls correctly, this is what rappers refer to as syzurup. sippin on some syzurup, sip sippin on some, sip sipping some syzurup. ring a bell?
Fantasian
24-05-2006, 03:24
anticholinergics can be used recreationally, SWIM has experienced it personally, promethazine is an anticholinergic just as cyclizine is. Although SWIM has not experienced the drug in question he is definatly sure of his first statement. Before SWIM used cyclizine he recieved pleanty of warnings of dangerous delrium and non-recreational lectures but he himself found the experience phychadelic and interesting.
Promethazine is actually a derivitive of phenothiazine and as such is an antipsychotic, not simply an anticholinergic. It additionally has antihistaminic, sedative, antimotion-sickness, and antiemetic effects.
As an antipsychotic it has all the usual unpleasant side effects:
Extrapyramidal reactions (unwanted movements), Lassitude, fatigue, loss of libido, incoordination, sleep disturbance, seizures, oculogyric crises and as with all antipsychotics there is a real risk of hypotension and cardiovascular collapse (these drugs have pro-arrhythmic properties).
It also has the potential to suppress one's white blood count, leaving them at risk of overwhelming infection. Jaundice can also occur.
The anticholinergic side effects are also somewhat unpleasant: Blurred vision, dry mouth, urinary retention and constipation.
Phenergan is NOT a recreational drug.
BTW Raven isn't the sip sip sippin guy now deceased?
raven3davis
24-05-2006, 08:10
No DJ screw died for sippin too much lean but Three Six mafia were the ones who did the Syzurup song. They also call it purple stuff and many rappers sing about the syrup. People pour drank in their sprite and sip sip sip on it. SWIM does not know why they prefer the promethazine with codiene syrup though. SWIM's favorite syrup is the tussionex! He could sip sip on that drank all day long. It has these crystals in it that taste so good. SWIM also enjoys hydrocodone more than codiene so he does not know what the big fuss is about the promethazine syzurup. what what , ever ever
~lostgurl~
04-07-2007, 03:30
SWIM has been using Phenergan (each tablet contains promethazine hydrochloride BP 25mgs) as a sleep aid. It is OTC where SWIM lives. Phenergan also comes in 10mg pills.
SWIM has found it works well as a sleep aid at doses 25 mg to 100 mg.
100 mg to 175 mg caused agitation
175 mg + caused unpleasant auditory hallucinations and SWIM was unable to read or focus eyes for about 18 hours.
From the leaflet enclosed in the packet:
'Phenergan' is one of a group of medicines called phenothiazine antihistamines and has anti-allergic actions. It also has a sedating effect and acts against nausea and vommiting.
Adult doses:
Allergic conditions: Initially 10-20 mg, 2-3 times a day. Increase dose gradually if desired.
Hypnosedative: Initially, 25 mg at night. If required you may increase to 50 mg or 75 mg at night.
To prevent nausea and vomiting: 25 mg the night before the journey. repeat if required 6-8 hours later. Due to possible sedative effects, a lower dose of 10 mg during the day may be more suitable.
Primacorza
03-11-2007, 13:29
I have promethazine, I bought it over the counter in Canada so it was legal to possess over in the US for me (same with tylenol 3's, which are good for a headache).
Promethazine is primarily prescribed for nausea in the US- it's anticholinergic action prevents motion sickness, and when combined with ephedrine (a noradrenalin/mild dopamine stimulant) it'll counter the sedative effects, working somewhat better than meclizine. It's also used for nausea induced by opiates, because it has a weak effect at D2 receptors (1/10th that of thorazine), which are also in the vomit center of the brain and are the receptors that opiates seem to disinhibit. In this case, I've seen studies that suggest promethazine is more effective than 5-ht3 receptors at preventing narcotic nausea, but it's best effect to dose ratio is actually only 25 mg oral (more than that doesn't increase antiemetic properties).
In Canada, it's still used as an antihistamine, because there are several "classes" and some people respond better to different classes of antihistamines, so it's out there. It's also sold as a sleep aid, it's relation to thorazine means that it's got some antianxiety properties (I in fact bought it for when I had trouble sleeping while on deployment in the military due to anxiety).
SWIM tells me, however, that it can be abused, with some interesting results. Like any anticholinergic antihistamine, SWIM says it will boost most opiate highs. SWIM says that while low and moderate doses resemble antihistamines like benadryl, high doses (250mg, equipotent to 25mg thorazine and tarditive controlling anticholinergics), produces very strange effects depending on mood and mindset. These included for swim- pinpoint pupils, somnolescense, dead-trout look (jaw dropping), extreme sedation and lack of anxiety, and oddly enough, reminded swim of twilight sleep induced by morphine and scopolamine. Other times SWIM tried it, it would produce a heavy "pressing feeling" and an inability to stand up or move around, similar to the term "chemical restraints". Swim has used it in combination with benadryl and kratom for a very sedating high.
All in all, we think promethazine is a fairly promising drug but for very particular uses (gotta find a good use for it).
I've heard promethazine specifically referenced in a rap song, though I can't remember which one, it was fairly popular.
SWIM has read in previous threads the "lack" of potential Promethazine has as a recreational drug. Although SWIM has also heard from a few local friends that crushing up Promethazine (Phenergan 25mg) and smoking it in a blunt gives recreational effects such as body high, euphoria, ect. SWIM was also told that this is true of snorting Promethazine too.
SWIM tried this with a few friends (only crushing up one 25mg pill, snorting 1/4th and rolling the rest into a blunt) and everyone felt a light body high/euphoria along with various other feelings.
SWIM is wondering if anyone else has experienced the same or has an idea as to why these these feelings occurred when almost everything SWIM has read online says otherwise?
forumdude
07-11-2007, 15:44
swim gets promethazine cause his psychiater is anti benzo:@
it does make you drowsy but no euphoria
he geusses snorting or smoking couldnt chance that besides smoking pills is also a bad idea in his opinion
forumdude
08-11-2007, 13:20
maybe you can get a delerium like experience of it because its anticholinergic actions i think.
i wont recommend it though
Fantasian
18-11-2007, 11:28
maybe you can get a delerium like experience of it because its anticholinergic actions i think.
i wont recommend it though
Two of the best sentences to describe this,
It causes Delerium which most find unpleasant, there is lots of threads on this.
unconditionaldl
13-12-2007, 23:59
I used to take it everynight for around 3 weeks, theres no delerium, i used to take 4 at once to fall asleeep, you feel totally fuckd up, unable to move extremel sedation as said above and quite dry mouth aswell. There were no halluncinations or anxiety or anything, it was like when you get to that point smoking green where you wont get anymore stoned picture that x5. You really have to fight to not fall asleep, but when you sleep boy do you sleep.
Not to nitpick (well, maybe a little) but wouldn't Promethazine's antimuscarinic activity reduce the likelihood of an oculogyric crisis?
Antimuscarinics seem to be the prescribed treatments for acute dystonia.
If I am wrong, please correct me^^
humdroid
21-05-2008, 22:05
SWIM's cats mate popped one of these and feels compelled to ask me to pass on the following advice.
He used promethazine, an anti histamine, with very mild anti-psychotic properties, and felt unsteady on his feet, with concern he may fall.
He went to bed, and slept it off.
For those who are not too good at keeping upright on your feet, watch for falls when using anti-psychotics, mention it to the doctor. It may be, you need supervision, as swims cats mate said he nearly took a bad fall.