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Rate Promethazine, Doxylamine or Diphenhydramine & why?

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Anon54

Ex-Bluelighter
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Jun 11, 2010
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Ive been using promethazine (phenergan) cuz i ran out of my seroquel script. promethazine is a weak antipsychotic too unlike doxylamine (Restavit). Ive only had DPH once but I took more than directered so I cant really comment on how good it is or its side effects etc. Ive only had doylamine (Unisom) a few times too so i havnt had much experience with it but ive taken phenergan for like a month straight before the stuff is great for sleeping. :)
from wiki:
The drug has anti-motion sickness, antiemetic, and anticholinergic effects, as well as a strong sedative effect and in some countries is prescribed for insomnia when benzodiazepines are contraindicated.
Click to expand...

Why not get an opinion of all 3 otc sedating AHs.
Rate 1-3 which is the best promethazine, doxylamine, or diphenhydramine?

from my experience:
1. Promethazine (best) very sedating. good for allergies. no hangover.
2 Doxylamine but little experience said to be given more for sleeping than phenergan which is used more as an AH so idk
3. DPH. I tried this in a large dose. I wanted to just touch the deleriant dose. dont get me wrong i know it only gives ya a bad trip but i just wanted to take the lowest possible dose u could get any trippy effects from. Wehn I layed down I wasnt asleep but it felt like i was kinda dreaming or somewhere else. it wasnt an uncomfertable experience at all there's the doses for trfipiing
http://www.erowid.org/pharms/diphenhydramine/diphenhydramine_dose.shtml
I cant remember what i took. probably twice the recommended dose or something. but anyways it gave me a sort of headache at the back of my head & left me the m ost gorry out of the 3.

Like I said Ive only had experience really with promethazine so my rating arnt very valid but I had to include them in my post cuz im the OP I guess.
I often use otc sedaives for insomnia so im interested to know which is the best so i can get that one
if anyone knows any stuff like which one is best for allergies that would be good.
and if someone could look up the half lifes of each that would be great. that way u can get an idea of how many hrs each is gunna increase ya sedation. It would also be cool to know which one is most & least sedating. If I wasnt so tired now from subutex & promethazine Id look up the half lifes myself. :\
btw I'm sure they used to have doxylamine on www.erowid.org but I can only find the other 2. Weird. maybe it is there but I'm just to tired :|
so this is the place for any knowledge u have of either of these 3 popular otc sleeping tablets. This thread will insure that it will be the last time u ever go to bed only to see the sun start to rise 8 hrs later.

Oh, & I forgot... add in ya comments which u think may be the best potentiators?

Here's the half lifes anyway. Might be an indication of how long they'll keep u sedated
Doxylamine: variable; 6–12 hours
Promethazine: 10-19 hours
DPH: 12-14 hours
 
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I would personally (because this is subjective to some extent) rank them like this:

1)Doxylamine: most sedating, does not last overtly long and not many side effects I feel.
2)Diphenhydramine: quite sedating as well, can have anticholingergic side effects which are more pronounced in high doses of course.
3)Promethazine: I don't feel it's as sedating as doxylamine, and it has a hangover the next day for me which is annoying. This hangover is more then just drowsiness for me as well, there are other side effects which may not have been present the night before such as dysphoria, extreme mental fog, blurry vision sometimes. Also interferes with metabolism of codeine into morphine.

I'm speaking as someone who has only used these to combine with opioids, so allergy sufferers may disagree. If I were going to use one for allergies, I'd probably use promethazine and in the smaller dose (10mg).
 
really it reduces the effect of codeine?
what about the other 2?
I know its been controversial whether AHs potentiate codeine. i know they do with oxy & morphine & dph & doxlamine work for this.
does anyone know if promethazine can also potentiate?

I might give doxylamine another try.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliriant
doxylamine is also listed as a delirant like dph. i wonder what the doxylamine trip would be like. Id never do it ofcourse. I remember when I tried doxylamine in its highest recommended dose it felt like i was kinda dreaming a little bit even though i was awake & laying down similar to when i took a dph at its threshold delirant dose. I dont wanna trip I just wanted to get a "feel" for it. but dph gave me a kinda headache like i said

anyways. like i said I take seroquel anyways but I can tell u the promethazine ive been taking is just as strong as 100mg of Seroquel.
 
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^ They all add to the sedation of codeine, but promethazine is a CYP2D6 inhibitor and reduces the amount of codeine metabolized into morphine. Source.

I'm not a fan of deliriants. Just not pleasant, you don't actually realize you are fucked up unless someone tells you and they tend to have bad side effects. I imagine that the amount of doxylamine needed to trip would knock you the hell out.

But yeah, any of the sedating antihistamines are good with opioids to add to the sedation and reduce histamine related side effects and nausea.
 
^^damn Ive got a box of promethazine & do cwe. should have got doxlyamine.
so promethazine will add to the sedation of codeine but reduce the actual effect of codeine.. hmm
how long before I take codeine or oxy, the other opiate I use before i should dose? (So promethazine works with the other opiates. Just not codeine)

I also take valium or temazepam sometimes. Im assuming the dont potentiate to the effects but would add to the sedation.

getting a bit off topic here. Im mainly interested in which AH is most practical for insomnia.
 
^ Doxylamine is the best in my opinion, followed by diphenhydramine if you are trying to treat insomnia.

You can take the promethazine a little bit after you take the codeine, once the effects are starting to kick in. I find this works well, if I take the promethazine at the same time not so good though.

With other antihistamines like doxylamine though, I take it at the same time as the codeine.

Benzodiazepines will increase sedation, CNS depression. So as I'm sure you know, be careful with the combo. Unlikely to have many problems with just codeine, but with oxy you might and anyway we should all be careful regardless. :)
 
^^Have u ever tried doxylamine though? which do u think is most sedative? which has the least hangover? which potentiates the best?


Mr Blonde said:
^ Doxylamine is the best in my opinion, followed by diphenhydramine if you are trying to treat insomnia.

You can take the promethazine a little bit after you take the codeine, once the effects are starting to kick in. I find this works well, if I take the promethazine at the same time not so good though.

With other antihistamines like doxylamine though, I take it at the same time as the codeine.

Benzodiazepines will increase sedation, CNS depression. So as I'm sure you know, be careful with the combo. Unlikely to have many problems with just codeine, but with oxy you might and anyway we should all be careful regardless. :)
Click to expand...

It's a bit off topic but I guess the same applies for grapefruit juice. Before or with with opiates except codeine which u drink 10 mins after?
 
^ Grapefruit juice is definitely best taken a fair bit before the opioids so that it has time to work it's magic in the liver.

I haven't done this in a long time, but I remember taking the antihistamines too far before the opioid led to me being already sedated when the opioid kicked in which wasn't as good as it kicking in at the same time. Might come down to personal preference though. Promethazine should always be AFTER codeine though.
 
I took an insane dose of valium the other day (I really need to take a break) of 200mg. I had a sip half an hr before but washed the valium down with pretty much the rest of the bottle. Do u know when the best time to take it is with valium?
Ive been told it DOES NOT potentiate temazepam. & I dont know about xanax either?

I only take benzos a few times a month. it gave me a "relaxed good sense of wellbeing" effect for only 15 mins though. than i just felt like my normal self like it didnt reduce my anxiety but prevented me from getting anxiety.
im thinking about quitting valium. I LOVE its effect but its effect isnt pronounced enough. If it were 3 times stronger it would probably be my DOC. I wonder how long i have to quit it before I can get that relaxed feeling i got for 15mins last for a few hrs instead. When I started valium I needed 35mg to feel it. The guy i get it from sometimes takes only 1/2 a tablet. 1/2 a temazepam will get him tired before going to bed & his been taking them for years. there's something wrong with me.
maybe I lack the enzyme that breaks down valium or something.
I Do remember getting effected much more from xanax than i did from valium or temazepam. but the valium feel is better its just not as strong as the xanax feel.
 
^ What doesn't potentiate temazepam or alprazolam? Codeine? I found alprazolam wasn't great with opioids but temazepam and diazepam are fine, I would take them at the same time as the codeine.

Benzodiazepine tolerance lasts a long time... I used diazepam a couple weeks ago and it had been at least six months since I last used and my tolerance was still high. I still suffer negative effects from my addiction to benzodiazepines as well. :\
 
grapefuit juice
yeah i dunno I think GFJ is a waste of time & money ive never really noticed much difference.
do u know if taking valium sublingually has better BA? ive always thought i was about the same.
I do really like the taste of valium :)

yeah I cant beleive valium comes in 2mg tablets. what these doses for. to help ya pet cat settle down?
mmm..... well they work for some ppl. maybe they were right when they said that smoking pot while ya brain is developing.... umm forgot what i was going to say..... well maybe thats why valium doesnt work
 
I was only prescribed to take 100mg of Seroquel a night. But Ive been taking more. Even 400mg after a night out on oxy & meth (still couldnt sleep thats why im not doin meth again) anyways the dr might be pissed off if I didnt consult him before changing the dose or is gunna wonder why i upped the dose. I only really wanna stay at 100mg anyway Ive just had insomnia issues lately worse than usual so i need to take AHs for a while.
I have Promethazine but I was told not to take it for more than a few days by the pharmacist.
judging by this thread doxylamine seems like a better choice for sleep. its the one they said at the pharmacy they give for sleep anyway. not promethazine. so do u think it's worth getting doxylamine?
what im trying to find it is whether the 3 AHs pretty much have the same effect anyway or if u can actually notice a difference?
I want something sedating & i dont want a hangover.If they're all pretty much the same i wont bother getting doxylamine but if it's gunna make me feel better in the morning i'll get some doxlamine. i'll probably be usin it for a few weeks.
I know they actually prescribe doxylamine as a sleep aid so it's OK to take for more than a few days & I'll probably use it again when my script runs out early again.
U guys think I should try the Doxylamine instead?

btw I know someone who got prescribed doxylamine for sleep. prescription, not otc. & I beleive it had twice the dosage in each tablet. If anyone could tell me the name of the prescription doxylamine tablets that would be good. just so I can check to see if it really does contain twice the dose so I know it's safe to take.

oh I just remembered the name restavit. is that the prescription or otc one?
it should be alright i suppose i can just look up the max dose cuz i want something wrong cuz im used to Seroquel.

oh.. It might be Dozile. hmm could someone just tell me the max recommended dose?

It's OK, I got it. it's usually given up to 25mg. but in some countries u can get scripts of up to 50mg.
heres a quote from wikipedia. seem DPH is best for allergies & it's implying that doxylamine is the most sedating antihistame

Doxylamine is a member of the ethanolamine class of antihistamines and has anti-allergy power superior to almost every other antihistamine on the market, with the exception of diphenhydramine (Benadryl). It is also the most effective over-the-counter sedative available in the United States [2] and is more sedating than some prescription hypnotics. One study found that doxylamine succinate was more effective than the barbiturate phenobarbital for use as a sedative.[2]
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actually if DPH is available is the US that means doxylamine is atleast more sedating than DPH. Now to find out if it's more sedating than promethazine cuz i know that isnt otc in the US

I hope doxylamine is better cuz apparently its better to mix with codeine. Mr Blond says to take it WITH the codeine. Are u sure it's not after ya dose the codeine?
 
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not sure how much i was taking we dumped a whole liquid bottle of DPH containing ammonium chloride into like 1.5 L of kratom tea shared between a few people. All i know is by the end of the session i was passed out and had a deep sleep
 
I take Doxylamine nightly for sleep; it's better than Diphenhydramine because it kicks in faster & there's less hangover, plus it's a bit more potent feeling.
Promethazine I've only had in cough syrups with opioids so IDK what it's like alone but it made me too hungry. I don't like things that make me fat.

So for functional use I'd rate them:
1.) Doxy
2.) Prometh
3.) Diphen

Wouldn't recommend abusing any of them in high doses as that can be deadly.
 
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