Phenergan® (
promethazine hydrochloride) is a prescription drug approved for several different uses, including the treatment of motion sickness and nausea or vomiting. A common question many parents have has to do with
Phenergan use in children.
Phenergan should not be used in children under the age of two. There have been reports of breathing difficulty (sometimes fatal) when this medication is given to children under two years old. This can occur even if a proper dosage is calculated using the child's weight.
Although this medicine is approved for use in children over the age of two, it should be used only in certain circumstances and always with caution. The lowest effective dosage should be used, and children should not take Phenergan with any other medications that can cause breathing difficulty, such as opiates or barbiturates.
In addition, Phenergan and other nausea medications should not be used to treat short-term vomiting or vomiting of unknown cause in children or adolescents. This drug should be used only for prolonged vomiting due to clearly established causes for this age group. Children with Reye's syndrome or liver disease should not take Phenergan.
(Click Phenergan and Children to learn more about giving this drug to children, for information on how to safely use it, and to find out what symptoms may be warning signs of potential problems in your child.)
