Phenergan - will it work?

[FourArms]

I've got a bottle of phenergan, which somebody has suggested to me with a view to getting DS2 (2y 4m) to sleep through the night. He currently goes to bed sometime between 7 and 8, and sleeps until about 4/5am, often with 1 or 2 night wakings. He will still have a lunchtime nap occasionally. Later bedtimes / dropping the nap don't result in him waking up later / sleeping better. I'm on my last legs as DH has been away for over 10 weeks, and isn't due back for another 3 (so please don't judge me harshly for this).

However, I'm not sure if it will delay his wake up time - surely the effects will have worn off then?

I'm also loathe to give it as Medised / Calpol night send him loopy and stop him sleeping at all!

Drugging your kid is not the most sensible solution to this really, is it?

If you're doing it as a one off to catch up then I guess it's probably ok to try but really you need to look at a solution that is going to work and stay working, long term.

The Phenergan - if it works at all - is only going to work for one night as you can't use it as a long term sleep solution.

What else have you tried?

i have a friend who was prescribed phenergan for her dd, who slept terribly. daughter still slept badly. also became addicted to it. had to wean her off it. aged 25 daughter still sleeps badly, and both her and her mum blame the phenergan.

poor you though.... sounds really tough.

What about an earlier bedtime (7pm) and making sure he definitely has the nap? He may be overtired

If you do do it (and I agree it's definately not the best idea) only do it for 3 nights in a row. Some people say that breaks the poor sleep pattern, but any longer use will cause dependence.

phenergan is used for travel sickness and i think it also has an anti-histamine in or a similar ingredient to Medised which may mean he has the same reaction

i would goodle it and check

BUT i don't think it is a long term answer

DS2 is very very easy to get into certain sleep patterns. He was (9 months ago), impossible to put down in a cot, controlled crying sorted this in 2 nights, he was also (4 months ago) waking 5-8 times a night. Again controlled crying sorted this as well. If we're away from home, and we can't leave him to cry, then he's back to his old self in a night. Once we're home again, he's back to normal in another couple of nights. I suppose my hope was (as suggested by another mum who'd done this), that the phenergan would get him into a better routine, which he would then stick to.

I can't imagine me getting dependent on it, as getting it into him at all is going to be a nightmare which I certainly wouldn't want to do every night. I know it would be tempting though (thinks back fondly to the lovely side effects of Medised which DS1 took whenever he had a cold).

The ingredient in Medised is different to Phenergan, but I'm not sure if they're the same family of drugs.

Unfortunately, short of driving for an hour plus, I can't always get him to have a nap. I couldn't today, but he's now fallen asleep on the school run, and will sleep for a couple of hours. If I wake him, he will be really really horrible until bedtime (he cried for hours yesterday when the same thing happened).

phenergan made my son completely and totally hyperactive for 24 hours plus...

That is what worries me about trying it at all. A lovely neighbour has said she'll take him off my hands tomorrow if it doesn't work and we're up all night, but still a bit about even trying it.

Phenergan used to be prescribed to kids with eczema because it's anti-hist so stopped itching/scratching/bleeding cycle, but parents (including mine) did also use it to zonk kids out. Not a good idea to resort to drugs to make kids sleep. I do sympathise, esp as you're on your own at the mo, but if you can try changing his sleep patterns that would be a better, less potentially addictive way!