Travellers familiar with Avomine from Commonwealth-linked markets such as India, New Zealand, or South Africa are unlikely to encounter the same brand elsewhere — it is registered in only seven countries. The brand has a long-standing presence in those particular markets but has not been broadly internationalised in the way some other antihistamine preparations have.
The active ingredient in Avomine is promethazine, an older-generation molecule classified across several pharmacological categories: antiallergic and antihistamine, sedative and hypnotic, and antiemetic. This breadth of activity is part of why promethazine has remained in clinical use for decades — it is prescribed in the management of allergic conditions including rhinitis, hay fever, and hives, in the emergency context of anaphylaxis as adjunct therapy, and also for short-term help with insomnia.
Outside the seven markets where Avomine is registered — Bangladesh, Cyprus, India, Malta, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa — the brand itself may be unfamiliar, but promethazine as an active ingredient is widely available internationally under different brand names. A traveller or expatriate who has been using Avomine will generally find a promethazine-containing product in most regulated markets, though sometimes shelved differently depending on whether the local regulator treats it as a prescription, pharmacy-only, or over-the-counter item.
A local pharmacist is well placed to identify the regional equivalent and to flag whether the same indication is recognised locally, since older antihistamines are positioned differently from one country to another. Decisions about starting or substituting the medication should be made together with a healthcare provider rather than at the pharmacy counter alone.
Symptoms of severe overdosage are variable. They are characterised in children by various combinations of excitation, ataxia, incoordination, athetosis and hallucinations, while adults may become drowsy and lapse into coma. Convulsions may occur in both adults and children: coma or excitement may precede their occurrence. Cardiorespiratory depression is uncommon. If the patient is seen soon enough after ingestion, it should be possible to induce vomiting with ipecacuanha despite the antiemetic effect of promethazine; alternatively, gastric lavage may be used.
Treatment is otherwise supportive with attention to maintenance of adequate respiratory and circulatory status. Convulsions should be treated with diazepam or other suitable anticonvulsant.
Avomine should not be used in patients in coma or suffering from CNS depression of any cause.
Avomine should not be given to patients with a known hypersensitivity to promethazine or to any of the excipients.
Promethazine is contraindicated for use in children less than two years of age because of the potential for fatal respiratory depression..
Avomine should be avoided in patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors up to 14 days previously.
Not applicable
The following CIOMS frequency rating is used: Very common (>1/10); common (>1/100 to <1/10); uncommon (>1/1000 to <1/100); rare (>1/10 00 to <1/1000); very rare (<1/10 000), not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).
Side effects may be seen in a few patients: drowsiness, dizziness, restlessness, headaches, nightmares, tiredness, and disorientation. Anticholinergic side effects such as blurred vision, dry mouth and urinary retention occur occasionally. Infants are susceptible to the anticholinergic effects of promethazine, while other children may display paradoxical hyperexcitability. The elderly are particularly susceptible to the anticholinergic effects and confusion due to promethazine. Other side-effects include urticaria, rash, pruritus, anorexia, gastric irritation, palpitations, hypotension, arrhythmias, extrapyramidal effects, muscle spasms and tic-like movements of the head and face. Anaphylaxis, jaundice and blood dyscrasias including haemolytic anaemia rarely occur. Photosensitive skin reactions have been reported. Strong sunlight should be avoided during treatment.
Reporting of suspected adverse reactions
Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important. It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. Healthcare professionals are asked to report any suspected adverse reactions via Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
No additional preclinical data of relevance to the prescriber.
As symptomatic treatment for allergic conditions of the upper respiratory tract and skin including allergic rhinitis, urticaria and anaphylactic reactions to drugs and foreign proteins.
As an antiemetic.
For short term use:
Treatment of insomnia in adults.
For short term use as a paediatric sedative.
Pharmacotherapeutic group: Antihistamines for systemic use; Phenothiazine derivatives, ATC code: R06AD02
Potent, long acting, antihistamine with additional anti-emetic central sedative and anti-cholinergic properties.
Promethazine is distributed widely in the body. It enters the brain and crosses the placenta. Promethazine is slowly excreted via urine and bile. Phenothiazines pass into the milk at low concentrations.
Avomine may thicken or dry lung secretions and impair expectoration. It should therefore be used with caution in patients with asthma, bronchitis or bronchiectasis.
Use with care in patients with severe coronary artery disease, narrow angle glaucoma, epilepsy or hepatic and renal insufficiency.
Caution should be exercised in patients with bladder neck or pyloro-duodenal obstruction.
The use of promethazine should be avoided in children and adolescents with signs and symptoms suggestive of Reye's Syndrome.
Promethazine may mask the warning signs of ototoxicity caused by ototoxic drugs e.g. salicylates. It may also delay the early diagnosis of intestinal obstruction or raised intracranial pressure through the suppression of vomiting.
Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine.
Avomine should not be used for longer than 7 days without seeking medical advice.
Because the duration of action may be up to 12 hours, patients should be advised that if they feel drowsy they should not drive or operate heavy machinery.
Route of administration: Oral.
Not for use in children under the age of 2 years.
As an antihistamine in allergy:
| Children 2-5 years | The use of Avomine Elixir is recommended for this age group. |
| Children 5-10 years | 25 mg as a single dose*. Maximum daily dose 25 mg. |
| Children over 10 years and adults (including elderly) | 25 mg as a single dose*. Increasing to a maximum of 25 mg bd as required. |
*Single doses are best taken at night.
As an antiemetic:
| Children 2-5 years | The use of Avomine Elixir is recommended for this age group. |
| Children 5-10 years | The use of Avomine Elixir or Avomine 10 mg Tablets is recommended. |
| Children over 10 years and adults (including elderly) | 25 mg to be taken the night before the journey. To be repeated after 6-8 hours as required. |
As a paediatric sedative for short term use and for short term treatment of insomnia in adults:
| Children 2-5 years | The use of Avomine Elixir is recommended for this age group. |
| Children 5-10 years | 25 mg as a single night time dose. |
| Children over 10 years and adults (including elderly) | 25 or 50 mg as a single night time dose. |
No special requirements
Avomine is used in the management of allergic conditions such as rhinitis, hay fever, hives, and anaphylaxis, and is also indicated for short-term help with insomnia. Its active ingredient sits across several pharmacological roles, including antiallergic, antihistamine, sedative, antiemetic, and hypnotic. The structured indication block further down this page lists each registered use as recognised in the markets where Avomine is sold.
Avomine contains promethazine, an older antihistamine that also carries sedative, antiemetic, and hypnotic properties. Promethazine is one of the most internationally established molecules in this category and circulates worldwide under a number of different brand names, both as a single-ingredient product and as part of combination preparations sold for allergy, motion sickness, and short-term sleep support.
Avomine is registered in seven countries, with a footprint that spans Commonwealth-linked markets including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Malta, and Cyprus. The brand is not widely encountered outside this group. If your country is not on this list, a local pharmacist can confirm whether promethazine is available locally under another brand name or as a generic.
Promethazine is sold under several brand names worldwide, particularly in markets where Avomine itself is not registered. Other antihistamines — both older sedating molecules and newer non-sedating ones — also exist within the broader class, although they are not freely interchangeable and differ in profile. To identify a regional product containing the same active ingredient, search promethazine on Pill2Trip or ask a pharmacist locally.
Yes. Promethazine spans several therapeutic roles — allergy relief, sedation, antiemetic use, short-term sleep support — and prescription status varies between countries, with some jurisdictions restricting it more tightly than others. Travellers and expatriates should not assume that what was available over the counter at home is treated the same way abroad. Any decision to start, continue, or substitute the medication should involve a healthcare provider familiar with the patient.
