Phenergan

Snigs reports on administering Phenergan, aka Promethazine. Snigs doesn't seem to be too happy about it, so I go look it up. It seems to be an anti-histamine, which interests me as I have allergies and anti-histamines are often used to combat the symptoms thereof. But it has more applications than just allergies. Matter of fact, treating allergies is a secondary use. It seems to be a very powerful drug. And then there is this bullet point, which just makes me wonder which way is up:

• Also used to potentiate any opiates. . . . Also frequently used in conjunction with codeine, in a syrup form. The combination leads to more powerful euphoric effects than with codeine alone.

I thought opiates were used to relieve pain, at least in a medical setting. Does euphoria counteract pain? What if it doesn't? Could you be blissfully happy and suffering from intense pain simultaneously? "Yeah, it hurts like the devil, doc, but you know, I don't mind."

It also carries a Black box warning. Funny, there's no link to the article, so I look it up, and find:

In the United States, a black box warning (also sometimes called a black label warning or boxed warning) is a type of warning that appears on the package insert for prescription drugs that may cause serious adverse effects.

Let me see if I've got that straight. A black box warning is a type of warning that may cause serious side effects?