promethazine, synthetic drug used to counteract the histamine reaction, as in allergies. Promethazine, introduced into medicine in the 1940s, is used in the form of its hydrochloride. It is administered orally in tablets and syrups and intramuscularly in an aqueous solution. Promethazine is effective in controlling the symptoms of hay fever, acute skin reactions (such as hives), and contact dermatitis (as from poison ivy). It also is used to control the nausea that occurs in motion sickness. The most common side effect of promethazine is drowsiness.