diff --git a/lib/_http_client.js b/lib/_http_client.js
index 727dc649c01..7bf485b47e6 100644
--- a/lib/_http_client.js
+++ b/lib/_http_client.js
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ const { urlToOptions, searchParamsSymbol } = require('internal/url');
 const { outHeadersKey, ondrain } = require('internal/http');
 const { nextTick } = require('internal/process/next_tick');
 const errors = require('internal/errors');
+const { validateTimerDuration } = require('internal/timers');
 
 const INVALID_PATH_REGEX = /[^\u0021-\u00ff]/;
 
@@ -678,6 +679,7 @@ function _deferToConnect(method, arguments_, cb) {
 }
 
 ClientRequest.prototype.setTimeout = function setTimeout(msecs, callback) {
+  msecs = validateTimerDuration(msecs);
   if (callback) this.once('timeout', callback);
 
   const emitTimeout = () => this.emit('timeout');
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-http-timeout-client-warning.js b/test/parallel/test-http-timeout-client-warning.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f11515b95fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-http-timeout-client-warning.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+'use strict';
+const common = require('../common');
+const http = require('http');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+// Checks that the setTimeout duration overflow warning is emitted
+// synchronously and therefore contains a meaningful stacktrace.
+
+process.on('warning', common.mustCall((warning) => {
+  assert(warning.stack.includes(__filename));
+}));
+
+const server = http.createServer((req, resp) => resp.end());
+server.listen(common.mustCall(() => {
+  http.request(`http://localhost:${server.address().port}`)
+    .setTimeout(2 ** 40)
+    .on('response', common.mustCall(() => {
+      server.close();
+    }))
+    .end();
+}));