Prochlorperazine
A healthcare provider may recommend prochlorperazine for the treatment of a number of conditions, including schizophrenia, anxiety, and severe nausea or vomiting. While the drug is not a cure for anxiety or schizophrenia, it can help control symptoms of these conditions. Prochlorperazine, which is available by prescription, comes in tablet, rectal suppository, and injectable forms. Side effects of the medicine may include a dry mouth, dizziness, drowsiness, and blurred vision.
What Is Prochlorperazine?
Part of a group of drugs known as phenothiazines, prochlorperazine maleate (
Compazine®) is a prescription medicine that has been licensed to treat the following conditions:
Who Makes Prochlorperazine?
Prochlorperazine was originally manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. Although brand-name Compazine is no longer being made, generic prochlorperazine products are still available. Generic prochlorperazine is made by several different companies.
How Does Prochlorperazine Work?
Prochlorperazine belongs to a group of medications called phenothiazines. When used to treat schizophrenia, it is known as a typical (or first-generation) antipsychotic medication. It is not entirely known exactly how prochlorperazine works. However, it is known that the drug blocks or lessens the effects of dopamine, a chemical in the brain. Dopamine may be elevated in people with schizophrenia or anxiety. Prochlorperazine is not a cure for schizophrenia or anxiety; it only helps to control symptoms of these conditions
(see Symptoms of Schizophrenia or Anxiety Symptoms).
Since dopamine can activate the part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting, prochlorperazine can treat severe nausea and vomiting by lessening the effects of dopamine in the brain.
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