Prochlorperazine

Prochlorperazine is a prescription medication used to treat anxiety or schizophrenia.

• Prochlorperazine is available under various brand names: Compazine, Procot

Common side effects of Prochlorperazine include:

• headache, dizziness, and drowsiness.
• dry mouth, stuffy nose.
• nausea, constipation.
• increased appetite, and weight gain.
• blurred vision.
• agitation, feeling jittery and having trouble sleeping.
• skin redness, itching, or rash.
• missed menstrual periods; or
• impotence, abnormal ejaculation

Serious side effects of Prochlorperazine include:

• hives.
• difficult breathing.
• swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• uncontrolled muscle movements in your arms and legs, or your face (chewing, lip smacking, frowning, tongue movement, blinking, or eye movement);
• trouble speaking or swallowing, stiffness, or muscle spasms in your neck.
• tremors, or any new or unusual muscle movements you cannot control.
• extreme drowsiness or a light-headed feeling (like you might pass out);
• little or no urination.
• agitation, restlessness.
• severe constipation, stomach pain, and bloating.
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• low blood cell counts--fever, chills, sore throat, cough, trouble breathing, mouth sores, skin sores, pale skin, easy bruising, or bleeding.
• lupus-like symptoms--muscle or joint pain, flu symptoms, chest pain, and a rash or patchy skin color that worsens in sunlight; or
• severe nervous system reaction--very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats.

Rare side effects of Prochlorperazine include:

• none

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors;
• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
• Serious heart symptoms such as fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in the chest; shortness of breath; sudden dizziness, lightheartedness, or passing out.

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur because of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Adult and pediatric dosage

Tablet

• 5 mg
• 10 mg

suppository

• 2.5 mg
• 5 mg
• 25 mg

injectable solution

• 5 mg/mL

Severe Nausea & Vomiting

Adult dosage

• orally: Immediate-release, 5-10 mg every 6-8hours; extended-release, 10 mg every12hour or 15 mg every morning
• Suppository: 25 mg every12hours
• Intramuscular: 5-10 mg every 3-4hours; not to exceed 40 mg/day
• Intravenous: 2.5-10 mg every3-4hours; not to exceed 10 mg/dose or 40 mg/day

Pediatric dosage

• Children below 2 years: Not recommended
• Children above 2 years (9-13 kg): 2.5 mg orally daily or every 12 hours; not to exceed 7.5 mg/day  
• Children above 2 years (13.1-18 kg): 2.5 mg orally every 8-12hours; not to exceed 10 mg/day
• Children above2 years (18.1-37 kg): 2.5 mg orally every 8 hours or 5 mg orally every12housr; not to exceed 15 mg/day

Severe Intraoperative Nausea & Vomiting

Adult dosage

• Prophylaxis
• Intramuscular: 5-10 mg administered 1-2 hours before induction of anesthesia; may be repeated once 30 minutes after an initial dose
• Intravenous: 5-10 mg administered 15-30 minutes before induction of anesthesia, repeated once before the procedure if desired, or 20 mg/L administered 15-30 minutes before induction; not to exceed 30 mg/day

Psychosis

Adult dosage

• 5-10 mg orally every 6-8hours; slowly titrate dose every 2-3days; not to exceed 150 mg/day
• 10-20 mg Intramuscular every 2-4hours to gain control; 3-4 doses are rarely needed

Pediatric dosage

• Children below 2 years: Not recommended
• 2-6 years: 2.5 mg orally/per day every 8-12hours initially; not to exceed 20 mg/day; not to exceed 10 mg on the first day
• 6-12 years: 2.5 mg orally/per day every8-12hr initially; not to exceed 25 mg/day; not to exceed 10 mg on the first day

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first

• Prochlorperazine has severe interactions with the following drugs:
  • amisulpride
  • disopyramide
  • ibutilide
  • indapamide
  • metrizamide
  • pentamidine
  • pimozide
  • procainamide
  • quinidine
  • sotalol
• Prochlorperazine has serious interactions with at least 64 other drugs.
• Prochlorperazine has moderate interactions with at least 228 other drugs.
• Prochlorperazine has minor interactions with at least 60 other drugs.

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all your products. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your health care professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to Prochlorperazine
• Do not give this medicine to a child before or after surgery.
• Prochlorperazine may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related psychosis and is not approved for this use.
• orthostatic hypotension, a form of low blood pressure. chronic lung or breathing passage problem. liver problems. enlarged prostate with urination problem.

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Prochlorperazine?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Prochlorperazine?”

Cautions

• Using prochlorperazine with other drugs that make you sleepy or slow your breathing can cause dangerous side effects. Ask your doctor before using opioid medication, a sleeping pill, a muscle relaxer, or medicine for anxiety or seizures.
• Many drugs can affect prochlorperazine, especially:
• lithium.
• propranolol.
• a diuretic or "water pill";
• a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven); or
• seizure medication.
• May cause anticholinergic effects (constipation, xerostomia, urinary retention, blurred vision); use caution in patients with decreased gastrointestinal motility, paralytic ileus, urinary retention, BPH, xerostomia, visual problems
• May cause pigmentary retinopathy and lenticular and corneal deposits, especially in prolonged therapy
• May cause sedation and impair the ability to perform tasks that require mental alertness, including operating heavy machinery
• Use associated with increased prolactin levels

Pregnancy and Lactation

• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or get pregnant. Taking antipsychotic medication during the last 3 months of pregnancy may cause breathing problems, feeding problems, or withdrawal symptoms in the newborn.

Lactation

• It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this Prochlorperazine. Ask your doctor about any risks.