Prochlorperazine
About Prochlorperazine
Prochlorperazine is a prescription medication primarily used to prevent and treat severe nausea and vomiting caused by various medical conditions, as well as balance disorders like vertigo. It helps restore comfort by calming the pathways in the brain that trigger the sensation of sickness and spinning. Doctors often prescribe this medicine to help patients recover comfortably from temporary illnesses or inner ear issues.
For the best results, you should take this medicine consistently at the exact times prescribed by your healthcare provider. Prochlorperazine can be taken with or without food, but taking your dose with a light meal or a glass of milk can help prevent stomach upset. Incorporating simple lifestyle adjustments, such as eating small, bland meals and drinking plenty of fluids, can also support your recovery and improve your results.
While taking Prochlorperazine, some people may experience mild side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth, or lightheadedness. However, you must contact your doctor immediately if you notice serious issues, such as severe muscle stiffness, uncontrollable muscle movements in your face or neck, or a sudden high fever.
Talk to your doctor before starting this medicine if you have underlying conditions such as heart rhythm problems, glaucoma, or an enlarged prostate. Do not take this if you have Parkinson's disease, severe central nervous system depression, or if you are an older adult with dementia-related memory loss.
This medicine can interact with alcohol, sleeping aids, and certain pain relievers, which can cause severe drowsiness and slowed breathing. If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or are caring for an elderly individual, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using Prochlorperazine to ensure it is safe for your situation.
Uses of Prochlorperazine
Medicinal Benefits
Prochlorperazine provides rapid and reliable relief from severe nausea and vomiting. By quickly stopping these symptoms, the medicine helps you keep down essential fluids and oral medications, preventing dehydration and allowing your body to recover much faster from illness.
Benefits may include:
- Helps control severe nausea and vomiting caused by illness, medications, or other medical conditions.
- Eases the sensation of spinning and improves balance in people with inner ear disorders.
- By controlling vomiting, it helps you retain fluids and reduces the risk of dehydration.
- Reduces symptoms that interfere with eating, drinking, and daily activities.
- Provides fast and effective symptom relief in many patients.
- Helps you feel better sooner by controlling distressing symptoms and allowing other treatments to work effectively.
Directions for Use
- Tablet: Swallow it as a whole with water. Do not crush or chew it.
- Mouth-dissolving Tablet: Place the mouth-dissolving tablet in the mouth and allow it to dissolve.
- Take the medication at the exact times prescribed, with or without food.
- If you experience stomach upset, try taking your dose with a meal or a glass of milk.
- Always follow your doctor's exact instructions regarding how long to continue taking this medicine.
Storage
Side Effects of Prochlorperazine
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Drowsiness or sleepiness
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness when standing up
- Constipation
- Stuffy nose
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Uncontrolled muscle twitching, shaking, or spasms (especially in the face, tongue, or neck)
- Sudden high fever with severe muscle stiffness and confusion
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin
- Signs of a severe allergic reaction (such as skin rash, itching, swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing)
Medicines Containing this Salt
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Drug Warnings
- Be careful with driving or machinery: This medicine can make you feel very sleepy or less alert. Avoid driving, cycling, or operating machinery until you know how it affects you.
- Avoid alcohol: Do not drink alcohol while taking this medicine. Alcohol can increase drowsiness and dizziness and may make side effects worse.
- Take extra care in hot weather: This medicine may reduce your ability to sweat, making it harder for your body to cool down. Stay hydrated, avoid excessive heat, and seek shade or a cool place if you feel overheated.
- Inform healthcare providers: Tell your doctor, dentist, surgeon, or any other healthcare professional that you are taking this medicine before any medical or dental procedure.
- Do not share your medicine: This medicine has been prescribed specifically for you. Do not give it to anyone else, even if they have similar symptoms.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction:
- Central Nervous System Depressants (e.g., diazepam, zolpidem, morphine): Taking these medicines alongside this medicine may increase drowsiness, dizziness, and the risk of slowed or difficult breathing.
- Blood Pressure Medicines (e.g., amlodipine, metoprolol): Taking these medicines alongside this medicine may increase the risk of low blood pressure, dizziness, or fainting and may require closer monitoring.
- Parkinson's Disease Medicines (e.g., levodopa, bromocriptine): Taking these medicines alongside this medicine may reduce their effectiveness and may worsen symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Drug-Food Interaction:
- Alcohol: Consuming alcohol while taking this medicine may significantly increase drowsiness, dizziness, and the risk of impaired coordination.
Drug-Disease Interaction:
- Parkinson's Disease: Patients with this condition may experience worsening of tremors, muscle stiffness, and movement problems while taking this medicine.
- Liver Disease: Patients with this condition may be at increased risk of medicine build-up and side effects while taking this medicine and may require closer monitoring.
- Heart Rhythm Disorders: Patients with this condition may be at increased risk of worsening irregular heartbeats while taking this medicine.
- Glaucoma: Patients with this condition may experience worsening eye pressure while taking this medicine.
- Enlarged Prostate: Patients with this condition may be at increased risk of difficulty urinating while taking this medicine.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeAvoid consumption of alcohol with Prochlorperazine as it may increase the risk of adverse effects and cause severe breathing difficulties.
Pregnancy
unsafeProchlorperazine is a Category C pregnancy drug. It is not recommended for use during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester as it may cause adverse effects in the baby such as breathing problems, drowsiness, shaking, muscle stiffness or weakness. However, please consult a doctor if you are pregnant.
Breast Feeding
unsafePlease consult a doctor if you are a breastfeeding mother as Prochlorperazine may not be safe to use in breastfeeding mothers.
Driving
cautionProchlorperazine may cause dizziness, drowsiness or blurred vision in some people. Therefore, avoid driving if you feel drowsy, dizzy or experience any vision problems after taking Prochlorperazine.
Liver
cautionTake Prochlorperazine with caution, especially if you have a history of Liver diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Kidney
cautionTake Prochlorperazine with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Children
cautionProchlorperazine may be given to children above 1 year of age if prescribed by a doctor.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Stay hydrated: Sip small amounts of water, clear broths, or electrolyte drinks regularly throughout the day to help prevent dehydration, especially if you are experiencing nausea or vomiting.
- Eat light meals: Choose small, frequent meals with bland foods such as toast, rice, or crackers, and avoid greasy, spicy, or heavily seasoned foods that may worsen your symptoms.
- Rest during vertigo: If you experience dizziness or a spinning sensation, rest in a quiet, dark room to help your balance recover and reduce discomfort.
- Move slowly and carefully: Avoid sudden movements and stand up gradually from sitting or lying down to lower the risk of dizziness or fainting.
- Protect your skin from sunlight: Wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen when outdoors, as this medicine may make your skin more sensitive to the sun and increase the risk of sunburn.
Special Advise
Avoid exposure to direct sunlight while taking Prochlorperazine as it may cause the skin to be more sensitive to sunlight.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Nausea and vomiting: Nausea is a feeling of uneasiness in the stomach that often comes before vomiting. On the other hand, vomiting is the forcible voluntary or involuntary emptying of stomach contents through the mouth. In short, nausea and vomiting are not diseases but are symptoms of many conditions like infections, motion sickness, an early stage of pregnancy, and gastroparesis (slow stomach emptying). There is a receptor located in our brain known as the chemoreceptor zone (CTZ) that controls vomiting.
Schizophrenia: It is a mental disorder that affects a person's ability to feel, think and behave clearly.
Anxiety: It is a mental health disorder associated with fear, worry, and excessive nervousness that may interfere with daily activities. The anxiety symptoms include feeling more stress than required for that event and a lack of ability to set aside restlessness and worry.
FAQs
Prochlorperazine is used to treat nausea and vomiting during a migraine, schizophrenia, mania, anxiety in the short term, and vertigo (dizziness) due to ear problems such as Meniere's syndrome.
Prochlorperazine contains Prochlorperazine, an antipsychotic drug that works by inhibiting dopamine receptors that stimulate the vomiting centre (chemoreceptor trigger zone CTZ) located in the brain. Thus, Prochlorperazine prevents nausea and vomiting. Also, Prochlorperazine decreases the action of dopamine (a chemical messenger involved in transmitting messages between brain cells) in the brain and helps to control psychotic symptoms in Schizophrenia.
Yes, Prochlorperazine may be used to treat vertigo (spinning sensation) caused by ear problems such as Meniere's syndrome (a disorder of the inner ear).
Prochlorperazine may cause photosensitivity (extreme sensitivity to sunlight). Therefore, it is recommended to avoid exposure to direct sunlight while taking Prochlorperazine.
You are not recommended to take Prochlorperazine with alprazolam as co-administration of these medicines may increase adverse effects such as confusion, drowsiness, dizziness and difficulty in concentrating. However, please contact your doctor before using Prochlorperazine with other medicines.
Prochlorperazine should be used with caution in diabetes patients as it may cause an increase in blood sugar levels. Therefore, regular monitoring of blood sugar levels is recommended while taking Prochlorperazine if you are diabetic.
Prochlorperazine may cause skin redness, itching and swelling if it comes in contact with the skin for a long time. Therefore, avoid contact of Prochlorperazine with the skin for a long time as it may cause contact skin sensitisation.
Yes, Prochlorperazine does expire. Please verify the expiry date on the pack and it refers to the last day of that month. Prochlorperazine should not be used after the expiry date.
No, Prochlorperazine is not available over the counter. It is a prescription medication. Because it contains prochlorperazine, which can have significant side effects and requires medical supervision.
Prochlorperazine is generally safe to use when taken as prescribed by your doctor. Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. It's important to follow your doctor's instructions.
You can take Prochlorperazine for as long as it is advised by your doctor. If you have any difficulty while taking Prochlorperazine, please consult your doctor.
No, Prochlorperazine is not known to be addictive. However, it's important to use Prochlorperazine only as prescribed by your doctor and not to exceed the recommended dosage.
The common side effects of Prochlorperazine are dry mouth, drowsiness, headache, dizziness, stuffy nose, irritability, missed menstrual periods, impotence (difficulty maintaining an erection), anxiety, skin rash, skin redness, itching, or swelling. If any of these side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
Yes, you can take Prochlorperazine with or without food. If it causes mild stomach upset, taking it with a small meal or milk may help. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if stomach discomfort persists.
Yes, drowsiness is a common side effect of Prochlorperazine. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine affects you. Talk to your doctor if you experience extreme sleepiness.
You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking Prochlorperazine. Alcohol can increase the risk of severe drowsiness, dizziness, and poor coordination. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about alcohol use.
For most people, Prochlorperazine tablets begin to work within 30 to 60 minutes after taking them. If your symptoms do not improve after taking the medicine, talk to your doctor.
You should only take Prochlorperazine during pregnancy if your doctor determines that the benefits outweigh the risks. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk to your doctor.
Yes, dry mouth is a recognized side effect of Prochlorperazine. Sucking on ice chips, chewing sugar-free gum, or drinking water frequently can help ease this symptom. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if it becomes highly uncomfortable.
Muscle stiffness, spasms, or uncontrollable movements are serious side effects. Stop taking the medicine and seek immediate medical attention or talk to your doctor right away.
While Prochlorperazine is highly effective for severe nausea and balance issues, it is not typically the first choice for simple motion sickness. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to find the most suitable treatment for travel sickness.
