Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride is used for the treatment of certain mental/mood disorders; psychotic disorders or schizophrenia. This medication helps you feel less nervous, think more clearly, and be more active in everyday life. This can lessen as well the aggressive behavior and the desire to hurt yourself or others. Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride can as well be used for the treatment of nausea and vomiting when other medicines are ineffective.
Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. This condition may result in some combination of delusions, hallucinations, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. Wherein, it impairs the daily functioning and can be disabling. Schizophrenia involves a range of problems with behavior, thinking, and emotions. Signs and symptoms may differ, but usually involve hallucinations, delusions, or disorganized speech, and reflect an impaired ability to function. Symptoms may include:
- Negative symptoms
- Extremely disorganized or abnormal motor behavior
- Disorganized thinking
- Hallucinations
- Delusions
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder in which a person’s personality is severely confused and that person loses touch with reality. When a psychotic episode occurs, a person becomes unsure about what is real and what isn’t real.
Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride is in the class of medications called phenothiazine antipsychotics. This helps to restore the balance of certain natural substances in the brain. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved this prescription. Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride comes as a tablet for oral administration. Each tablet is in dosage strengths of 1 mg, 2 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg.
How does Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride work?
Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride works by blocking a variety of receptors in the brain mainly the dopamine receptors. Dopamine is a natural compound called a neurotransmitter. It is involved in transmitting messages between brain cells. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to be involved in regulating mood and behavior. Psychotic illness, in particular schizophrenia, is considered to be caused by the overactivity of dopamine in the brain. This medication blocks the receptors that dopamine acts on and this prevents the overactivity of dopamine in the brain. This helps to control psychotic disorder. Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride improves disturbing feelings or thoughts, and behavior in various mental conditions. It produces a calming effect and controls aggression, delusions, and hallucinations.
This medication also affects dopamine receptors in an area of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting. Vomiting is controlled by an area of the brain called the vomiting center. The vomiting center is responsible for causing feelings of sickness and for the vomiting reflex. It is activated when it receives nerve messages from another area of the brain called the chemoreceptor trigger zone and when it receives nerve messages from the gut.
Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride controls nausea and vomiting by blocking dopamine receptors found in the chemoreceptor trigger zone. This stops the chemoreceptor trigger zone from sending the messages to the vomiting center that would otherwise cause nausea and vomiting.
How to use Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride?
The recommended dosage is based on your medical condition, age, and response to the treatment. Your doctor may direct you to start at a lower dose and eventually increase it. Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride is to be taken by mouth. This is usually taken once or twice a day or as directed by your doctor. You may take each dose with or without a meal. Swallow the tablet as a whole with a full glass of water. Do not break, chew, or crush it. You must continue to take the drug every day until your doctor says to stop treatment.
You should take the right dose, not more or less. Continue to take this drug until the full prescription is done even if symptoms disappear. For the best benefit from this product, take this medication at evenly spaced times.If you are taking this medication daily,take it at the same time and in the same way each day. If you missed a dose, take it as soon as you remember it. If it is almost time for your next dose, continue your regular dosing schedule and never mind the missed dose. Do not double the dose to make up for the missed dose. Let your doctor know if your condition does not improve or if it gets worse.
What are the side effects of Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride?
Common side effects:
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Anxiety
- Blurred vision
- Stuffy nose
- Constipation
- Tiredness
- Headache
- Weight gain
- Breast swelling or discharge
- Trouble sleeping or insomnia
- Missed menstrual periods
- Swelling in your hands or feet
- Trouble having an orgasm or impotence
Let your doctor know if these side effects occur while you are taking Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride:
- Trouble swallowing
- Problems with balance or walking
- Twitching or uncontrollable movements of your eyes, tongue, lips, arms, face, or legs
- Yellowing of the skin or eyes
- Easy bruising or bleeding
- Pale skin or patchy skin color
- Unusual thoughts or behavior
- Slow heart rate, weak pulse, or slow breathing
Warnings and Precautions
- This medicine may cause drowsiness and if affected do not drive or operate machinery. While taking this medicine, you should avoid drinking alcohol because it can make drowsiness worse.
- High doses of Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride may make your skin more sensitive to sunlight than it usually is. So, you should avoid exposing your skin to direct sunlight or sunlamps until you know how your skin reacts. You should use a sunscreen lotion or make sure your skin is protected with clothing if you can’t avoid it.
- This medicine can rarely cause your blood pressure to drop when you move from a lying down or sitting position to sitting or standing. Especially, when you first start taking the medicine or if you are elderly. This may make you feel dizzy. To avoid this, try getting up slowly. If you do feel dizzy, sit or lie down until the symptoms pass.
- This may rarely cause a decrease in the normal amounts of blood cells in the blood.
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride should be used with caution in elderly people, those with decreased kidney or liver function, and those with severe disease that affects the airways or lungs.
- This should not be used in pregnant or breastfeeding women. If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, call your doctor right away.
