Compazine

The active ingredient in Compazine is prochlorperazine maleate which is an antiemetic (anti-nausea) and typical antipsychotic drug. It primarily works by inhibiting dopamine, a neurotransmitter produced by the brain that affects numerous body regions. When Compazine blocks dopamine receptors in the brain, it not only reduces nausea and vomiting but also lowers your anxiety and helps with symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions.

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and read all documents provided, including the full Prescribing Information, FDA-Approved Product Labeling, Instructions for Use, and Medication Guide before using Compazine. However, the following is a synopsis of the general guidelines for the use of Compazine:

• Take with a full glass of water as directed on the prescription label.
• Take doses at regular intervals; do not take more often than directed.
• Do not stop suddenly to avoid nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Consult your care team before discontinuing.

The most common side effects of Compazine include:

• Drowsiness or dizziness.
• Absent menstrual periods.
• Blurred vision.
• Low blood pressure or hypotension.
• Constipation.
• Dry mouth.

Some individuals may experience serious side effects while using Compazine. These side effects may require immediate medical attention. If you experience any of the following, contact your healthcare provider or seek emergency medical help:

• Uncontrolled muscle movements (tardive dyskinesia): sticking out your tongue, blowing out your cheeks, puckering your mouth, lip smacking, chewing, and shaking your arms and legs or muscle stiffness or dystonia (abnormal and uncontrollable tightness of muscles.
• Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS): high fever, rigid muscles, difficulty thinking, very fast or irregular heartbeat, and sweating.
• Low white blood cell count (leukopenia), increasing the chance of getting an infection: fever, weakness, or sore throat.
• Liver problems: fever, chills, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, clay-colored stool, and dark urine.
• Allergic reaction: hives, swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, and shortness of breath.
• Seizures.

These are not all of the possible side effects of Compazine. You should always seek medical advice from your healthcare provider for any questions or concerns about your medical condition or treatment. Read all patient information, medication guides, or drug information sheets that come with this medication. You can also report adverse effects to the Food and Drug Administration at www.fda.gov/medwatch or 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before starting Compazine, it is crucial to discuss any existing health conditions with your healthcare provider. You should be sure that your healthcare provider is aware of all your medical conditions as well as:

• Compazine might cause drowsiness and impair your ability to focus and concentrate. Avoid driving or engaging in any activity that needs a great deal of concentration.
• If you have strange, uncontrollable, or repetitive movements of the eyes, tongue, face, arm, or legs, stop taking prochlorperazine immediately and consult your doctor. These could be symptoms of tardive dyskinesia, which can become permanent. This can be also confused with conditions such as brain damage, brain tumors, or Reye’s syndrome.
• Inform your healthcare provider if you have glaucoma, a condition in which the pressure inside the eye is excessive. Prochlorperazine may dilate your pupils and increase the pressure inside your eyes, perhaps leading to blindness.
• The use of alcohol or other CNS (central nervous system) affecting medications with prochlorperazine may exacerbate its side effects, which include dizziness, poor concentration, drowsiness, odd nightmares, and difficulty sleeping.
• Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine, or medications for allergies or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping pills, medications for depression, and anxiety, prescription painkillers or narcotics, medications for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, seizures or barbiturates, muscle relaxants, or anesthetics, including some dental anesthetics, are examples of CNS-affecting medications.
• This medication may produce extrapyramidal symptoms. Consult your doctor straight away if you have difficulty speaking, drooling, loss of balance control, muscular trembling, jerking, or stiffness, restlessness, a shuffling walk, limb stiffness, twisting motions of the body, or uncontrolled movements, particularly of the face, neck, and back.
• Compazine (prochlorperazine) can cause blood disorders, such as agranulocytosis.
• Neuroleptic drugs can raise prolactin levels, which stay high with long-term use. Since some breast cancers rely on prolactin, this may be important for patients with a history of breast cancer. Side effects like milk production, missed periods, breast enlargement, and impotence have been reported, but the impact of high prolactin is unclear for most people.

Boxed Warning

• Although uncommon, there is an elevated risk of death in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis who are administered antipsychotic medicines. This drug is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.

Contraindications are certain health problems or situations in which a person should avoid taking a drug for safety reasons. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, please notify your healthcare professional since Prochlorperazine is not safe to consume.

• Coma
• Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
• Taking excessive amounts of drugs that cause extreme sleepiness, such as opioids and seizure medications
• Surgery (for Children)
• Children under two years of age or twenty pounds

Compazine begins to work in approximately 30 to 60 minutes and effects can last up to 4 hours.

When Compazine is taken with other prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements, it may change how they work or increase the frequency or severity of side effects. Make sure that you tell your healthcare professional about anything that you are taking to avoid any negative drug interactions,

Do not take this medication with any of the following:

• Cisapride
• Dofetilide
• Dronedarone
• Metoclopramide
• Pimozide
• Saquinavir
• Thioridazine

This medication may also interact with the following:

• Alcohol
• Antihistamines for allergy, cough, and cold
• Atropine
• Certain medications for anxiety or sleep
• Certain medications for bladder problems, such as oxybutynin, tolterodine
• Certain medications for depression, such as amitriptyline, fluoxetine, sertraline
• Certain medications for stomach problems, such as dicyclomine, hyoscyamine
• Certain medications for travel sickness, such as scopolamine
• Epinephrine
• General anesthetics, such as halothane, isoflurane, methoxyflurane, propofol
• Ipratropium
• Levodopa or other medications for Parkinson's disease
• Lithium
• Medications for blood pressure
• Medications for seizures, such as phenobarbital, primidone, phenytoin
• Medications that relax muscles for surgery
• Opioid medications for pain
• Propranolol
• Warfarin

There are multiple different dosage forms.

If you are an older adult or have a low body weight, you may need a lesser dosage.

Severe nausea and vomiting in adults. The normal dose is 5 mg to 10 mg by mouth, three to four times per day. The maximum daily dose is 40 mg. Daily doses of more than 40 mg are only used in the most severe instances.

Children (age 2 years and older, weighing 20 pounds or more): Your child's dose will be determined by their body weight. The average oral dose is 2.5 mg, administered one to three times per day. The maximum daily dose is 7.5 mg to 15 mg, depending on body weight.

Schizophrenia occurs in adults. The typical initial dose is 5 mg to 10 mg taken orally three to four times per day. Your provider may gradually increase your dose until your symptoms are under control.

Children (aged 2 to 12 years): The typical starting dose is 2.5 mg by mouth, twice or three times daily. Your child's provider may gradually increase the dose until symptoms are under control. The maximum daily dose ranges from 20 to 25 mg.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects adults. The normal dose is 5 milligrams taken orally three to four times per day. The maximum daily dose is 20 mg. Do not take more than three months.

If you miss a dosage of this medication, take it right away. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missing dose and resume your normal dosing plan. Do not duplicate the doses.

Store in a cool, dry place, at room temperature as well as keep out of reach of children.

The Compazine brand name has been discontinued in the U.S.

There are several lower-cost generic versions available with the ingredient of prochlorperazine maleate.

If you take it for an extended period and then stop abruptly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as feeling or being nauseated and having trouble sleeping. If you want to stop taking prochlorperazine, talk to your doctor. They'll probably want to gradually reduce your dose to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Compazine has not been extensively studied during human pregnancy, so we don't know how it will affect you or your unborn baby. However, babies delivered to women who took identical drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy experienced uncontrollable muscular activity or withdrawal symptoms at birth, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty sleeping. If you develop nausea or vomiting while pregnant, consult your doctor. They can suggest safer solutions for relieving your discomfort.

There is evidence that phenothiazines such as Compazine are excreted in the breast milk of nursing mothers. Caution should be exercised when prochlorperazine is administered to a nursing woman. Talk to your doctor if you are already breastfeeding or if you have any plans to breastfeed. They will know or recommend what is best for you.