Chlorpromazine
Chlorpromazine: Understanding its Impact, Recognizing Problems, and Ways to Improve
Chlorpromazine is a phenothiazine antipsychotic medication.It is primarily used to treat psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia.Other uses include the treatment of bipolar disorder, severe behavioral problems in children, nausea and vomiting, anxiety before surgery, chronic hiccups, acute intermittent porphyria, and symptoms of tetanus.
Impact of Gene Variant
Chlorpromazine’s effectiveness can be influenced by genetic factors.It exerts many different actions through calcium ion (Ca2+) signaling, but the underlying pathways are elusive.
Ways to Recognize Problems
- Common side effects of chlorpromazine may include drowsiness, dry mouth or stuffy nose, blurred vision, constipation, or impotence.
- Serious side effects may include the potentially permanent movement disorder tardive dyskinesia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, severe lowering of the seizure threshold, and low white blood cell levels.
- In older people with psychosis as a result of dementia, it may increase the risk of death.
