What is the use of trifluoperazine tablets? (warnings and side effects)

Trifluoperazine is a phenothiazine antipsychotic drug used to treat anxiety or schizophrenia. In this article, you will get to know more about trifluoperazine tablets from the online positive pharmacy magazine.

What is trifluoperazine for?

Trifluprazine is prescribed to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a type of mental illness that causes disturbances in the power of thinking, creates abnormal ideas in a person and endangers the desire to continue life in a person. Trifluprazine may also be prescribed short-term to treat anxiety in people for whom other medications have not worked. This drug is included in the group of common drugs for antipsychotics. This medicine works by reducing abnormal excitement in the brain.

Uses of trifluprazine

Trifluoperazine tablets are used in the following cases:

• schizophrenia
• behavioral disorders
• Has sedative properties (in times of anxiety, restlessness, skepticism towards others and acute depression attacks)

How to use trifluoperazine

Trifluoperazine is available in pharmacies as oral tablets. Usually, this medicine should be used 1 or 2 times a day. It is often recommended to use this medicine at certain times of the day. Trifluoperazine tablets should be used exactly as prescribed by the doctor. Usually, the doctor starts this medicine with a low dose and gradually increases the dose depending on the patient’s condition. Never stop taking trifluprazine without consulting your doctor. In case of sudden discontinuation, symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness and tremors may occur. In order to discontinue the drug, the dose of the drug should be reduced gradually by the doctor.

Trifluoperazine tablet dosage

The dosage of this medicine is determined by the doctor based on the age, condition of the patient, severity of the disease, underlying diseases and how the person reacts to the first dose. It is found in pharmacies in doses of 1, 2, 5 and 10 mg of trifluprazine. The dosage of this medicine for different diseases is as follows:

Trifluprazine dosage for schizophrenia

18 to 64 years and also 13 to 17 years

• Usual starting dose: 2-5 mg twice daily.
• Dose increase: The doctor slowly increases the dose of the drug until it has an effect or reaches a point where the person can no longer tolerate the side effects.

Usual dose: 15-20 mg per day in divided doses.

Some people may need 40 mg or more of this drug per day. As we said, the doctor should determine the dosage and method of use.

Trifluprazine dosage for children 6 to 12 years old

• Usual starting dose: 1 mg 1 or 2 times a day
• Dose increase: The doctor slowly increases the drug until it has an effect or reaches a point where the person can no longer tolerate the side effects.
• Usual dose: Most children respond to 15 mg per day. Older children with severe symptoms may need higher doses.

Trifluoperazine tablets should not be used in children under 6 years of age.

fluprazine tablet dosage for anxiety

For people aged 18 to 64:

• Starting dose: 1 to 2 mg 2 times a day.
• Dose increase: 6 mg per day.

• Duration of treatment: This drug should not be used for the treatment of anxiety for more than 12 weeks. Fluprazine should not be prescribed for the treatment of anxiety in people under 18 years of age.

Trifluprazine overdose symptoms

If you take too much of this medicine, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Your neck muscles spasm
• Difficulty swallowing
• breathing problem
• Sticking out the tongue uncontrollably
• Drowsiness
• a coma
• restlessness
• convulsions
• dry mouth

If you take too much of this medicine and see dangerous symptoms, you should immediately call a doctor or emergency room.

What are the side effects of trifluprazine?

This pill may cause drowsiness or other side effects:

Common side effects

The most common side effects of trifluoperazine are:

• Drowsiness
• dizziness
• Skin reactions such as: darkening of the skin, redness, itching, dryness, hives, increased sweating)
• Dry mouth
• Sleep disorder
• Disruption of ovulation and menstrual periods
• tiredness
• muscle weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Breast milk production
• blurred vision
• severe restlessness

These side effects may disappear within a few days or weeks. But if the side effects become more severe and continue, you should definitely consult a doctor.

Serious side effects of trifluoperazine

If you have serious or life-threatening side effects, you should call 911 or see a doctor right away. Serious side effects of fluoprazine tablets include:

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome with these symptoms:

• Fever
• Muscle stiffness
• confusion
• Sweating
• Changes in heart rate and pulse
• Unstable blood pressure

Tardive dyskinesia with these symptoms:

• Inability to control the face, tongue, mouth, jaw, or other body parts.

A low number of white blood cells that may lead to infection and have the following symptoms:

• Fever, body aches and chills.

Orthostatic hypotension with symptoms of lightheadedness or fainting.

• Difficulty controlling body temperature.
• convulsions

Drug interactions of trifluprazine tablets

Before starting to take this medicine, you must provide the doctor with a list of all the medicines you are taking (even vitamins and herbal medicines) so that he can check for drug interactions:

Interactions that increase the risk of side effects:

The simultaneous use of trifluoperazine with the following drugs increases the possibility of side effects:

• Thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone: Concomitant use of these drugs may cause a drop in blood pressure when standing up, after sitting or lying down, and may also cause dizziness.
• The simultaneous use of trifluprazine with propranolol increases the side effects of both drugs.

Interactions that reduce the effect of the drug

When certain drugs are used at the same time as trifluprazine, they may not work as well. Some of these drugs include:

• Blood thinners such as warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, etc Dabigatran . Trifluprazine may reduce the effect of oral blood thinners.

Warnings about the use of trifluprazine tablets

Pay attention to the following regarding this medicine:

Allergy to trifluprazine

In some people, taking this pill may cause severe allergic reactions. These reactions have the following symptoms:

• Breathing disorder
• Swelling of the throat or tongue
• skin rash
• urticaria
• itching

If the following symptoms are observed, a doctor should be contacted. You should also stop taking the medicine.

Taking trifluoperazine at the same time as drinking alcohol

Drinking alcohol increases the risk of side effects from trifluoperazine.

Necessary precautions for some diseases

• People who have heart disease should inform their doctor before taking this medicine.
• This drug may aggravate symptoms in people with seizures or epilepsy. Also, if the patient has Alzheimer’s, a doctor should be consulted.
• If you have a history of low white blood cell levels, be sure to tell your doctor.
• People with glaucoma should consult a doctor before taking trifluprazine.
• If you have liver problems, you may experience side effects with trifluoperazine tablets. So you should inform the doctor.
• This drug can increase blood sugar levels. So, if you have diabetes, you must inform your doctor.

Use of trifluprazine during pregnancy and breastfeeding

It has not been proven whether this drug is safe to use during pregnancy. Therefore, if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before starting to take this medicine. Trifluprazine may pass into breast milk and cause side effects in a breast-fed child. So, if you are breastfeeding your child, inform the doctor before taking this medicine.

Alternative to trifluoperazine tablets

There are many drugs that can be used as an alternative to trifluprazine according to the doctor’s opinion. First, it should be determined what was the reason for taking the pill, and then an alternative should be determined. As we explained, this pill is included in the group of antipsychotic drugs, which of course is sometimes prescribed to treat anxiety. The substitute of trifluprazine must be specified by the doctor.

Does trifluprazine cause obesity?

Research has shown that trifluprazine can cause obesity, but much less than other antipsychotics. However, if you use this drug for a long time, do not forget exercise and proper diet. This pill may slightly increase your appetite and thus cause weight gain.

Is trifluprazine addictive?

No, this pill is not addictive. But you can’t stop it suddenly without a doctor’s order. In general, the increase, decrease and discontinuation of this drug should be done gradually and under the supervision of a doctor. Do not stop taking the medicine until your doctor tells you to.

last word

Trifluoperazine is one of the antipsychotic drugs that is used above all in schizophrenia. But this drug is also used in other cases that we mentioned in this article. How to use, side effects, drug interaction and any other information that seems necessary about trifluprazine, we have included in this article so that you can find more information about it.