Course Summary
Prochlorperazine is a medication belonging to the class of typical antipsychotics, primarily prescribed to alleviate severe nausea, vomiting (including chemotherapy-induced nausea), and symptoms of anxiety and agitation in certain medical situations. It is also occasionally used to treat acute migraine headaches and, to a limited extent, manage symptoms of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. Prochlorperazine is within the phenothiazine class of antipsychotic medications and functions by blocking the effects of dopamine in the brain, helping to control the targeted symptoms. It has a well-known affinity for dopamine receptors and muscarinic-cholinergic, histamine H1 and a-adrenoceptors. Prochlorperazine has been described as having slow absorption and a low bioavailability following oral dosing. Adverse reactions to prochlorperazine generally occur with chronic dosing, such as Parkinsonism. Few published studies exist that compare prochlorperazine with other common antiemetic drugs in the treatment of specific disorders and for use in children. Clinicians are recommended to choose a drug based on the clinical scenario and patient preference related to drug administration and safety.
Course Format
Homestudy
Course Syllabus
- Introduction
- Pharmacological Profile
- Uses, Dosing, and Administration
- Hepatic and Renal Impairment: Dosing Adjustments
- Geriatric Patients: Dosing Adjustment
- Treatment for Nausea and Vomiting
- Chemotherapy-induced
- Pre- and Postoperative
- Pregnancy-related
- Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders
- Warnings and Precautions
- Anticholinergic Effects
- Cardiopulmonary
- Central Nervous System
- Gastrointestinal and Hepatic
- Hematologic
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome
- Hyperprolactinemia
- Renal
- Temperature Regulation
- Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
- Drug-Drug Interactions
- Prochlorperazine Overdose
- Case Study: Prochlorperazine
- Summary
Author
Richard Daniels, PharmD, BCPS
Richard “Cole” Daniels earned his Doctor of Pharmacy(PharmD) from the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of Montana in 2018. Throughout pharmacy school he completed a 3-year internship at Community Medical Center in Missoula, Montana in which he gained valuable experience in an acute care setting. Cole currently serves as a psychiatric clinical staff pharmacist at the Montana State Hospital. He has over 11 years of pharmacy experience having worked in several settings including retail, acute care, and inpatient psychiatric care. Cole has a diverse set of interests. However, acute care medicine, infectious disease, pain management, and asthma/COPD are a primary focus of his at the Montana State Hospital. He obtained board certification as a certified pharmacotherapy specialist in the Spring of 2022.
