What is Prochlorperazine?
Prochlorperazine is a tablet that can reduce nausea and vomiting, which are common symptoms when you have vestibular neuritis (also known as labyrinthitis). It’s also used as an antipsychotic drug.
Vestibular neuritis is an inner ear condition that involves inflammation, and often occurs when you have a virus. It can upset your sense of balance, and cause vertigo. It can also make you nauseous, which can lead to vomiting. Prochlorperazine, an antipsychotic and antiemetic medication, can prevent and treat nausea by blocking dopamine receptors that cause feelings of sickness.
Who is Prochlorperazine for?
Adults aged 18 or over who are suffering from vestibular neuritis can use Prochlorperazine. It’s a condition that affects the inner ear; also known as labyrinthitis, it can come on suddenly and cause persistent symptoms that can sometimes linger for months at a time.
How does Prochlorperazine work?
Prochlorperazine works by stopping chemical messages that tell you you’re nauseous. The tablets target brain receptors for dopamine, a hormone and neurotransmitter involved in various physiological functions.[1]
Dopamine receptors are known to activate the ‘vomiting center’ in your brain, which causes you to feel sick. By blocking dopamine’s action, Procholorperazine can stop bouts of nausea caused by vestibular neuritis. You can take it up to four times a day — each tablet should start to work within 30-60 minutes, and be effective for around six hours.
Although less studied, prochlorperazine can also block other types of receptors, like histaminergic, cholinergic, and noradrenergic. It’s believed that its activity results from a combination of all these effects.[2]
Are there different doses of Prochlorperazine?
Prochlorperazine comes in a single dose, 5mg tablet. You can take up to four tablets a day, spacing your doses at intervals of around six hours.
You should avoid taking more than one tablet at a time, as this could cause unwanted side effects and won’t make Prochlorperazine work more effectively. The tablets can start to work within an hour of taking them, but it might take a little while longer until you feel the full effects and your nausea symptoms start to ease off.
How we source info.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
