Periciazine

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Periciazine (also known as pericyazine) is a phenothiazine-type typical antipsychotic. It is not approved for use in the United States. In some countries it is sold as Neuleptil (Canada, Italy, Russia) or Neulactil (UK, Australia).

What it’s used for:
- Short-term treatment of severe anxiety or tension
- Maintenance treatment of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia
- It has been studied for opioid dependence

How it works:
- It blocks certain brain signaling systems, with evidence suggesting it blocks noradrenergic receptors more than dopaminergic ones (exact receptor effects are not fully established)

What researchers say about its effectiveness:
- Compared with chlorpromazine, periciazine may have stronger antiemetic, antiserotonergic, and anticholinergic effects
- There isn’t enough evidence to say it’s better or worse than other antipsychotics

Side effects and risks:
- Sedating and has anticholinergic effects
- Lower risk of extrapyramidal symptoms than many typical antipsychotics
- Higher risk of high prolactin levels (hyperprolactinaemia)
- Moderate risk of weight gain and orthostatic hypotension (dizziness on standing)

Pharmacokinetics:
- Taken by mouth
- Metabolized mainly in the liver (conjugation)
- Approximate elimination half-life: 12 hours
- Excreted in the urine