Thorazine is the brand name of a prescription medication known as chlorpromazine. Despite its effectiveness in the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, Thorazine poses a risk for side effects.
Common Side Effects
The most common side effects of Thorazine include drowsiness, constipation, decreased sweating, dry mouth and nasal congestion.
Time Frame
Drowsiness is most likely to occur during the first two weeks of treatment with Thorazine and then disappear, according to RxList.com. Other less common possible side effects such as shortages of white blood cells normally occur during the fourth through tenth weeks of use.
Risks
Thorazine has the potential to cause a serious condition known as neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which causes muscle rigidity, arrhythmia, fever and the risk of heat stroke. Additional risks of Thorazine include liver damage, seizures, visual impairment and tardive dyskinesia, a serious condition that can cause permanent twitches and tics of your facial muscles.
Warning
Infrequently, Thorazine causes sudden death due to a sudden stopping of the heart, warns RxList.
Considerations
Because its effects upon fetal development are unknown, doctors rarely prescribe Thorazine for pregnant women. If you have a history of breast cancer, difficulty urinating, glaucoma, heart disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, stomach ulcers, brain damage, Reye's Syndrome or liver, lung or kidney disease, it may not be safe for you to take Thorazine because of its possible side effects, cautions the Mayo Clinic.
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