pericyazine

Action and Spectrum

Actions and Spectrum: 

• Antipsychotic action: pericyazine is primarily used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. It blocks dopamine receptors in the brain, which can help to reduce hallucinations, delusions, and other psychotic symptoms. 
• Sedation: pericyazine can cause drowsiness and sedation, which may be helps patients with difficulty sleeping or experience agitation or anxiety. 
• Antiemetic action: pericyazine has antiemetic properties, which can help reduce nausea and vomiting. This makes it useful for patients undergoing chemotherapy or with other conditions that cause nausea. 
• Antihistamine action: pericyazine has antihistamine properties, which can help to reduce allergic reactions and itching. 
• Extrapyramidal side effects: Like many antipsychotic drugs, pericyazine can cause extrapyramidal side effects, which are involuntary movements of the muscles. These may include tremors, rigidity, and tardive dyskinesia. 
• Cardiovascular effects: pericyazine can cause changes in heart rate and blood pressure, which may concern patients with cardiovascular conditions. 

Drug Interaction

Adverse Reaction

Frequency undefined 

Postmarketing 

Diaphoresis 

Pulmonary embolism 

Libido change 

Weight gain 

Gynecomastia 

Diabetic ketoacidosis 

Diarrhea 

Constipation 

Nausea 

Lactation 

Inhibited ejaculation 

Priapism 

Hepatic injury 

Agitation 

Insomnia 

Hyperpyrexia 

Asthma 

Nasal congestion 

Black Box Warning

Black Box Warning: 

Geriatric patients who have psychosis related to dementia and undergo treatment with antipsychotic drugs are more prone to death as compared to placebo. 

Contraindication / Caution

Contraindication/Caution: 

There are several contraindications and precautions associated with the use of pericyazine. These include: 

• Hypersensitivity: pericyazine should not be used in patients who are allergic or hypersensitive to the medication. 
• Central Nervous System (CNS) depression: pericyazine can cause drowsiness and sedation, which may be enhanced when contrasted with other CNS depressants. 
• Parkinson’s disease: pericyazine may worsen symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, such as tremors and rigidity. 
• Cardiovascular disease: pericyazine can cause changes in heart rate and blood pressure, which may concern patients with cardiovascular disease. 
• Blood disorders: pericyazine can cause changes in blood cell counts and should be used cautiously in patients with blood disorders. 
• Liver or kidney disease: pericyazine in patients with liver or kidney disease may be at increased risk of side effects. 

Pregnancy / Lactation

Pregnancy consideration:  

Category C 

Breastfeeding warnings:  

Not recommended during lactation 

Pregnancy category: 

• Category A: well-controlled and Satisfactory studies do not show risk to the fetus in the first/later trimester.        
• Category B: there was no evidence of risk to the fetus in animal studies, and there were not enough studies on pregnant women        
• Category C: there was evidence of risk of adverse effects in animal reproduction studies, and no adequate evidence in human studies must take care of potential risks in pregnant women.       
• Category D: adequate data with sufficient evidence of human fetal risk from various platforms, but despite the potential risk, and used only in emergency cases for potential benefits.        
• Category X: Drugs listed in this category outweigh the risks over benefits. Hence these categories of drugs need to be avoided by pregnant women.        
• Category N: There is no data available for the drug under this category 

Pharmacology

Pharmacology:
pericyazine is a medication that belongs to the class of antipsychotic drugs, specifically the phenothiazine group. It has several pharmacological actions and effects on the body, including: 

• Dopamine receptor antagonism: pericyazine works by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, it reduces hallucinations, delusions, and other psychotic symptoms. 
• Serotonin receptor antagonism: pericyazine also blocks serotonin receptors, possibly contributing to its antipsychotic effects. 
• Alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonism: pericyazine blocks alpha-adrenergic receptors, helps reduce agitation and anxiety. 
• Histamine receptor antagonism: pericyazine has antihistamine properties, which can help to reduce allergic reactions and itching. 
• Sodium channel blockade: pericyazine also blocks sodium channels, possibly contributing to its sedative effects.

Pharmacodynamics: 

• Dopamine receptor antagonism: pericyazine blocks dopamine receptors in the brain, specifically the D2 receptor, which reduces psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, disordered thinking, and delusions. 
• Serotonin receptor antagonism: pericyazine also blocks serotonin receptors, specifically the 5-HT2A receptor, which may contribute to its antipsychotic effects. 
• Alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonism: pericyazine blocks alpha-adrenergic receptors, specifically the alpha-1 receptor, which can help to reduce symptoms such as anxiety and agitation. 
• Histamine receptor antagonism: pericyazine has antihistamine properties, specifically by blocking the H1 receptor, which can help to reduce allergic reactions and itching. 
• Sodium channel blockade: pericyazine also blocks sodium channels, possibly contributing to its sedative effects. 
• Extrapyramidal side effects: pericyazine can cause extrapyramidal side effects, such as dystonia, akathisia, and tardive dyskinesia. 
• Cardiovascular effects: pericyazine can cause heart rate and blood pressure changes, possibly related to its blockade of alpha-adrenergic receptors and sodium channels.

Pharmacokinetics: 

Absorption 

pericyazine is rapidly absorbed after oral administration 

The peak plasma concentration is reached in 1-2 hours. 

Distribution 

pericyazine is highly lipophilic, crosses the blood-brain barrier, and enters the central nervous system. It is also highly protein-bound (over 90%), which can limit its distribution to tissues. 

Metabolism 

pericyazine is extensively metabolized in the liver by cytochrome P450 enzymes, specifically the CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. These enzymes convert pericyazine to several metabolites, then excreted in the urine. 

Elimination and Excretion 

pericyazine and its metabolites are primarily excreted in the urine, with a small amount excreted in the feces. The elimination half-life of pericyazine is around 12 hours. 

Adminstartion

Administration: 

pericyazine is usually administered orally in the form of tablets or capsules.  

pericyazine should be taken with food or milk to improve absorption and reduce gastrointestinal side effects. The capsules or tablets should be swallowed and not crushed, broken, or chewed. 

A missed dose should be taken as soon as possible. If the missed one is close to the next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and resume the regular one. Do not double the missed dose. 

pericyazine should not be abruptly discontinued, which can lead to withdrawal symptoms. The dosage should be gradually reduced under the supervision of a healthcare provider. 

Patient Information Leaflet

Patient information leaflet 

Generic Name: pericyazine 

Pronounced: pair-eh-SY-uh-zeen 

Why do we use pericyazine? 

pericyazine is an antipsychotic medication that primarily treats psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and other conditions that involve severe disturbances in thinking, perception, and behavior.  

In addition to its antipsychotic properties, pericyazine has sedative and anti-anxiety effects, which can help manage agitation and anxiety associated with certain mental health conditions. 

pericyazine may also be used off-label to treat other conditions, such as anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression, but its use for these conditions is less common.