What is Prochlorperazine?
Prochlorperazine is a tablet used for a range of conditions that cause nausea and dizziness. It’s used off-label for morning sickness, or nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
You’ve probably heard the term morning sickness, but nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is common throughout the day. Nausea and vomiting is very normal in the early stages of pregnancy. But if it’s severe, it continues throughout your pregnancy or you can’t eat and drink as much as you need to, it’s time to seek some help.
Prochlorperazine blocks the pathways in your brain that can lead to nausea and vomiting, allowing you to live and eat normally again. So, you can focus on having a happy and healthy pregnancy.
How does Prochlorperazine work?
Prochlorperazine is a type of medication called a phenothiazine. It works to stop nausea and vomiting by working on the receptors in the brain called D2 receptors. It stops too much dopamine from being active in the brain, which can cause nausea.
Dopamine is one of the hormones that helps regulate the part of the brain known as the chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) or vomiting centre. If you have too much dopamine, it triggers the vomiting centre, which causes the symptoms of nausea and vomiting. So by limiting the effects of the D2 receptors, Prochlorperazine gets rid of sickness at its root.
What doses of Prochlorperazine are there?
Prochlorperazine comes in 5mg tablets. The dosage for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is usually around 5-10mg, but your clinician will help you figure out the right dose for you. They may advise you to start on a lower dose and increase it if that fails to control your nausea.
You’ll usually take Prochlorperazine up to three times a day during pregnancy. Try and space out your doses, leaving a gap of at least two hours. When you’re pregnant, it’s always best to take the lowest possible dose of any medications for the shortest possible time, to limit potential effects on the baby.