Chlorpromazine is a chemical substance that was first synthesized in France in 1950 and became a basic building block of the drug group of psychotropic drugs due to its action. Within psychotropic drugs, chlorpromazine is the oldest antipsychotic active drug (known as a neuroleptic).
What is chlorpromazine?
Chlorpromazine is a chemical substance that was first synthesized in France in 1950 and became a basic building block of the drug group of psychotropic drugs due to its action. As a chemical substance, chlorpromazine belongs to the class of phenothiazines. This is a group of organic substances that are often used as drugs, insecticides or dyes. The drug is classified in its medical effect as a neuroleptic with medium potency. For the so-called neuroleptic potency generally applies to the conventional neuroleptics:
The lower this potency for a substance, the higher the sedative effect and the dose needed for side effects to set in. A dose between 25 mg – 400 mg leads to the onset of side effects in the case of chlorpromazine.
Pharmacological action
Chlorpromazine, like all neuroleptics, generally has a symptomatic effect. This means that, as a drug, it combats and relieves the symptoms of a disorder but does not eliminate the cause. It exerts its pharmacological effect directly in the brain, where it influences the metabolism of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers of the nerve cells). The substance has an inhibitory effect on various receptors (docking sites) for the neurotransmitter dopamine. By acting on these different receptors of the dopamine system in the nerve cells of the brain, it has a relatively broad efficacy compared to other neuroleptics. Thus, sedative, antisychotic, antihistaminic (antiallergic), antiemetic (affecting vomiting and nausea), and anticholinergic (affecting muscles and glands) and antiadrenergic (affecting epinephrine action) effects on the body are all known when chlorpromazine is taken.
Medicinal use and application
As a psychotropic drug, chlorpromazine has sedative and antipsychotic effects; it is effective against the so-called loss of reality in mental disorders and diseases such as schizophrenia or mania. Thereby, it combats symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, as well as anxiety and restlessness. After its discovery, the potent substance was used against a whole range of mental disorders, such as anxiety, delusions or mania, due to its broad efficacy. Ultimately, however, the drug was shown to have the highest specific efficacy against psychomotor agitation, which is most prevalent in schizophrenia. In addition to treating mental illness, neuroleptics are also used to combat the symptoms of poisoning with psychogenic drugs such as LSD or toadstools. Because the substance sedates the patient, but the relief of psychogenic symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations is often not strong enough, the neuroleptic drug is usually not used as the sole drug of choice. When chlorpromazine is taken as medically prescribed, the mean dose is 25 mg to 400 mg per day, depending on age and weight, and the maximum dose is 800 mg per day.
Risks and side effects
Chlorpromazine is a moderately potent neuroleptic, which corresponds to a moderate dose for inducing side effects. These occur when taking neuroleptics, especially over a long period of time, and can be varied. Common in such cases are the so-called extrapyramidal side effects, which are movement disorders. These originate in the central nervous system and are similar to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Other side effects that occur with higher doses and prolonged use of the psychotropic drug are sedation and a reduction in blood pressure. However, phenomena such as a disturbance in the body’s thermoregulation (rapid overheating or cooling at appropriate temperatures) and allergic reactions of the skin and liver dysfunction also occur. Other possible side effects may include sensitivity to light, thrombosis (formation of blood clots in the vessels), disturbance of potency or menstrual disorders, and a deficiency of white blood cells (leukopenia).In rare cases, so-called cholestatic hepatosis can occur in the course of taking chlorpromazine, which is an allergic-toxic obstruction of the bile ducts with biliary congestion, which can ultimately lead to sometimes fatal damage to the liver.
