Trifluoperazine
Trifluoperazine is an antipsychotic medication used to manage schizophrenia and, short-term, generalized non-psychotic anxiety.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 12 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
⚠️ FDA Boxed Warning — the FDA’s strongest safety alert ▾
Trifluoperazine is not approved for use in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis, and it should not be used for this purpose. Studies show that older adults with dementia who are treated with antipsychotic drugs — including this type — have a significantly higher risk of death compared to those given a placebo. These deaths were most often due to heart-related causes (such as heart failure or sudden death) or infections like pneumonia. If you have a loved one with dementia, talk to their doctor about safer alternatives.
📖 Trifluoperazine: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Trifluoperazine — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Trifluoperazine is used for two main purposes, and how long you can use it depends on the condition being treated.
- Schizophrenia: Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are approved for the long-term management of schizophrenia in adults. They are also used in hospitalized or closely supervised children ages 6–12 with schizophrenia.
- Generalized non-psychotic anxiety (short-term only): Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are approved for short-term treatment of generalized anxiety disorder that is not related to psychosis — but only when standard first-line treatments like benzodiazepines are not appropriate. Use must not exceed 12 weeks.
- Not for dementia-related psychosis: Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride is not approved for behavioral problems related to dementia, and its use in that setting significantly raises the risk of death.
- Not proven for: Anxiety caused by physical illness, depression, organic mental conditions, or character pathologies — the label does not support these uses.
💊How it's taken▾
Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are taken by mouth. For most patients, the drug is taken once or twice a day — your prescriber will determine the best schedule for you. The goal is always to use the lowest dose that controls your symptoms.
- Doses are adjusted based on individual response; your doctor may start low and increase gradually.
- Elderly patients and those who are frail should start at the lower end of the dosing range, with slow increases and careful monitoring.
- For anxiety, use is strictly limited — no more than 12 weeks of treatment.
- If you miss a dose, follow your prescriber's guidance; do not double up without being told to.
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
Like all medications, trifluoperazine can cause side effects — some common and manageable, others serious enough to call your doctor about right away.
- Drowsiness or fatigue
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Blurred vision
- Insomnia
- Muscle weakness
- Skin rash or increased sun sensitivity
- Missed or irregular menstrual periods
- Restlessness or agitation (especially early in treatment)
- Parkinson's-like symptoms: tremor, shuffling gait, mask-like facial expression
Seek immediate medical attention if you develop high fever with muscle stiffness and confusion (NMS), uncontrolled repetitive movements of the face or body (tardive dyskinesia), severe neck spasms, difficulty swallowing or breathing, signs of liver problems (yellowing skin or eyes), or signs of serious blood problems (unusual bruising, fever, or infection).
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Increased death risk in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis: This is the most critical warning. Trifluoperazine is not approved for this use, and studies show a significantly higher risk of death — often from heart or infectious causes — in this group.
- Tardive dyskinesia (TD): Long-term or high-dose use can cause involuntary, repetitive muscle movements that may become permanent. Older adults — especially older women — are at greatest risk. Report any unusual facial or body movements to your doctor immediately.
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS): A rare but potentially fatal reaction involving high fever, severe muscle rigidity, confusion, and unstable heart rate or blood pressure. Stop the drug and get emergency help if these occur.
- Falls: Trifluoperazine can cause dizziness, low blood pressure upon standing, and impaired coordination — raising fall and fracture risk, especially in older adults.
- Impaired alertness: Avoid driving or operating machinery — especially early in treatment — until you know how the medication affects you.
- Pregnancy and newborns: Babies born to mothers taking trifluoperazine near delivery may experience movement problems, muscle tone changes, tremor, or breathing difficulties.
- Encephalopathic syndrome with lithium: Combining trifluoperazine with lithium has caused a serious brain syndrome in some patients, sometimes with lasting damage — this combination requires very close medical supervision.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Trifluoperazine can interact with several medications and substances — always give your prescriber and pharmacist a full list of everything you take.
- Alcohol: Greatly increases sedation and CNS depression — avoid drinking while on this medication.
- Sedatives, narcotics, antihistamines, barbiturates, and tranquilizers: Combining these with trifluoperazine multiplies drowsiness and breathing-related risks.
- Anesthetics: Can have additive depressant effects — always tell your surgical or dental team you take this medication.
- Lithium: Combined use has caused a serious brain syndrome with potential for permanent damage; close monitoring is essential.
- Epinephrine (adrenaline): Trifluoperazine reverses the normal blood-pressure-raising effect of epinephrine — it should not be used as an emergency treatment for low blood pressure in patients on this drug.
- Organophosphorus insecticides (certain pesticides): Effects of trifluoperazine can be intensified with exposure to these chemicals.
- Heat: Phenothiazines like trifluoperazine can impair the body's ability to regulate temperature — use extra caution in hot environments.
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Allergy to phenothiazines: Do not take trifluoperazine if you have had a serious allergic or sensitivity reaction to any phenothiazine drug. Do not re-expose yourself to this drug class after a prior reaction such as blood problems or jaundice.
- Coma or severe CNS depression: Trifluoperazine is contraindicated if you are in a coma or severely sedated.
- Blood disorders or bone marrow depression: Tell your doctor if you have any history of blood cell problems before starting this medication.
- Liver disease: Pre-existing liver damage is a contraindication — discuss your liver health with your doctor.
- Pregnancy: Safety has not been established. Use only if the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. Babies exposed in the third trimester may have movement problems or withdrawal symptoms after birth.
- Breastfeeding: Trifluoperazine passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about whether to stop nursing or stop the medication.
- Older adults: More susceptible to low blood pressure, movement problems, and falls — lower doses and close monitoring are standard.
- Children: Oral use is established only for hospitalized or closely supervised children ages 6–12. Safety in younger children has not been established.
- Dementia: Do not use in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis — this drug is not approved for that condition and significantly increases mortality risk.
🚑If you take too much▾
Taking too much trifluoperazine can cause severe drowsiness, agitation, stiff or spasming muscles, difficulty breathing, seizures, heart rhythm changes, low blood pressure, dry mouth, and high fever. In serious overdose, the person may lose consciousness. If overdose is suspected, call emergency services (911) or Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) immediately — do not try to make the person vomit, as throat or neck muscle spasms from the drug can cause inhaled vomit to enter the lungs.
📦How to store it▾
Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) . Protect from moisture. Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container.
📄 Written from Trifluoperazine’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Trifluoperazine
76 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Trifluoperazine in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 5
- Moderate · 48
- Minor · 23
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Trifluoperazine — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly is trifluoperazine used for? ▾
How do I take trifluoperazine tablets, and does it matter if I take them with food? ▾
What side effects should I watch out for? ▾
Can I drink alcohol while taking this medication? ▾
I'm older — are there extra things I need to know? ▾
Is it safe to take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding? ▾
Is Trifluoperazine available over the counter? ▾
When was Trifluoperazine first available? ▾
Who makes Trifluoperazine? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Trifluoperazine’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Trifluoperazine comes
Trifluoperazine is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Tablet
How this form is used
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are used to manage schizophrenia in adults and children ages 6–12
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are used for short-term treatment of generalized non-psychotic anxiety in adults (no longer than 12 weeks)
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets have not been shown effective for anxiety caused by physical illness, depression, or other non-psychotic conditions
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets are taken by mouth, typically once or twice daily as directed by your prescriber
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets for anxiety must not be used for more than 12 weeks
- Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets should be started at the lowest effective dose; your doctor will adjust based on your response
- Elderly patients taking Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride tablets should start on lower doses and be monitored closely for dizziness and movement-related side effects
📊 Trifluoperazine across the U.S. market
How Trifluoperazine appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (1) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
📈 How widely Trifluoperazine is used
A general measure of how commonly Trifluoperazine is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Trifluoperazine is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Trifluoperazine prescribed? Of the 1,597 medications we measure, Trifluoperazine ranks #980 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 39% of them.
Utilization by Trifluoperazine product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
trifluoperazine 1 MG Oral Tablet Most dispensed
Summed across the 3 of 9 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 198322
trifluoperazine 5 MG Oral Tablet
Summed across the 2 of 10 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 198325
trifluoperazine 2 MG Oral Tablet
Summed across the 2 of 11 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 198324
trifluoperazine 10 MG Oral Tablet
Summed across the 2 of 8 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 198323
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Trifluoperazine, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 9 of 38 listed Trifluoperazine NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Trifluoperazine products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Trifluoperazine — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Tablet | ||||
| 1 mg | Oral | Bryant Ranch Prepack × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Bryant Ranch Prepack × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Bryant Ranch Prepack × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg | Oral | Bryant Ranch Prepack × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 1 mg | Oral | Mylan Institutional Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Mylan Institutional Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Mylan Institutional Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg | Oral | Mylan Institutional Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 1 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Remedyrepack Inc. × 4 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Remedyrepack Inc. × 4 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 1 mg | Oral | Safecor Health LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Safecor Health LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Safecor Health LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg | Oral | Safecor Health LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 1 mg | Oral | Sandoz Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2 mg | Oral | Sandoz Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 5 mg | Oral | Sandoz Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg | Oral | Sandoz Inc. × 2 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Bulk drug substance | ||||
| 1 kg/kg | — | Trifluoperazine Hydrochloride | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
Showing 45 of 45 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 45 Trifluoperazine NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Trifluoperazine — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Trifluoperazine in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Trifluoperazine went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 10800 4 dose forms · 11 strengths
-
Dose form (SCDF) Extended Release Oral Capsule RxCUI 385488No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 2 MGRxCUI 10476210 MGRxCUI 10476315 MGRxCUI 104764 -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Solution RxCUI 374207No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 0.2 MG/MLRxCUI 7562031 MG/MLRxCUI 24538010 MG/MLRxCUI 313473 -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Suspension RxCUI 483997No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 1 MG/MLRxCUI 483998 -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 374208In current FDA listings
Look up RxCUI 10800 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Trifluoperazine is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Trifluoperazine belongs to the Phenothiazine class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 12 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Mylan Institutional Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.