Hi Bam
Well this was interesting – I love a challenge and forgive me if I have found out more than you wished to know, ( and little of any use to you in fact as I could not find much reference to it being used for the sort of thing you have been given it to treat)
I was curious as it is not a commonly used drug these days and I took it my self a long time ago.
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It turns out that Promazine is actually one of the drugs I was given many years ago at 17 but I knew it by another name - Largactil.
I cant however tell you tell you what any of the effects or side effects were from a subjective point of view as I was given this daily alongside another 10 types of drugs, so I have no way of knowing what medication caused what
(it was because I was overmedicated and in fact kept unconscious for some weeks to ‘cure’ a comparatively mild ‘phobic’ illness that I am not even sure I actually had that means I am still upset about my drug treatment at 17, and many of the drugs I took I did not know were still in use so this interested me)
but this drug probably did not cause me any problems on its own
This means it is a drug that has been about a very long time and these days the newer antipsychotics called ‘atypical antipsychotics' amisulpride, aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, and zotepine are more commonly used as they serve the same purpose.
The GP I asked knew little about it as it is an older drug he has never used.
From talking over with the doctor the fact it is an 'older type drug’ this should not necessarily put you off as I was surprised to find it is actually classed now as one of the milder medications out of the ones I was given and has been used for a number of different purposes.
But I would ask your GP the question, why have you been prescribed and older anti-psychotic which unlike the new ones carries some risk of Tardive dyskinesia? which is one of the main reasons they are not used so much these days
Anyway back to what this medication is and what it does:It used to be known as a major tranquilliser (
www.cmcsb.com/tranquil.htm) but theses days more commonly known as an Antipsychotic and of the neuroleptic group.
Interestingly when we looked it up in the BNF it says here that this particular drug of the group is not effective as an anti-psychotic by mouth - I could send you the BNF page by email??
'Promazine is not sufficiently active by mouth to be used as an antipsychotic drug; it has been used to treat agitation and restlessness in the elderly '
Other sources said it to be 'an anti psychotic drug of low-potency' and is often used to calm people without knocking them out rather than for psychosis
(i.e after you get used to it you should still remain alert although some people never get over the drowsiness)
So I guess this is why you have been prescribed it - to calm you down when you panic?
promazine is thought to work by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain.
However when it is used these days it is used for a number of reasons from serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and other psychosis with agitation, illness Tourette's disorder, behaviour problems of dementia in the elderly, and treatment of disabling involuntary movements in Huntington's chorea, alcohol withdrawal, spasmodic torticollis and Reye's syndrome, .
But it is also used to treat much less severe problems too such as Promazine is used to treat agitation and restlessness (a need to keep moving) to calm, for choreas, motor tics, and intractable hiccup
It is used to prevent nausea and vomiting i.e cancer patients; motion sickness.
I do remember that when I was taking it, it was this drug that was apparently responsible for my significant weight gain - rather than the other drugs I was on - which went away soon after I stopped taking it.
Officially Promazine has similar side effects to chlorpromazine. These side effects include: extrapyramidal symptoms, Tardive dyskinesia, drowsiness, weight gain, dry mouth, constipation, endocrine effects (such as gynaecomastia and menstrual disturbance) and sensitivity to sunlight [BNF]. Other rare side effects may also occur (e.g. haemolytic anaemia) but are difficult to quantify [BNF].
( BNF - means information from the British National Formulaly website)
This site however lists quite a few possible side effects:
www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsDrugs/Promazinecd.htmlbut don't let this put you off as not every one gets side effects and I suppose one good thing is that unlike Anti Ds the effects of this kind of drug is felt almost straight away so if it does help you , you will know quite soon and if you do not tolerate it - then you will know this within days too and you can then make your mind whether to continue.
It does not have to 'kick in' in the same way as Anti Ds but just the same if you do find it helps it may be some weeks before your blood levels are optimal and you feel the full effect.
Apparently it:' It acts by blocking a variety of receptors in the brain, particularly dopamine receptors. Dopamine is involved in transmitting signals between brain cells. When there is an excess amount of dopamine in the brain it causes over-stimulation of dopamine receptors' and it depresses the vomiting centre in the brain to which is why it is used for nausea and vomiting.
However the doctor says you should not drink alcohol with this drug especially not until you know how you react to it as alcohol increases its affect in all ways and can actually be dangerous if you take many and drink a lot. ( I would not want to take this one then!)
i.e ‘Tranquilizers are particularly dangerous in combination with other depressants, such as alcohol or barbiturates, because they magnify each other's effects’
Also it can affect you liver function so if you are on it you should have regular blood tests for liver function, hepatic impairment, renal impairment.
However I am worried about you being told that it is not addictive! It apparently is more likely to be addictive if it is mixed with other AntiPsychotic drugs ( GP said this sorry not sure which ones) and the risks of this if you only take it for a month or too are not great but long term therapy on these drugs mean you have to withdraw gradually from them.
I am not sure if this is because of physical dependence or psychological dependence - but dependant is not unknown
'Tranquilizers are frequently abused because of their ability to reduce anxiety. They are addictive because tolerance develops rapidly, and more and more are needed to be effective. '
But this is about all classes of Tranquilizers which includes Valium, and Librium, which are well known to be addictive.
Those I asked thought that major tranq's like Promazine are addictive too this is not mentioned particularly in BNF but it is in other literature. But as they only calm you down and do not produce a high, I think this is what your GP may have meant as while they do produce dependency in long term use there is ‘Little to no recreational use as No "high" associated with use’
Well all this was cobbled together from what the doc said, the BNF, and other sources of information.
I was interested so I researched it but In a way I am non the wiser as every source seemed to say something slightly different and it has been used for such a range of conditions and much of the information was actually about chlorpromazine which is simular but not the same, but this been better researched and monitored.
but their was no conclusive evidence of how effective it is that I could find - except that it almost definitely calms people down!
However it was wondered if your problem is panic and ‘social phobia’ why you had been prescribed this ‘older’ drug when there are now many newer drugs called `atypical`neuroleptics, which do simular things and without the risk of tardive dyskinesia which they do carry
(tardive dyskinesia = Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements.
www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tardive/tardive.htm is the biggest reason not to take these drugs apparently if you are not actually psychotic and taking it for a more minor problem as this does not happen that often but when it does this can be severe)
I am sure you are non the wiser like me !!
And just because the GP I asked does not use this drug means nothing as there are may different drugs out their that can be tried in many different combinations and each GP will have their preferences or experience of medications
All the best for now
Veritee
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