thioridazine

Thioridazine (Mellaril or Melleril) is a piperidine typical antipsychotic drug belonging to the phenothiazine drug group and was previously widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis. Thioridazine blocks postsynaptic mesolimbic dopaminergic D1 and D2 receptors in the brain; blocks alpha-adrenergic effect depresses the release of hypothalamic and hypophyseal hormones and is believed to depress the reticular activating system thus affecting basal metabolism, body temperature, wakefulness, vasomotor tone, and emesis. Thioridazine primary use in medicine was the treatment of schizophrenia. Thioridazine was also tried with some success as a treatment for various psychiatric symptoms seen in people with dementia, but chronic use of thioridazine and other antipsychotics in people with dementia is not recommended. Thioridazine prolongs the QTc interval in a dose-dependent manner. It produces significantly less extrapyramidal side effects than most first-generation antipsychotics. Its use, along with the use of other typical antipsychotics, has been associated with degenerative retinopathies. It has a higher propensity for causing anticholinergic side effects coupled with a lower propensity for causing extrapyramidal side effects and sedation than chlorpromazine but also has a higher incidence of hypotension and cardiotoxicity. It is also known to possess a relatively high liability for causing orthostatic hypotension compared to other antipsychotics. Similarly to other first-generation antipsychotics, it has a relatively high liability for causing prolactin elevation. It is the moderate risk of causing weight gain. — NCATS