Prochlorperazine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Prochlorperazine is a phenothiazine sold in the U.S. under 4 brand and generic names, for anxiety disorders, dementia and nausea. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Phenothiazine
- Treats (across its forms)
- Anxiety Disorders, Dementia and Nausea
- Available as
- Capsule, extended release · Tablet · Suppository
- Sold as
- 4 products — Compazine, Prochlorperazine and Procomp, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $5 for a 30-count supply — not your price
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Procomp is dosed
From the FDA label for Procomp (application ANDA040268). Other prochlorperazine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
(For children’s dosage and administration, see below.) Dosage should be increased more gradually in debilitated or emaciated patients. Elderly Patients: In general, dosages in the lower range are sufficient for most elderly patients. Since they appear to be more susceptible to hypotension and neuromuscular reactions, such patients should be observed closely. Dosage should be tailored to the individual, response carefully monitored and dosage adjusted accordingly. Dosage should be increased more gradually in elderly patients. 1.To Control Severe Nausea and Vomiting: Adjust dosage to the response of the individual. Begin with the lowest recommended dosage. Oral Dosage-Tablets: Usually one 5mg or 10mg tablet 3 or 4 times daily. Daily dosages above 40 mgs should be used only in resistant cases. 2.In Adult Psychiatric Disorders: Adjust dosage to the response of the individual and according to the severity of the condition. Begin with the lowest recommended dose. Although response ordinarily is seen within a day or 2, longer treatment is usually required before maximal improvement is seen. Oral Dosage: Non-Psychotic Anxiety--Usual dosage is 5 mg 3 or4 times daily. Do not administer in doses of more than 20mg per day or for longer than 12 weeks. Psychotic Disorders including Schizophrenia--In relatively mild conditions, as seen in private psychiatric practice or in out patient…
Everything below is the FDA label for Procomp (tablet). Prochlorperazine is also sold as capsule, extended release and suppository, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Procomp side effects
Drowsiness, dizziness, amenorrhea, blurred vision, skin reactions and hypotension may occur. Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported in association with antipsychotic drugs (see WARNINGS). Cholestatic jaundice has occurred. If fever with grippe-like symptoms occurs, appropriate liver studies should be conducted. If tests indicate an abnormality, stop treatment. There have been a few observations of fatty changes in the livers of patients who have died while receiving the drug. No causal relationship has been established. Leukopenia and agranulocytosis have occurred. Warn patients to report the sudden appearance of sore throat or other signs of infection. If white blood cell and differential counts indicate leukocyte depression, stop treatment and start antibiotic and other suitable therapy. Neuromuscular (Extrapyramidal) Reactions These symptoms are seen in a significant number of hospitalized mental patients. They maybe characterized by motor restlessness, be of the dystonic type, or they may resemble parkinsonism. Depending on the severity of symptoms, dosage should be reduced or discontinued. If therapy is reinstituted, it should be at a lower dosage. Should these symptoms occur in children or pregnant patients, the drug should be stopped and not reinstituted. In most cases barbiturates by suitable route of administration will suffice. (Or, injectable…
Who shouldn’t take Procomp
Do not use in patients with known hypersensitivity to phenothiazines. Do not use in comatose states or in the presence of large amounts of central nervous system depressants (alcohol, barbiturates, narcotics, etc.). Do not use in pediatric surgery. Do not use in pediatric patients under 2 years of age or under 20 lbs. Do not use in children for conditions for which dosage has not been established.
Every prochlorperazine product we track (4)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $5 | View → | |
| 2 | 70/100 | Prescription | Suppository | Generic | $5 | View → | |
| 3 | 70/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $5 | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $5 | View → |
What prochlorperazine pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Prochlorperazine recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
Prochlorperazine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for prochlorperazine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadBased on minimal excretion of other phenothiazine derivatives, it appears that occasional short-term use of prochlorperazine for the treatment of nausea and vomiting poses little risk to the breastfed infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised July 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about prochlorperazine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 9,650 reports naming prochlorperazine, and the FDA flagged 67% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- nausea1,353 reports
- fatigue1,332 reports
- diarrhoea1,008 reports
- vomiting675 reports
- asthenia568 reports
- decreased appetite539 reports
- constipation435 reports
- dyspnoea419 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean prochlorperazine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 26, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Procomp?
Procomp (Prochlorperazine Maleate) is a phenothiazine used to treat Anxiety Disorders, Dementia, Nausea, Psychotic Disorders.
What kind of drug is prochlorperazine?
The FDA classifies prochlorperazine as a phenothiazine. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take prochlorperazine with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run prochlorperazine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is prochlorperazine sold under?
We track 4 prochlorperazine-containing products in the U.S.: Compazine, Prochlorperazine, Procomp and Prochlorperazine Maleate. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does prochlorperazine come in?
Across the brands we track, prochlorperazine is currently marketed as capsule, extended release, tablet and suppository, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic prochlorperazine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 3 generic prochlorperazine products alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has prochlorperazine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 1 recall record whose product description mentions prochlorperazine. The most recent: Prochlorperazine Maleate Tablets (Mar 13, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Prochlorperazine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/prochlorperazine
- MLA
- “Prochlorperazine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/prochlorperazine.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for prochlorperazine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.