fluphenazine
Meaning of fluphenazine: Fluphenazine is a first generation antipsychotic medication used mainly to manage schizophrenia and other conditions involving psychosis.
Definition of fluphenazine
Fluphenazine is a medication belonging to the phenothiazine class of first generation, or typical, antipsychotics. It is used mainly to manage schizophrenia and other conditions involving psychosis, working by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain to help reduce symptoms such as hallucinations and disordered thinking.
Fluphenazine is available in short acting oral form as well as a long acting injectable formulation given at intervals of several weeks, an option sometimes used to help maintain consistent treatment over time.
Like other first generation antipsychotics, fluphenazine carries a recognized risk of movement related side effects affecting muscle control and coordination, a risk that factors into how it compares with newer, second generation antipsychotic medications when a treatment is being chosen.
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Used in a sentence
Fluphenazine was prescribed as part of the patient's ongoing treatment for schizophrenia.
Good to know
Fluphenazine and other first generation antipsychotics carry a distinct risk of movement related side effects not shared to the same degree by second generation antipsychotics, a difference that distinguishes the two drug classes.