Fluphenazine

Antipsychotic Some Weight Gain Risk

Sedating: Can be Driving: Caution QT risk: Moderate Akathisia: High Metabolic: Low Prolactin: Moderate t½: 16 h Tmax: 2 h

Another high-potency phenothiazine that’s been around for decades. Oral tablets exist, but the depot injection is where it’s mostly seen — long-acting and cheap. The flip side? High EPS risk and tardive dyskinesia potential. It’s not a friendly med, but it’s reliable, and in some services it’s still kept as part of the depot arsenal.

Uses • Warnings

🩺 Main Uses

Schizophrenia (maintenance, depot).

🧪 The Science & Facts

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Half‑life (t½)

16 h

How long the drug hangs around. Longer half‑life = slower changes.

Time to Peak (Tmax)

2 h

Roughly when you feel the main effect after a dose.

What it hits (receptors)

Primary:

D2 (antagonist)

How your body processes it (metabolism)

Substrate: CYP2D6

Depot has long elimination; caution with 2D6 inhibitors.

⚠️ Warnings

EPS/TD risk; hypotension.

⏬ Taper & Withdrawal

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If you’re reducing

Taper or space depot doses; monitor for EPS.

Possible withdrawal

Akathisia/EPS rebound; relapse risk.

Info here is educational, not medical advice. Always taper with prescriber support if possible.

🧠 Trusted External Sources Last reviewed 22 Aug 2025, 21:23 by Connor O’Driscoll

Drugs.com

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NHS

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🔗 Interaction Checker

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⚠️ Black Box Warning

All antipsychotics: ↑ mortality in elderly with dementia‑related psychosis.

This is a plain‑English summary of headline safety warnings. Talk to a clinician before changing any medication.

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