About Stemetil

Stemetil is one of the popular brands of Prochlorperazine Maleate drug available. Others are Buccastem, Volimin, Ametil, Prochlorperazine, Prochlozine, Bukatel, Nausetil, Antinaus, Novamin, Acuvert, Vometil, Vergon and few more.

Prochlorperazine belongs to a group of medication called phenothiazines.

Form

Stemetil comes in the form of tablets, syrup, mouth dissolving tablets, injectables, and suppositories.

Strength

5mg. These medicines are also available in 12.5 mg and 25 mg in the form of ampules and suppositories.

How Stemetil Works?

The drug prochlorperazine blocks the dopamine (D2) receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter found in the brain that helps exchange neuro-signals among the brain cells. It controls moods and the behaviour.

The drug, prochlorperazine checks these dopamine receptors in that area of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting. Vomiting reflex is triggered by the vomiting center of the brain when it receives neural messages from the gut and the Chemoreceptor Trigger Zone of the brain.

The CTZ sends the signals to the vomiting center to trigger the vomiting reflex. The signal transmission happens through dopamine. Stemetil or similar medicines block the dopamine receptors in the CTZ and the gut and halts the signal transmission to the vomiting center. Thus, the medication acts on reducing nauseating sensation and vomiting.

The blocking of the dopamine receptors also reduces hyper-anxiety and related psychotic disorders as the drug curbs the over-active dopamine in the brain.

Stemetil or similar drugs with prochlorperazine as the active ingredient is a popular antipsychotic and antiemetic drug.

Uses of Stemetil

Stemetil or the prochlorperazine drugs are primarily used to treat

• Dizziness
• Vertigo
• Other imbalance issues
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Severe anxiety,
• Depression
• Schizophrenia
• Restlessness
• Uneasiness caused by migraine headaches
• Symptoms of Labyrinthitis and Meniere’s disease.
• Post-chemotherapy nausea
• Motion sickness

The medicine helps in alleviating symptoms of vestibular disorders such as vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, the sudden disorientation of time and space etc. ( more information)

Conditions where Stemetil may be avoided

Below are some of the conditions under which the doctors may not recommend Stemetil. You must inform your doctor if you have any of these diseases or health conditions before being put on this medication.

• Respiratory problems
• Thyroid disorders
• Liver, kidney or prostate disorders
• Any cardiac condition
• Planning pregnancy or pregnant
• Breastfeeding
• Suffered or suffering a tumor on the adrenal gland or susceptible to tumors
• Prone to severe allergic reactions to medicines
• Jaundice
• Any blood infection or disorder
• Epilepsy
• Glaucoma
• Muscle weakness
• Parkinson’s disease
• Prone to blood clots or thrombosis

Other than these conditions, if you are on any previous medication course or taking herbal supplements, let your doctor know this before Stemetil is recommended to you.

Administration or Dosage of Stemetil

Prochlorperazine is taken twice or thrice per day, generally or otherwise used as recommended by the doctor depending on the severity of your situation.

The doctors prescribe Stemetil and similar medicines for a short duration of nausea, vomiting, vertigo and other balance disorders.

For more extended relief, vestibular rehabilitation training is the most effective for vertigo patients along with the medication course. A lower dose is used to treat vertigo and nausea resulting from vestibular disorders and for a short duration. Stemetil and substitute medicines provide symptomatic relief when the symptoms are acute, but a thorough diagnosis and appropriate treatment must be carried out to remedy the illness permanently.

When you are on this medicine, alcohol should be avoided.

Antacids may interfere with prochlorperazine and reduce the efficacy of the drug. It is beneficial to consult the doctor on what medicines interact adversely with Stemetil.

Intramuscular drug administration helps a great deal when nausea and vomiting are severe, the drug action starts within 5-10 minutes and lasts for 3-4 hours. Using mouth dissolving tablets takes little longer to show relief but lasts for about 6 hours.

For this, you can keep the soluble prochlorperazine tablet between the upper lip and the gum.

Side-effects of Stemetil / Prochlorperazine

• The medicine may cause the skin to become photo-sensitive, especially to UV rays in some people. Hence, wear a good sun-protection lotion when venturing out into the sun.
• Stemetil affects the blood sugar levels. Have regular checkups if you are a diabetic.
• The drug may cause a sedative effect. Hence you may feel inattentive, blurred vision, sleepy, reduced attention span to things. It is short-lived, however, and these effects disappear once the medication is stopped. Alcohol increases the intensity of these reactions. So, it is safe to stay away from machinery, driving, or any such activity that requires vigilance.
• Sometimes you may have a headache or head-heaviness. You may ask the doctor for a painkiller if the pain is severe.
• Dry mouth is another side effect of prochlorperazine. The decline in the number of white blood cells (neutrophils) in the blood.
• Reactions like sudden and involuntary muscle movement, fidgety, or shakiness require immediate medical attention, so consult the doctor as soon as you feel any of these indications. Usually, dosage adjustments help address such symptoms.
• Your body may feel hot or cold suddenly because the drug affects the regulation of body temperature. This side-effect is noticeable in older adults. Keep yourself adequately hydrated and aptly clothed to avoid suffering either of them too severely.
• Finding it hard to fall asleep without any apparent reason, disturbed sleep, sudden weight loss, stuffy nose, increased heartbeats, menstrual problems, difficulty in passing urine; are some of the less common side effects of prochlorperazine. Seek medical advice instantly if you experience any of these symptoms.
• Stemetil is not administered to breastfeeding women as the medicine affects the lactation hormones and produces excess milk. It may sometimes result in breast enlargement.
• Neuroleptic Malignment Syndrome– Nerve or muscle clutching or stiffness, excess sweating, irregular or fast heartbeats, variation in blood pressure, high temperature are indications of the Neuroleptic Malignment Syndrome. It is rare that Stemetil shows such severe side-effect but if you do experience any of this symptom, get medical help immediately.
• High doses of prochlorperazine for longer duration may increase the risk of formation of blood clots in the blood vessels (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism). These conditions may cause critical medical conditions such as sudden breathlessness, sharp pain or redness accompanying swelling in a leg, experiencing severe pain when coughing or coughing up blood. Get the medical help quickly if any of the symptoms show-up while you are on prochlorperazine medication.

Drug Interactions

Avoid taking these medicines when you are on Stemetil or substitute medication because when combined with prochlorperazine these medicines cause severe drowsiness and sedation.

• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Sleeping pills
• Antihistamines
• Strong opioid painkillers
• Benzodiazepines
• Antidepressants
• Barbiturates

Storage and Precaution

• Store the medicine in cold and dry place, away from direct heat and moisture.
• Never overdose. If you mistakenly overdose go to the doctor immediately.
• Keep the medicine away from children.
• Do not take medicine which has crossed the expiry date.
• Do not use tampered or torn packs of medicine.

Let your doctor clear all your doubts regarding the Stemetil administration and side-effects.

Prochlorperazine is available in the market over the counter as a generic drug without a brand name. However, it is advisable that you talk to the pharmacist explaining your condition and current medication, to rule out any undesired side-effects.

Disclaimer

All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. We’ve made all possible efforts to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date and complete, however, it should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. NeuroEquilibrium only provides reference source for common information on medicines and does not guarantee its accuracy or exhaustiveness. The absence of a warning for any drug or combination thereof, should not be assumed to indicate that the drug or combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Please base your medical decisions only on the advice of a doctor or a registered medical professional.