medicine:STEMETIL?

Question

my doc prescribed me stemetil about 5 days ago because i suffer from sever nausea. it worked really well on the nausea but as soon as the effect wears off i need it again. Is it safe to take stemetil permanently as it makes me feel very weak and drowsy?

Answer 1

Hi,

It is very risky/dangerous to use Stemetil like this. This is a HIGH-RISK drug with a history of causing dangerous adverse effects.

Stemetil (Procholorperazine) is a phenothiazine drug. Most drugs in this category are used as anti-psychotics(neuroleptics). They do have anti-emetic properties and so can be used to treat nausea. But they do have a lot of side-effects like dystonias (muscle cramps), akathisias (involuntary muscle quiverings and shakes) and sedation.

Anyway, a lot of countries have stopped using Stemetil to treat nausea for a number of reasons, the most important being that neuroleptics can cause Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome, which has very similar symptoms to Serotonin Syndrome. (Mortality rate = 5%-75%)

Another major risk is that of developing a condition called tardive dyskinesia, which is characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements (grimacing, tongue protrusion, lip smacking, twitching). The condition may persist after stopping of the drug for months, years, or even permanently. This condition, whilst not fatal, is incurable.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Safer alternatives include Ondansetron (Zofran), Metoclopramide (Reglan), Meclizine (Dramamine II). Please talk to your doctor.

Answer 2

Stemetil suppresses vomiting center. So it works well for nausea. It is not an addicting drug. It is a phenothiazine drug and another phenothiazine drug like Thioridazine called Melleril can be taken . But find out from your physician why you are getting nausea.. The cause must be treated not the symptom

Answer 3

Go to this site

http://medlineplus.gov/

look at the alphabet and "S" and look for it and it will give you everything you need to know.
It is a site for Dr's , you can view operation videos there