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Trifluoperazine User Reviews & Ratings

Trifluoperazine has an average rating of 8.3 out of 10 from a total of 23 reviews on Drugs.com. 86% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 9% reported a negative experience.

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Reviews for Trifluoperazine

  • Con...
  • November 9, 2011

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Schizophrenia "Out of all the medications my son uses, this is very helpful. To my surprise, this medication is discontinued in the USA and overseas. This is a very old medication and works wonderfully to help my son carry out a normal life for himself. Please let us all vote and have this medication back in the pharmacy. Thank you."

10 / 10
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70 Report
  • You...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • September 6, 2022

For Schizophrenia "I have been taking trifluoperazine for two and a half to three years or longer. I have tried many antipsychotics that I could not tolerate or side effects that were not bearable. Very sensitive to meds. It has been great for the schizophrenia and psychosis. Best med I have taken, especially for that feeling of losing touch with reality. Some side effects are restlessness that began after taking it for about a year or so. Some tiredness here and there but manageable and some weight gain. I drink coffee to help with tiredness. It is a medication that allows me to relax. I take 2 mg twice a day. I will begin taking Lamictal to help with the mood issues I have: ups and downs, mood swings from happy to depressed, and my mood just not always the best. So trifluoperazine has helped greatly for schizophrenia but not the absolute best for mood disorder in my experience. Adding Lamictal to my regimen. Wanted to make a review because it's an older medication and just trying to help people out."

8 / 10
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18 Report
  • Anonymous
  • August 6, 2011

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Anxiety "I take 1 mg daily. So far, it is very effective, I tend to be able to be more relaxed and can sleep with clear and peaceful thoughts, where I used to be laying in bed for 20 minutes thinking too much. But it seems not to do much for my social anxiety. Overall, pretty effective."

9 / 10
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47 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Ali...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 15, 2019

For Anxiety "I'm on sertraline 100 mg since 4 months ago. My sex drive was dead! And no change in anxiety, just better in OCD. It has been one day since I started this pill, 2 mg every day, and after 1 day, boom, you can't imagine how good it was for my anxiety and even no more erection and orgasm problems. =) Thank you."

10 / 10
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19 Report
  • Mil...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • July 19, 2021

For Schizophrenia "Surprisingly, an old typical antipsychotic trifluoperazine works well for my negative symptoms of schizophrenia, like avolition, anhedonia, and also depression. I couldn't find any info about its effect on negative symptoms. Looks like many drugs are understudied and can have effects not listed by manufacturers. Trifluoperazine is really a hidden gem for me. My doctor warned me about possible serious side effects, but at a low dose I seem okay. There were other antipsychotics that helped me with negative symptoms, but trifluoperazine is the cheapest in my country and it does not cause noticeable side effects."

9 / 10
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13 Report

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  • The...
  • November 15, 2016

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Schizophrenia "My wife used this, initially a higher dose and then 1 mg for life. Works wonderful till she stopped using it and she relapsed. Now she is on another medication, very popular but not for everyone. Will ask the doctor to consider putting her back on Stelazine. Yes, I do not know why Stelazine is not popular now. With a low dose, the side effect is almost negligible and the person can resume almost a normal life as compared to the side effects of the newer and popular drug."

10 / 10
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20 Report
  • And...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • January 11, 2020

For Anxiety "After a drug-induced psychosis at 19 years of age, this medicine, trifluoperazine, worked very quickly for me. Eventually, I was on a dose of 1 mg a day. Worked well, better than the newer second-generation drugs."

9 / 10
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14 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • August 24, 2022

For Anxiety "I started having myoclonic jerks with this medication. I was taken off of it, and the jerks went away. However, I still cannot walk right. I have a terrible time with balance. I lost my job over this. This drug ruined my life."

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8 Report
  • Car...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • August 8, 2016

For Schizophrenia "I have been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and at first, I was given Haldol. Haldol stopped the hallucinations but also made me gain weight, about 5 lbs a month. I switched to Stelazine, called trifluoperazine in its generic form, and everything has been good. I take 2 mg daily and 1 mg Cogentin to counteract side effects. I also take 50 mg Seroquel for sleep. Now different medicines may work differently for different people. But I had to share my experience, and I hope this information can help you."

10 / 10
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20 Report
  • The...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 10, 2014

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Anxiety "Taken alongside lithium, quetiapine for bipolar one. This medication is old but very effective against anxiety associated with bipolar disorder. No side effects apart from feeling a little drowsy at times."

8 / 10
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22 Report
  • Mea...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • March 31, 2023

For Anxiety "Grateful for being on 1-2 mg/day, as it helped me feel glued back together, and my perception could be more central versus diffuse. I went off due to fears of extrapyramidal effects, though I personally never experienced any while on the drug for about 1-2 years (can’t remember exactly). I think I was on Wellbutrin at the same time. Didn’t struggle then as I do now (off all drugs for 2 years) with insomnia, hypervigilance, and loss of sense of self, among others! Thanks for your posts here! Very helpful. Wondering if I should go back on this drug because it helped, or if a “safer” one."

9 / 10
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4 Report
  • Pic...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 1, 2019

For Schizophrenia "Once you get to trifluoperazine 10 mg, you begin to experience inner restlessness. My legs are restless. My muscles in my back and neck feel rigid and stiff, and so far, Cogentin isn't helping at 2 mg."

8 / 10
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8 Report
  • NJ-...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 11, 2014

For Anxiety "I took this about 45 years ago in my 20s for several years for anxiety when it was called Stelazine. Now it is only available as the generic trifluoperazine. I've had a prostate and bladder condition for a few years now and often suffer nocturia, needing to go every 20 minutes once I go to bed at night. This often can last the entire night until 8 AM-9 AM. In desperation, I tried this drug again and found that 1 mg quiets my bladder within an hour and lets me sleep. Even if I do get up every hour or two, I can get back to sleep. Other overactive bladder meds have unacceptable side effects on me of dry mouth and greatly lowered BP. This has no side effects, calms me down, reduces the frequency about 75%, and lets me sleep."

9 / 10
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12 Report
  • Gan...
  • Taken for 5 to 10 years
  • August 12, 2017

For Schizophrenia "I am on trifluoperazine on and off for about 7 years. It does have a positive effect, but side effects are making me miserable. I can't function properly. I got movement disorders, restless legs from this. I've been through this chemical torture for about 7 years. I also tried olanzapine, all typicals, benzos, and beta blockers. It is a very strong drug and impossible to come off from this, but I made it, and my new psychiatrist prescribed me amisulpride. That was life-changing, and amisulpride completely cured me, now I am drug-free. Thanks."

3 / 10
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9 Report
  • EDG...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • July 24, 2016

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Anxiety "I was on this medicine for at least 10 years - from age 21 after a psychotic-type illness in a mental hospital with depression and anxiety but no active symptoms of schizophrenia. The dose of around 5-10 mgs nightly had very adverse effects on me, such as memory loss - of events, conversations, visual memories of places recently visited, extreme fatigue after sexual activity/erectile dysfunction, and great difficulty in concentration for reading, following TV programs, etc. Was switched to Modecate depot injections from 1980 to 1998 with similar severe adverse side effects - with atypical new medicines added on the 2nd admission; namely Amisulpride - dropped 25 mgs of Modecate injections on my own volition, totally cured now on 50 mgs amisulpride."

1 / 10
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10 Report
  • Gmo...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • September 11, 2021

For Schizophrenia "I got put on Stelazine when 25 years old (now 52 years old) for schizophrenia. It was 8 mg p/d. I was very restless and couldn’t stop pacing about, but it did something magic as I got my first ever girlfriend within a couple of weeks. I think it’s good for anhedonia. I think they had me on an unnecessarily high dose. It wasn’t very pleasant. I was later, after 6 months, put onto olanzapine. I’m now back on it at a low dose of 1 mg-2 mg p/d (with clozapine). It has stopped me from biting my nails, which has been a lifelong thing since childhood. I do feel a bit overstimulated since starting it. But it has no negative sexual side effects at this dose and does add extra antipsychotic effect so the clozapine can be lowered slightly, meaning less tiredness."

9 / 10
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4 Report
  • Ilo...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 6, 2024

For Anxiety "I took SSRI for almost 2.5 years, and none of them gave me what I wanted. I always felt so anxious and not able to do anything, like only waking up, watching YouTube, and sleeping. They gave me this med, and I didn't want to take it, but one night I said, let me try it. That night I started doing everything I always used to say I will do later. This med balances the level of dopamine in your brain for people who have an issue with balancing. It might make you drowsy, but after a few hours, it will go."

10 / 10
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  • Gea...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • November 17, 2021

For Anxiety "Its helped my mind get alot quieter but I still know my son, brother and boyfriend playing with my head and refuse to tell the truth, so i just take it in and laugh. Lately it kind helps me laugh, if I think to much it becomes a distraction at work."

9 / 10
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3 Report
  • Anonymous
  • January 11, 2009

Stelazine (trifluoperazine) for Schizophrenia "This medication saved my life. I had allergic reactions to some medications and was afraid that I would never find something to help me."

10 / 10
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50 Report
  • Jad...
  • November 25, 2017

For Schizophrenia "Works great and better than the new antipsychotics. Helps my anxiety a lot. Very strong medicine. Only thing I hate about it is when I went back on it, I gained 15 pounds in a week. :*("

8 / 10
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15 Report
  • Vic...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 29, 2019

For Anxiety "I'm bipolar 1 since I was 12 years old. Every evening, I used to cry for 15 minutes. When I took trifluoperazine, my crying spells disappeared. Simply a wonderful drug."

10 / 10
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7 Report
  • Jon...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • February 8, 2015

For Schizophrenia "I take 10 mg a day with no side effects. It keeps my mood stable for the most part, but I have had some mania bleed through. On it because it is weight neutral."

9 / 10
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9 Report
  • Sta...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • October 27, 2019

For Schizophrenia "Akastasia at a higher dosage."

5 / 10
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5 Report
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.