History of Chlorpromazine

According to Spiritus Temporis, chlorpromazine became popular in the 1950s and 1960s as an antipsychotic drug. Chlorpromazine was sold under trade names such as Thorazine and Largactil before it fell from favor in the late 1960s because of the side effects that became noticeable as the number of users of chlorpromazine increased.

Development

• The original development of chlorpromazine was begun by French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Rhone-Poulenc with research beginning in 1950. Spiritus Temporis reports the initial research proved so successful that pharmaceutical company Smith-Kline & French bought the rights to develop and market chlorpromazine in 1952. The first tests of chlorpromazine are reported by the Discovering Psychology website to have taken place on a patient in a military hospital in Paris, France in 1952. By 1954 chlorpromazine had been cleared for use in psychiatric treatments in the U.S.

Uses

• According to Spiritus Temporis the initial use of chlorpromazine was as an antihistamine and antiemetic drug. While using the drug for these purposes a French doctor, Henri Laborit, began to notice the effects of chlorpromazine on the mental states of his patients. Doctor Laborit also became aware of the sedative qualities of chlorpromazine, beginning the interest in the drug as in psychiatric treatment. The first uses of chlorpromazine for psychiatric relief was in 1953 by Pierre Deniker and Jean Delay.

Therapy

• The use of chlorpromazine became common in psychiatric treatments because of the ability of the drug to cause improvements in the thinking and emotional behavior of patients with conditions such as schizophrenia. Spiritus Temporis reports the antipsychotic properties of chlorpromazine meant it quickly took the place of common therapies of the 1950s such as electroshock and insulin shock treatments. The discovery of chlorpromazine also led to the reduced use of surgical procedures such as lobotomy in the treatment of psychiatric conditions.

Benefits

• The University of Maryland Medical Center explains the greatest relief from psychotic symptoms are seen when using chlorpromazine in the early- to mid-stages of conditions such as schizophrenia. Relief can be seen from symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions by using antipsychotic drugs such as chlorpromazine.

Side Effects

• In the late 1960s the increased occurrence of side effects linked to antipsychotic drugs such as chlorpromazine led to a reduction in the popularity of the drug. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports the most commonly seen side effects of chlorpromazine as extra pyramidal side effects. These side effects are often mistaken for the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, including involuntary movements of the mouth, limbs or trunk of the body. Abnormal muscle spasms throughout the body are also possible, especially in the head area with contortions of the neck, jaw and eye muscles. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains the side effects can become apparent weeks to months after stopping taking chlorpromazine.