Perphenazine (
Trilafon®) is a prescription medicine known as a "typical antipsychotic" that has been licensed to treat
schizophrenia. It is also approved to treat severe nausea and vomiting.
Perphenazine was originally manufactured by Schering-Plough Corporation. Although brand-name perphenazine is no longer being made, generic perphenazine is still available and is made by several different companies.
How Does Perphenazine Work?
Perphenazine belongs to a group of medications called typical (or first-generation) antipsychotic medications. In particular, it is part of a group of medications called phenothiazines. It is not entirely known how the drug works. However, it is known that it blocks or lessens the effects of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that may be elevated in people with schizophrenia.
Since dopamine can activate the part of the brain that controls nausea and vomiting, perphenazine can treat severe nausea and vomiting by lessening the effects of dopamine in the brain.