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It is a medicine within the family of antipsychotics commonly used to treat psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is associated with an overactivity of dopamine found in the brain, which generates delusions and hallucinations that feature this disease.
Schizophrenic patients may experience, depending on the state of the seriousness of the disease, hallucinations, hostility, disturbances of thought, social isolation, or lack of emotions.
Sulpiride effectively alleviates these symptoms and neutralizes the conditions that the patient presents, granting psychological stability to coexist with society.
How does Sulpiride work?
This antipsychotic acts by blocking the dopamine receptors in the brain.
Dopamine is a chemical neurotransmitter. These are stored in nerve cells and participate in the transmission of messages between nerve cells and are involved in the regulation of mood and human behavior, among other functions.
It is considered that psychotic illness is caused by alterations in the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain.
Sulpiride works by blocking the brain receptors in which dopamine acts and helps control schizophrenia.
This medication can not stop being taken suddenly unless it is by a specialist doctor. It can generate counterproductive effects for the person under treatment and even worsen their condition.
It controls the symptoms of the disease but does not cure it if the treatment is stopped before the doctor indicates it can cause the symptoms of the disease to reappear, including driving or tremors, nausea, vomiting, or difficulty sleeping.
If the recommendation is to suspend its use, it should be gradually interrupted so that the body adapts to the lack of this drug in the system.
Side effects
Side effects associated with this medicine may vary depending on the person being treated. However, the most common are usually:
- Involuntary movements of the legs, arms, hands, face, tongue, or neck.
- Nerve contractions in the extremities of the body or stiffness.
- Insomnia or drowsiness.
- Sporadic or progressive dizziness.
- Increased weight.
- Convulsions
- Liver problems
- High level of prolactin in the blood.
- Loss of sexual appetite.
- Seizures
- Mild cardiac arrhythmia
Precautions
This antipsychotic can not be consumed by people who have the following conditions, conditions, health complications, or diseases:
- Low levels of potassium in the blood.
- Slow heart rate
- Chronic or severe kidney diseases.
- Liver diseases.
- Porphyria .
- Breast cancer
- Tumor in the adrenal gland.
- Blood disorders
- Tumor of the pituitary gland.
- Conditions in the central nervous system that generate delayed reactions, drowsiness, or mental incapacity.
- Alcohol intoxication
- Be younger than 14
If the patient is pregnant or in the process of breastfeeding, you should consult your treating doctor if you can use this medication, as it could be harmful to the baby’s health.
If the use of Sulpiride causes excessive sweating, high fever, muscle stiffness, and slow or rapid breathing, it may be due to a neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and it may be necessary to stop treatment.
Some people treated with Sulpiride tend to suffer more frequently from conditions that are harmful to their health, such as:
- Excited, agitated, or aggressive states.
- A disease that affects the heart and blood vessels.
- Parkinson’s disease
Antacids and sucralfate can reduce the absorption of Sulpiride from the intestine. If the patient needs to take these medications, you should wait at least two hours after taking your dose of Sulpiride.
Interactions
The use of certain drugs should be avoided while the afflicted person is being treated with Sulpiride, such as:
- Benzodiazepines
- Tricyclic antidepressants.
- Sedative antihistamines
- Strong opioid analgesics
- Sleeping pills.
This medication may be opposed or reduced in effectiveness by the effects of dopamine agonists, which are commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
If Sulpiride is used in combination with lithium, there may be an increased risk of abnormal movements of the hands, face, tongue, and legs.
Some medicines, along with Sulpiride, can reduce potassium levels in the blood, for example, corticosteroids, laxatives, and diuretics.
