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Prochlorperazine

Acute migraine (ED treatment), Nausea and vomiting, Vertigo-associated nausea

Indications

  • Acute migraine (ED treatment)
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Vertigo-associated nausea

Adult dosing

  • migraine: dose: 10; unit: mg; route: IV; interval: Give with diphenhydramine 25mg IV to prevent akathisia; fixed: true; nausea: dose: 10; unit: mg; route: IV/IM/PO; interval: q6-8h PRN; fixed: true

Contraindications

  • QTc prolongation
  • Parkinson disease
  • Children <2 years
  • Known dystonic reactions to dopamine antagonists

Clinical pearls

  • Prochlorperazine 10mg IV + diphenhydramine 25mg IV is more effective than sumatriptan for acute migraine in the ED
  • Always co-administer diphenhydramine to prevent akathisia (30% incidence without)
  • Infuse over 15-20 min to reduce hypotension risk
  • Avoid in Parkinson disease and Lewy body dementia

Source and review

  • Friedman et al., Ann Emerg Med 2014. Last reviewed: 2024-11-01