Hello Matthew,

I don't know what the side effects of Thorazine are though your pharmacist could give you a hand-out about that.

What I can say: I was on 5 mg of Stelazine for 16 years and then in 2003 my pdoc raised that to 10 mg, so I can definitely talk about how the Stelazine effected me.  On the 10 mg of this drug I was so fatigued in the morning that I could barely wake up on time and was frequently late to work which co-workers noticed and complained about.  I had a deal with my supervisor that if I was running late, all I had to do was call her in advance.  I wrote her an e-mail telling her I was on medication that caused me to be fatigued in the morning.  I don't recommend full disclosure on the job and even saying what I did could've backfired yet my boss has been understanding, even now when the Geodon I'm on caused me to fall asleep in the afternoon.  She suggested I talk to my doctor about adjusting the dose, and as soon as he told me to take the extra 40 mg at night instead of in the morning, I was wide awake in the afternoon.

Both Thorazine and Stelazine are in the class of drugs called phenothiazines, so there could be similar side effects such as in extreme cases Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome and sometimes extrapyramidal side effects.  This is not to dissuade you from taking a drug.

If side effects are troubling you, I would continue to stay on the medication and work with your pdoc to adjust the dose or change the medication or work on techniques to combat the side effects.  Going off the medication could cause your schizophrenia symptoms to return.

Best regards,

Christina