Along with their needing effects, phenothiazines can sometimes cause serious unwanted effects. Tardive dyskinesia or tardive dystonia - muscle movement disorders may occur and may not go away after you stop using the drug. Signs of tardive dyskinesia or tardive dystonia include worm-like movements of the tongue, or other uncontrolled movements of the mouth, tongue, cheeks, jaw, body, arms, or legs. Another possible serious unwanted effect is the neuroleptic malignant syndrome - NMS. Signs and symptoms of NMS include severe muscle stiffness, fever, fast heartbeat, difficult breathing, increased sweating, and loss of bladder control You and your family doctor must discuss the good this drug will do as well as the chance of taking it .
Stop taking this drug and check with your family doctor immediately if any of the following side effects was happen
Rare Symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome
Confusion - severe or coma; difficult or fast breathing; drooling; fast heartbeat; fever; high or low - irregular blood pressure; increased sweating; loss of bladder control; muscle stiffness - severe; trembling or shaking; trouble in speaking or swallowing
Check with your family doctor immediately if any of the following side effects was happen
More common
Inability to move eyes; increased blinking or spasms of eyelid; lip smacking or puckering; muscle spasms of face, neck, body, arms, or legs causing unusual postures or unusual expressions on face; puffing of cheeks; rapid or worm-like movements of tongue; sticking out of tongue; tic-like or twitching movements; trouble in breathing, speaking, or swallowing; uncontrolled chewing movements; uncontrolled movements of arms or legs; uncontrolled twisting movements of neck, trunk, arms, or legs
Rare
irregular or slow heart rate; recurrent fainting
Always check with your family doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects was happen
More common
Blurred vision, change in color vision, or difficulty in seeing at night; fainting; loss of balance control; mask-like face; restlessness or need to keep moving; shuffling walk; stiffness of arms or legs; trembling and shaking of hands and fingers
Less common
Difficulty in urinating; skin rash; sunburn - severe
Rare
Abdominal or stomach pains; aching muscles and joints; agitation, bizarre dreams, excitement, or trouble in sleeping; bleeding or bruising - unusual; chest pain; clumsiness; confusion - mild; constipation - severe; convulsions - seizures; dark urine; fever and chills; hair loss; headaches; hot, dry skin or lack of sweating; itchy skin - severe; muscle weakness; nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea; pain in joints; prolonged, painful, inappropriate erection of the penis; redness of hands; shivering; skin discoloration - tan or blue-gray; sore throat and fever; sores in mouth; unusual bleeding or bruising; unusual tiredness or weakness; yellow eyes or skin
Phenothiazines may cause your urine to be dark. In most cases, this is not a sign of a serious problem. However, if your urine does become dark, discuss it with your family doctor.
More common side effects may occur that usually don't needed medical attention. These side effects may go away during treat as your body adjusts to the drug. However, check with your family doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
More common
Constipation - mild; decreased sweating; dizziness; drowsiness; dryness of mouth; nasal congestion
Less common
Changes in menstrual period; decreased sexual ability; increased sensitivity of eyes to light; rough or “fuzzy” tongue; secretion of milk - unusual; swelling or pain in breasts; watering of mouth; weight gain - unusual
After you stop using this drug, your body may need time to adjust. The length of time this takes depends on the amount of drug you were using and how long you using it. During this time, check with your family doctor if you notice dizziness, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, trembling of the fingers and hands, or any of the following signs of tardive dyskinesia or tardive dystonia:
Inability to move eyes; lip smacking or puckering; muscle spasms of face, neck, body, arms, or legs, causing unusual body positions or unusual expressions on face; puffing of cheeks; rapid or worm-like movements of tongue; sticking out of tongue; tic-like or twitching movements; trouble in breathing, speaking, or swallowing; uncontrolled chewing movements; uncontrolled twisting or other movements of neck, trunk, arms, or legs
Although not all of the side effects listed above have been reported for all of the phenothiazines, they have been reported for at least one of them. However, since all of the phenothiazines are very similar, any of the above side effects may occur with any of these medication.
More common side effects not listed above may also occur in some diseaseds. If you have any other problems, check with your family doctor.