The effect of this drug in emptying psychiatric hospitals has been compared to that of penicillin and infectious diseases. But the popularity of the drug fell from the late 1960s as newer drugs came on the scene. From chlorpromazine a number of other similar antipsychotics were developed. It also led to the discovery of antidepressants.Chlorpromazine largely replaced electroconvulsive therapy, hydrotherapy, psychosurgery, and insulin shock therapy. By 1964, about 50 million people worldwide had taken it. Chlorpromazine, in widespread use for 50 years, remains a "benchmark" drug in the treatment of schizophrenia, an effective drug although not a perfect one. The relative strengths or potencies of other antipsychotics are often ranked or measured against chlorpromazine in aliquots of 100 mg, termed chlorpromazine equivalents or CPZE.In the movie: "Shutter Island", chlorpromazine is presented as being the new medicament for psychosis treatment however with adverse effects like tremors or abstinence syndrome. Society and culture
Names
Brand names include Thorazine, Largactil, Hibernal, and Megaphen (sold by Bayer in West-Germany since July 1953).) Research
Chlorpromazine has tentative benefit in animals infected with Naegleria fowleri, and shows antifungal and antibacterial activity in vitro. Veterinary use
The veterinary use of chlorpromazine has generally been superseded by use of acepromazine.Chlorpromazine may be used as an antiemetic in dogs and cats, or, less often, as sedative before anesthesia. In horses, it often causes ataxia and lethargy, and is therefore seldom used.It is commonly used to decrease nausea in animals that are too young for other common anti-emetics.
Tardive dyskinesia (involuntary, repetitive body movements) and akathisia (a feeling of inner restlessness and inability to stay still) are less commonly seen with chlorpromazine than they are with high potency typical antipsychotics such as haloperidol or trifluoperazine, and some evidence suggests that, with conservative dosing, the incidence of such effects for chlorpromazine may be comparable to that of newer agents such as risperidone or olanzapine.Chlorpromazine may deposit in ocular tissues when taken in high dosages for long periods of time. Contraindications
Absolute contraindications include:

Previous hypersensitivity (including jaundice, agranulocytosis, etc.) to phenothiazines, especially chlorpromazine, or any of the excipients in the formulation being used.Relative contraindications include:

Very rarely, elongation of the QT interval may occur, increasing the risk of potentially fatal arrhythmias. Interactions
Consuming food prior to taking chlorpromazine orally limits its absorption; likewise, cotreatment with benztropine can also reduce chlorpromazine absorption. Alcohol can also reduce chlorpromazine absorption. Antacids slow chlorpromazine absorption. Lithium and chronic treatment with barbiturates can increase chlorpromazine clearance significantly. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) can decrease chlorpromazine clearance and hence increase chlorpromazine exposure. Cotreatment with CYP1A2 inhibitors like ciprofloxacin, fluvoxamine or vemurafenib can reduce chlorpromazine clearance and hence increase exposure and potentially also adverse effects. Chlorpromazine can also potentiate the CNS depressant effects of drugs like barbiturates, benzodiazepines, opioids, lithium and anesthetics and hence increase the potential for adverse effects such as respiratory depression and sedation.Chlorprozamine is also a moderate inhibitor of CYP2D6 and a substrate for CYP2D6, and hence can inhibit its own metabolism.