Thiothixene

Thiothixene is a prescription medication used to treat schizophrenia. Thiothixene belongs to a group of drugs called antipsychotics, which work by altering the activity of certain natural substances in the brain.

This medication comes in capsule form and is typically taken 1 to 3 times a day, with or without food.

Common side effects of thiothixene include uncontrolled muscle movement, drowsiness, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how thiothixene affects you.

Thiothixene may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Navane

Serious side effects have been reported with thiothixene. See the “Drug Precautions” section.

Common side effects of thiothixene include the following:

• uncontrolled muscle movement
• drowsiness
• dizziness
• a fast heart beat
• low blood pressure
• fainting

This is not a complete list of thiothixene side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
 

Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis: Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Observational studies suggest that, similar to atypical antipsychotic drugs, treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs may increase mortality. The extent to which the findings of increased mortality in observational studies may be attributed to the antipsychotic drug as opposed to some characteristic(s) of the patients is not clear. Thiothixene is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.