Medication evidence profile
Prochlorperazine
Clinical overview
Antiemetic / dopamine-antagonist medication
Prochlorperazine has public medication-list entries in JARS 2025, Yamada-ABS 2023, Swe-ABS 2023, and CALS 2022 Table 4. These are 4 separate source versions, each with its own evidence and definitions.
Source-specific scores
| Source | Score |
|---|---|
| JARS | 2 |
| Yamada-ABS | 2 |
| BAAS | Not listed |
| Swe-ABS | 1 |
| GABS | Not listed |
| KABS | Not listed |
| CALS | 2 |
How to read this: 0 means the source explicitly assigned zero. “Not listed” means the source did not provide a score for this medication. Scores from different scales are not averaged.
How to interpret the evidence
4 of 7 public source versions contain an explicit medication-list entry for prochlorperazine.
The recorded values differ across the source rows for prochlorperazine. Scale methods, definitions, source eras, evidence types and identity handling can differ; the numbers alone do not establish the reason for this medication’s disagreement.
None of the public rows in this profile is an explicit zero. An unlisted source still supplies no value.
Source labels and provenance · 4 observations
- Japanese Anticholinergic Risk Scale (JARS) 2025 English translation
Source label: Prochlorperazine. Published value: 2.
Source version: JARS-2025
Source location: RC4 source recovery; recovery_scope=primary_table_complete; ATC=N05AB04
Observation: JARS_2025_R0025; rating state: published_rating. - Yamada Pharmacological Anticholinergic Burden Scale 2023
Source label: Prochlorperazine. Published value: 2.
Source version: YAMADA-ABS-2023
Source location: RC4 source recovery; recovery_scope=primary_nonzero_complete
Observation: YAMADA_ABS_2023_R0048; rating state: published_rating. - Swedish Anticholinergic Burden Scale 2023
Source label: Prochlorperazine. Published value: 1.
Source version: SWE-ABS-2023
Source location: RC4 source recovery; recovery_scope=primary_final_nonzero_complete
Observation: SWE_ABS_2023_R0053; rating state: published_rating. - CALS 2022 - primary final Table 4
Source label: Prochlorperazine. Published value: 2.
Source version: CALS-2022-primary-table4
Source location: Table 4; literal capture row 138; displayed table row 20; displayed column 5
Observation: CALS2022_T4_0138; rating state: published_final_table_rating.
Class context — antiemetic/dopamine-antagonist medications
For this group, strong-anticholinergic classification, first-generation antihistamine criteria, and disease-specific dopamine-antagonist concerns address different questions. A medication can appear in more than one criterion, each with its own clinical scope.
AGS Beers 2023 Table 2; AGS Beers 2023 Table 3; AGS Beers 2023 Table 7
Prochlorperazine: medication-specific notes
Condition-specific context
In addition to strong-anticholinergic classification, prochlorperazine appears in the Parkinson disease criterion because dopamine-receptor antagonism can worsen parkinsonian symptoms.
Older-adult medication context
AGS Beers context: classification and criteria
- Table 7: Strong-anticholinergic reference listing.
- Table 2: A separate general-avoid criterion is not mapped for this medication in this supplement. This is a coverage statement, not a safety conclusion.
Source-scale observations and geriatric criteria answer different questions. The Beers material does not alter any score above.
Adults 65 years and older; intended for ambulatory, acute, and institutional care except hospice/end-of-life settings.
Condition-specific and medication-combination contexts
Table 3: clinical conditions
Condition-specific contexts: delirium or high delirium risk, dementia or cognitive impairment, and history of falls or fractures. Applicability depends on the condition and the relevant source criterion.
Table 5: cumulative anticholinergic exposure
Concurrent use of more than one anticholinergic medication should be minimized because cumulative exposure increases geriatric safety concerns.
Potentially inappropriate does not mean absolutely contraindicated. Apply the criterion in clinical context and use shared decision-making.
What this page does not establish
- No medication-list entry is available here from BAAS 2019, GABS 2018, and KABS 2020 open validation supplement. These gaps remain “Not listed”; no score is inferred from another source or from class membership.
- No route inference unless present in the source label.
- These source records do not estimate an individual’s probability of harm or establish whether to start, stop or change a medication. Ordinal source scores are not averaged into a UnifiedACB score.
References
- Mizokami F, Mizuno T, Taguchi R, et al. Development of the Japanese Anticholinergic Risk Scale: English translation of the Japanese article. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2025;25(1):5-13. doi:10.1111/ggi.15001. Open source
- Yamada S, Mochizuki M, Chimoto J, Futokoro R, Kagota S, Shinozuka K. Development of a pharmacological evidence-based anticholinergic burden scale for medications commonly used in older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int. 2023;23(7):558-564. doi:10.1111/ggi.14619. Open source
- Rube T, Ecorcheville A, Londos E, Modig S, Johansson P. Development of the Swedish anticholinergic burden scale (Swe-ABS). BMC Geriatr. 2023;23(1):518. doi:10.1186/s12877-023-04225-1. Open source
- Ramos H, Moreno L, Pérez-Tur J, Cháfer-Pericás C, García-Lluch G, Pardo J. CRIDECO Anticholinergic Load Scale: an updated anticholinergic burden scale. Comparison with the ACB Scale in Spanish individuals with subjective memory complaints. J Pers Med. 2022;12(2):207. doi:10.3390/jpm12020207. Open source
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