yes, therapy helps!
Pimozide: mechanism of action, uses and side effects

Pimozide: mechanism of action, uses and side effects

February 29, 2024

Antipsychotic drugs have been shown to be effective in reducing the most characteristic symptoms of schizophrenia, mainly hallucinations and delusions; However, this type of medication often causes extremely intense and difficult to tolerate adverse reactions that can lead to death.

In this article we will analyze the mechanism of action, uses and side effects of pimozide , one of the most potent antipsychotics that exist and which is also used to treat chronic and treatment-resistant tic disorders, especially Tourette's syndrome.

  • Related article: "Types of antipsychotics (or neuroleptics)"

What is pimozide?

Pimozide is a psychopharmaceutical of the class of antipsychotics . It belongs to the pharmacological group of diphenylbutylpiperidines, of which clopimozide, fluspirilene and penfluridol are also part; all of them were developed by the Belgian company Janssen Pharmaceutica. The pimozide in particular was created in 1963.


It is a drug with a very intense potency, even more than that of other classic antipsychotics that are famous for their aggressiveness, such as haloperidol. This makes the risk of adverse reactions typical of antipsychotics, such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome and tardive dyskinesia, especially high when consuming pimozide.

  • Maybe you're interested: "Psychotropic drugs: drugs that act on the brain"

What is your mecanism of action?

Pimozide exercises Antagonistic effects on dopamine receptors D2, D3 and D4 , reducing the activity of this neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. This action is associated with the decrease of positive symptoms of schizophrenia, the most characteristic of which are hallucinations and delusions.


Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter of the brain reward system, so that learning and behavior motivated by obtaining reinforcement depend on this chemical compound. The symptoms of schizophrenia, both positive and negative, have been associated with dysfunctions in the transmission of dopamine .

The effects on dopamine are also the cause of the adverse reactions of the consumption of pimozide and other antipsychotics. Among these are the extrapyramidal syndrome, which is characterized by the appearance of signs such as stiffness and muscle contractions, involuntary movements and physical and psychological restlessness.

What is pimozide used for?

Pimozide is used primarily for the treatment of two kinds of psychological disorders of organic origin: psychoses and tics. In particular, this drug is administered in resistant and / or chronic cases of schizophrenia, Tourette's syndrome and other alterations that are included in one of these two categories.


Studies that have analyzed the efficacy of pimozide compared with other antipsychotics used more frequently, such as chlorpromazine, reveal that they are approximately equally effective in treating the positive symptoms of schizophrenia and other disorders of the psychosis spectrum.

In the scientific literature reference is also made to the use of pimozide for alterations related to paranoia and delusions ; thus, sometimes this drug is applied in the treatment of delusional disorder, in the paranoid personality and in delirium of parasitosis or Ekbom syndrome, characteristic of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Side effects and adverse reactions

The most common side effects of pimozide use include dizziness, drowsiness, excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), dry mouth, constipation, repeated awakenings during the night due to urination (nocturia), decreased muscle movements (hypokinesia or akinesia) and speech disorders.

Other frequent and generally mild reactions that may appear are nervousness, feelings of weakness, postural changes, diarrhea, excessive salivation, increased thirst and hunger, sensitivity to light, abnormal movements, Facial inexpressiveness and decreased sexual performance.

On the other hand, among the serious and characteristic side effects of antipsychotics we found neuroleptic malignant syndrome (which causes death in 10% of cases), tardive dyskinesia (repetitive and involuntary movements, often of the mouth) and akathisia (a feeling of intense and constant discomfort and restlessness).

There's also signs that the medication is acting negatively , so when they appear it is necessary to consult the doctor. The most important are confusion, fever, muscle stiffness, the appearance of contractures in the neck, difficulties swallowing and uncontrollable movements of the face.

A particularly problematic adverse reaction is the appearance of alterations in the heart rhythm. It is known that, if the dose of pimozide is very high, this drug can cause sudden death because it favors the beating of the heart irregular. Therefore, when pimozide is prescribed, electrocardiograms are usually programmed.

It has also been discovered that pimozide can cause the emergence of tumors in mice. However, the available data do not allow us to extrapolate this serious adverse reaction to humans in a scientifically reliable way.


Pimozide (February 2024).


Similar Articles