Levomepromazine

Levomepromazine, a phenothiazine and typical antipsychotic agent, is widely utilized in palliative care due to its multifaceted pharmacologic profile. Known for its sedative, anxiolytic, antiemetic, analgesic, and antipsychotic activities, levomepromazine offers comprehensive symptom management for patients with advanced illnesses. Although its exact mechanism of action remains not fully elucidated, levomepromazine is understood to antagonize various receptors in the central nervous system (CNS), including adrenergic, dopamine, histamine, cholinergic, and serotonin (5-HT) receptors. This receptor blockade underpins its therapeutic effects.

Nausea and vomiting are particularly distressing symptoms frequently encountered in palliative care, significantly impairing patient quality of life. Levomepromazine is effectively employed as an antiemetic in these settings, providing relief where other medications may fail. Its utility extends beyond its original indication as an antipsychotic, demonstrating the versatility and importance of this agent in managing complex symptomatology in palliative care.

By targeting multiple receptor systems, levomepromazine serves as a crucial tool in alleviating the multifaceted symptoms experienced by palliative care patients, ensuring comfort and enhancing the quality of remaining life.

Levomepromazine is widely used in palliative care as an antipsychotic, anxiolytic, antiemetic, and sedative drug. However, the supporting evidence is limited to open series and case reports. Thus, prospective randomized trials...