Prescription medicine
Perphenazine First approved as Trilafon
Perphenazine (Trilafon) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1957. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 16 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.161 per perphenazine 4 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
- Boxed warning
Check it at the source: the perphenazine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 12, 2024, Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc.); the NDA 10775 record on Drugs@FDA; every perphenazine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of December 12, 2024; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
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. Perphenazine is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia related psychosis (see WARNINGS).
Used for
From the label: indications and usagePerphenazine is indicated for use in the treatment of schizophrenia and for the control of severe nausea and vomiting in adults.
Forms and strengths
- 2 mg
- 4 mg
- 8 mg
- 16 mg
Film-coated tablet; tablet.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 27, 1957 Trilafon, Schering; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 18 first September 10, 1987; 12 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 16 of which 16 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.161 per tablet Perphenazine 4 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2012 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest October 11, 2012; 3 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 2,076 through July 30, 2026
What is perphenazine used for?
From the label: indications and usagePerphenazine is indicated for use in the treatment of schizophrenia and for the control of severe nausea and vomiting in adults. Perphenazine has not been shown effective for the management of behavioral complications in patients with mental retardation.
Conditions named in the indications of perphenazine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other perphenazine labelsSchizophrenia and Nausea and vomiting: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Perphenazine is indicated for use in the treatment of schizophrenia and for the control of severe nausea and vomiting in adults.
FDA pharmacologic class: Phenothiazine.
Source: FDA drug label (PERPHENAZINE), Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc., effective December 12, 2024 (SPL set 0ebf4c11-1810-42f6-a8e3-071616e33d5d), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for perphenazine (Trilafon)?
The FDA approved the first generic perphenazine on September 10, 1987. 18 generic applications are approved; 12 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists perphenazine from 16 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1957 earliest approval on file
- 1987 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for perphenazine (Trilafon)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.161 per Perphenazine 4 mg tablet, down 17% from $0.194 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Perphenazine 4 mg tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perphenazine 16 mg tablet | Generic | $0.391 per tablet | $11.73 | -12% |
| Perphenazine 2 mg tablet | Generic | $0.197 per tablet | $5.90 | -9% |
| Perphenazine 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.161 per tablet | $4.84 | -17% |
| Perphenazine 8 mg tablet | Generic | $0.135 per tablet | $4.06 | -37% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has perphenazine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 4 recalls naming perphenazine since 2012: 0 Class I (the most serious), 4 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 3 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of perphenazine and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling: Label Mixup: PERPHENAZINE, Tablet, 16 mg may have potentially been mislabeled as one of the following drugs: MELATONIN, Tablet, 1 mg, NDC … |
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling: Label Mixup: PERPHENAZINE, Tablet, 8 mg may have potentially been mislabeled as the following drug: NIFEdipine, Capsule, 10 mg, NDC 59762100401 … |
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling: Label Mixup: PERPHENAZINE, Tablet, 16 mg may have potentially been mislabeled as one of the following drugs: LITHIUM CARBONATE ER, Tablet, 450 mg … |
| October 11, 2012 | Class II | Vintage Pharmaceuticals LLC DBA Qualitest Pharmaceuticals | Tablet Separation: Possibility of cracked or split coating on the tablets. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the perphenazine label say about other medicines?
The perphenazine label names 4 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 14 other medicines name perphenazine. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Epinephrine | warnings | If hypotension develops, epinephrine should not be administered since its action is blocked and partially reversed by perphenazine. |
| Fluoxetine | drug interactions | Among these are tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, e.g., fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine. |
| Paroxetine | drug interactions | Among these are tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, e.g., fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine. |
| Sertraline | drug interactions | Among these are tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, e.g., fluoxetine, sertraline and paroxetine. |
Other labels that name perphenazine
Source: FDA drug label (PERPHENAZINE), Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc., effective December 12, 2024 (SPL set 0ebf4c11-1810-42f6-a8e3-071616e33d5d), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for perphenazine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 2,076 reports that list perphenazine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 222 are coded as a death and 1,015 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as perphenazine?
17 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as perphenazine or labeled mainly for the same use (schizophrenia), the same class first. Schizophrenia lists all 24 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorpromazine | Schizophrenia, Nausea and vomiting | 22 labelers | $0.552 per tablet 100 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Prochlorperazine | Schizophrenia, Nausea and vomiting | 29 labelers | $0.162 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Trifluoperazine | Schizophrenia | 6 labelers | $0.579 per tablet 2 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Quetiapine | Schizophrenia | 50 labelers | $0.127 per tablet 300 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Olanzapine | Schizophrenia | 33 labelers | $0.147 per tablet 20 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Haloperidol | Schizophrenia | 28 labelers | $0.181 per tablet 5 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Lurasidone | Schizophrenia | 29 labelers | $0.142 per tablet 20 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Paliperidone | Schizophrenia | 18 labelers | $0.972 per tablet 3 mg tablet | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as perphenazine
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to perphenazine
- 17 medicines for the same use
- Other phenothiazines
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Perphenazine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other