Thioridazine is an antipsychotic used in the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis. Its use is reserved for patients who have failed to respond to or cannot tolerate other antipsychotics.
Thioridazine has been shown to prolong the QT interval (the time taken for the heart ventricles to depolarize and repolarize) in a dose related manner. Drugs with this potential have been associated with the life-threatening ventricular tachycardia, “torsades de pointes”.
The CYP2D6 enzyme is involved in metabolizing thioridazine. About 7% of the population has reduced enzyme activity because of variants in the CYP2D6 gene. In individuals with low CYP2D6 activity, standard doses of thioridazine may lead to higher drug levels in the plasma, and increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias.
The FDA-approved drug label for thioridazine states that thioridazine is contraindicated in individuals who are known to have reduced levels of CYP2D6 activity. The label also states it is contraindicated to coadminister thioridazine with drugs that inhibit CYP2D6 (e.g., fluoxetine, paroxetine) or inhibit the metabolism of thioridazine (e.g., fluvoxamine, propranolol, and pindolol) (1).