Thiopropazate (Dartal): Why This Phenothiazine Left U.S. Pharmacies and What Telehealth Can Still Do

Last updated: August 25, 2026

Thiopropazate is a first-generation phenothiazine that U.S. clinicians once sold as Dartal (often as the dihydrochloride). You may also see the brands Dartalan, Dartan, or Artalan. Families type those names after an old hospital chart, a 1950s–1960s ward order, or a Searle sample card. It is not a current U.S. retail option. This guide explains what thiopropazate was, how DrugBank and identifier registries describe it, how it relates to perphenazine, and how telehealth can still help someone who needs an evaluation for psychosis, agitation, or related symptoms.

This page is educational. It is not a diagnosis, a refill promise, or a claim that any plan will pay for a specific drug. Coverage varies by plan. Verify benefits before you book.

See conditions Klarity treats or start with online anxiety treatment if worry, restlessness, or tension is the main problem you want to discuss.

TL;DR

• DrugBank lists thiopropazate as DB13557. The public card has no annotated background text. A 2025 phenothiazine review describes it as approved in 1957 and formerly sold as Dartal, a prodrug of perphenazine used as a neuroleptic. (DrugBank DB13557; Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry review, 2025)
• Public identifier records commonly list CAS 84-06-0, PubChem CID 6762, ChemSpider 6504, UNII 0JFY081Q2X, KEGG D09216, ChEBI CHEBI:59119, ChEMBL CHEMBL1697851, EPA CompTox DTXSID6023654, ATC N05AB05, formula C23H28ClN3O2S, about 446.01 g/mol. Treat those as catalog IDs, not a current prescription. (Wikipedia identifier table, verified against registry links)
• Do not buy research-grade powder or unlabeled overseas tablets and swallow them. Phenothiazines as a class still carry LiverTox cautions, including cholestatic injury patterns best documented with chlorpromazine and reported, less often, with other phenothiazines. (LiverTox fluphenazine / phenothiazine class note)
• Medicare behavioral telehealth in the home remains available on a permanent basis, with several other Medicare telehealth flexibilities extended through December 31, 2027 (HHS page last updated February 5, 2026). Klarity’s 2,000+ licensed providers can evaluate current symptoms and discuss medicines that U.S. pharmacies still stock. (HHS Medicare telehealth payment policies)

On this page

• What is thiopropazate?
• Dartal, Searle, and the 1957 approval
• How to read old identifiers
• Safety, class risks, and what not to do
• What telehealth can still do
• How Klarity fits
• FAQ

What is thiopropazate?

Thiopropazate is a typical (first-generation) antipsychotic in the phenothiazine family. The piperazine side chain and acetate ester put it next to perphenazine: public chemistry sources describe thiopropazate as a prodrug that converts to perphenazine. That is why an old “Dartal” order often sits in the same family as later perphenazine (Trilafon) notes, not next to more sedating aliphatic phenothiazines such as chlorpromazine.

DrugBank’s public card is thin. It confirms the generic name and accession number and does not publish a long indication paragraph on the free page. Do not invent a modern FDA label from that silence. If you found “Dartal” on a late-1950s or 1960s ward order, you are usually looking at thiopropazate dihydrochloride from G. D. Searle.

Related Klarity first-generation guides include butaperazine (Repoise), carphenazine (Proketazine), acetophenazine (Tindal), and promazine (Sparine).

Klarity does not restart Dartal. A licensed clinician can still review current symptoms and talk through medicines U.S. pharmacies actually stock.

Dartal, Searle, and the 1957 approval

A 2025 review of phenothiazine antipsychotics states thiopropazate was approved as a drug in 1957 and formerly sold under the brand name Dartal. It describes the molecule as a prodrug to perphenazine and a neuroleptic used for schizophrenia and psychosis. That is a secondary chemistry review, not a current U.S. prescribing information sheet. (J. Heterocyclic Chem. review)

Historic U.S. medical-society ads and notes from the late 1950s refer to Dartal as G. D. Searle’s brand of thiopropazate dihydrochloride. Wikipedia’s compound page lists manufacturers as Searle (United States and United Kingdom) and Boehringer Mannheim (Germany), and lists trade names Artalan, Dartal, Dartalan, and Dartan. Treat those as historic product names.

ATC code N05AB05 places thiopropazate with other piperazine phenothiazines. WHO’s ATC/DDD index still carries the code even when a product has left a national market. A code in a classification table is not a signal that a U.S. pharmacy can fill the drug tomorrow.

Treat every milligram figure you find in old monographs or society ads as historic. They are not a current U.S. label you can fill at a chain pharmacy.

How to read old identifiers

Useful identifiers when a records team traces an old order:

• DrugBank: DB13557
• UNII: 0JFY081Q2X
• CAS: 84-06-0
• PubChem CID: 6762
• ChemSpider: 6504
• KEGG: D09216; ChEBI: CHEBI:59119; ChEMBL: CHEMBL1697851
• EPA CompTox: DTXSID6023654
• ECHA InfoCard: 100.001.376
• ATC: N05AB05
• InChIKey: AIUHRQHVWSUTGJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
• IUPAC-style name in public registries: 2-[4-[3-(2-chlorophenothiazin-10-yl)propyl]piperazin-1-yl]ethyl acetate
• Formula: C23H28ClN3O2S (~446.01 g/mol)

Do not confuse thiopropazate (DB13557, Dartal) with thioproperazine (DB01622, Majeptil). They are different piperazine phenothiazines. Thioproperazine’s DrugBank summary describes a potent neuroleptic used for acute and chronic schizophrenia, including cases that did not respond to more common neuroleptics, and for manic syndromes. That is a separate molecule and a separate brand. (DrugBank DB01622)

Safety, class risks, and what not to do

First-generation phenothiazines can cause extrapyramidal symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, sedation, anticholinergic effects, orthostasis, and, as a class, rare but documented cholestatic liver injury. LiverTox’s fluphenazine chapter states that all phenothiazine antipsychotic agents are probably capable of causing cholestatic liver injury, though frequency appears lower for some members than for chlorpromazine. (LiverTox NBK548610)

None of that is a reason to mail-order unlabeled “Dartal” powder. Research-chemical listings exist because the structure is old and catalogued. Those listings are not pharmacies. Swallowing an unregulated phenothiazine skips identity testing, dose control, and monitoring for movement disorders and liver injury.

If someone is in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States, or use local emergency services. Telehealth is for planned evaluation, not for an emergency.

What telehealth can still do

A licensed clinician can take a history of the old Dartal exposure, current symptoms (psychosis, mania, severe anxiety, insomnia, agitation), other medicines, and medical risks. They can discuss current U.S. options in the same therapeutic neighborhood, including later antipsychotics that pharmacies still stock. They cannot lawfully restart a withdrawn brand just because a relative remembers the name.

HHS summarizes current Medicare telehealth rules on a page last updated February 5, 2026. Medicare patients can permanently receive behavioral and mental telehealth in the home, with no geographic originating-site restriction for those services. Recent legislation also extended many other Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, including home originating sites for some non-behavioral care, audio-only options in defined cases, and a pause on the in-person visit that would otherwise be required within six months of an initial Medicare behavioral telehealth service. Commercial and Medicaid rules differ. Coverage varies. Verify benefits. (HHS Medicare payment policies)

How Klarity fits

Klarity is an online clinic with 2,000+ licensed providers. Visits focus on conditions the practice actually treats, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, and related mental health care. A visit is an evaluation. It is not a guarantee of a controlled-substance prescription or of any specific historic drug.

If anxiety, restlessness, or tension is the presenting problem, start at online anxiety treatment. For a broader list of conditions, use Klarity’s condition pages.

Insurance may help pay for an eligible visit. Plans differ on telehealth, prior authorization, and pharmacy benefits. Ask your plan, then confirm with the care team.

FAQ

Is Dartal still available in the United States?

No current U.S. retail product is in routine use under the Dartal name. DrugBank’s public card is unannotated. Secondary chemistry sources describe a 1957 approval and former Dartal branding. Treat any leftover bottle as a historic artifact and ask a clinician before you assume it is still safe or authentic.

Is thiopropazate the same as perphenazine?

They are related, not identical. Public sources describe thiopropazate as a prodrug that converts to perphenazine. A clinician who still uses perphenazine is using a different, currently marketed molecule with its own label, not a Dartal refill.

Is thiopropazate the same as thioproperazine (Majeptil)?

No. Thioproperazine is DrugBank DB01622 (Majeptil). Thiopropazate is DB13557 (Dartal). Mixing the two names is a common records error.

Can a Klarity visit prescribe Dartal?

No. A visit can review current symptoms and discuss medicines U.S. pharmacies stock. It cannot recreate a withdrawn 1950s brand.

Will insurance cover a telehealth visit about an old antipsychotic?

Maybe. Coverage varies by plan, state, and whether the visit is billed as an eligible evaluation. Verify benefits before you book. This is not a claim that any insurer covers Dartal or any specific medicine.

If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call 988 or emergency services now.