Trifluoperazine is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions). Trifluoperazine is also used on a short-term basis to treat anxiety in people who have not been helped by other medications. Trifluoperazine is in a group of medications called conventional antipsychotics. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.