People living with schizophrenia who wish to become pregnant face important decisions. This is a complex decision since untreated schizophrenia has risks to the fetus, as well as the mother. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with your doctor and caregivers. Symptoms in the newborn may include agitation, feeding disorder, hypertonia, hypotonia, respiratory distress, somnolence, and tremor; these effects may be self-limiting or require hospitalization.
Typically patients begin at a low dose of medicine and the dose is increased slowly over several weeks. The dose of the oral medication usually ranges from 5 mg to 20 mg. The dose of the long-acting injection is 25 mg to mg. Only your healthcare provider can determine the correct dose for you. Haloperidol oral solution should be measured with a dosing spoon or oral syringe, which you can get from your pharmacy if one is not provided with the product.
Use a calendar, pillbox, alarm clock, or cell phone alert to help you remember to take your medication. You may also ask a family member or a friend to remind you or check in with you to be sure you are taking your medication.
The long-acting injection form of haloperidol is administered every 3 to 4 weeks. Your healthcare provider will administer these injections. If you miss a dose of haloperidol, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose. Discuss this with your healthcare provider. Do not double your next dose or take more than what is prescribed. Avoid drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs while you are taking haloperidol. They may decrease the benefits e.
If an overdose occurs call your doctor or You may need urgent medical care. You may also contact the poison control center at Patients receiving haloperidol decanoate long-acting injection may notice some pain at the site of the injection. This pain should resolve after a few days. Haloperidol may increase the blood levels of a hormone called prolactin. Side effects of increased prolactin levels include females losing their period, production of breast milk and males losing their sex drive or possibly experiencing erectile problems.
Long term months or years of elevated prolactin can lead to osteoporosis or increased risk of bone fractures.
Some people may develop muscle related side effects while taking haloperidol. Symptoms of EPS include restlessness, tremor, and stiffness. TD symptoms include slow or jerky movements that one cannot control, often starting in the mouth with tongue rolling or chewing movements. Temperature regulation: Impaired core body temperature regulation may occur; caution with strenuous exercise, heat exposure, and dehydration.
All antipsychotics have been associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death due to an arrhythmia irregular heart beat. To minimize this risk, antipsychotic medications should be used in the smallest effective dose when the benefits outweigh the risks. Your doctor may order an EKG to monitor for irregular heartbeat. Symptoms include confusion, fever, extreme muscle stiffness, and sweating. If any of these symptoms occur, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
All antipsychotics can cause sedation, dizziness, or orthostatic hypotension a drop in blood pressure when standing up from sitting or lying down.
These side effects may lead to falls which could cause bone fractures or other injuries. This risk is higher for people with conditions or other medications that could worsen these effects. If falls or any of these symptoms occur, contact your healthcare provider. Tardive dyskinesia TD is a side effect that develops with prolonged use of antipsychotics. If you develop symptoms of TD, such as grimacing, sucking, and smacking of lips, or other movements that you cannot control, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
All patients taking either first or second generation antipsychotics should have an Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale AIMS completed regularly by their healthcare provider to monitor for TD. Haloperidol may lower your blood pressure. Medications used to lower blood pressure may increase this effect and increase your risk of falling.
It is very important to tell your doctor how you feel things are going during the first few weeks after you start taking haloperidol. It will probably take several weeks to see big enough changes in your symptoms to decide if haloperidol is the right medication for you.
Antipsychotic treatment is generally needed lifelong for persons with schizophrenia. Your doctor can best discuss the duration of treatment you need based on your symptoms and illness. Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice.
This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions. Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Haloperidol decanoate for IM injection only.
American Psychiatric Association. American Psychiatric Association Publishing. Information on this topic is found in the FDA medication label. Prescribing should always be informed by the FDA medication label. Labels change over time, and the current label should always be consulted.
Here is the most recent label , at time of writing. Sign up for our newsletter. In young patients who are at risk for extrapyramidal symptoms e. Dosing Haloperidol Dec is typically given IM every four weeks. However, reducing the injection interval rather than the individual dose can be used to increase steady state haloperidol plasma levels.
A standard maintenance regimen will be 10 to times the daily, oral haloperidol dose e. More aggressive loading-dose strategies have been published e.
Do not give more than mg as the initial Haldol Dec injection. There is no established protocol for Haldol Dec regarding switching schedule or oral cross coverage. The plan for cross coverage will depend on understanding that it can take a few injections to reach stable therapeutic levels, the risks in the individual patient regarding side-effects and reduction in medication effectiveness, and ongoing monitoring of effectiveness and side effects in the patient.
PO Dose - Haloperidol. Maintenance LAI dose — for stabilized or elderly patients. If you would like more information on this topic, or would like to provide any feedback, please send us a message using our consultation system.
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