HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

Suggest Alternative Of Haloperidol For Treatment Of Delirium

default
Posted on Wed, 12 Mar 2014
Question: I've been told that haloperidol is effective in treating delirium but has the disadvantage that it can lower blood pressure too much except at very low doses. Is there another medication that can be administered that does not have this disadvantage or does not have it to the same extent? The patient is unable to swallow, so it would have to be an IV, S/C, or IM administration. Also, is a dosage of haloperidol 0.25 mg (maximum of 0.75 mg per day) a low dosage?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (29 hours later)
Brief Answer: No its a good choice Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. Haloperidol although an old drug is a very good drug for delirium. The dosage of halperidol used for delirium is far less as compared to the dose of haloperidol used for psychosis. Hence the problem of lowering of blood pressure will never occur with such low doses of haloperidol. Risperidone or olanzapine can be used instead of haloperidol but haloperidol in low dosages is very safe. Haloperidol causes the lowest fall in BP as compared to other alternatives like olanzapine or risperidone. If oral dosaging is not possible then the patient is administered parenteral dosages and 0.75mg of haloperidol in divided doses IM IV is a good enough dose and it is not a low dose in the treatment of delirium. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Srikanth Reddy

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2007

Answered : 2770 Questions

Ask me a question
premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Ask a Psychiatrist
Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
backtotop2
Suggest Alternative Of Haloperidol For Treatment Of Delirium

Brief Answer: No its a good choice Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. Haloperidol although an old drug is a very good drug for delirium. The dosage of halperidol used for delirium is far less as compared to the dose of haloperidol used for psychosis. Hence the problem of lowering of blood pressure will never occur with such low doses of haloperidol. Risperidone or olanzapine can be used instead of haloperidol but haloperidol in low dosages is very safe. Haloperidol causes the lowest fall in BP as compared to other alternatives like olanzapine or risperidone. If oral dosaging is not possible then the patient is administered parenteral dosages and 0.75mg of haloperidol in divided doses IM IV is a good enough dose and it is not a low dose in the treatment of delirium. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.