Mental illness can make life very difficult for sufferers and their families. But haloperidol, which was developed several decades ago, can provide relief.
What is haloperidol?
Haloperidol is one of the highly potent, or most potent, drugs in the neuroleptic group. Haloperidol is among the highly potent, or most potent, medications in the group of neuroleptics. Neuroleptics or antipsychotics are psychotropic drugs that have a sedative, i.e. calming, effect and counteract the loss of reality of mentally ill patients. Haloperidol is one of the butyphenones and is used for acute states of agitation such as manic phases or acute as well as chronic schizophrenic forms of illness.
Pharmacologic action
Haloperidol has about fifty times the antipsychotic effect of predecessor drugs such as chlorpromazine. It is capable of blocking some dopamine receptors. There is blockade of muscarinic and adrenergic receptors in the course of treatment with haloperidol. As with all neuroleptics, a distinction is made between the acute and long-term effects: the primary effect is that haloperidol sedates – patients become more expressive, which is not a given in agitation states. The antipsychotic effect occurs only a few days to weeks after initial use – then symptoms of acute mania or schizophrenia are improved. Compared to blood, there is a twenty-fold greater accumulation of haloperidol in the brain and other organs. Discontinuation of haloperidol causes the brain concentration to decrease only slowly; as a result, the concomitant effects of haloperidol also decrease only slowly after discontinuation.
Medical use and application
Furthermore, haloperidol also has an antianxiety effect. Patients generally become more balanced during treatment, and the agitation of various medical conditions is moderated. Delusions decrease when haloperidol is administered-thought and ego disorders are alleviated. Mental agitation and emotional tension decrease in mentally ill patients when haloperidol is administered. Even pathologically formed moods or increases in drive, as is common in bipolar disorder, are alleviated with haloperidol. In Germany, haloperidol is approved for the treatment of acute and chronic manifestations of schizophrenia, organically induced psychoses, acute mania, and psychomotor states of agitation. By way of explanation, psychoses are severe mental disorders associated with loss of reality. Manias are affective disorders, i.e., disorders of mood and drive, associated with the feeling of needing almost no sleep and being extremely energetic. Primarily, haloperidol is used for sedation, but it is also used prophylactically to prevent relapses in all of the disorders just described. Another area of use for haloperidol is tic disorders, such as Tourette’s syndrome. In Switzerland, haloperidol is approved for restlessness caused by cerebral sclerosis (these occur in the context of severe circulatory disorders of the brain), oligophrenia ( mental retardation associated with mental illness), and as an adjunctive medication for alcohol withdrawal. It can also be used to relieve pain in chronic pain conditions due to various ailments. How is haloperidol used? Haloperidol is administered orally in the form of tablets or drops, or intravenously and intramuscularly, in which case the patient is injected with the drug – usually in depot form. However, intravenous administration is a delicate matter; cardiac side effects can occur. That’s why constant ECG monitoring of the patient is necessary here.
Risks and side effects
Side effects or late effects of taking or injecting haloperidol include tardive dyskinesia, i.e., swallowing or gulping spasms, defecated speech, irregular movements, disturbances in motor function, etc. – twitching or involuntary smacking or chewing movements may also occur. In the course of haloperidol administration, patients usually suffer from massive fatigue, restlessness in movement and sitting. In addition, extrapyramidal syndrome may occur – this refers to an increase or decrease in movements associated with an altered state of muscle tension. Hypotonia is also a possible side effect of haloperidol therapy.Other side effects or late effects of haloperidol are excitation conduction disorders such as cardiac arrhythmias; milder forms often go unnoticed and therefore untreated; more severe forms may cause a slower heartbeat up to cardiac arrest – in which case a pacemaker is required for the patient. Speech disorders may occur during or after haloperidol therapy. Hunger as well as weight gain are also common when taking haloperidol. In general, it can be said that the vegetative side effects are rather negligible, while the main problem lies in the influence on motor function. This symptomatology, which is also reminiscent of Parkinson’s disease, is usually reversible after taking haloperidol and depends on the dose administered. While haloperidol is being administered, side effects can be buffered by antiparkinsonian agents.
