Description
What is Haloperidol?
Haloperidol is an antipsychotic medicine. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in your brain. Haloperidol is used to treat schizophrenia. It is also used to control motor and speech tics in people with Tourette’s syndrome.
Important Information
Haloperidol is not approved for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Haloperidol may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related conditions. You should not use haloperidol if you have Parkinson’s disease or certain conditions that affect your central nervous system.
Before taking this medicine
You should not use haloperidol if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
- Parkinson’s disease; or
- certain conditions that affect your central nervous system (such as severe drowsiness, or slowed thinking caused by taking other medicines or drinking alcohol).
Haloperidol is not approved for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Haloperidol may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related conditions.
To make sure haloperidol is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
- liver disease;
- kidney disease;
- heart disease, angina(chest pain);
- a thyroid disorder;
- epilepsyor other seizure disorder;
- personal or family history of long QT syndrome;
- an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood); or
- if you take a blood thinner (warfarin, Coumadin, Jantoven).
It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
Taking antipsychotic medication during the last 3 months of pregnancy may cause problems in the newborn, such as withdrawal symptoms, breathing problems, feeding problems, fussiness, tremors, and limp or stiff muscles. However, you may have withdrawal symptoms or other problems if you stop taking your medicine during pregnancy. If you become pregnant while taking haloperidol, do not stop taking it without your doctor’s advice.
Haloperidol can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
