Intravenous Haloperidol Has a Limited Role in the Modern Emergency Department

Abstract

Haloperidol is a butyrophenone-class antipsychotic agent with more than 6 decades of clinical use across most disciplines of medicine. In the emergency department (ED), haloperidol is commonly used to facilitate chemical sedation of acutely agitated patients, ameliorate symptoms of nausea and vomiting, reduce hallucinations and delirium associated with ethanol withdrawal, and more. Only the intramuscular (IM) route is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for parenteral use, but the same formulation has been used intravenously (IV) for many years.