Tolerance and serum levels of haloperidol during parenteral and oral haloperidol treatment in geriatric patients.

Abstract

Eleven geriatric chronic psychotic hospital patients were treated with monthly intramuscular haloperidol decanoate injections for 5 months. The first and second haloperidol decanoate dose was 20 times and thereafter 15 times the "optimal" oral haloperidol dose. The serum haloperidol concentrations were fairly stable during the whole month following parenteral administration. After the second and third injection the concentration was about twice as high as during oral treatment. No clinically significant changes were established in routine haematological or biochemical laboratory tests studied during the trial. No significant changes in serum prolactin levels were observed after parenteral haloperidol compared to the levels during oral treatment. No local or systemic side effects were observed during the trial. The psychiatric status of the patients was fairly constant during the whole study. Haloperidol decanoate was thus shown to be therapeutically effective and it can be administered safely to geriatric patients.