If this medicine upsets your stomach, it may be taken with food or milk to lessen stomach irritation.

For patients taking the liquid form of this medicine :

• This medicine is to be taken by mouth even if it comes in a dropper bottle. Each dose is to be measured with the specially marked dropper provided with your prescription. Do not use other droppers since they may not deliver the correct amount of medicine.
• This medicine should be mixed with water or a beverage such as orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice, or cola and taken immediately after mixing. Haloperidol should not be mixed with tea or coffee, since they cause the medicine to separate out of solution.

Take this medicine only as directed by your doctor . Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. This is particularly important for children or elderly patients, since they may react very strongly to this medicine.

Continue taking this medicine for the full time of treatment. Sometimes haloperidol must be taken for several days to several weeks before its full effect is reached.

Dosing

The dose of haloperidol will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of haloperidol. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The number of tablets or dropperfuls of solution that you take or injections that you receive depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using haloperidol.

• For oral dosage forms (solution and tablets):
  • Adults and adolescents: To start, 500 micrograms to 5 milligrams two or three times a day. Your doctor may increase your dose if needed. However, the dose is usually not more than 100 milligrams a day.
  • Children 3 to 12 years of age or weighing 15 to 40 kilograms (33 to 88 pounds): Dose is based on body weight. The usual dose is 25 to 150 micrograms per kilogram (11 to 68 micrograms per pound) a day, taken in smaller doses two or three times a day.
  • Children up to 3 years of age: Dose must be determined by the doctor.
  • Older adults: To start, 500 micrograms to 2 milligrams two or three times a day. The doctor may increase your dose if needed.
• For short-acting injection dosage form:
  • Adults and adolescents: To start, 2 to 5 milligrams, usually injected into a muscle. The dose may be repeated every one to eight hours, depending on your condition.
  • Children: Dose must be determined by the doctor.
• For long-acting or depot injection dosage form:
  • Adults and adolescents: To start, the dose is usually 10 to 15 times the daily oral dose you were taking, injected into a muscle once a month. The doctor may adjust how much of this medicine you need and how often you will need it, depending on your condition.
  • Children: Dose must be determined by the doctor.

Missed dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. Then take any remaining doses for that day at regularly spaced intervals. Do not double doses.

Storage

To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store the tablet form of this medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Keep the liquid form of this medicine from freezing.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For haloperidol, the following should be considered:

Allergies Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to haloperidol. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy Haloperidol has not been studied in pregnant women. However, studies in animals given 2 to 20 times the usual maximum human dose of haloperidol have shown reduced fertility, delayed delivery, cleft palate, and an increase in the number of stillbirths and newborn deaths.

Breast-feeding Haloperidol passes into breast milk. Animal studies have shown that haloperidol in breast milk causes drowsiness and unusual muscle movements in the nursing offspring. Breast-feeding is not recommended during treatment with haloperidol.

Children Side effects, especially muscle spasms of the neck and back, twisting movements of the body, trembling of fingers and hands, and inability to move the eyes are more likely to occur in children, who usually are more sensitive than adults to the effects of haloperidol.

Older adults Constipation, dizziness or fainting, drowsiness, dryness of mouth, trembling of the hands and fingers, and symptoms of tardive dyskinesia (such as rapid, worm-like movements of the tongue or any other uncontrolled movements of the mouth, tongue, or jaw, and/or arms and legs) are especially likely to occur in elderly patients, who are usually more sensitive than younger adults to the effects of haloperidol.

Other medicines Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases 2 different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking haloperidol, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:

• Amoxapine (e.g., Asendin) or
• Metoclopramide (e.g., Reglan) or
• Metyrosine (e.g., Demser) or
• Other antipsychotics (medicine for mental illness) or
• Pemoline (e.g., Cylert) or
• Pimozide (e.g., Orap) or
• Promethazine (e.g., Phenergan) or
• Rauwolfia alkaloids (alseroxylon [e.g., Rauwiloid], deserpidine [e.g., Harmonyl], rauwolfia serpentina [e.g., Raudixin], reserpine [e.g., Serpasil]) or
• Trimeprazine (e.g., Temaril) Taking these medicines with haloperidol may increase the frequency and severity of certain side effects

• Central nervous system (CNS) depressants (medicine that causes drowsiness) or
• Tricyclic antidepressants (medicine for depression) Taking these medicines with haloperidol may result in increased CNS and other depressant effects, and in an increased chance of low blood pressure (hypotension)

• Epinephrine (e.g., Adrenalin) Severe low blood pressure or irregular heartbeat may occur

• Levodopa (e.g., Dopar, Larodopa) Haloperidol may interfere with the effects of this medicine

• Lithium (e.g., Eskalith, Lithane) Although lithium and haloperidol are sometimes used together, their use must be closely monitored by your doctor, who may change the amount of medicine you need to take

• Alcohol abuse The risk of heat stroke may be increased

• Difficult urination or
• Glaucoma or
• Heart or blood vessel disease or
• Lung disease or
• Parkinson's disease Haloperidol may make the condition worse

• Epilepsy The risk of seizures may be increased

• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease Higher blood levels of haloperidol may occur, increasing the chance of side effects

• Overactive thyroid Serious unwanted effects may occur