Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Haloperidol (trade name Haldol) is a conventional antipsychotic butyrophenone drug. It was developed in 1957 by Belgian company Janssen and submitted to first clinical trials in Belgium in the same year. After being rejected by US company Searle due to side effects it was later marketed in the US by McNeil Laboratories. The drug is used in the control of the symptoms of acute psychosis, acute schizophrenia or manic phases, hyperactivity, and also to control aggression, agitation, and psychotic thinking. It has also been used in delusional individuals and to treat Tourette's syndrome. It has been used offlabel in the treatment of a number of other conditions but without formal approval. It works by acting on the dopamine receptors in the brain. The drug is classified as a high-potency antipsychotic, which means that it has a smaller dose (in the tens of milligrams) and fewer sedative than other antipsychotics. The drug is also significant in that it was designed and not discovered through trial and error. Once it became clear that antipsychotics worked by blocking dopamine receptors, Haloperidol was designed by producing a molecule that would do exactly that. Haloperidol is an odourless white to yellow crystalline powder. Its chemical name is 4-[4-(p-chlorophenyl)-4-hydroxypiperidino]-4'-fluorobutyrophenone and its empirical formula is C21H23ClFNO2 The drug is noted for its strong extrapyramidal side-effects. Common side effects include dry-mouth, lethargy, muscle-stiffness, muscle-cramping, tardive dyskinesia, tremors, and weight-gain. The risk of tardive dyskinesia is around 4% in younger patients, higher than in most other antipsychotic drugs, in patients over the age of 45 the percentage afflicted can be much higher. These symptoms can be permanent, despite discontinuation of the medication. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMA) is a possible side effect of long-term use. As well as Haloperidol the decanoate ester Haloperidol decanoate can be used or Haloperidol Lactate. The decanoate has a greatly extended duration of effect and its structural formula is 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-1[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-oxobutyl]-4 piperidinyl decanoate, which looks like: and is generally administered via an intramuscular injection usually in the buttocks. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.