Haldol vs. Ativan

• Are Haldol and Ativan the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Haldol?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Ativan?
• What Is Haldol?
• What Is Ativan?
• What drugs interact with Haldol?
• What drugs interact with Ativan?
• How Should Haldol Be Taken?
• How Should Ativan Be Taken?

Haldol (haloperidol) and Ativan (lorazepam) are used to treat different kinds of psychiatric disorders.

Haldol is used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, to control motor (movement) and verbal (for example, Tourette's syndrome) tics and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children.

Ativan is used for the management of anxiety disorders, insomnia, panic attacks, and alcohol withdrawal.

Haldol is an antipsychotic drug and Ativan is a benzodiazepine.

Side effects of Haldol and Ativan that are similar include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, sleep problems (insomnia), skin rash, and blurred vision.

Side effects of Haldol that are different from Ativan include diarrhea, dry mouth, spinning sensation, nervousness, restlessness, anxiety, itching, spontaneous eye movements, mood changes, breast enlargement, irregular menstrual periods, loss of interest in sex, difficulty urinating or urinating less than usual, and occasional movement disorders.

Side effects of Ativan that are different from Haldol include tiredness, muscle weakness, loss of balance or coordination, forgetfulness or amnesia, difficulty concentrating, constipation, and changes in appetite.

Both Haldol and Ativan may interact with alcohol, other drugs that make you sleepy or slow your breathing (sleeping pills, narcotic pain medicines, prescription cough medicines, muscle relaxers, or medicines for anxiety, depression, or seizures), and medicines to treat psychiatric disorders.

Haldol may also interact with cancer medicines, anti-malaria medications, and heart rhythm medicines.

Ativan may also interact with cold or allergy medicines, barbiturates, and MAO inhibitors.

Do not stop using Haldol or Ativan suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Side effects of Haldol include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• dry mouth,
• nervousness,
• headache,
• dizziness,
• spinning sensation,
• drowsiness,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• restlessness,
• anxiety,
• skin rash,
• itching,
• spontaneous eye movements,
• mood changes,
• breast enlargement,
• irregular menstrual periods,
• loss of interest in sex,
• blurred vision,
• difficulty urinating or urinating less than usual, and
• occasional movement disorders

Severe side effects of Haldol include:

• death in the elderly,
• prolongation of the QT heartbeat interval,
• tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements), prolonged erection (hours),
• a symptom complex sometimes referred to as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) with fever,
• irregular heartbeats,
• mental status changes, and
• renal failure

Common side effects of Ativan include:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• tiredness
• muscle weakness
• headache
• blurred vision
• sleep problems (insomnia)
• loss of balance or coordination
• forgetfulness or amnesia
• difficulty concentrating
• nausea
• vomiting
• constipation
• changes in appetite
• kkin rash

Haldol (haloperidol) is an antipsychotic drug that decreases excitement in the brain. Haldol is used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, to control motor (movement) and verbal (for example, Tourette's syndrome) tics and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children.

Haldol is also used to treat or manage:

• Schizophrenia
• manic or mixed episodes that happen with bipolar I disorder
• major depressive disorder (MDD) when ABILIFY is used with antidepressant medicines
• irritability associated with autistic disorder
• Tourette's disorder

Haldol Injection is a prescription medicine used to treat:

• agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar mania

It is not known if Haldol is safe or effective in children:

• under 13 years of age with schizophrenia
• under 10 years of age with bipolar I disorder
• under 6 years of age with irritability associated with autistic disorder
• under 6 years of age with Tourette's disorder

Ativan (lorazepam) is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms.

Haldol may interact with other drugs so the patient needs close observation or monitoring to determine if other side effects develop.

Benzodiazepines like Ativan produce increased CNS (central nervous system) depressant effects when administered with other CNS depressants such as alcohol, barbiturates, antipsychotics, sedative/hypnotics, anxiolytics, antidepressants, narcotic analgesics, sedative antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and anesthetics.

Haldol (ziprasidone HCl) is available as capsules and Haldol (ziprasidone mesylate) is available as an injection for intramuscular use.

Haldol Capsules should be administered at an initial daily dose of 20 mg twice daily with food. For intramuscular dosing, the recommended dose of Haldol is 10 mg to 20 mg administered as required up to a maximum dose of 40 mg per day.

Ativan can be taken with or without food. Ativan tablets should be swallowed with water.