Comparison of intramuscular haloperidol and other short-acting injectable antipsychotics for management of acute agitation in an adult inpatient psychiatry unit.

Haloperidol was used more frequently than other short-acting IM antipsychotics. Whereas the effectiveness at 2 hours was not significantly different between groups, patients who received haloperidol were more likely to experience adverse events and were more often subjected to polypharmacy with benzodiazepines and/or diphenhydramine. This study further supports the use of olanzapine and ziprasidone for acute agitation in patients hospitalized in inpatient psychiatry.