Haloperidol for Tourette's Syndrome User Reviews

• Red...
• January 12, 2011

Haloperidol "The Haldol worked great for controlling my Tourette's, but it came with too many side effects, so I had to switch. I gained ten pounds in the first week of use, which tapered off after around three weeks, but the restlessness was unbearable. I was put on Cogentin for it, but then my vision became blurry and could not see anything within eighteen inches. It was horrible."

• Thi...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 8, 2018

"I was diagnosed with Tourette's back in 1988 when I was 12 and tried lots of meds, but the haldol/haloperidol works really well for me. I've been taking it for 25 years or so, and I've never had a single side effect that I am aware of. I take 1 mg 3 times per day, and honestly, when I take it on time each and every day, if you didn't know I had Tourette's, you'd never guess it. My doctor does a liver panel every 6 months before I get refills to make sure it's not doing me harm. I am 42 years old now, so who knows how it will affect me as I get older, but as of now, I have no intentions of getting off of it... My experience."

• Hay...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 2, 2018

"I was on haloperidol for 10+ years. It is NOT supposed to be a long-term medicine. (But apparently, my doctor at the time didn't care.) I switched doctors, and they weaned me off of it. Although I still went through withdrawals because I became dependent on it. I also developed cervical dystonia because of haloperidol. (Cervical dystonia is a very painful condition where your neck muscles move involuntarily, causing your head to twist to one side. It can also cause your head to uncontrollably tilt forward/backward.) And now I have to get 10-12 shots in my neck every 3 months to help with the pain. So just be careful when prescribed this medication!"

• CiC...
• August 11, 2016

"Our daughter was on this when she was in elementary school, it was pretty bad. It made her so terribly tired she couldn't keep up in school. Terrible way for a child to live. Over the summer, we were going on a vacation, and she begged us to take her off it so she wouldn't be so tired, so we had to gradually wean her off and then back on again when school started. Thank goodness the tic eventually went away after about a year or a year and a half or so..."

• Heh...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 15, 2016

"Been on Haldol since '74, age 17. Side effects were mostly weight gain and dry mouth. Was at one point taking more than prescribed (on my own, no intent of ODing), which made me lethargic, certainly not up to my usual level. The increase didn't increase or decrease my tics. Seems to have 0 effect. I'm still on Haldol currently (Dec '16) and naturally under Dr.'s care. My physicians in my past, although newer meds are available, keep me on Haldol and monitored, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Honestly, since TS tics wax and wane, I'm not fully aware that the drug at current dosage is helping. I don't try to go without ever, because if tics get worse (my understanding is out of the system in a matter of days), I'm just not willing to endure tics."

• Dma...
• September 25, 2021

"This is the worst drug ever. They prescribed this to me for Tourette syndrome (which I don't even have, by the way) when I was six years old, and I was on it for about 5 years, maybe more. It gave me tardive dyskinesia, tics, and involuntary muscle movements, which states thought were Tourette syndrome. It also caused extreme lethargy, disorientation, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, and many more terrible side effects. Don't ever take this for any reason at all, ever. And especially do not give this to children in any way, shape, or form, ever. They really should take this off the market."

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2022

"I think about this drug from time to time, it was the first one they gave me for my Tourette's syndrome, which had steadily gotten worse since 2012. I took it in 2015. Thankfully, I was just given pills (who the hell injects an unpredictable drug like this into someone?), I was so restless and uncomfortable. It was awful. I think I managed to take it for 3 or 4 days. The last straw was at work. My stomach muscles seized up suddenly, and it was hard to breathe. I had to have my partner come and get me because I couldn't move. I didn't take another drug for my Tourette's syndrome until 2018, which just put me to sleep. Can't have Tourette's syndrome if you're not awake! Awful. Tourette's sucks, often because the medication to treat it is usually worse."

• lon...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 2, 2021

"I've had Tourette syndrome all my life, but was not properly diagnosed until I was 42 years of age. I was put on haloperidol immediately. After some time balancing out the proper dose, I took it for 25 years with no side effects, an 80% reduction in tics, and a sudden new feeling of taking all the stress out of my inner core. It was wonderful while I took it and lived with a few small tics that came and went. That neurologist 32 years ago told me it only lasts 25 years tops, then it turns on you, and your tics are worse than ever. That's exactly what happened to me. After trying some wonder drugs with no success, my MD is considering what med to use now. My vocal tics were only in childhood, but constant movement of my mouth, teeth, and jaw are causing me to make this change an emergency. I know haloperidol is old stuff, but I liked it very much with few side effects."

• Sta...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 27, 2021

"I was put on this when I was 12, and it was the most messed up time of my life. I had visual and audio hallucinations, I tried to remove my skin all the time because of the things I was seeing getting on me or running around under my skin. I couldn't read or write anymore. I cried anytime anyone talked to me, I completely quit talking to everyone unless I was freaking out and determined to scratch, scrub, or shred off my skin. I had severe reverse effects from it and was basically turned into a schizophrenic the whole time I was taking it. I was finally taken off when I got to see a neurologist and was diagnosed with Tourette's and found out I never should have been in it, and my family doctor lied about the neurologist recommending it. Within two days of being taken off, I was back to normal, and both my tics and attacks drastically reduced."

• tic...
• December 22, 2013

Haloperidol "My son, 13, was taking this, and it made tics worse. Blurred vision, erection. His tongue would do weird things."

• CJa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 29, 2018

Haloperidol "I was on it for my Tourette’s, and yeah, it did work, but I gained over 100 lbs when I was on this medication, so I took myself off it because my doctors wouldn’t listen."

• Tte...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2020

"Miserable! Extreme depression as a side effect and claustrophobia! Didn't help tics at all."