Haloperidol and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• eri...
• September 14, 2017

Haloperidol for Psychosis "I have been taking 50mg decanoate every 28 days, and 10mg/day orally for schizoaffective. This has been the most effective medicine I have ever used! (I have tried all the atypicals with no luck except olanzapine and lurasidone.) I have been taking it for over 10 years now. Absolutely no side effects for me, not even weight gain. When I get the shot, I usually take a nap in the afternoon because it makes me sleepy. If I don't take Haldol, I normally get very religious (but a twisted type of religious) and tortured with psychosis, and generally feel awful with bags under my eyes, acting weird, and not being able to sleep - usually landing me in the hospital. Haldol balances me almost exactly, and I am able to program computers, read, and be happy."

• Mic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2020

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "Sometime after my same-day surgery to treat a cancer tumor, I was given some unspecified amount of Haldol through my IV line. I was shocked when I heard I was given Haldol since it is known as an antipsychotic drug with very severe side effects. I had no idea it was ever used for the prevention of nausea and vomiting over all standards such as Zofran. Since I had the same procedure several weeks earlier, I was amazed to define the effects of what I thought was just the anesthesia were so much more severe. I had disorientation, restlessness, anxiety, memory problems, tiredness, sleepiness, constipation, and even some depression. I can only attribute the difference in my reaction to the use of Haldol. It's been about 48 hours since I was discharged from the hospital, and I still don't feel right. My advice to any patient who may be given this drug to treat/prevent nausea and vomiting is to request something else that's much safer. I would certainly never take this again."

• Anonymous
• March 3, 2010

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "Haldol was given to my mother for nausea/vomiting in her final days/weeks of battling colon cancer. Haldol worked great for nausea, but the side effects were horrible. She was not drowsy, she was out! Not coherent, confused, wasn't able to eat, and at times was agitated. Be very careful using this medication. It took two days after stopping the medication for it to leave her system and return to a normal state of mind."

• Sta...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2013

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "Experiencing horrible nausea/vomiting with Dilaudid for pain associated with Stage 4 breast cancer. My normal anti-nausea medication was Zofran, but it started to not work. I was given 0.5 mg I.V. of Haldol every hour for nausea. It worked, but did 'knock me to nap' for a little while. After I woke up, I did feel groggy and was able to eat and drink without incident."

• Noc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2021

Haloperidol for Psychosis "Haldol gave me extreme akathisia that I couldn’t bear, so I had to go off of it. Wasn’t on it long enough to experience many other side effects that could come with it, but I will say it helped with my paranoid thoughts a bit, but also made me feel drunk and not myself."

• Pas...
• November 5, 2020

For Psychosis "There's a lot of bad reviews on this medication, haloperidol, however, I have found it so useful. At first, I was on risperidone, and I HATED it. I gained so much weight and was so drowsy, however, haloperidol was prescribed for voices, and it worked instantly. It calms my voices and makes me feel so relaxed, and I've not had any increase in my appetite or weight. This drug has helped save my life. I take 2 mg up to 4 times a day as PRN, but it has helped a lot, and I don't experience any other side effects."

• hal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 16, 2017

For Psychosis "I feel great so far. I have been taking the medicine for 2 months. At first, I felt overheated, hungry for carbs, and very sleepy, but after about a week, that wore off. I have a lot less anxiety and have not felt irritable. I was dwelling on negative/paranoid thoughts before taking the medicine. Now, I have those thoughts much less often, and it is easier to switch gears and think of something else. I did gain 10 pounds the first 2 weeks, but have since lost that weight by walking and not snacking between meals. I feel like I am less stressed out, so I eat better now."

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 22, 2020

For Psychosis "Okay, I’m 24 years old, and I’m usually on Zoloft, Depakote, and Ativan (as needed), but in July, I had a psychotic episode where I had to get sent to the hospital for about a week. Before I left, they injected me with this, and I immediately felt unusually calm and relaxed, but the next day I started slobbering, drooling all over my shirt, stuttering, which I never do, not talking clearly, SLEEPING ALL DAY. I felt restless, anxious, hopeless, and depressed, and these side effects lasted for about 23 days. It felt like heaven when it wore off, and I felt like my normal self again. My mom wants me to get put on Haldol again, but I refused and told the doctor I’d rather be put on something else, and they agreed. Never again will I use this medication. Sure, being sleepy and slobbering is “better” than having a psychotic episode, but this medication sucks. 1/10"

• mmm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2023

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "Was given for nausea that didn’t respond to Zofran. Almost immediately after the IM injection, I became drowsy and agitated and had such bad anxiety I felt like I needed to leave the hospital. I was up all night with muscle twitches and anxiety, I couldn’t stop pacing. Ended up going back to the hospital for Ativan and Benadryl, and I was told my reaction was a common reaction to Haldol. It took me days to feel back to normal. I’d rather be sick than take this ever again!"

• Gla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2017

For Aggressive Behavior "I was prescribed Haldol for aggression (agitation) when I was hospitalized for bipolar disorder. The psychiatrist I had had a very abrasive personality and prescribed it after I hauled off on staff without telling me anything about it, not even the name. I became extremely shaky, could not hold my head up, was very drowsy, and just couldn't function. I literally screamed at my doctor to take me off of it when he gave me something to counteract the shakiness. I was fine then. When I was discharged, he was going to give me straight Haldol, but I argued with him (and won)."

• Jes...
• April 20, 2018

For Psychosis "I have psychotic depression but have also been diagnosed as schizoaffective. I was put on Haldol the last time I was put in the psych ward. It worked for my anxiety and delusions, didn't make them worse like most antipsychotics, but I did sleep pretty much constantly the next week while hospitalized. I'm not sure why that wasn't concerning to the doctors. I took it for the next 11 months, and even with exercise and attempts at dieting, could only manage to go up and down 10 lbs. I had gained 120 lbs on Risperdal that I wanted to get off. After 11 months, my weight just started shooting up, and I just kept gaining until I took myself off Haldol. I stopped gaining off and managed to lose weight. It also messed with my cholesterol, and I slept over 10 hours a day on it, closer to 14. I never felt like myself either, but was the most functional that I have been on psych meds. All these symptoms have gone away since I stopped the drugs. I also took Wellbutrin and Lexapro."

• Roc...
• January 6, 2021

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "Was in for laparoscopy procedure and was very nauseous after the surgery. Initial treatment with Zofran wasn’t helpful, so they then injected Haldol to relieve the emesis and nausea. It made me feel drowsy and restless at the same time. I can’t tell if I’m thankful it helped as an antiemetic or if I absolutely hate it because of the restless legs, anxious, crawling out of my skin feelings. It made resting and sleep very difficult after a really long day at the hospital. My advice: see if the doctor has exhausted all other medications/solutions first! The side effects may make you regret taking it."

• Rol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 22, 2014

For Mania "Caused muscle contraction in my neck. Very painful and frightening. Was given a shot of Cogentin and it subsided. Caused drowsiness, constipation, and marked sleepiness. Emotional flatness. It increased my depression."

• Cam...
• July 19, 2020

For Aggressive Behavior "I was given this haloperidol with an injection of Ativan a few days ago for aggressive behavior due to my bipolar. I was so freaking angry and annoyed and was also crying my eyes out and throwing things, so at the crappy hospital I was at, they had several “nurses” screaming at me even though I was hysterical. They strapped me to the bed, and this dude said he was going to inject me with HALDOL and Ativan. And I freaked out and told him that I demanded only Ativan, and he said, “All patients who are hysterical have to take haldol, it doesn't matter if you are allergic or not,” so I got injected with both Haldol and Ativan. In 5 minutes, I started feeling unusually sleepy, and my legs were insanely restless at the same time. I slept for 15 hours that night, and the feeling in my legs was so extreme that I wanted to scream and launch out of my own body, but I massaged my legs with lotion to get rid of the feeling. The feeling wore off 17 hours later."

• Log...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 18, 2021

Haloperidol for Nausea/Vomiting "I experience nausea/vomiting related to my epilepsy after I have seizures. Sometimes it will last for over a week, and I mean vomiting lasting 4+ hours at a time. Luckily, this has no side effects for me besides sleepiness. Makes me feel better within a half hour. Zofran, Reglan, and Phenergan did me no good. It’s been a lifesaver for me."

• Rom...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 2, 2022

For Psychosis "Haloperidol is very beneficial to me for my schizoaffective disorder. It helps me think more clearly and takes away my aggression. In addition, it takes all of the very dark thoughts away. The only issue I will say is that if too many milligrams are prescribed, it will make me sleep way too much."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2019

For Psychosis "I take this for psychotic features from bipolar 2. This hasn't been too bad. I take the concentrated liquid as the pills are not available to order in my area. I can say the only thing I don't like is the sedation part (mild; I try to fight it but can't after a while). Also, I've seen a small, very small difference in my weight even though I still work out and eat correctly (could very well be my depression and missing those pills). Everyone's body reacts differently; it's worth a shot."

• Jan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2021

For Nausea/Vomiting "I was given Haldol for my gastroparesis. I had slight nausea. But mainly had epigastric/chest pain from one of my 'episodes'. The nurse came in and said the doctor ordered Haldol and Benadryl, IV. Um... OK... I was worried about the Benadryl making me drowsy. But boy, was I wrong. The Haldol!!! I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin! I was restless, agitated, I thought I was going to go CRAZY! I had to keep moving my arms and legs. And all I wanted to do was rest! But every time I closed my eyes, I would see crazy images in bright neon colors. I felt like I was on an ACID TRIP! I hadn't slept in 3 or 4 days from my abdominal pain. I also had to lay still while they took me in to do a CT scan. I really thought I was going to have to jump off of the table and run out of the hospital. I will NEVER take Haldol again!!!! I will be listing it as an allergy! I think that if you are crazy, it helps you, but if you are straight... Haldol will make you crazy!!!"

• War...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2017

For Aggressive Behavior "The pill form is poison, avoid it if you can, seriously. Stiff muscles, fidgety random body parts, weird dreams, and grogginess after sleeping longer than you want. Avoid it."

• Anonymous
• November 2, 2009

For Dementia "It can cause serious drowsiness. Consult doctor for change of dose if you experience drowsiness and feeling like sleepy all the time."

• Anonymous
• November 2, 2009

For Dementia "It can cause serious drowsiness. Consult doctor for change of dose if you experience drowsiness and feeling like sleepy all the time."

• Dou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2021

For Mania "Gave me rebound psychosis, and I'm certain it gave me some sort of brain damage. Induces sedation and motor impairment. Very dangerous drug."