Drug treatment of Acute Behavioural Disturbance in Adult (18-65 years)

NHS Borders clinical guidelines
NHS Borders

Intramuscular Drug Treatment of Acute Behavioural Disturbance Adults (18-65 years old):

Note:

IM Promethazine 50mg can be used if Lorazepam is unsuitable or contraindicated (Max 100mg/24 hours) 

For alternative antipsychotics to Haloperidol se notes in Appendix 1For doses in elderly:

See elderly guideline here

Reduce Lorazepam dose to 0.5mg- 1mg (max 2mg/24hr)

Reduce Haloperidol dose to 0.5-1mg (max 2mg/24hr)

 

Appendix 1 Prescribing information

Non response to rapid tranquilisation:

  • Obtain Consultant advice if more than 2 doses of IM Lorazepam or Haloperidol and 1 dose of IM Promethazine required
  • Consider Zuclopenthixol Acetate (Acuphase) on CONSULTANT advice only

 

Choice Therapy
Patient Group Try First Try Second Max dose in first 24 hours
Highly aroused, physically robust adult including those already on antipsychotic drugs Lorazepam 2mg Repeat, then try Haloperidol 5mg Lorazepam 4mg
Haloperidol 12mg
Alcohol withdrawal Use alcohol withdrawal guideline for Chlordiazepoxide
Acute disturbance due to medical condition or alcohol intoxication Haloperidol 5mg    
Psychotic agitation (acute disturbance due to a psychiatric illness) Haloperidol Lorazepam or Haloperidol Haloperidol 20mg
Lorazepam 8mg
Frail older people or severe respiratory disease Haloperidol 2.5mg Lorazepam 0.5-1mg Haloperidol 10mg
Lorazepam 4mg
Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Parkinson's disease Lorazepam 0.5-1mg Repeat Lorazepam 4mg
Delirium Haloperidol 2.5mg Repeat Haloperidol 10mg
Agitation/ behavioural disturbance in pregnancy Haloperidol or Lorazepam or Promethazine as above

 

Choice of treatment:

  • A benzodiazepine is recommended as first line (if there is limited clinical information, antipsychotic naive, prolonged QTc)
  • Oral antipsychotic choice will depend on regular antipsychotic prescription and previous response to medication. Using an additional dose of an effective regular antipsychotic may be appropriate.
  • Promethazine is indicated for patients who are tolerant to benzodiazepines or who have had previous adverse drug reactions or who have previously abused/been addicted to benzodiazepines.
  • A baseline ECG is required for all patients prior to administration of Haloperidol (as per license) and is now contra-indicated in combination with other potentially QTc prolonging medication. If this is not possible, the risks and benefits of Haloperidol treatment should be documented clearly in notes.
  • A baseline ECG is required for all patients prior to administration of Zuclopenthixol Acetate

 

  Choice of IM Antipsychotic Medication
Drug Dose Information
Haloperidol 5mg IM, max 20mg/ 24 hours (adult)
  • Contra indicated in patients with prolonged QTc, patients with a history of dystonia with first generation antipsychotics and patients with Lewy body dementia
Olanzapine

Adult: 5-10mg IM, max 20mg/ 24 hour, max 3 injections in 24 hours

Elderly: 2.5-5 mg IM max 20mg/ 24 hour, max 3 injections in 24 hours
  • Unlicensed product (imported from the EU)( document rationale for use clearly)
  • Do not administer a benzodiazepine within 1 hour of administration
  • Safer in Qtc prolongation and patients with a history of EPSE to first generation antipsychotics
  • Under consultant psychiatrist advice only
Aripiprazole 9.75mg IM, repeated once in 24 hours
  • Safer in QTc prolongation, in combination with QTc prolonging medication and in patients with a history of Qtc prolongation/ arrhythmias
  • Under consultant psychiatrist advice only

 

Risk Associated with IM rapid tranquilisation
Drug Class Risk
Benzodiazepines Loss of consciousness, respiratory depression or arrest, cardiovascular collapse in patients receiving Clozapine and paradoxical aggression.
Antipsychotics Loss of consciousness, risk of sudden death (cardiac/respiratory complications), seizures, akathisia, dystonia, dyskinesia, NMS and excessive sedation
Antihistamines Excessive sedation, painful injection, hypotension, arrhythmias, additional antimuscarinic effects

 

Post Rapid Tranquilisation Monitoring
Guideline Post - RT parameters Post - RT Monitoring Additional Recommendations
Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines 12th edition (Taylor et al. 2015) Temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate Every 10 minutes for 1 hour then half hourly until the patient is ambulatory
  • if monitoring of vital signs is not possible observe for symptoms of pyrexia, over sedation and general physical well being
  • Resuscitation facilities must be made available

 

Management of problems resulting from the use of IM medication
Problem Remedial Measure
Acute dystonic reaction Procyclidine 5mg IM, repeat after 20 minutes if necessary, max 20mg/24 hours. Do not prescribe IM Haloperidol alone
Orthostatic hypotension Lie patient flat, raise legs, monitor closely including regular BP measurement
Reduced respiratory rate (<10/minute or O2 saturation < 90%) Give Oxygen
Give Flumazenil if Benzodiazepine induced. Initially 200 micrograms IV over 15 seconds, then 100 micrograms at 60 seconds. Maximum 1mg/24 hours
Abnormal physical observations Continue to monitor regularly. Escalate to Ward Doctor. Record on NEWS chart and follow instructions with regard seeking medical assistance. Consider risk of neuroleptic malignant syndrome and arrhythmias in patients with a raised temperature.

 

Pharmacokinetics of IM medication
Drug Time to peak concentration (Tmax) Elimination Half Life (T 1/2)
Haloperidol 20 minutes 20 hours
Lorazepam 60-90 minutes 12- 16 hours
Promethazine 2-3 hours 5-14 hours
Zuclopenthixol Acetate 36 hours At 72 hours levels are 1/3 of max

 

QTc Off license information:

Haloperidol is contra-indicated in QT-interval prolongation. Co-prescription of Haloperidol with another QT interval prolonging drug should be avoided wherever possible; but if there are no appropriate clinical alternatives then the prescriber should document this use as unlicensed and appropriate monitoring agreed. NHS Borders ADTC supports this unlicensed use of haloperidol where the benefits of the treatment exceed the risks of treatment.

Promethazine has a conditional risk of QTc prolongation. The BAP guidelines recommend a combination of promethazine and haloperidol as a safe and effective method of rapid tranquilisation.

Editorial Information

Next review date: 01/12/2026

Author(s): Harvey K.

Approved By: ADTC

Reviewer name(s): Harvey K.

References

Patel et al. Joint BAP NAPICU evidence based consensus guidelines for the clinical management of acute disturbance: de-escalation and rapid tranquilisation. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2018
Taylor et al. Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines. 12th edition. 2018.

Taylor et al. Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines. 13th Edition. 2018

Harwood. How to deal with violent and aggressive patients in acute medical settings. Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Volume 47: 2. June 2017.

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