Urgent News for PD’ers re: Haldol / Haloperidol
I (Sherri) received an email from a fellow PD’er which had this to say about the drug Haldol (Haloperidol):
“I attended a dinner meeting where a prominent Toledo Doctor spoke and I [chatted] at length with him following the presentation. He urged EVERYONE diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease to contact EVERY doctor they see and add HALDOL (Haloperidol is a typical antipsychotic drug) to the list of meds they are allergic to. He said when asked what the side effects are, tell them “IT WILL KILL ME” and that should get medical staff attention. Said it ‘blocks’ the dopamine and the patient “FREEZES”, among other life-threatening reactions.”
After researching the drug and it’s interactions with PD’ers, this is what I found:
(from www.drugs.com) – Haldol may cause tardive dyskinesia—a condition characterized by involuntary muscle spasms and twitches in the face and body. This condition can be permanent, and appears to be most common among the elderly, especially women….
Side effects may include:
Breast development in men, breathing problems, cataracts, constipation, drowsiness, dry mouth, insomnia, involuntary muscle contractions, skin reactions, tardive dyskinesia (see “Most important fact about Haldol”), tightening of the throat muscles, weight loss…
You should not take Haldol if you have Parkinson’s disease or are sensitive to or allergic to the drug.
(from www.parkinsons-information-exchange-network-online.com / The P-I-E-N-O Parkinsn’s List Drug Database) – Haloperidol is contraindicated in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The dopamine blockade from haloperidol will dramatically worsen the preexisting Parkinson’s disease, possibly incapacitating the patient.
(from www.healthcares.net) – Some drugs given for psychosis, such as haloperidol (Haldol) or chlorpromazine (thorazine), may cause parkinsonism.
If that isn’t enough to warn you, here are some ‘less severe’ side effects: Breast development in men, breathing problems, cataracts, constipation, drowsiness, dry mouth, insomnia, involuntary muscle contractions, skin reactions, tardive dyskinesia (see “Most important fact about Haldol”), tightening of the throat muscles, weight loss.
Your choice, but PJ is strongly recommending you just ‘say NO’. Loudly, if you must.
-sherri
(Thanks to Becci Green for bringing this to our attention!)
3 Responses to “Urgent News for PD’ers re: Haldol / Haloperidol”
Jim on June 7, 2010
Thank you Sherri. It was your post here that alerted me when my wife phoned from the hospital and asked me to find out what haldol was, she could not understand the state John was in from a simple 45 minute surgery so she inquired as to what they were giving him.
I have now been doing my homework and this is what we experienced with John, it amazed me how he could one day be perfectly fine minus some shaking that his meds controlled fairly well one day to be basically out of his mind the next day. I found a blog where an RN stated “Haldol will make an insane person sane and a sane person insane” I search can PD kill you and found this:
Just as there is dementia in Alzheimer’s, so there can be in Parkinson’s. This is not a pretty dementia, it is frightening to comprehend. Another problem is that in PD it is coupled with a myriad of other neuromotor problems including possible loss of intellectual capabilities. While this is not death in can be a form of living death for the patient and for the family.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1299283/is_parkinsons_disease_fatal_does_it.html?cat=5
Thank you again Sherri and God Bless you and yours.
Jim
Sherri Woodbridge on June 6, 2010
Hi Jim –
Thank you so much for sharing your story. My sincerest sympathies for the loss of your father in-law. What a tragedy. About six months ago I ran across an article re: Halodol/Haloperidol and the warning for PD patients to be alert in situations much like yours with your father in-law. Thank you for sharing your heartbreaking story so that others will understand how serious it is for PD patients to stay clear of the drug. For those who are not aware of the dangers of this drug for people with PD, you can read about it here.
Jim on June 6, 2010
Hi everyone, my father in law lived by himself and was doing fine alone with PD he passed away 5/10/10 after entering the hospital 4/28/10 after he tripped going out to his car, to make the 2 hour drive to come and see me, his son in law and his daughter (my wife) and our children a simple 45 minute hip surgery took place 4/29/10, they kept covering him with blankets and he always complained he was hot from the shaking so he would take the blankets off, so they started giving him HALDOL why I don’t know? a day later he was in ICU for 4 days on complete life support, he somehow managed to snap back from ICU and make it back to a regular room, after we found out what haldol was and told them to stop giving it to him even their pharmacist at that point said “yeah don’t give him haldol” he still had to be on a respirator I guess the haldol in pill form was aspirating him also, then a few days later he died, they said the cause of death was advanced PD, how does someone with advanced PD live on their own sharp as a tack, this man launched rockets for Nasa and designed aircraft for Boeing could drive a car fine, talked fine on the phone, but after the haldol became a vegetable and mumbled, didn’t know who anyone was, at least I was there when he died I am sure glad my wife did not have to see her father dead as she was there with him through the whole thing but had went home for a few hours to rest, His name was John and he is probably the finest most caring loving man I will ever have the pleasure of knowing, he was involved in the MF foundation as well donating money to help others like him with PD, thanks for letting me share his story……………jim