http://en.wikipedia.

org/wiki/Haloperidol
Haloperidol is noted for its strong early and late extrapyramidal side effects.[14] The risk of the facedisfiguring tardive dyskinesia is around 4% per year in younger patients. Other predisposing factors may be
female gender, pre-existing affective disorder, and cerebral dysfunction. Akathisia often manifests itself with
anxiety, dysphoria, and an inability to remain motionless.
Other side effects include dry mouth, lethargy, restlessness of akathisia, muscle stiffness or cramping,
restlessness, tremors, Rabbit syndrome, and weight gain; side effects like these are more likely to occur when
the drug is given in high doses and/or during long-term treatment. Depression, severe enough to result in
suicide, is quite often seen during long-term treatment. Care should be taken to detect and treat depression
early in course. Sometimes the change from haloperidol to a mildly potent neuroleptic (e.g., chlorprothixene
or chlorpromazine), together with appropriate antidepressant therapy, does help. Sedative and anticholinergic
side effects occur more frequently in the elderly. The likelihood of one's experiencing one or more of these
side effects is quite high regardless of age and gender, especially with prolonged use.
Symptoms of dystonia, prolonged abnormal contractions of muscle groups, may occur in susceptible
individuals during the first few days of treatment. Dystonic symptoms include spasm of the neck muscles
sometimes progressing to tightness of the throat, swallowing difficulty, difficulty breathing, and/or protrusion
of the tongue. While these symptoms can occur at low doses, they occur more frequently and with greater
severity with high potency and at higher doses of first-generation antipsychotic drugs. An elevated risk of
acute dystonia is observed in males and younger age groups.
The potentially fatal neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a significant possible side effect. Haloperidol
and fluphenazine cause NMS most often. NMS involves fever and other symptoms. Allergic and toxic side
effects occur. Skin rash and photosensitivity both occur in fewer than 1% of patients. Children and
adolescents are particularly sensitive to the early and late extrapyramidal side effects of haloperidol. It is not
recommended to treat pediatric patients.
QT prolongation with sudden death is a rarely seen, but clinically significant, side effect. Likewise, the
development of thromboembolic complications are also seen.
Haloperidol may have a negative impact on vigilance or decrease the ability of the patient to drive or operate
a machine, particularly initially.
Haloperidol is not devoid of potential psychological dependence. However, due to the debilitating side
effects, patients prescribed this drug have a high rate of noncompliance. The current recommendation is to
pay close attention to the patient's experience, and taper or discontinue use if the patient has a high rate of
dissatisfaction with treatment, as it may lead to dangerously rapid discontinuation.
Haloperidol has been shown to dramatically increase dopamine activity, up to 98%, in test subjects after two
weeks on a "moderate to high" dose compared to chronic schizophrenics.[32] In another study, a live survey
of a patient showed the person has 90% more dopamine receptors, of the D2 subtype, than before treatment
with haloperidol.[32] The long-term effect of this is unknown, but the first study concludes this upregulation
is positively associated with severe dyskinesias (more upregulation, more dyskinesia).
Some research studies have suggested effects of haloperidol on brain tissue. In a 2005 placebo-compared
study of six macaques receiving haloperidol for up to 27 months, a significant brain volume change of about
10% and weight decreases were detected.[33] In later studies (2008) of the stored samples, the previously
reported changes were attributed primarily to astrocyte and oligodendrocyte loss, with the neuron loss at
about 5%, which was not statistically significant.[34] A study in 2011 of rats given haloperidol in doses
comparable to clinical use for eight weeks found a reduction in brain cortex volume of 1012%.[35]
In other studies, the use of potent antipsychotics has been associated with cognitive decline and permanent
brain damage.[36]
Linkovi ka slicnim textovima,forumski postovi ljudi koji su koristili haloperidol I njegove posledice
http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/47040-how-to-reverse-brain-damage-cased-by-haloperidol/
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100606/full/news.2010.281.html