Risperdal vs. Haldol

• Are Risperdal and Haldol the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Risperdal? (Side effects)
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Haldol? (Side effects)
• What is Risperdal? (Uses)
• What is Haldol? (Uses)
• What Drugs Interact with Risperdal? (Interactions)
• What Drugs Interact with Haldol? (Interactions)
• How Should Risperdal Be Taken? (Dosage)
• How Should Haldol Be Taken? (Dosage)

Risperdal (risperidone) and Haldol (haloperidol) are antipsychotic drugs prescribed to treat schizophrenia.

Risperdal is also used to treat bipolar mania and autism.

Haldol is also used to control motor (movement) and verbal (for example, Tourette's syndrome) tics and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children.

Common side effects of Risperdal include:

• extrapyramidal effects (sudden, often jerky, involuntary motions of the head, neck, arms, body, or eyes),
• dizziness,
• tiredness,
• drowsiness,
• fatigue,
• fever,
• weight gain,
• feeling hot or cold,
• headache,
• dry mouth,
• increased appetite,
• restlessness,
• anxiety,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• stomach pain,
• constipation,
• cough,
• sore throat,
• runny or stuffy nose,
• or skin rash.

Tell your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Risperdal including difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, shaking (tremor), mental/mood changes, or signs of infection (such as fever, persistent sore throat).

Common side effects of Haldol include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• dry mouth,
• nervousness,
• headache,
• dizziness,
• spinning sensation,
• drowsiness,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• restlessness,
• anxiety,
• skin rash,
• itching,
• spontaneous eye movements,
• mood changes,
• breast enlargement,
• irregular menstrual periods,
• loss of interest in sex,
• blurred vision,
• difficulty urinating or urinating less than usual, and
• occasional movement disorders

Severe side effects of Haldol include:

• death in the elderly,
• prolongation of the QT heartbeat interval,
• tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements), prolonged erection (hours),
• a symptom complex sometimes referred to as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) with fever,
• irregular heartbeats,
• mental status changes, and
• renal failure

Risperdal (risperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic prescribed to treat:

• schizophrenia,
• bipolar mania,
• and autism.

Haldol (haloperidol) is an antipsychotic drug that decreases excitement in the brain. Haldol is used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, to control motor (movement) and verbal (for example, Tourette's syndrome) tics and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children. Haldol is available in generic form. Haldol is not approved for use in older adults with dementia because of increased chances of death during treatment.

Risperdal may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), carbamazepine, fluoxetine, paroxetine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, or rifampin.

Risperdal may also interact with cimetidine, ranitidine, clozapine, valproic acid, or medicines used to treat Parkinson's Disease.

Haldol may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), or rifampin.

Haldol may also interact with arsenic trioxide, blood thinners, lithium, tacrolimus, antibiotics, anti-malaria medications, heart rhythm medicines, medicines to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting, medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, or migraine headache medicines.

Do not stop using Haldol suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

Risperdal dose ranges from 0.5 mg to 8mg/day.

Haldol is available in sterile vials containing 5 mg strength Haldol per 1 ml of fluid used for injection. Usual starting dose is 2.5-5 mg intramuscularly. Dose may vary according to patient response to the drug. Switch to an oral form of this drug is recommended as soon as possible.