A Comparison Study of the Efficacy of Quetiapine and Haloperidol in Agitated Adults in Emergency Room

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2009-05-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

In the Psychiatric Emergency Room, agitated patients are treated routinely with an I.M. Haloperidol "cocktail" (Haloperidol 5 mg, Lorazepam 2 mg, Cogentin 2 mg), which has proved to be an effective treatment. However, since it is an intramuscular injection, it is more complicated and perhaps less acceptable to patients as well as more likely to cause EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms). Of late in our emergency room, we started using high dose Quetiapine 300 mg PO to replace the "cocktail" for treating agitation. It has shown promising results.

• Phase: Phase 4
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University of Southern California
• Collaborator: AstraZeneca
• Treatments: Benztropine; Haloperidol; Haloperidol decanoate; Lorazepam; Quetiapine Fumarate

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. English or Spanish speaking patients

2. Provision of written informed consent-English and Spanish

3. Males and females age 18 to 60 years. Females who are pregnant by inspection should not be included.

4. Provision at diagnosis meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria for Axis I documented who present in an agitated state. PANSS-EC score should be >15.

5. Ability, in the treating physician's opinion, to co-operate with taking oral medication

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnant females who will thus receive routine care in the treating physician's opinion

2. Unstable medical illness

3. Withdrawal stage from any illicit drugs

4. Psychosis that prohibits participation in trial

5. Females of childbearing age where pregnancy cannot be confirmed or denied by screening

6. Patients who required continued intervention or prolonged restraint