PulmCrit - February 1, 2016 by Josh Farkas
- "Intravenous use of haloperidol is not FDA-approved, but is widely utilized and accepted in the literature.
- Recent studies suggest that olanzapine can also be given intravenously, even though it is labeled only for intramuscular use.
- One RCT showed that IV olanzapine was as effective as IV droperidol.
- Olanzapine does not cause torsade de pointes, nor does it require monitoring with serial EKGs.
- The rate of extrapyramidal side effects with olanzapine is lower than with haloperidol.
- Intravenous olanzapine may be an attractive alternative to intravenous haloperidol, particularly among patients at risk for arrhythmia."