Table 3.
Pharmacological treatment options for the patient presenting with psychomotor agitation [21]
| Route of administration | Agent | Dose | Cause of agitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antipsychotics | |||
| Inhaled | Loxapine | 9.1 mg | Psychotic syndrome (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) |
| Oral | Olanzapine | 5–10 mg | Undifferentiated agitation Medical illness (cognitive deterioration and confusion syndrome) Substance intoxication/abstinence Psychiatric illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, mental retardation and autism spectrum disorder) |
| Risperidone | 1–3 mg | ||
| Asenapine | 5–10 mg | ||
| Aripiprazole | 15–30 mg | ||
| Quetiapine | 50–100 mg | ||
| Ziprasidone | 20–40 mg | ||
| Haloperidol | 5 mg | ||
| Intramuscular | Haloperidol | 5–15 mg | |
| Olanazapine | 5–10 mg | ||
| Ziprasidone | 10 mg | ||
| Aripiprazole | 9.75 mg | ||
| Levomepromazine | 25 mg | ||
| Benzodiazepines | |||
| Oral | Diazepam | 5–10 mg | Abstinence from alcohol and/or BZD Psychiatric illness (anxiety disorder, affective disorder, personality and adjustment disorder) |
| Clonazepam | 1–2 mg | ||
| Lorazepam | 1 mg | ||
| Intramuscular | Midazolam | 5 mg | |
| Diazepam | 5–10 mg | ||
BZD, benzodiazepine