Table 13.

Factors to be considered while choosing medications

• Patient’s details: Age, gender, comorbid medical conditions, substance use, allergies

• Agitation details: Cause, presentation

• Pharmacological considerations: Route of administration, rapidity of action, duration of action, adverse effects and interaction with other medications, past good response to any particular psychotropic

• Monitoring facilities: Airway, breathing, and circulation monitoring facilities; crash cart for any medical emergency, availability of ICU and ventilator

• Patient’s preference of route of administration

• Route of administration

• Oral: Tablets or syrups can be preferred if the patient accepts

• IM: Helps in rapid elevation of drug plasma levels and faster onset of action, leading to an immediate reduction in agitation

• IV administration should be preferred when rapid restraint is essential

• IM – Intramuscular; IV – Intravenous; ICU – Intensive care units