Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection: Uses, Side Effects and Dosage

ABOUT THIS MEDICATION

What the medication is used for:

This medication is used for the management of manifestations of chronic schizophrenia.

What it does:

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection is an antipsychotic medication which affects chemicals in the brain that allow communication between nerve cells (neurotransmitters). These chemicals are called dopamine and serotonin. Exactly how Haloperidol works is unknown. However, it seems to readjust the balance of dopamine and serotonin.

When it should not be used:

You should not use Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection if you have:

• An allergy to haloperidol, to any of its ingredients or to phenothiazines
• A medical condition known as pheochromocytoma (a tumor of the adrenal gland)
• A severe heart or blood vessel disorder
• Severe kidney problems
• Had brain damage
• Liver disease
• A blood cell disorder such as anemia, low white blood cell counts, or low platelets
• Drowsiness, slow breathing, weak pulse

• Decreased alertness caused by taking certain medications or drinking alcohol

• You are going to receive anesthesia in the spine or for a region (such as an arm, leg or the lower part of your body)

What the medicinal ingredient is:

Haloperidol decanoate

What the nonmedicinal ingredients are:

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection contains the following non-medicinal ingredients: benzyl alcohol (1.2% v/v as preservative) and sesame oil (as vehicle)

What dosage forms it comes in:

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection 50 mg/mL (intramuscular) is available in 1 mL vials, boxes of 10, and in 3 mL vials, boxes of 1.

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection 100 mg/mL (intramuscular) is available in 1 mL vials, boxes of 10.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Serious Warnings and Precautions

Studies with various medicines of the group to which Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection belongs, when used in the elderly patients with dementia, have been associated with an increased rate of death. Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection is not indicated in elderly patients with dementia.

BEFORE you use Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you:

• You have heart disease, glaucoma or prostatic hypertrophy
• You are addicted to alcohol. You should not take Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection I if you are under the effects of alcohol

• You are pregnant. Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection should not be used during pregnancy unless your doctor considers the benefits to you markedly outweigh the potential risks to the fetus

• You are taking barbiturates, painkillers, narcotics, antihistamines or other drugs that make you drowsy
• You have any allergies to this drug or its ingredients
• You have or ever had a blackout or seizure
• You are breast feeding
• You have risk factors for developing blood clots such as: a family history of blood clots, age over 65, smoking, obesity, recent major surgery (such as hip or knee replacement), immobility due to air travel or other reason, or take oral contraceptives ("The Pill").

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection may impair the mental and/or physical abilities required for the performance of potentially hazardous tasks such as driving a car or operating machinery, especially during the first few days of therapy. You should be cautious when performing potentially hazardous tasks.

Effects on Newborns:

In some cases, babies born to a mother who used Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection during pregnancy have experienced symptoms that are severe and require the newborn to be hospitalized. Sometimes, the symptoms may resolve on their own. Be prepared to seek immediate emergency medical attention for your newborn if they have difficulty breathing, are overly sleepy, have muscle stiffness, or floppy muscles (like a rag doll), are shaking, or are having difficulty feeding.

People who use Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection are cautioned:

• Against exposure to extreme heat
• That drugs such as Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection increase the toxicity of certain types of insecticides ("organophosphorous" insecticides) including insecticides for agriculture (farming), treating animals (flea and tick control) and for treating pests around the house and garden. Be cautious if you must use these products while using Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection.

INTERACTIONS WITH THIS MEDICATION

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection can add to the effects of alcohol. You should avoid consuming alcoholic beverages while on Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection therapy.

Tell your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal products (such as St. John’s Wort), and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Before using Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection, tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxants, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). You should not use Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection if you have drowsiness caused by other medications.

Drugs that may interact with Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection include:

anti-anxiety agents, antidepressants, muscle relaxants, anti-seizure medicine, high blood pressure medicine, cabergoline, metrizamide, guanethidine, guanadrel, grepafloxacin, sparfloxacin, lithium, cisapride, atropine-like drugs, narcotic pain relievers (e.g., codeine), drugs used to aid sleep, drowsiness-causing antihistamines (e.g., diphenhydramine), other drugs that may make you drowsy.

Many cough-and-cold products contain ingredients that may add a drowsiness effect. Before using cough-and-cold medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist about the safe use of those products. Do not start or stop any medicine without doctor or pharmacist approval.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection.

PROPER USE OF THIS MEDICATION

This medication should be administered by deep intramuscular injection, preferably in the gluteus maximus, as prescribed. During the first few days your doctor may gradually increase your dose to allow your body to adjust to the medication. Do not increase the dosage or injection frequency without consulting your doctor. Your condition will not improve any faster but the risk of serious side effects will be increased. Do not stop using this drug suddenly without your doctor's approval.

Your doctor will decide which dose is best for you.

Usual dose:

The dose depends on your symptoms and will be adjusted by your doctor to best treat those symptoms. The medication is delivered by injection in a large muscle, usually the buttocks.

Overdose:

If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, or regional poison control centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms.

Overdose symptoms may include agitation, and confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, muscle stiffness or twitching, increased salivation, trouble swallowing, weakness, loss of balance or coordination, and fainting.

Missed Dose:

Get the injection of the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to get the injection of the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not double your dose to make up the missed dose.

SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

Like other medications, Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection may cause some side effects. These side effects may be minor and temporary. However, some may be serious and need medical attention.

Side effects may include: sweating, urinary incontinence, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, nasal congestion, nausea and vomiting, headache, menstrual changes, change in libido, swelling of the breasts and milk production in both men and women, weight changes and blurred vision.

If any of these affects you severely, tell your doctor.

Your doctor should check your body weight before starting Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection and continue to monitor it for as long as you are being treated.

Your doctor should take blood tests before starting Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection. They will monitor blood sugar, and the number of infection fighting white blood cells. Your doctor should continue to monitor your blood for as long as you are being treated.

If you have high levels of prolactin (measured with a blood test) and a condition called hypogonadism you may be at increased risk of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis. This occurs in both men and women.

SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

This is not a complete list of side effects. For any unexpected effects while using Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

HOW TO STORE IT

Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection should be protected from light and stored between 15 and 30°C.

As with other depot neuroleptics, precipitation may occur if the drug is stored for long periods in the cold. The precipitate should clear on storage at room temperature.

Keep this and all medications out of the reach and sight of children.

Reporting Side Effects

You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:

• Visiting the Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medeffect-canada/adverse-reaction-reporting.html) for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax; or
• Calling toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.

NOTE: Contact your health professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.

If you want more information about Haloperidol Decanoate LA Injection

• Talk to your healthcare professional

• Find the full product monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes this Patient

  • Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada website: (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html; the manufacturer’s website https://www.hikma.com, or by calling 1-800-6556 0793.

Date of preparation: JAN 09, 2026