Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take haloperidol as follows:

1. Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your doctor. Take the medication dose for the duration prescribed without fail.
2. Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
3. Taking the medication at regularly spaced intervals help maintain appropriate blood levels of haloperidol needed to derive the beneficial effects and prevent toxicity.
4. This medication can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms.
5. Haloperidol can induce some dizziness and make one drowsy. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the risk for drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication. If the dizziness becomes bothersome, report it to your physician and other health care personnel, for any change in plan of care to be considered. Stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until they are used to the side effects caused by haloperidol.
6. Do not take haloperidol with alcohol or opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, as these products can add to the confusion caused by haloperidol. A number of OTC cough medications, antihistamines, and antianxiety medications, can potentiate the confusion caused by haloperidol and so, must be avoided taking along with haloperidol.
7. Take the haloperidol regular tablet as a whole, using a glass of water. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You can also crush the regular tablet and sprinkle the powder on a spoon of apple sauce or jello or pudding, to facilitate an easy swallow.
8. Haloperidol could also be prescribed as an oral concentrate/suspension. When taking haloperidol as an oral concentrate/suspension, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing. Also, do not forgot to shake the suspension well before you use it.
9. For individuals with swallowing difficulties and unpleasant nausea and vomiting sensations with oral medication intake, haloperidol could also be administered as both immediate-release and extended-release intramuscular injections. Due to the slow release, extended-release intramuscular injection of haloperidol help for maintenance therapy, in individuals with moderate to severe symptoms of mania and psychosis.
10. Haloperidol takes some time to fairly balance the chemicals in the brain, before any improvement in mood and behavior are noted. It could take about 3 – 6 weeks to see this change in mood. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the improvement with the psychotic symptoms immediately after taking the medication.
11. Haloperidol only helps with managing the psychotic symptoms, by influencing the activity of various chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and is not a permanent cure. So, continue taking haloperidol, even if your mood feels better. Discontinuing the medication abruptly can result in disruption of this chemical balance in the brain, resulting in worsening of psychosis symptoms.
12. As the activity of various chemical neurotransmitters in the brain has to be finely regulated to help relieve the excitation and mania symptoms and experience feelings of well-being, the dose of haloperidol also needs to be finely regulated, in order to accomplish this goal.
13. Your physician could change the dose of haloperidol, based on the response and side-effects developed. Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
14. Haloperidol interacts with a lot of other medications, thus influencing their function. If you are being newly started on haloperidol, discuss with your physician regarding all your current medications and their safety with haloperidol. Also, notify your physician regarding any current haloperidol intake, if you are being started on any new medications and discuss their safety with haloperidol.
15. Notify your doctor of any unresolved and worsening psychosis and mania symptoms or continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
16. Sudden discontinuation of haloperidol intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, exacerbation of psychosis, hallucinations, anxiety, and mania. Discontinuation on haloperidol use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses, and only on your physician recommendation.
17. If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.