[9] Haloperidol is used in the treatment of schizophrenia, tics in Tourette syndrome, mania in bipolar disorder, delirium, agitation, acute psychosis, and hallucinations from alcohol withdrawal.

[9] A long-acting formulation may be used as an injection every four weeks for people with schizophrenia or related illnesses, who either forget or refuse to take the medication by mouth.

[9] Haloperidol was discovered in 1958 by the team of Paul Janssen,[13] prepared as part of a structure-activity relationship investigation into analogs of pethidine (meperidine).

[24][25] However, the newer atypical drugs have gained a greater role in a number of situations, as outlined in a series of consensus reviews published between 2001 and 2005.

[29] A 2013 systematic review compared haloperidol to placebo in schizophrenia:[30] In contrast to certain other antipsychotics like risperidone, haloperidol is ineffective as a hallucinogen antidote or "trip killer" in blocking the effects of serotonergic psychedelics like psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

In addition, reports indicate neonates exposed to antipsychotic drugs are at risk for extrapyramidal and/or withdrawal symptoms following delivery, such as agitation, hypertonia, hypotonia, tremor, somnolence, respiratory distress, and feeding disorder.

Following accepted general principles, haloperidol should be given during pregnancy only if the benefit to the mother clearly outweighs the potential fetal risk.

[34] During long-term treatment of chronic psychiatric disorders, the daily dose should be reduced to the lowest level needed for maintenance of remission.

Doses of haloperidol greater than 5 mg increased the risk of side effects without improving efficacy.

According to a 2013 meta-analysis of the comparative efficacy and tolerability of 15 antipsychotic drugs it was the most prone of the 15 for causing extrapyramidal side effects.

[52][53] Some studies report an association between antipsychotic medications, especially first-generation agents, and a decline in gray matter volume.

In early detected cases of oral overdose, induction of emesis, gastric lavage, and the use of activated charcoal can be tried.

In the case of a severe overdose, antidotes such as bromocriptine or ropinirole may be used to treat the extrapyramidal effects caused by haloperidol, acting as dopamine receptor agonists.

[citation needed] ECG and vital signs should be monitored especially for QT prolongation and severe arrhythmias should be treated with antiarrhythmic measures.

The plasma concentrations of haloperidol decanoate reach a peak at about six days after the injection, falling thereafter, with an approximate half-life of three weeks.

Plasma levels of five to 15 micrograms per liter are typically seen for therapeutic response (Ulrich S, et al. Clin Pharmacokinet.

It is slowly eliminated from brain tissue,[74] which may explain the slow disappearance of side effects when the medication is stopped.

[78] It was developed in 1958 at the Belgian company Janssen Pharmaceutica and submitted to the first of clinical trials in Belgium later that year.

[79][80] Haloperidol was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 12 April 1967; it was later marketed in the U.S. and other countries under the brand name Haldol by McNeil Laboratories.

[83][85][84] Haloperidol is also used on many different kinds of animals for nonselective tranquilization and diminishing behavioral arousal, in veterinary and other settings including captivity management.