Enhancement of alcohol withdrawal convulsions in mice by haloperidol.

Based on the data presented here and the clinical observations cited it would appear that although haloperidol has been used with a certain degree of success for the treatment of acute alcohol abstinence the authors would like to caution the clinician against widespread use of heloperidol for treatment of alcohol withdrawal. In experimentally induced ethanol withdrawal, chlordiazepoxide appears to be a more effective and safer agent for ameliorating symptoms associated with excitation such as tremor, insomnia, anxiety, and hyperexcitability. A double blind comparative clinical investigation between chlordiazepoxide and haloperidol for treatment of alcohol withdrawal is warranted.