Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026

Evidence-based Knowledge Synthesis and Hypothesis Validation: Navigating Biomedical Knowledge Bases via Explainable AI and Agentic Systems
Published on: June 13, 2025
Evidence-Based Review Of Pharmacotherapy For Acute Agitation. Part 2: Safety
1Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago Medical School, Chicago, Illinois and Attending, Department of Emergency Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago, Illinois.
Background:
The management of acute agitation in the emergency department often requires the administration of rapid-acting antipsychotic agents. However, there are few comparative studies and little guidance regarding the risks associated with use of such drugs in the acute setting.
Objective:
This structured evidence-based review compared the safety of antipsychotic pharmacotherapies for acute agitation using data from randomized controlled trials identified by a literature search of the PubMed database.
Results:
Based on findings from 34 blinded, randomized controlled trials, common acute adverse effects of second-generation antipsychotics and haloperidol were headache, dizziness, insomnia, and somnolence. There were some differences in incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), degree of sedation, and acute QTc prolongations between agents.
Conclusions:
The results of this review demonstrate the improved safety (particularly regarding EPS and over-sedation) of certain newer-generation antipsychotic agents compared with haloperidol and benzodiazepines for the treatment of acutely agitated patients. The risk of prolonged QT interval and torsade de pointes needs to be considered with haloperidol and some of the second-generation antipsychotics.
Related Concept Videos
The Evidence for Evolution
Psychosis: Goals of Pharmacotherapy
Diabetes: Management and Pharmacotherapy
Insulin remains the cornerstone of treatment for most patients with type 1 and many...
Review and Preview
Percentiles are a type of fractile that partition data into...
Review and Preview
Survey Safety

