Hypotension and Cardiopulmonary Arrest Associated With Concurrent Haloperidol and Propranolol Therapy

Abstract

HALOPERIDOL exerts its antipsychotic effect presumably through potent blockade of central dopamine receptors¹and has caused hypotension in some patients.²Propranolol hydrochloride is a β-adrenergic receptor blocking drug that is widely used in treating hypertension. A review of the literature does not disclose adverse effects in patients from a combination of haloperidol and propranolol. We report herein a patient who had three episodes of hypotension and two episodes of cardiopulmonary arrest after taking concurrent oral doses of haloperidol and propranolol. <h3>Report of a Case</h3> A 48-year-old white woman with a 27-year history of schizophrenia was first admitted to our hospital in 1980. At that time, the patient was treated with haloperidol, 20 mg/day, for an acute exacerbation of her illness. Her symptoms resolved rapidly. The patient was also noted to have hypertension and was treated with a low-sodium diet and with trichlormethiazide, 4 mg/day, which controlled her hypertension. In