Haloperidol PRN vs haloperidol daily.

[Steel Maiden]

I am on haloperidol three times a day and it gives me a few unpleasant side effects: I get cognitive dysfunction to some degree, I am a student so that is really upsetting; and I also get bouts of severe tiredness, I have a nap and set three alarms to wake myself up, I then end up sleeping through all of them and wake up 3+ hours later.

My mum got really worried about me and left 11 missed calls this afternoon, because I wasn't waking up from my 3+ hour nap. I only wanted to sleep for half an hour and I set two loud alarms far away from my bed!

My mum and I think that daily haloperidol is sedating me too much and I am scared that the cognitive dysfunction has already made me mess up a test at uni.

I am thinking of asking to take a higher dose PRN (5mg) than each dose I take three times a day (3mg three times a day).

I take haloperidol for autistic meltdowns and often severe challenging behaviour so I do not really need to take it three times a day. I think PRN use for when I'm starting to slip into a meltdown is better. My support worker at uni said she could spot the warning signs in me (like pacing or rocking a lot) and tell me to take meds before I end up going completely into a meltdown.

What do you think? Do you think that it would be a reasonable request to my psychiatrist to take it PRN instead?

Additional: my challenging behaviour can be very severe. I have caused injuries to myelf, and I've done things like smash a thick wooden chair into several pieces, or had to have four police officers hold me down and handcuff me during meltdowns. My psychiatrist said I am a risk to myself and others. Hence why I was put on haloperidol, but it's not really helping. I still have risky meltdowns daily.

[Bellatrix]

I have been on both. But for different reasons.

I found the PRN more beneficial. I took it when the voices were bad and whilst it didn't stop them, it reduced them to a bearable level.

Taking it daily, I noticed an overall decrease in the base level of voices, but I still had bad moments.

So I found PRN when things were bad helpful, rather than the overall base reduction in symptoms. If that makes sense.

Gve it a try. You can always go back on it.

[Steel Maiden]

Thanks. I'll ask my psych if she will prescribe it to me PRN instead.