A Comparison Study of the Efficacy of Quetiapine and Haloperidol in Agitated Adults in Emergency Room

In the Psychiatric Emergency Room, agitated patients are treated routinely with an I.M. Haloperidol "cocktail" (Haloperidol 5 mg, Lorazepam 2 mg, Cogentin 2 mg), which has proved to be an effective treatment. However, since it is an intramuscular injection, it is more complicated and perhaps less acceptable to patients as well as more likely to cause EPS (extrapyramidal symptoms). Of late in our emergency room, we started using high dose Quetiapine 300 mg PO to replace the "cocktail" for treating agitation. It has shown promising results. This study is designed to compare the efficacy and safety of Quetiapine with the routine "cocktail for treatment of agitation. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of Quetiapine by using high dose Quetiapine (300 mg) PO to treat agitated patients in the psychiatric emergency room. The secondary purpose is to test the immediate effect on agitation caused by illicit drug abuse or the alcohol abuse.