High Dose Haloperidol for Delirium in HIVAssociated Dementia

The limited evidence available has suggested that patients with HIV–associated dementia respond clinically to low doses of antipsychotics and may be more prone to experience side effects at typically used doses. In this case, a 30-year-old female with untreated HIV/AIDS was admitted for aggressive behaviors refractory to low doses of multiple agents. However, she responded without adverse events to higher doses of haloperidol in conjunction with lorazepam in the setting of newly initiated combination antiretroviral therapy. A review of the relevant literature and discussion follows a description of this patient's hospital course.