Specimen Requirements
Title
Haloperidol
Specimen Requirement
Collect red top, lavender EDTA or green top heparin, send 1.0 mL serum/plasma. Centrifuge, transfer serum/plasma to a screw top transport tube, indicate sample type on tube and send.
Do not use gel barrier tube. The use of gel-barrier tubes is not recommended due to slow absorption of the drug by the gel. Depending on the specimen volume and storage time, the decrease in drug level due to absorption may be clinically significant.
Methodology
Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS)
Stability
Room temp: 2 days, Refrigerated: 7 days, Frozen: 1 month
Reference Range
The reference ranges are determined by the performing laboratory and will show on the report.
Turnaround
Up to 10 days
Clinical Use
Half-life is 15 to 40 hours. Haloperidol is an antipsychotic tranquilizer used to control acute and chronic psychotic disorders, for the control of Tourette syndrome, and for the treatment of severe behavior problems in hyperactive children. Haloperidol is metabolized by dealkalization, oxidation, and conjugation; the hydroxy derivative is active but concentrations are very low. Haloperidol should be monitored to assess and optimize dosing regimens and maintenance therapy since the relationship between dosage and serum levels at steady-state can be highly variable. The drug should also be monitored to assess adverse reactions and changes associated with co-administered drugs.
Test Code
HALLC