Akathisia Is No Less Likely If Prochlorperazine Is Given Slowly

Akathisia, a sensation of restlessness, anxiety, dysphoria, and paresthesias, is a known adverse effect of administration of intravenous phenothiazine drugs. After a single dose of prochlorperazine for nausea or vascular cephalgia, up to 40 percent of ED patients may experience akathisia. These authors hypothesized that the incidence of akathisia would be reduced by administering prochlorperazine as an infusion (10 mg in 50 mL of normal saline) over 15 minutes, instead of as a 2-minute "push" IV bolus.

One hundred patients were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. In the first 60 minutes after drug administration, 26.0 percent of patients in the bolus group experienced akathisia, as did 32.7 percent of those in the i…