Immediate Effects of Droperidol

The subjective and behavioural responses of 20 healthy volunteers taking droperidol 5 mg as part of a cognitive challeng~ programme were catalogued. Some form of akathisia was universally experienced. Half of the subjects were dyspho.nc, bU:t there a~pear~d to .be. a numb~r of different inputs to their dysphoria and a range of other effects were noted.' mcludmg sedatIOn, d~ssoclatlve expenences, alterations in sensation and subtle changes in physiognomy. The duratIOn of .these effe~ts vaned from a few hours to over a week. In the acute phase, insight as to the origin of what was hapI;'e.nmg .w~s mixed. The. results have implications for the interpretation of cognitive challenge tests, the nature of akathlsla, climcal therapeutics and drug development. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.