Acute agitation
- First ensure safety + identify the cause
- Verbal de-escalation before drug if possible
- Psychosis/mania → antipsychotic often preferred
- Alcohol withdrawal → benzodiazepine
- Stimulant intoxication → benzodiazepine often first
- IM route if unsafe/unable to take oral drug
- Avoid oversedation; reassess after each dose
Use at a glance
- First ensure safety + identify the cause
Escalation / refractory disease
- Verbal de-escalation before drug if possible
Treatment options
- Psychosis/mania → antipsychotic often preferred
- Alcohol withdrawal → benzodiazepine
Choosing treatment
- IM route if unsafe/unable to take oral drug
Monitoring / follow-up
- Stimulant intoxication → benzodiazepine often first
- Avoid oversedation; reassess after each dose
Self-check
- What comes first in acute agitation?
Ensure safety + identify the cause. - What often comes first for stimulant-intoxication agitation?
A benzodiazepine.
Drugs used for this (5)
All clinical uses · Open Acute agitation in the interactive console ↗