Droperidol: What It Is, How It's Used, and What You Need to Know
When you hear droperidol, a potent antipsychotic and antiemetic drug used primarily in hospitals for sedation and vomiting control. Also known as Inapsine, it's not a drug you'd take at home — it's a tool used by medical teams in emergency rooms, operating rooms, and intensive care units to calm agitated patients or stop severe nausea after surgery. Unlike common anti-nausea pills, droperidol works fast, often within minutes, and its effects are strong enough to make even the most restless patients still — which is why it’s still in use despite safety warnings.
It’s closely tied to other antipsychotic drugs, medications that affect brain chemicals to manage psychosis, agitation, or severe behavioral disturbances like haloperidol and ziprasidone. But droperidol stands out because it’s not just for psychosis — it’s also one of the most effective drugs for stopping vomiting after surgery, especially when other options fail. It’s often paired with sedatives, drugs that calm the nervous system and induce drowsiness or sleep like midazolam to create a controlled, quiet state during procedures. That combination is common in emergency departments for patients with severe agitation from drugs, mental health episodes, or trauma.
But it’s not without risks. The FDA issued a black box warning years ago because droperidol can, in rare cases, cause dangerous heart rhythm changes — especially at higher doses or in people with existing heart conditions. That’s why it’s rarely used outside hospitals and always with monitoring. Doctors now use it more selectively, often turning to alternatives like ondansetron for nausea or lorazepam for agitation when the risk isn’t worth it. Still, for some cases — like violent delirium in the ER or uncontrollable post-op vomiting — droperidol remains a go-to because nothing else works as quickly or reliably.
You won’t find droperidol in your local pharmacy, but if you’ve ever seen someone sedated after a bad reaction, or watched a surgeon calm a panicking patient before an operation, you’ve seen it in action. The posts below dig into how it compares to other drugs used in similar situations, what the real safety data says, and why some hospitals are phasing it out while others still rely on it. Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, or just curious about how hospitals manage extreme symptoms, these articles give you the straight facts — no fluff, no hype, just what matters.
