Palliative Care Prescribing: Agitation and Confusion

Key points

• Underlying causes of confusion/agitation should be sought and treated where possible — e.g. hypercalcaemia, infection, urinary retention, medication effects
• First-choice drug: haloperidol
• Other options: chlorpromazine, levomepromazine
• In the terminal phase, agitation or restlessness is best managed with midazolam