Serenase Depot
Serenase depot is an antipsychotic medicine that helps manage illnesses affecting thoughts, feelings, and behavior, such as schizophrenia.
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will decide your dose. Adults usually start with 25–150 mg. Elderly patients usually start with a smaller dose, 12.5–25 mg. Your doctor will adjust the dose as needed.
Method
A doctor or nurse will give you Serenase depot as a deep injection into a muscle. One dose usually works for 4 weeks. It should not be given into a vein.
The highest dose you can get is 300 mg every four weeks. For elderly patients, doses higher than 75 mg every four weeks are only given if the doctor thinks it is safe.
Possible Side Effects
- •Uncontrolled body movements (e.g., mouth, tongue, jaw, or limb movements), restlessness, difficulty sitting still, increased body movements, slow or weak body movements, jerking or twisting movements, muscle tremors or stiffness, shuffling walk, inability to move, or a mask-like facial expression.
- •Depression
- •Trouble sleeping or feeling sleepy
- •Constipation
- •Dry mouth or more saliva
- •Problems with having sex
- •Irritation, pain or pus at the injection site
- •Weight gain
- •Irregular heartbeat, fast heartbeat, or extra heartbeats, which can cause fainting.
- •High fever, severe muscle stiffness, confusion, and loss of consciousness (Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome).
- •Swelling of face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat; trouble swallowing or breathing; itchy rash (hives) (Severe allergic reaction).
- •Swelling, pain, and redness in the leg, or a blood clot traveling to the lungs causing chest pain and breathing problems.
- •Abnormal muscle tone
- •Headache
- •Eyes rolling upwards or fast, uncontrolled eye movements
- •Vision problems, like blurred vision
- •Serious mental health problems, such as believing things that aren't true (delusions) or seeing, feeling, hearing, or smelling things that aren't there (hallucinations).
- •Feeling agitated or confused.
- •Seizures (fits).
- •Feeling dizzy, especially when sitting up or standing.
- •Low blood pressure.
- •Breathing difficulties, such as swelling around the voice box, temporary vocal cord spasms affecting speech, narrowing of airways, or shortness of breath.
- •Nausea, vomiting.
- •Changes in blood cells, including low numbers of all blood cell types, severe drop in white blood cells, and low platelets.
- •High levels of certain hormones in the blood, like prolactin and antidiuretic hormone (SIADH).
- •Low blood sugar.
- •Liver problems, including changes in liver test results, yellow skin and eyes (jaundice), liver inflammation, or sudden liver failure.
- •Reduced bile flow in bile ducts.
- •Skin issues like rash, itching, increased sensitivity to sunlight, flaky or peeling skin, or inflammation of small blood vessels causing red or purple spots.
- •Heavy sweating.
- •Muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis).
- •Uncontrolled muscle spasms, jerks, or contractions, including neck spasms that cause the head to turn to one side.
- •Difficulty or inability to open your mouth.
- •Muscle and joint stiffness.
- •Inability to urinate or empty your bladder completely.
- •Prolonged and painful erection.
- •Difficulty getting or keeping an erection (impotence).
- •Reduced sexual desire or loss of sex drive.
- •Changes in menstrual cycle, such as missed periods or long, heavy, painful periods.
- •Breast problems, such as pain or discomfort, unexpected milk production, or enlarged breasts in men.
- •Swelling caused by fluid buildup in the body.
- •High or low body temperature.
- •Difficulty walking.
- •Weight loss.
Important Warnings
- Do not use Serenase depot if you are allergic to haloperidol or any of its ingredients.
- Do not use if your reactions are unusually slow or your awareness is greatly reduced.
- Do not use if you have Parkinson's disease or certain types of dementia (like Lewy body dementia or progressive supranuclear palsy).
- Do not use if you have specific heart problems like an irregular heartbeat (long QT syndrome), heart failure, or have recently had a heart attack.
- Do not use if you have untreated low potassium or magnesium levels in your blood.
Show 1 more warnings
- Do not use if you are taking certain other medicines that your doctor has identified as interacting with Serenase depot.
Use in Elderly Patients
Avoid use in older adults. Anticholinergic. Sedative. Increases the risk of cardiovascular events, QT prolongation and orthostatic hypotension. Increases risk of falls, extrapyramidal symptoms and cognitive impairment. Reduces the effectiveness of drugs for Alzheimer’s disease. (updated 10.11.2025)