A 19 year old boy suffering from chronic schizophrenia is put on haloperidol in the dose of 20 mg/day. A week after the initiation of medication the patient shows restlessness, fidgety, irritability and cannot sit still in one place. The most appropriate treatment strategy is -
High-Yield Explanation
Restlessness, fidgety, irritability and inability to sit still at one place in a patient, one week after initiation of antipsychotic (haloperidol) suggest the diagnosis of Akathisia.
"The first line drug for akathisia is most commonly a β-blocker".