Remember the side effects of haloperidol: a case report.

An eighteen-year-old man who had a laminectomy and subtotal excision of a lipomyelomeningocele, received a single dose of haloperidol for post-operative pain and agitation. The patient suffered an acute dystonic reaction and was extensively investigated before the correct diagnosis and treatment was instituted. This case illustrates the ease with which extrapyramidal side effects following treatment with haloperidol may be overlooked in complicated medical or surgical cases.