Drug Name

Geodon (Ziprasidone)

Drug Uses

Geodon is used to treat very bad mental disorders similar schizophrenia, which are characterized by distorted thoughts, perceptions, as well as emotions. Geodon helps manage schizophrenia's "positive symptoms," (visual as well as auditory hallucinations, as well as delusions) as well as may as well as help in treating the "negative symptoms" of schizophrenia (social withdrawal, apathy, lack of motivation, as well as an inability to experience pleasure). Geodon is as well as used to treat acute bipolar mania, including manic as well as combined episodes.

How Taken

Geodon usually is used twice a day. The usual starting dose is 20 mg twice daily. The dose may be increased over time to achieve the desired effect. Geodon should be used with food (for example, shortly after a meal) since when used on an empty stomach, much less geodon is absorbed.

Drug Class as well as Mechanism

Geodon is an oral as well as injectable drug that is used for treating psychoses, for example, schizophrenia. Although the mechanism of geodon action is not known, similar other anti-psychotics, it inhibits communication between nerves of the brain. It does this by blocking receptors on the nerves for several neurotransmitters, the chemicals that nerves take to communicate with each other. It is thought that the beneficial effect of geodon is due to its blocking of dopamine as well as serotonin receptors. It as well as inhibits the re-uptake of serotonin as well as norepinephrine by nerves in the brain similar some anti-depressant drugs. Geodon is associated with little or no weight gain, a feature that distinguishes it from other anti-psychotic drugs. Similarly, geodon is unique among anti-psychotic drugs in that it does not increase cholesterol levels.

Missed Dose

Continue to take this medicine even incase you feel well. Do not miss any doses. Incase you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as likely. Incase it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose as well as go back to your normal dosing schedule. Do not take 2 doses at once.

Storage

Capsules should be stored at room temperature, between 15 as well as 30 degrees C (59-86 degrees F).

Warnings/Precautions

This medicine is an atypical antipsychotic. Elderly patients who take this medicine to treat a health examination condition called Dementia-Related Psychosis possess an increased risk of death, usually due to heart problems (such as heart failure) or infection (such as pneumonia). This medicine is not approved by the FDA to treat Dementia-Related Psychosis. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Some medicines or health examination conditions may work with this medicine. Inform your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription as well as over-the-counter medicine that you are using. Do not take this medicine incase you are as well as using medicine for an irregular heartbeat (such as dofetilide or quinidine), confident quinolones antibiotics (such as sparfloxacin or moxifloxacin), confident ketolides antibiotics (such as telithromycin), quinupristin, dalfopristin, confident antihistamines (such as astemizole or terfenadine), confident macrolides antibiotics (such as azithromycin or clarithromycin), halofantrine, mefloquine, pentamidine,arsenic trioxide, levomethadyl acetate, dolasetron, methadone, cisapride, probucol, medicine for immune suppression (such as tacrolimus), or confident medicines for mood or mental disorders (such as chlorpromazine, mesoridazine, or thioridazine). QTc prolongation can infrequently result in humorless, rarely fatal, irregular heartbeats. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details. Ask for instructions about whether you need to halt any other QTc-prolonging medicines you may be using in order to minimize the risk of this effect. Additional monitoring of your dose or condition may be needed incase you are using confident antifungal medicines (such as ketoconazole or itraconazole), medicines for Parkinson disease (such as pramipexole or levodopa), confident medicines for high blood pressure, medicines for sleep, medicine for anxiety, narcotic pain relievers (such as codeine), certian medicines for depression (such as amitriptyline), confident medicines for seizure (such as carbamazepine), muscle relaxants, or antihistaminesthat can cause drowsiness (such as diphenhydramine). Inform your doctor of any other health examination conditions including a history of kidney problems, liver problems, electrolyte imbalance (such as abridged potassium or magnesium ), stroke, abridged blood pressure, heart problems (such as heart failure), infection (such as pneumonia), seizures, swallowing difficulty, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, breast cancer, personal or family history of diabetes, allergies, pregnancy, or breast-feeding. Take of this medicine is not recommended incase you possess a history of QT prolongation, irregular heartbeat, recent heart attack, or very bad heart failure. Contact your doctor or pharmacist incase you possess any questions or concerns about using this medicine.Do not take this medicine incase you possess had an allergic reaction to it or are allergic to any ingredient in this product. It may take several weeks for this medicine to work. Do not halt using this medicine without checking with your doctor. Keep all doctor as well as laboratory appointments while you are using this medicine. Laboratory and/or health examination tests, such as fasting blood sugar levels, may be done to monitor your progress or to check for side effects. This medicine may cause drowsiness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how you react to this medicine. Incase dizziness occurs, sit up or stand up slowly. Do not become overheated in hot weather or during exercise or other activities since risk of heatstroke may be increased. This medicine may increase your risk of developing diabetes or increase blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can cause humorless problems incase west untreated. Contact your doctor for more information. Before you begin using any recent medicine, either prescription or over-the-counter, check with your doctor or pharmacist. This medicine will add to the effects of alcohol as well as other depressants. Ask your pharmacist incase you possess questions about which medicines are depressants. Caution is advised when using this medicine in the elderly, especially those with dementia-related problems, because they may be more sensitive to the effects of this medicine. For women: incase you plan on becoming pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits as well as risks of using this medicine during pregnancy. It is unknown incase this medicine is excreted in breast milk. Do not breast-feed while using this medicine. Diabetics: this medicine may affect your blood sugar. Check blood sugar levels closely as well as ask your doctor before adjusting the dose of your diabetes medicine.

Likely Side Effects

Some of the most ordinary side effects, associated with geodon are feeling unusually exhausted (1 in 7 patients), nausea (1 in 10), constipation (1 in 11), dizziness (1 in 12), restlessness (1 in 12), diarrhea (1 in 20), rash (1 in 20), as well as a condition with abnormal muscle movements, including tremor, shuffling, as well as uncontrollable movements (1 in 20).There is a slight risk (1 in 1500 patients) that geodon by itself could significantly increase the QT interval. There is an even smaller risk (1 in 4000 patients) that it could cause a potentially humorless change in the rhythm of the heart.Geodon causes orthostatic hypotension, a drop in blood pressure upon rising that can cause dizziness or light-headedness. The risk is about 1 in 200 patients.Geodon frequently causes tiredness (1 in 7 patients). Therefore, care should be exercised in any activity, requiring mental alertness, such as operating a motor vehicle (including automobiles) or operating hazardous machinery. Less ordinary side effects include seizures (1 in 250 patients).As with other antipsychotics, long-term take of geodon may lead to a potentially irreversible condition called tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements of the jaw, lips, as well as tongue). A potentially fatal intricate referred to as Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) has been reported with other anti-psychotic drugs. Patients who develop NMS may possess high fevers, muscle rigidity, altered mental status, irregular pulse or blood pressure, rapid heart rate, excessive sweating, as well as heart arrhythmias.

More Information

Do not share this medicine with others for whom it was not prescribed. Do not take this medicine for other health conditions. Keep this medicine out of the reach of children. Incase using this medicine for an extended period of time, obtain refills before your supply runs out.