What is ziprasidone?
Ziprasidone is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the effects of chemicals in the
brain.
Ziprasidone is used to treat schizophrenia and the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder (manic
depression) in adults and children who are at least 10 years old.
Ziprasidone may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking ziprasidone?
Ziprasidone is not for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Ziprasidone may
cause heart failure, sudden death, or pneumonia in older adults with dementia-related conditions.
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to ziprasidone, or if you have:
-
a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome";
-
history of recent heart attack; or
-
uncontrolled or untreated heart failure.
Ziprasidone should never be taken together with any of the
following drugs, or a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder could occur:
-
arsenic trioxide (Trisenox);
-
dolasetron (Anzemet);
-
droperidol (Inapsine);
-
halofantrine (Halfan);
-
mefloquine (Lariam);
-
levomethadyl acetate (no longer available in the U.S.);
-
tacrolimus (Prograf);
-
antibiotics such as gatifloxacin (Tequin), pentamidine
(NebuPent, Pentam), moxifloxacin (Avelox), sparfloxacin (Zagam), telithromycin (Ketek);
-
heart rhythm medicine such as dofetilide (Tikosyn),
disopyramide (Norpace), quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinaglute), or sotalol (Betapace); or
-
medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as
chlorpromazine (Thorazine), mesoridazine (Serentil), pimozide (Orap), or thioridazine (Mellaril).
If you have any of these other conditions, you may need a dose adjustment
or special tests to safely take ziprasidone:
-
a heart rhythm disorder;
-
a history of heart attack or stroke;
-
low blood levels of potassium or magnesium;
-
diabetes (ziprasidone may raise your blood sugar);
-
seizures or epilepsy;
-
a history of suicidal thoughts;
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Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's;
-
trouble swallowing;
-
liver disease; or
-
kidney disease.
Ziprasidone may cause you to have high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Talk
to your doctor if you have any signs of hyperglycemia such as increased thirst or urination, excessive
hunger, or weakness. If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis while you
are taking ziprasidone.
The ziprasidone orally disintegrating tablet may contain phenylalanine. Talk to your doctor
before using this form of ziprasidone if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).
FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether ziprasidone is harmful to an unborn
baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether ziprasidone passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing
baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Older adults may be more likely to have side effects from this medicine.
How should I take ziprasidone?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger
amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your
prescription label.
This medication comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these
directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
To be sure this medication is not causing harmful effects, your blood will need to be tested on a
regular basis. Your kidney or liver function may also need to be tested. Do not miss any scheduled
appointments.
Take this medicine with food.
It is important to take ziprasidone regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription
refilled before you run out of medicine completely.
It may take several weeks of using this medicine before your symptoms improve. For best
results, keep using the medication as directed. Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve.
Store ziprasidone at room temperature away from moisture, light, and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose of ziprasidone?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the
missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time.
Do not
take
extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Where can I get more information about ziprasidone?
Your pharmacist has information about ziprasidone written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of ziprasidone?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using ziprasidone and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side
effects:
-
dizziness, feeling light-headed, fainting, fast or pounding heartbeat;
-
fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven
heartbeats;
-
tremor (uncontrolled shaking), restless muscle movements
in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;
-
agitation, hostility, confusion;
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increased thirst or urination, weakness, extreme hunger; or
-
penis erection that is painful or lasts 4 hours or longer.
Less serious side effects may include:
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mild skin rash;
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anxiety, headache, depressed mood;
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dizziness, drowsiness;
-
muscle pain or twitching;
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nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite;
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runny or stuffy nose, cough, sore throat; or
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weight gain.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your
doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at
1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about ziprasidone?
Ziprasidone is not for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Ziprasidone may
cause heart failure, sudden death, or pneumonia in older adults with dementia-related conditions.
Do not use this medication if you have a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome,"
if you have recently had a heart attack, or if you have uncontrolled heart failure.
Stop taking ziprasidone and call your doctor right away if you feel dizzy or light-headed, have a
fast or pounding heartbeat, or if you faint. This could be signs of a serious heart rhythm problem.
There are many other medicines that can cause serious or life-threatening
medical problems if you take them together with ziprasidone.
Tell your doctor about all
the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal
products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling
your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other
healthcare provider who treats you.
What should I avoid while taking ziprasidone?
While you are taking ziprasidone, you may be more sensitive to temperature extremes such
as very hot or cold conditions. Avoid getting too cold, or becoming overheated or dehydrated. Drink
plenty of fluids, especially in hot weather and during exercise. It is easier to become dangerously
overheated and dehydrated while you are taking ziprasidone.
Ziprasidone can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if
you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
Avoid drinking alcohol. It can increase some of the side effects of ziprasidone.
What other drugs will affect ziprasidone?
Before taking ziprasidone, tell your doctor if you regularly use any other medicines that
make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle
relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by
ziprasidone.
Tell your doctor about all other medications you are using, especially:
-
a diuretic (water pill), blood pressure medicine, or heart rhythm
medicine;
-
carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol);
-
cisapride (Propulsid);
-
haloperidol (Haldol);
-
narcotic pain medication;
-
medicines used to treat Parkinson's Disease such as
levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa, Sinemet, Atamet, others); or
-
antibiotics such as azithromycin (Zithromax),
clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Erythrocin, Ery-Tab), ketoconazole
(Nizoral), or telithromycin (Ketek).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with
ziprasidone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use.
This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start
using a new medication without telling your doctor.
What happens if I have an overdose of ziprasidone?
