Geodon (Ziprasidone) Patient Information: How Should I Take the Drug at RxList

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May 27, 2012

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Prescription Anxiety Medications »

What are anxiety medications and how do they work?

Anxiety is both a normal and useful response to potentially stressful or dangerous situations. It helps by increasing our awareness of what's going on around us and in other ways. For most people, the anxiety is short lived and normally goes away once the situation has passed. But that is not the case for an estimated 40 million adults in the United States who have some type of anxiety disorder and experience ongoing and unwarranted psychological distress. That distress may also manifest itself in physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches, or chest pain.

Anxiety medications include multiple types of drugs that are used to treat the symptoms of anxiety disorders. The three most commonly prescribed types of anxiety medication are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications -- also known as anxiolytics -- and beta-blockers. The first two types of anxiety medications work primarily by affecting the ba...

Read the Prescription Anxiety Medications article »

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Geodon Patient Information including How Should I Take

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking ziprasidone (Geodon)?

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;
a history of bone marrow or blood cell disorder;
low blood levels of potassium or magnesium;
diabetes (ziprasidone may raise your blood sugar);
seizures or epilepsy;
a history of suicidal thoughts;
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 (Geodon)?

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.

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