ZIPRASIDONE

There may be a slightly increased risk of serious, possibly fatal side effects (such as stroke, heart failure, fast/irregular heartbeat, pneumonia) when this medication is used by older adults with dementia.

This medication is not approved for the treatment of dementia-related behavior problems.

If you are using ziprasidone in combination with other medication to treat depression, also carefully read the drug information for the other medication.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.

Common side effects:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• lightheadedness
• weakness
• nausea
• vomiting
• runny nose
• cough

Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including:

• difficulty swallowing
• muscle spasms
• shaking (tremor)
• mental/mood changes (such as restlessness)
• signs of infection (such as fever, persistent sore throat)
• vision changes

This drug may infrequently make your blood sugar level rise, which can cause or worsen diabetes.

This drug may also rarely cause significant weight gain and a rise in your blood cholesterol (or triglyceride) levels. These effects, along with diabetes, may increase your risk for developing heart disease.

This drug may rarely cause a condition known as tardive dyskinesia. Tell your doctor immediately if you develop any unusual/uncontrolled movements (especially of the face, mouth, tongue, arms, or legs).

This medication may increase a certain natural substance (prolactin) made by your body.

• For females, this increase in prolactin may result in unwanted breast milk, missed/stopped periods, or difficulty becoming pregnant.
• For males, it may result in decreased sexual ability, inability to produce sperm, or enlarged breasts.

Get medical help right away if you have any very serious side effects, including:

• severe dizziness,
• fainting,
• seizures,
• swollen lymph glands,
• signs of liver damage (such as persistent nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach/abdominal pain, yellowing eyes/skin)

Rarely, males may have a painful or prolonged erection lasting 4 or more hours. If this occurs, stop using this drug and get medical help right away, or permanent problems could occur.

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Precautions:

General

This drug may make you dizzy or drowsy.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use.

This medication may make you sweat less, making you more likely to get heat stroke. Avoid doing things that may cause you to overheat, such as hard work or exercise in hot weather, or using hot tubs.

Older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects of this drug, especially dizziness, uncontrolled movements, and QT prolongation.

• Allergy: Before taking ziprasidone, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies.
• Medical History: Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you had: dementia, seizures, low white blood cell count, difficulty swallowing, heart disease (such as coronary artery disease, irregular heartbeat), diabetes (including family history), obesity.
• QT prolongation: QT prolongation can infrequently result in serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away. Before using ziprasidone, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the drugs you take and if you have any of the following conditions: certain heart problems (heart failure, recent heart attack, slow heartbeat, QT prolongation in the EKG), family history of certain heart problems (QT prolongation in the EKG, sudden cardiac death). Low levels of potassium or magnesium in the blood may also increase your risk of QT prolongation. This risk may increase if you use certain drugs (such as diuretics/”water pills”) or if you have conditions such as severe sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting.
• Neuroleptic Malignant syndrome: This may cause a very serious condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Get medical help right away if you have any of the following symptoms: fever, muscle stiffness/pain/tenderness/weakness, severe tiredness, severe confusion, sweating, fast/irregular heartbeat, dark urine, change in the amount of urine.
• Tardive dyskinesia: A syndrome of potentially irreversible, involuntary, dyskinetic movements may develop in patients undergoing treatment with antipsychotic drugs.
• Metabolic changes: Atypical antipsychotic drugs have been associated with metabolic changes that may increase cardiovascular/cerebrovascular risk, these include hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and body weight gain.

Pregnancy Risk:  Category C- During pregnancy, this medication should be used only when clearly needed.

Breastfeeding: It is unknown if this drug passes into breast milk. Because of the possible risk to the infant, breast-feeding while using this drug is not recommended. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

Interactions:

• A product that may interact with this drug is: metoclopramide.
• Many drugs besides ziprasidone may affect the heart rhythm (QT prolongation), including amiodarone, dofetilide, moxifloxacin, pimozide, procainamide, quinidine, sotalol, tacrolimus, thioridazine, among others.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking other products that cause drowsiness including alcohol, antihistamines (such as cetirizine, diphenhydramine), drugs for sleep or anxiety (such as alprazolam, diazepam, zolpidem), muscle relaxants, and narcotic pain relievers (such as codeine).

Overdose:

If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately.

Symptoms of overdose may include:

• severe drowsiness
• unusual/uncontrolled movements

Notes

Do not share this medication with others.

Laboratory and/or medical tests (such as blood mineral levels, blood sugar, EKG) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Consult your doctor for more details.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.

Storage

Store at room temperature away from light and moisture. Do not store in the bathroom. Keep all medications away from children and pets.

Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.

Brands:

There are no brands containing this molecule.