The name of your medicine is APO- Ziprasidone. It contains the active ingredient
ziprasidone (as ziprasidone hydrochloride).
It is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Ziprasidone belongs to a group of medicines called atypical antipsychotics/neuroleptics.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed
for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Ziprasidone is available only with a doctor's prescription.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental illness. It varies from person to person, but can involve:
hallucinations: the person sees, hears, feels, smells or tastes something that is
not actually there; most commonly a person may hear voices
delusions: a delusion is a false belief held by a person which is not held by others
of the same cultural background
disturbed or disorganised thinking
poor memory and concentration
loss of emotion and expression
loss of motivation and energy
difficulty interacting with others, leading to social isolation.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness where a person cycles through:
'manic' phases - with symptoms such as over-activity, irritability, elation and limited
need for sleep
'depressive' phases - with symptoms such as depressed mood, anxiety, difficulty making
decisions, difficulty concentrating and hopelessness.
How it works
Schizophrenia
Researchers do not know exactly what causes schizophrenia, but they do know that many
people with it have high levels of some brain chemicals - including dopamine and serotonin.
Ziprasidone is thought to work by helping to correct the imbalance of these chemicals,
in turn, reducing the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Research has found ziprasidone can help reduce:
hallucinations
delusions
confused thoughts
social withdrawal
lack of motivation
Ziprasidone does not cure schizophrenia, but it can help manage the symptoms and help
prevent further episodes.
Taking antipsychotic/neuroleptic medicines like ziprasidone can also allow you to
try psychological therapies when recommended by your doctor. These may further help
you manage your schizophrenia.
Bipolar disorder
Research has shown that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain in patients with
bipolar disorder.
Ziprasidone does not cure bipolar disorder. It is used as a short-term treatment
for the manic phases. It is not used to treat the depressive phases of bipolar disorder.
Controlling the manic phase of bipolar disorder with medicine can also allow you to
try psychological therapies when recommended by your doctor.
Elderly patients
Ziprasidone is not recommended for the treatment of elderly patients with dementia-related
psychosis.
It should be used with caution in elderly patients with risk factors for stroke.
Use in children
Ziprasidone is not recommended for children under 18 years of age as there is not
enough information on its effects in this age group.
read more
|