Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Ziprasidone as follows:
- Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your doctor. Take the medication dose for the duration prescribed without fail.
- Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication.
- Taking the medication at regularly spaced intervals help maintain appropriate blood levels of ziprasidone needed to derive the beneficial effects.
- Administering ziprasidone with food increases absorption of the medication. Thus, the medication administered in smaller doses along with food, can help suffice the therapeutic dose. Also, administering this medication with a small snack can help avoid unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting
- Ziprasidone can induce some dizziness and make one drowsy. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the risk for drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication.
- Take the ziprasidone regular capsule as a whole, using a glass of water. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole capsule, you may open the capsule and sprinkle the content on a spoon of apple sauce or jello or pudding, to facilitate an easy swallow. Do not chew the content in the mouth.
- In individuals with difficulty swallowing, Ziprasidone could also be administered as an intramuscular injection.
- Ziprasidone takes some time to fairly balance the chemicals in the brain, before any improvement in mood and behavior are noted. It could take about 3 – 6 weeks to see this change in mood. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the improvement with the psychotic symptoms immediately after taking the medication.
- Ziprasidone only helps with managing the psychotic symptoms, by inhibiting the activity of various excitatory chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and is not a permanent cure. So, continue taking ziprasidone, even if your mood feels better. Discontinuing the medication abruptly can result in disruption of this chemical balance in the brain, resulting in worsening of psychosis symptoms.
- As the activity of various chemical neurotransmitters in the brain has to be finely regulated to help relieve the excitation and mania symptoms and experience feelings of well-being, the dose of ziprasidone also needs to be finely regulated, in order to accomplish this goal.
- Your physician could change the dose of ziprasidone, based on the response and side-effects developed. Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Notify your doctor of any unresolved and worsening anxiety and mania symptoms or continuing unpleasant side-effects, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- Sudden discontinuation of ziprasidone intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, exacerbation of psychosis, hallucinations, anxiety, and mania. Discontinuation on ziprasidone use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses, and only on your physician recommendation.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
