Patient/caregiver was educated on the side-effects of using Ziprasidone as follows:
Musculoskeletal side-effects
- Ziprasidone intake can also induce a life-threatening reaction called Neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Individuals taking ziprasidone can present with high fever, episodes of confusion, muscle rigidity, elevated blood pressure, and rapid heart rate. Severe cases can present with muscle breakdown, elevated potassium levels in the blood due to muscle destruction, life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias due to the elevated blood potassium, and seizures.
- Ziprasidone intake carries the risk of lowering the threshold for seizures, thereby, resulting in seizure activity, especially in individuals with history of the same.
- Ziprasidone carries the risk of inducing/aggravating tremors and abnormal and uncontrolled body movements, such as, uncontrolled tongue movements, lip smacking, and eye blinking. Dyskinesias could be due to side-effects of various medications intake or secondary to movement disorders, such as, Parkinson’s disease. Irrespective to the cause of dyskinesias, individuals with history can be at increased risk to present with aggravation of the condition, secondary to ziprasidone intake.
