What is gedon used to treat?

Question

Gedon is being prescribed to school-age children

Answer 1

Geodon is an antipsychotic medication.

Answer 2

Ziprasidone (marketed as Geodon®, Zeldox®) was the fifth atypical antipsychotic to gain FDA approval. Ziprasidone is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, and the intramuscular injection form of ziprasidone is approved for acute agitation in schizophrenic patients. Ziprasidone has also received approval for acute treatment of mania associated with bipolar disorder. The brand name Geodon® has been suggested to bring to mind the phrase 'down (don) to earth (geo)' referring to the goals of the medication.

Ziprasidone received the FDA's highest warning (black box) due to the fact that increases the QTc interval in some patients and may increase the risk of a type of heart arrythmia known as torsades de pointes. Ziprasidone should be used cautiously in patients taking other medications likely to interact with ziprasidone or increase the QTc interval.

This medication also can cause birth defects according to laboratory studies, although this has not been confirmed in humans [citation needed].

Adverse events reported for ziprasidone include sedation, insomnia, orthostasis, akathisia and other permanent extrapyramidal side-effects such as tardive dyskinesia. Rarely, temporary speech disorders may result.

The medication can cause any conceivable side effect. See the FDA label for more information.

Recently, the FDA required the manufacturers of some atypical antipsychotics include a warning about the risk of hyperglycemia and Type II diabetes with atypical antipsychotics. Some evidence suggests that ziprasidone may not be as bad as some of the other atypical antipsychotics (namely, ZYPREXA) at causing insulin resistance and weight gain. In fact, in a trial of long term therapy with ziprasidone, overweight patients (BMI>27) actually had a mean weight loss overall. Ziprasidone, though, is not a weight loss drug. The weight loss reflected in this study on ziprasidone was really reflective of patients who had gained weight on other antipsychotics who were now trending back toward their baseline. According to the manufacturer insert ziprasidone caused an average weight gain of 2.2kg (which is significantly higher than other atypicals - Quetiapine & Aripiprazole).

Answer 3

Geodon is mainly used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. See the following for more info.

Answer 4

geodon is prescribed for psychotic behavior