Ziprasidone is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the effects of chemicals in the brain.

Ziprasidone is used to treat schizophrenia and the manic symptoms of bipolar disorder (manic depression) in adults and children who are at least 10 years old.

Ziprasidone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Ziprasidone is not for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Ziprasidone may cause heart failure, sudden death, or pneumonia in older adults with dementia-related conditions.

Do not use this medication if you have a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome," if you have recently had a heart attack, or if you have uncontrolled heart failure.

Stop taking ziprasidone and call your doctor right away if you feel dizzy or light-headed, have a fast or pounding heartbeat, or if you faint. This could be signs of a serious heart rhythm problem.

There are many other medicines that can cause serious or life-threatening medical problems if you take them together with ziprasidone. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list of all your medicines and show it to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Ziprasidone is not for use in psychotic conditions related to dementia. Ziprasidone may cause heart failure, sudden death, or pneumonia in older adults with dementia-related conditions.

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to ziprasidone, or if you have:

• a personal or family history of "Long QT syndrome";

• history of recent heart attack; or

• uncontrolled or untreated heart failure.

Ziprasidone should never be taken together with any of the following drugs, or a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder could occur:

• arsenic trioxide (Trisenox);

• droperidol (Inapsine);

• halofantrine (Halfan);

• tacrolimus (Prograf);

• antibiotics such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin, Pediazole), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), or pentamidine (NebuPent, Pentam);

• anti-malaria medications such as chloroquine (Arelan), or mefloquine (Lariam);

• heart rhythm medicine such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), dofetilide (Tikosyn), disopyramide (Norpace), ibutilide (Corvert), procainamide (Pronestyl), propafenone (Rythmol), quinidine (Quin-G), or sotalol (Betapace);

• medicine to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting, such as dolasetron (Anzemet) or ondansetron (Zofran);

• medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), clozapine (FazaClo, Clozaril), haloperidol (Haldol), pimozide (Orap), or thioridazine (Mellaril);

• migraine headache medicine such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Treximet) or zolmitriptan (Zomig); or

• narcotic medication such as methadone (Methadose, Diskets, Dolophine).

To make sure you can safely take ziprasidone, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• a heart rhythm disorder;

• a history of heart attack or stroke;

• a history of bone marrow or blood cell disorder;

• low blood levels of potassium or magnesium;

• diabetes (ziprasidone may raise your blood sugar);

• seizures or epilepsy;

• a history of suicidal thoughts;

• Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's;

• trouble swallowing;

• liver disease; or

• kidney disease.

Ziprasidone may cause you to have high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Talk to your doctor if you have any signs of hyperglycemia such as increased thirst or urination, excessive hunger, or weakness. If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis while you are taking ziprasidone.

The ziprasidone orally disintegrating tablet may contain phenylalanine. Talk to your doctor before using this form of ziprasidone if you have phenylketonuria (PKU).

FDA pregnancy category C. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Taking antipsychotic medication during the last 3 months of pregnancy may cause problems in the newborn, such as withdrawal symptoms, breathing problems, feeding problems, fussiness, tremors, and limp or stiff muscles. However, you may have withdrawal symptoms or other problems if you stop taking your medicine during pregnancy. If you become pregnant while taking ziprasidone, do not stop taking it without your doctor's advice.

It is not known whether ziprasidone passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Older adults may be more likely to have side effects from this medicine.