Ziprasidone also known Geodon which is it's brand name is used to treat schizophrenia and is an atypical antipsychotic that is approved by the FDA to treat schizophrenia as well as bipolar disorder in adults.
Ziprasidone works by rebalancing neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine to manage symptoms and is also available in an injectable form for acute agitation in schizophrenia.
Ziprasidone is taken orally, often twice a day with food to ensure it absorbs properly.
The drug Ziprasidone helps to manage the symptoms of schizophrenia, but it's not a cure and it's effective for reducing negative symptoms and improving mood and preventing relapse.
Ziprasidone is also known for having a lower risk of weight gain as well as metabolic side effects when compared to some other antipsychotics.
Common side effects of Ziprasidone include nausea, dizziness, sleepiness and constipation and a serious risk of Ziprasidone also includes the potential to cause QT prolongation which is a heart rhythm issue.
Although Ziprasidone should not be used to treat behavioral problems in people with dementia or the elderly.
The top 5 medications for schizophrenia are Quetiapine also known as Seroquel, Aripiprazole also known as Abilify, Olanzapine also known as Zyprexa, Risperidone also known as Risperdal and Paliperidone also known as Invega.
Palperidone or Invega is a metabolite of risperidone that is available in extended release oral and long acting injectable forms of medications.
Risperidone or Risperdal is effective for both negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia and is often used as the first line treatment for schizophrenia.
Olanzapine also known as Zyprexa is known for it's effectiveness for schizophrenia and is often used in inpatient settings.
Aripiprazole also known as Abilify is also a frequently prescribed and third generation antipsychotic drug for schizophrenia.
And Quetiapine also known as Seroquel is a common and highly prescribed atypical antipsychotic for schizophrenia.
The newest drug to treat schizophrenia is, Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) which was approved by the FDA on September 26th 2024 as a first in class treatment for schizophrenia treatment in adults.
The drug Cobenfy (xanomeline and trospium chloride) is the first new approach in decades, and utilizes cholinergic receptors instead of dopamine receptors to manage symptoms like delusions and hallucinations.
Cobenfy works for treatment of schizophrenia by targeting muscarinic cholinergic receptors, which offer a new, non dopaminergic pathway for treating of schizophrenia.
Cobenfy is an oral medication that is taken twice a day, which can also be taken with food or without food.
Common side effects of Cobenfy include indigestion, nausea, constipation, vomiting, hypertension and abdominal pain, and Cobenfy should not be taken by people with certain underlying conditions like moderate to severe hepatic liver impairment or urinary retention.
Serotonin is often high in schizophrenia due to higher serotonin release, especially in your frontal cortex, which also links to worse negative symptoms, which challenges the older ideas of low serotonin.
In schizophrenia, there's also evidence of overall serotonergic dysfunction, with different receptors also showing varied activity, like potentially higher 5-HT1A and lower 5-HT2A, and this imbalance affects glutamate signaling, which contributes to symptoms like apathy, psychosis and cognitive issues, which make serotonin a key target for new treatments for schizophrenia.
The age at which schizophrenia develops is in a persons late teens to early 30s.
Men often show signs and symptoms of schizophrenia earlier, like in their late teens and early 20s, and women often show signs and symptoms of schizophrenia in their late 20s and early 30s.
Although less common, schizophrenia can also occur in childhood, which is early onset or much later in a persons life, also known as late onset, after age 40.
The onset of schizophrenia often follows subtle cognitive or social changes which can be mistaken for normal adolescent development.
The late teens and early 20s is a time of significant brain development, most particularly in the frontal ex, which can also trigger schizophrenia in vulnerable people.
And genetics and environmental factors interact, with hormonal changes during puberty possibly playing a role.
Early signs of schizophrenia are social withdrawal, emotional flatness, changes in sleep, and disorganized thinking can appear years before a formal diagnosis of schizophrenia occurs.
Schizophrenia starts by way of a complex interplay of genetic vulnerability as well as environmental triggers, which often becomes apparent in late adolescence and or early adulthood when a persons experiences significant brain changes.
Things such as drug use, especially use of cannabis, stressful life events and certain complications during pregnancy can also trigger the onset of schizophrenia in people who are already predisposed to schizophrenia.
Early signs of schizophrenia can also be subtle and can include depression, social withdrawal and even problems with a person's hygiene and attention.
Having a family history of schizophrenia also increases a person's risk of developing schizophrenia, although schizophrenia does not always run in families.
And having imbalances in your brain chemicals like glutamate and dopamine imbalances, as well as having issues with brain development as well as connections, can play a role in the development of schizophrenia.
Major stressful life events, like losing a job, abuse or even bereavement and losing a loved one can also be triggers for schizophrenia.
Use of mind altering drugs, especially marijuana or cannabis, during adolescence, is also linked to a higher risk of developing schizophrenia.
And exposure to certain viruses or even malnutrition during pregnancy can also increase your risk of developing schizophrenia and research also suggests that living in a city might increase your risk of schizophrenia, especially for people who have a genetic disposition.
Early signs of schizophrenia are behavioral changes like social isolation, withdrawal from friends and family and a decline in personal hygiene.
Other signs of schizophrenia include.
Problems with concentration, lack of motivation and difficulty organizing your thoughts, and poor performance at school.
Emotional changes, which can include inappropriate emotional responses, flat affect or increased suspicion.
And subtle perceptual changes, in which the person might begin hearing or seeing things that others don't see or hear, although it can also be more prominent later on in the schizophrenia.
Males often show symptoms of schizophrenia in their late teens to early 20's and females are more likely to develop schizophrenia and show symptoms in their 30s.