Geodon is a brand of Ziprasidone a medication used to treat certain mental/mood disorders (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder). This medication can decrease hallucinations and help you to think more clearly and positively about yourself, feel less agitated, and take a more active part in everyday life. Ziprasidone belongs to a class of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural substances in the brain.
Geodon was approved for medical use in the United States in 2001. The pills are made up of hydrochloride salt, ziprasidone hydrochloride. The intramuscular form is the mesylate, ziprasidone mesylate trihydrate, and is provided as a lyophilized powder. In 2017, it was the 261st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one million prescriptions.
How Geodon works
Geodon is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. It works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain Geodon’s efficacy in treating the positive symptoms of schizophrenia is believed to be mediated primarily via antagonism of the dopamine receptors, specifically D2. Blockade of the 5-HT2A receptor may also play a role in its effectiveness against positive symptoms, though the significance of this property in antipsychotic drugs is still debated among researchers.
How Long Does It Take For Ziprasidone (Geodon) To Work?
It is very important to tell your doctor how you feel things are going during the first few weeks after you start taking ziprasidone. It will probably take several weeks to see big enough changes in your symptoms to decide if ziprasidone is the right medication for you.
Antipsychotic treatment is generally needed lifelong for persons with schizophrenia. Your doctor can best discuss the duration of treatment you need based on your symptoms and illness.
• Hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and delusions may improve in the first 1-2 weeks
• Sometimes these symptoms do not completely go away
• Motivation and desire to be around other people can take at least 1-2 weeks to improve
• Symptoms continue to get better the longer you take ziprasidone
• It may take 2-3 months before you get the full benefit of ziprasidone.
How long does Ziprasidone (Geodon) stay in your system?
There are several factors that come into play when estimating how long Ziprasidone (Geodon) will stay in your system because every patient has physiology unique to them. Here are some major factors you should consider when trying to understand how long Ziprasidone will stay in your body:
• Age: Typically, the younger you are, the more efficient your body functions are. The more efficient your body functions, the faster Ziprasidone (Geodon) will be removed from your system.
• Body height/weight/fat: Your specific prescribed Ziprasidone dosage corresponds to your body height, weight, and fat. Usually, larger people will be given a higher dosage of Ziprasidone (Geodon). The higher the dose of Ziprasidone you have been taking, the longer Ziprasidone (Geodon) will take to be removed from your system.
• Genetics: Genes predispose people to different metabolic functions, which is a key factor in how your body processes medications like Ziprasidone. For this reason, your genetic makeup comes into play when estimating how long Ziprasidone (Geodon) will remain in your system.
• Kidney and liver functions: The liver and kidneys eliminate everything you ingest, and Ziprasidone (Geodon) is no exception. If your liver or kidneys are damaged, it will most likely take longer for your body to remove the Ziprasidone from your system.
• Metabolism: Your metabolism determines how quickly you process foods, liquids, and medications such as Ziprasidone (Geodon). If your metabolism is slow, it will take longer for your body to process and eliminate Ziprasidone from its system than someone with a fast metabolism.
• Usage frequency: The longer you have been taking Ziprasidone (Geodon), the longer it will remain in your system. For example, it will take longer for someone who has taken Ziprasidone for several years to remove Ziprasidone (Geodon) from the body than someone who has only been taking Ziprasidone for a few months.
How Long Does Ziprasidone (Geodon) In Your Urine, Hair, And Blood?
Ziprasidone (Geodon) is well absorbed after oral administration, reaching peak plasma concentrations in 6 to 8 hours. The absolute bioavailability of a 20 mg dose under fed conditions is approximately 60%.
Elimination of ziprasidone (Geodon) is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 7 hours. The mean apparent systemic clearance is 7.5 mL/min/kg. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of a drug’s active substance in your body to reduce by half.
Most drugs will have been eliminated after 4 to 5 half-lives. Thus, it follows that after 4 to 5 half-lives about 2 days ziprasidone (Geodon) will have been eliminated from your body (Urine, Hair, And Blood).
