Geodon vs. Haldol

Geodon(ziprasidone HCl and ziprasidone mesylate) andHaldol(haloperidol) areantipsychoticdrugs used to treat symptoms ofschizophrenia.

Geodon is also used to treat acutemanicor mixed episodes associated withbipolar disorder. Geodon also can be used as maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder when added tolithiumor valproate.

Haldol is also used to control motor (movement) and verbal tics (for example, Tourette's syndrome) and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children.

Side effects of Geodon include:

• feeling unusually tired or sleepy;
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• upset stomach,
• loss of appetite;
• constipation;
• dizziness,
• drowsiness;
• restlessness;
• anxiety,
• headache,
• depression;
• abnormal muscle movements,
• such astremor,
• shuffling, and
• uncontrolledinvoluntarymovements,
• muscle pain ortwitching;
• diarrhea;
• skin rash;
• weight gain, and
• increased cough or runny orstuffy nose.

Serious side effects of Geodon include

• faintingor
• loss of consciousness or
• heartpalpitations.

This is not a complete list of side effects, and others may occur.

Common side effects of Haldol include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• dry mouth,
• nervousness,
• headache,
• dizziness,
• spinning sensation,
• drowsiness,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• restlessness,
• anxiety,
• skin rash,
• itching,
• spontaneous eye movements,
• mood changes,
• breast enlargement,
• irregular menstrual periods,
• loss of interest in sex,
• blurred vision,
• difficulty urinating or urinating less than usual, and
• occasional movement disorders

Severe side effects of Haldol include:

• death in the elderly,
• prolongation of the QT heartbeat interval,
• tardive dyskinesia(involuntary movements), prolonged erection (hours),
• a symptom complex sometimes referred to asneurolepticmalignantsyndrome (NMS) with fever,
• irregular heartbeats,
• mental status changes, and
• renal failure

Geodon (ziprasidone HCl and ziprasidone mesylate) is anatypicalantipsychotic used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and acute manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder. Geodon also can be used as maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder when added to lithium or valproate.

Haldol (haloperidol) is an antipsychotic drug that decreases excitement in the brain. Haldol is used to treat psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, to control motor (movement) and verbal (for example, Tourette's syndrome) tics and is used to treat severe behavior problems in children.

Haldol is also used to treat or manage:

• Schizophrenia
• manic or mixed episodes that happen withbipolar I disorder
• major depressive disorder (MDD) whenABILIFYis used withantidepressantmedicines
• irritability associated with autistic disorder
• Tourette's disorder

Haldol Injection is a prescription medicine used to treat:

• agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolarmania

It is not known if Haldol is safe or effective in children:

• under 13 years of age with schizophrenia
• under 10 years of age with bipolar I disorder
• under 6 years of age with irritability associated with autistic disorder
• under 6 years of age with Tourette's disorder

Geodon may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold orallergymedicine, sedatives,narcoticpain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), blood pressure medicines, and medications to treat帕金森病.

Geodon may also interact withdiuretics(water pills), heart rhythm medicines, blood pressure medicines, amazepine, cisapride, or haloperidol.

Haldol may interact with other drugs so the patient needs close observation or monitoring to determine if other side effects develop.

Geodon (ziprasidone HCl) is available as capsules and Geodon (ziprasidone mesylate) is available as an injection forintramuscularuse.

Geodon Capsules should be administered at an initial daily dose of 20 mg twice daily with food. For intramuscular dosing, the recommended dose of Geodon is 10 mg to 20 mg administered as required up to a maximum dose of 40 mg per day.

Haldol is available in sterile vials containing 5 mg strength Haldol per 1 ml of fluid used for injection. Usual starting dose is 2.5-5 mg intramuscularly. Dose may vary according to patient response to the drug. Switch to an oral form of this drug is recommended as soon as possible.