Ziprasidone may have a role in treating psychosis in Parkinsonian disease

What is it about?

We review the published literature on treating psychosis in PD with ziprasidone, and add some cases from our site. A few patients with problematic side effects have been reported, but overall it has been surprisingly well tolerated. However, the quality of information is patchy, and better research studies are needed.

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Why is it important?

There are only a few kinds of treatment for psychosis (hallucinations or delusions) in Parkinson disease (PD) (briefly discussed here: bit.ly/pima_CNN). Pimavanserin and clozapine are relatively safe and work better than a placebo, but sometimes neither works adequately. Additionally, both of these treatments have to be given by mouth. That means neither can be given, for instance, to agitated hospitalized patients who are suspicious of medications. The published data on ziprasidone in PD are spotty, but suggest that it may be worth a try in these situations.