Ziprasidone Hcl
Brand names: Geodon, Ziprasidone Hcl
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 493,118
- Medicare drug cost
- $32.5M
- Average cost per prescription
- $65.99
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 17,062
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Ziprasidone capsules are indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia, as monotherapy for the acute treatment of bipolar manic or mixed episodes, and as an adjunct to lithium or valproate for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. When deciding among the alternative treatments available for the condition needing treatment, the prescriber should consider the finding of ziprasidone’s greater capacity to prolong the QT/QTc interval compared to several other antipsychotic drugs. Prolongation of the QTc interval is associated in some other drugs with the ability to cause torsade de pointes-type arrhythmia, a potentially fatal polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, and sudden death. In many cases this would lead to the conclusion that other drugs should be tried first. Whether ziprasidone will cause torsade de pointes or increase the rate of sudden death is not yet known.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated July 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Ziprasidone capsules are not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Psychiatry 39.9%
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 29.5%
- Nurse Practitioners 8.8%
- Family Medicine 6.8%
- Internal Medicine 5.0%
- Physician Assistants 4.6%
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2.3%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.7%
- Neurology 0.5%
- General Practice 0.4%
- Addiction Medicine 0.2%
- Hospitalist 0.2%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 25% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Nebraska −11%
- Arkansas −11%
- Indiana −15%
- Arizona −17%
- Nevada −18%
- Georgia (smallest change) −39%
- Tennessee (smallest change) −38%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 5 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Apotex Corp.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mg | white capsule, 14 mm | APO ZIP 20 |
| 40 mg | purple capsule, 16 mm | APO ZIP 40 |
| 60 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | APO ZIP 60 |
| 80 mg | white capsule, 19 mm | APO ZIP 80 |
Avpak
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mg | white capsule, 14 mm | APO ZIP 20 |
| 40 mg | purple capsule, 16 mm | APO ZIP 40 |
| 60 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | APO ZIP 60 |
| 80 mg | white capsule, 19 mm | APO ZIP 80 |
Bryant Ranch Prepack
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 80 mg | white capsule, 19 mm | APO ZIP 80 |
Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mg | white capsule, 14 mm | APO ZIP 20 |
| 40 mg | purple capsule, 16 mm | APO ZIP 40 |
| 60 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | APO ZIP 60 |
| 80 mg | white capsule, 19 mm | APO ZIP 80 |
Roerig
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mg | white capsule, 14 mm | PFIZER 396 |
| 20 mg | white capsule, 14 mm | PFIZER ZDX20 |
| 40 mg | blue capsule, 14 mm | PFIZER ZDX40 |
| 60 mg | white capsule, 16 mm | PFIZER 398 |
| 60 mg | white capsule, 16 mm | PFIZER ZDX60 |
| 80 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | PFIZER 399 |
| 80 mg | white capsule, 18 mm | PFIZER ZDX80 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- May 2023 · The Harvard Drug Group LLC dba Major Pharmaceuticals and Rugby Laboratories · Class I
Labeling: Label Mix-up: Unit Dose cartons labeled as Ziprasidone Hydrochloride Capsules, 20 mg were found to contain blister packages labeled as and containing Dronabinol Capsules, USP, 2.5 mg.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.