What Is Iloperidone Used For?

Iloperidone is licensed to treat acute schizophrenia in adults. This prescription medication is a type of atypical antipsychotic medication and works by blocking or lessening the effects of certain brain chemicals, which are elevated in people with schizophrenia. Iloperidone can help treat schizophrenia symptoms, such as delusions, hallucinations, and thought disorders. There are currently no off-label uses of iloperidone.

Iloperidone Drug Information

What Is Iloperidone Used For?

Iloperidone (Fanapt^™) is a prescription antipsychotic medication. Specifically, it is approved for treating acute schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is one of the most confusing and disabling mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is a group of mental disorders that involve abnormal thinking. Although the causes of schizophrenia are not fully understood, it is currently thought that genetics and environmental factors play an important role in developing the illness. Depending on the type of schizophrenia (see Types of Schizophrenia), symptoms may include the following:

Hallucinations
Delusions
Flat affect (immobile facial expression, monotonous voice)
Lack of pleasure in everyday life
A diminished ability to initiate and sustain planned activity
Speaking infrequently, even when forced to interact
Thought disorders
Disorders of movement
Poor executive functioning (the ability to absorb and interpret information and make decisions based on that information)
An inability to stay focused
Problems with working memory (the ability to keep recently-learned information in mind and use it right away).

Although psychotherapy may be helpful for schizophrenia (see Psychosocial Therapy for Schizophrenics), medication is often essential to schizophrenia treatment. Iloperidone can help improve the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although it is currently only approved for acute (short-term) treatment of schizophrenia, it is recommended that people who respond well to this medication continue to take it long-term in order to receive continued benefit.

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