Uzedy can help people with schizophrenia feel more in control of their thoughts and actions. It can help ease the symptoms that make thinking and daily tasks difficult. One important challenge of schizophrenia treatment is to remember to take medicine every day. With Uzedy given once a month or every two months, people with schizophrenia may stay stable for longer periods.
How Does Uzedy Work for Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a serious, disabling, and long-lasting mental health condition. People with schizophrenia may have hallucinations – when they see or hear things that are not real. They may also have delusions, which are beliefs that are not true. These symptoms can make it hard for them to think clearly, speak in an organized way, or control their behavior.
Health care providers treat schizophrenia with medicines called antipsychotics, such as Uzedy.
Uzedy is an injection that contains the antipsychotic medicine risperidone. Uzedy helps control psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions. Researchers think that Uzedy works by blocking certain chemicals in the brain called dopamine and serotonin. Currently, there is no cure for schizophrenia.
Can Uzedy Be Used Alone for Schizophrenia?
Uzedy can be used alone to treat schizophrenia. But people with schizophrenia may also need other types of treatment. Along with Uzedy, health care providers may use other treatments to help improve thinking and everyday tasks.
Other treatments may include cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis and psychoeducation, which gives patients and their caregivers information about mental health conditions to improve their understanding, support, and treatment. Some people with schizophrenia may also need social services, such as supported employment and social skills training.
How Do I Use Uzedy?
Uzedy is given as an injection under the skin of your belly or upper arm. This type of shot is called subcutaneous. You will receive Uzedy in a hospital or clinic, and a health care provider will give it to you. Your health care provider may prescribe Uzedy injections once a month or once every two months.
Before your health care provider gives you Uzedy, they will check if risperidone taken by mouth is safe for you. You do not need to have been prescribed risperidone by mouth before you use Uzedy.
If your health care provider changes your treatment from risperidone taken by mouth to Uzedy, the injection will be scheduled the day after your last oral dose. Your health care provider will decide the right dose of Uzedy for you based on your previous daily oral risperidone dose.
How Was It Studied for Schizophrenia?
A clinical trial was done in the United States and Bulgaria to test if Uzedy is safe and effective for the treatment of schizophrenia. Everyone in the study had schizophrenia and had experienced at least one relapse in the past 24 months. Most of the people in the study were male (over 61%). Also in the study, 59% of people were listed as Black or African American, 38% were White, 1% were Asian, and less than 1% were listed as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. Race was not reported for less than 1% of people in the study, and less than 1% were reported as “other race.” Hispanic or Latinx people were reported as 22% of people in the study.
The study had two parts. In the first part, everyone took risperidone by mouth for 12 weeks. People whose symptoms stayed stable during this time moved to the second part of the study. In the second part, people were randomly assigned to receive Uzedy once a month, Uzedy once every two months, or a placebo.
The efficacy of Uzedy was measured by how long it took someone to have a relapse in their symptoms.
What Were the Benefits?
Longer time to relapse. People who used Uzedy had a longer time before their symptoms returned, compared to those who used a placebo. Those who used Uzedy injections once a month had five times longer before their symptoms came back, compared to the placebo group. People who received Uzedy injections every two months had nearly three times longer before their symptoms returned than those on the placebo.
Symptom control. More people who used Uzedy did not have worsening symptoms during the study, compared to those who used the placebo. But there was no difference between the Uzedy and placebo groups in the number of people who achieved remission.
While Uzedy helps control schizophrenia symptoms, it may not fully get rid of them.
When Will Uzedy Start Working?
Your hallucinations and delusions may get better a few weeks after you start treatment with Uzedy. For some people, this means that feelings of suspicion and unusual thoughts may improve. People may also notice that their thoughts become clearer and more organized. Hospital visits for worsening symptoms of schizophrenia may become less frequent. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors and violent behaviors may also decrease.
Do not stop Uzedy without advice from your health care provider first, even if your symptoms improve. Your symptoms may return or get worse again once you stop it. Tell your health care provider if your symptoms are not improving within a few weeks after you start treatment with Uzedy. Contact your health care provider right away if your symptoms worsen.
How to Prevent and Manage Side Effects
Uzedy can cause side effects, as can other medicines. Here are some common side effects and tips on how to manage them.
Movement and muscle problems. Some people may get muscle stiffness, restlessness, muscle spasms, or shaking. These side effects can be temporary or long-lasting. Some people may have mild side effects, while others might have more serious ones. Tell your health care provider right away if you develop movement disorders with Uzedy. Your health care provider might adjust your treatment or prescribe something to help relieve these side effects.
Nausea and vomiting. If you have nausea or vomiting with Uzedy, avoid greasy, spicy, and sweet foods with strong odors. Sometimes, smaller but more frequent meals may help ease nausea. Talk to your health care provider about over-the-counter and prescription medicines to help with nausea.
Diarrhea or constipation. If Uzedy causes constipation, increase the amount of water and fiber in your diet. Talk to your health care provider or pharmacist if you think you need a laxative for constipation.
Skin rash. You may develop a rash where Uzedy is injected. Applying something cold on your skin after the shot can help relieve these side effects. Talk to your pharmacist if you need an anti-itch medicine such as a steroid cream or an oral antihistamine.
Are There Any Drug Interactions?
Certain medicines can change the amount of Uzedy in your blood. This can raise the risk of side effects or make Uzedy less effective. Tell your health care provider if you take antidepressants like fluoxetine or paroxetine. These medicines can increase the amount of Uzedy in your blood, which may lead to more side effects.
Also, let your health care provider know if you take seizure medicines such as carbamazepine. This medicine can lower the amount of Uzedy in your blood. With lower levels, Uzedy may not work as well for you.
Since Uzedy may cause side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and lightheadedness, alcohol can make these side effects worse. It is best to avoid alcohol during treatment with Uzedy to reduce the risk of increased side effects.
This is not a complete list of all interactions. Be sure to tell your pharmacist or other health care provider about all the prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicine, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, or other supplements you take or have recently taken.
What Are Other Unique Considerations to Be Aware Of?
If you have dementia-related psychosis, Uzedy may not be safe for you. Researchers showed that older adults with this condition who take antipsychotic medicines such as Uzedy have a higher risk of heart failure, stroke, pneumonia, and sudden death. Uzedy is not approved to treat dementia-related psychosis.
Is There a Cost Savings Program?
There is a coupon available from the drugmaker that may allow you to pay $0 for your prescription. Whether you are eligible depends on whether you have prescription insurance and what type of insurance you have. You can find out more at https://www.uzedy.com/savings-offer-and-resources.
