How does Vraylar work?

How Vraylar works

Vraylar belongs to a class of medications called atypical (second-generation) antipsychotics.

The way a drug works is known medically as its mechanism of action. The mechanism of action for Vraylar may vary depending on the condition you’re taking it to treat.

Doctors prescribe Vraylar to treat schizophrenia and manic, mixed, and depressive episodes of bipolar I disorder. They also prescribe it to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), often called depression.

What happens in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and MDD

With schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and MDD, there’s an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. This imbalance typically affects dopamine and serotonin.

Neurotransmitters are natural body chemicals that pass messages between nerve cells and other cells in the body. Dopamine and serotonin pass messages in the brain that help manage mood, thinking, perception, and behavior.

An imbalance of serotonin and dopamine can lead to symptoms of depression, mania, and psychosis. Symptoms of psychosis include hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there) and delusions (beliefs that aren’t true).

What Vraylar does

Vraylar works by rebalancing the way dopamine and serotonin work in the brain. But more research is necessary for experts to understand how Vraylar works exactly.

Vraylar helps reduce symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. The drug also works to reduce symptoms of mania, such as extreme agitation, racing thoughts, and feeling wired or jittery.

Vraylar can help ease symptoms of depression. These may include feelings of extreme sadness, gloom, hopelessness, and guilt.

Also, Vraylar can ease other symptoms associated with the conditions it treats, such as anxiety, trouble sleeping, and a lack of energy. The medication can also help with problems with memory, concentration, and communication.

How long Vraylar takes to work

Vraylar starts working in the first few days of treatment. Symptoms such as hallucinations and agitation tend to ease first. Other symptoms can take longer to decrease, and it can take several weeks for Vraylar to have its full effect.

It’s important to keep taking Vraylar for as long as your doctor recommends, even if it doesn’t make much difference initially.

How long does Vraylar stay in your system?

Vraylar can stay in your body for several weeks after you stop taking it.

Vraylar has a half-life of about 1 week. The half-life of a drug is the length of time it takes for the drug level in your body to reduce by 1/2. So, 1 week after stopping Vraylar use, the drug level in your body can lower to 1/2. After another week, the level can lower to 1/4. In the next week, it can lower to 1/8 and so on.

Experts generally consider that it takes 5 1/2 half-lives for the drug level to be so low that it no longer has an effect. So, for Vraylar, this would be about 5 1/2 weeks. However, small amounts of the drug may still be detectable for longer than this in blood tests.

Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.