Aristada and Aristada Initio are brand-name injections prescribed for schizophrenia in adults. How often you receive Aristada depends on your prescribed dose. Aristada Initio is usually given once at the start of treatment.
Aristada and Aristada Initio are extended-release* liquid suspensions. They come in single-dose, prefilled syringes, which a healthcare professional will use to inject the drug into a muscle.
Your doctor may prescribe Aristada Initio as a single dose to start Aristada treatment. They may also prescribe it to restart Aristada treatment if you miss a dose.† You will not receive Aristada Initio on a regular basis.
Aristada and Aristada Initio belong to the drug class known as atypical antipsychotics. Both drugs contain the active ingredient aripiprazole lauroxil, but they contain different amounts. So, Aristada and Aristada Initio aren’t meant to be used interchangeably.
Aristada and Aristada Initio aren’t currently available in generic forms.
For information about the dosages of Aristada and Aristada Initio, including their strengths, dosing schedules, and how the drugs are given, keep reading. For a comprehensive look at Aristada, see this article.
This article describes typical dosages for Aristada injection and Aristada Initio injection provided by the drug’s manufacturer. However, your doctor will prescribe the Aristada and Aristada Initio dosage that’s right for you.
* Extended release means the active drug releases in your body over a period of time.
† To learn more about what to do if you’ve missed a dose, see the “Missed dose” section below.
This section describes the typical Aristada and Aristada Initio dosages.
Aristada and Aristada Initio form
Aristada and Aristada Initio come as extended-release liquid suspensions. (Extended release means the active drug releases in your body over a period of time.) The drugs come in single-dose, prefilled syringes, which a healthcare professional will use to inject the drug into a muscle. To get your Aristada or Aristada Initio dose, you’ll go to your doctor’s office or clinic.
Aristada and Aristada Initio strengths
Aristada is available in four strengths:
- 441 milligrams (mg)
- 662 mg
- 882 mg
- 1,064 mg
Aristada Initio is available in one strength: 675 mg.
Typical dosing for Aristada and Aristida Initio
Typically, your doctor will prescribe a low dosage. Then they’ll adjust it over time to reach the amount that’s right for you. Your doctor will ultimately prescribe the smallest dosage that provides the desired effect.
The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs.
Before beginning Aristada treatment
Before you start receiving Aristada, your doctor will check whether you’ve ever taken Abilify (aripiprazole). The active ingredient of Aristada and Aristada Initio is aripiprazole lauroxil, a prodrug of aripiprazole. (A prodrug is a drug that becomes an active ingredient once your body processes it.)
After your Aristada or Aristada Initio injection, your body turns aripiprazole lauroxil into aripiprazole. Aripiprazole is known to cause bothersome side effects. So, it’s important for your doctor to check whether your body can tolerate aripiprazole before starting Aristada treatment.
If you’ve never taken aripiprazole, you’ll likely start your Aristada treatment with oral aripiprazole. This is to ensure your body can tolerate the drug before your doctor prescribes Aristada. It could take up to 2 weeks for your doctor to determine whether your body can tolerate aripiprazole. They will decide the best dosage of oral aripiprazole for you.
If you’ve taken aripiprazole before and your body tolerated it, your doctor will prescribe a loading dose of Aristada. See “Loading doses” right below for more information.
Loading doses
After your doctor confirms that your body can tolerate aripiprazole, you’ll start Aristada treatment with a loading dose. A loading dose helps get your aripiprazole levels up to an effective range more quickly. This helps the drug work sooner.
When you begin Aristada treatment, your doctor may prescribe Aristada Initio as a one-time loading dose. You may receive it on the same day or up to 10 days before your first Aristada injection. It’s also likely that you’ll take oral aripiprazole as a part of your loading dose.
Below is a table of the typical loading doses recommended when starting Aristada treatment. Your doctor will determine which dosing option is best for you.
| Loading dose option 1: Aristada with Aristada Initio |
| • Aristada Initio injection: 675-milligram (mg) one-time dose • oral aripiprazole: 30-mg one-time dose • first Aristada injection: 441 mg, 662 mg, 882 mg, or 1,064 mg* |
| Loading dose option 2: Aristada without Aristada Initio |
| • first Aristada injection: 441 mg, 662 mg, 882 mg, or 1,064 mg* • oral aripiprazole: 30 mg taken for 21 days in a row |
* The exact Aristada loading dose you’ll receive is based on different factors. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you. To learn more, see the “Factors that can affect your dosage” section below.
Maintenance doses
After your first injection of Aristada, you’ll continue your Aristada treatment with maintenance doses. (A maintenance dose is the dose you’ll take long term.) Your doctor will determine the maintenance dose that’s right for you. Below is the typical Aristada dosing schedule for maintenance treatment.
| Aristada maintenance dose | Dose frequency |
|---|---|
| 441 milligrams (mg) | every month |
| 662 mg | every month |
| 882 mg | every month or every 6 weeks |
| 1,064 mg | every 2 months |
If you were previously taking Abilify (aripiprazole) by mouth, your doctor will prescribe a maintenance dose based on your previous oral aripiprazole dosage.
It’s important to note that the Aristada maintenance dose your doctor prescribes is not the oral dose equivalent of aripiprazole. This means they’ll give you a different amount of drug with Aristada than what you previously took with oral aripiprazole. Below is a table of the recommended Aristada dosages based on prior oral aripiprazole dosages.
| Prior dosage of oral aripiprazole | Aristada dosage |
|---|---|
| • 10 milligrams (mg) per day | • 441 mg per month |
| • 15 mg per day | • 662 mg per month • 882 mg every 6 weeks • 1,064 mg every 2 months |
| • 20 mg or more per day | • 882 mg per month |
Long-term treatment
Aristada is meant to be a long-term treatment. If you and your doctor determine that Aristada is safe and effective for you, you’ll likely receive it long term.
Aristada Initio is not usually prescribed long term. Your doctor may prescribe it as a single dose to start Aristada treatment. They may also prescribe it to restart Aristada treatment if you miss a dose. (For more information, see the “Missed dose” section below.)
This section answers some frequently asked questions about Aristada.
What is the dosage for generic Aristada (aripiprazole lauroxil)?
There’s currently no generic form of aripiprazole lauroxil, the active ingredient in Aristada. So, there is no specific dosage for this version of the drug.
When you start Aristada treatment, your doctor may prescribe you oral aripiprazole. (This drug is the generic form of the brand-name medication Abilify.) Talk with your doctor about what dosage of aripiprazole is right for you.
If you have questions about other treatment options for your condition, talk with your doctor.
How does the dosing of Aristada and Abilify Maintena compare?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved both Aristada (aripiprazole lauroxil) and Abilify Maintena (aripiprazole) to treat schizophrenia. Both drugs come as extended-release liquid suspensions, which a healthcare professional injects into a muscle. (Note that another version of extended-release aripiprazole for injection is available, marketed under the name Abilify Asimtufii.)
The typical dosing of Abilify Maintena is 400 milligrams (mg) once per month. The typical dosing of Aristada can be any of the following:
- 441 mg per month
- 662 mg per month
- 882 mg per month or every 6 weeks
- 1,064 mg every 2 months
To learn more about the similarities and differences between Aristada and Abilify Maintena, talk with your doctor.
If you miss an appointment for your Aristada or Aristada Initio dose, call your doctor to reschedule as soon as you remember.
Your doctor will likely want to give you the missed dose of Aristada as soon as possible. They may give you a one-time dose of Aristada Initio alone. Or they may give you Aristida Initio with oral aripiprazole for a certain number of days. This depends on your Aristada maintenance dosage and how long it’s been since you’ve missed your dose.
To help make sure you don’t miss a dose, try using a medication reminder. You could also download a reminder app on your phone to keep track of your appointments.
The dosage of Aristada and Aristada Initio your doctor prescribes will depend on several factors. These include:
- the severity of your schizophrenia
- whether you were previously taking Abilify (oral aripiprazole)
- other drugs you’re taking
- other medical conditions you may have
Dosage adjustments
If you take certain drugs, your doctor may need to adjust your Aristada dosage. The dose adjustment will depend on other drugs you’re taking. Be sure to tell your doctor if you take any drugs other than Aristada or Aristada Initio.
Also, if you take certain medications and you need dosage adjustments, you may not be able to receive Aristada Initio. This is because Aristada Initio has a set dose. It only comes as a single-dose injection in one strength. So, it’s important to tell your doctor if you’re taking any other drugs before starting Aristada treatment.
Aristada and Aristada Initio come as extended-release liquid suspensions. (Extended release means the active drug releases in your body over a period of time.) The drugs come in single-dose, prefilled syringes, which a healthcare professional will use to inject the drug into a muscle. To get your Aristada or Aristada Initio dose, you’ll go to your doctor’s office or clinic.
All doses of Aristada can be injected into a buttock muscle. There’s also the option for the 441-mg dose to be injected into a muscle in your shoulder. Aristada Initio doses can be injected into either a shoulder or buttock.
For more information about how healthcare professionals administer Aristada and Aristada Initio, talk with your doctor.
The dosages in this article are typical dosages provided by the drug manufacturer. If your doctor recommends Aristada or Aristada Initio for you, they’ll prescribe the dosage that’s right for you.
If you have questions about the dosage of Aristada and Aristada Initio that’s right for you, talk with your doctor.
Besides learning about dosage, you may want other information about Aristada and Aristada Initio. These additional articles might be helpful to you:
- More about Aristada and Aristada Initio. For information about other aspects of Aristada and Aristada Initio, refer to this article.
- Details about your condition. For details about mental health, see our mental health hub. To learn more about schizophrenia, you can refer to our list of schizophrenia articles.
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.