Facial twitches symptoms and conditions

I have been taking Geodon for 3 yrs and have been trying to get off of it. I started on 40mgs once a day and was driving crazy from the Withdrawal side effects my pdoc and I did not anticipate. Geodon should be taken twice a day to even out the effects. Geodon has a wear off effect. About two yrs ago I was upped to 100 mgs a day and dealt with many side effects. I take 40mgs in the am and 60mgs in the pm. Now I deal with constipation, facial twitches, something stuck in my throat constantly, feeling cold all the time. I would complain to my pdoc but we never made the connection it was Geodon doing this to me. I am considered bp1 w/psychotic features and have not had a major episode since my dose was raised to 100mgs a day. Off and on I try to wean myself off Geodon but I find it impossible. My body screams for the Geodon when I don't take it. Nausea, hot & cold flashes, a feeling of total unwellness, dizziness, loose stools & stomach cramps all start about three days after I start the weaning process and last till I take some more Geodon to make it subside. I only have Ativan to help me get off this stuff and it is not much help. I am also on 75mgs a day of Topamax. Since I was raised to 100mgs I have had real troubles with insomnia. I go to bed at 9pm and I am fully awake between 3 to 5am. I never got up that early before Geodon. Ambien does not help to keep me sleeping. I will admit my mania is gone on Geodon but I still have some low lying depression that never seems to go away. I hate Geodon because it is next to impossible to get off this medication. I have tried to wean myself down several times without success. I don't want to be attached to this drug for the rest of my life. The addiction factor of this medication is not talked about in the brochure for this medication. The Withdrawal effects are horrible if you want to taper down or get off of it all together.

Burning in right shoulder blade; neck pain (burning) diagnosed as arthritis; pain in left heel after sitting too long; sensation of cold behind temples; various occasional facial twitches--currently left nostril, for several weeks it had been one eye that would twitch; sensation that something is on face like a strand of hair when it is not there; slight trouble in thinking of everyday words or saying the wrong word.

Topamax has completely altered my life. I had a year and a half of daily migraines, with only a day or two of let-up each month -- my migraines are "common", not "classical", just to clarify, and my symptoms are more like that of a stroke victim's.
Now I only have bad premenstrual migraines (no solution to that yet). I still have migraines with Topamax, but it is like they have been pushed way down.....
I'm on 200 mg/day.
Side effects of Topamax: Mostly marvellous! The sexual side effects I really want to say something about, because I couldn't find anything about this when I first had them. Please allow me, and forgive me for graphically saying this -- this is about anatomy, and I needed to know I wasn't alone when I first experienced this: I experience marvellous spasms in my anus and vaginal walls sometimes, especially during sex, and I've had spontaneous near-orgasms a few times (though once in a grocery store, which was NOT NOT NOT pleasant). My libido has skyrocketed. It's been wonderful. It's been beautiful.
Sometimes I get a definite "Topamax buzz", especially in the afternoon. I sleep much better, and with a migraine can actually push myself, whereas before it was the end of the world. I can push myself, period. That used to be an impossibility.
Definitely, Topamax impairs my ability to speak sometimes. But my ability to think? It's improved 100%. I used to be a writer, and have now returned to this. It would have been unthinkable before Topamax.
I have intense tingling in my extremities, which can be awful at times. I find the negative side effects most unpleasant some days, like the facial twitches -- mostly the left side of my mouth, and sometimes both of my eyelids (like right at this moment). The fatigue, blech.
But honestly, compared to the migraines symptoms, these side effects are a dream. .....And the weight loss is a bit worrisome at times -- though my body looks great I always have to worry that I'm eating enough. I am getting my life back now. Topamax has some wretched side effects, but some beautiful ones too -- it re-opened my mind, gave me focus again.... and the migraines were hell. I am so very very grateful for Topamax.