Geodon and bipolar

uhhh I just started taking GEODON 2days ago and i've just got the superrr groggy feeling in the morning thru to mid day....im n bed now and its like 6:30(i cant wait to sleep).... But now that ive come to this website y'all have me scaredddd! ....I was put on PAXIL for my depression and first put on DEPAKOTE for my my bipolar and anxiety but i started hearing the voices and got super more depressed and i called the doc n a panic so he put me on 40mg of GEODON.. my family has no major history of heart conditions and im only 24yrsold...n I dont want to die due to THIS... soooo what do u suggest??anyone pleaseee??im scared??!!

I have been taking Geodon for about 4 months now and it has relieved my bipolar symptoms remarkably well but in the last month and a half I have experienced a "Shocking" feeling to my heart that goes down my arms and legs. I was referred to a cardiologist and had a not so good EKG. I am scheduled for a ecocardiograma and to wear a heart monitor for a few days and then follow up with a nuclear stress test on Friday. The feeling is scary and recently I have not been sleeping. At first the medication was a miracle and I had for once in my life a normal sleep pattern. I guess I am worried about my heart. I take 180 mg every night along with a sleeping pill that was prescribed by my doctor. He was running out of medications that would help me. I have lost 27 pounds since being on the medication which is on the good side but is the cost going to be my heart? I will post what the doctor finds so that all of you can know what to look for or be on the watch out for. Many thanks for listening. B.

Hi. My 16 year-old daughter was diagnosed as being bipolar 2 years ago. She was put on several drugs which produced very negative side effects. She finally was placed on Lamictal (200m) and Geodon (80m). We have just found out that she has a liver problem and a heart problem. I can't be more specific because we need to get her evaluated. She has also gained 50 pounds in those 2 years and her meds make her VERY tired...so tired, she must have caffeine a lot. She is weening off of Geodon over a 3-day period. Her psychiatrist told her to take half (40m) a day for 3 days then nothing. I will keep you posted of her symptoms from withdrawal. We are then taking her off of Lamictal. I leave you with 3 thoughts from me having done research for years:
1. Get off all drugs, eat well (no sugar, refined crap and processed stuff) and exercise
2. Get therapy for dealing with bipolar disorder instead of being on drugs - it helps
3. For those of you who continuously mention that you just started a drug and have side-effects - OF COURSE you will have side effects as your body needs to adjust

Hello All,

I have been on Geodon for about 3 weeks. It has helped my depression, and I also have had my Lamictal dosage increased. i was doing well on it up to about 4 days ago. I started to have chest pain. I am 35, in great shape, I am a spin instructor part time. The Geodon has helped my ADD and bipolar symptoms. I am going to have to come off the drug due to the chest pain. Today while teaching class, I got a case of chest pain. I pushed through it, but I am not going to risk a heart attack for a more pleasant life. It just isn't worth it. Please, remember is it better to live happy for a short time, because this drug can kill, or is it better to take something different?

Hello All. Diagnosed bipolar in 2004, been on and off meds realizing that I guess I can't really be off of them, though having a hard time dealing with it. Been on Lamictal, Lithium, Geodon, and several anti-depressants and others I can't remember honestly in the past, now just Geodon, 80 mg at night (can't do it in the morning, can't work). It's now 2 a.m. and I'm desperate. I feel worse on my meds than I do off, though I get suicidal and sabotage my life and my marriage and kids. I have experienced insomnia, tired in the morning, my muscles ache, I dance all morning long and my co-workers think I'm crazy ( I guess I may be). I have landed in crutches because my "dancing" has caused shin splits. I hold a good job and I have two kids that I need to tend to. My husband travels a lot and I just can't seem to deal with the Geodon. All others caused similar issues. I'm desperate on my meds, but I suffer schitzo symptoms off meds. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. BTW, just found two great doctor's, one for therapy and one for med admin. Only been back on my meds and doctor's appts for 2 months after being off meds for 9 months and suffering another "great" relapse. Help me!!!!

I'm trying to wean myself off Geodon and I had a minor, panic attack,. My doctor won't help me because she said I need to see a psychiatrist but I can't afford to see one. Does anyone know how long the side effect last when you get off Geodon. I am a single parent and have a job I need to function at so any advice will help. I have ,anxiety, all the time the doc had to prescribe some anti-anxiety medicine which I never had anxiety like that before. My symptoms on the medication is sleeplessness, restlessness, loss of appetite, can quit moving, racing thoughts, depression.

Hi all. My DH has been taking Geodon for 5 months for "delusion - other". The docs don't feel he's bi-polar or schizophrenic. He started up on 20mg and was taken all the way up to 160mg at night until he got ridiculously drowsy on this drug from that dose. He was having issues getting up in the morning (even after 9 1/2+ hours of sleep the night before) and was getting scared of driving to work as out of it as he'd be. The doc took him down to 120mg and it was still bad. So, then they dropped him down to 80mg and he started experiencing severe anxiety. He said he felt like his chest was closing in on him. So, now he's on 100mg and still tired, but not as bad.

Don't get me wrong.. if this was the only issue, I'd be fine with it. The Geodon was a godsend, at first. It really made his delusion dissipate (he wanted to run off and preach the word of God on street corners) and he was able to go back to working 8-hour days after a few months.

But now that he's gotten past that (he's had this once before, 6 years ago, and they had him on risperdal and depakote until the delusion was gone and then took him off of everything completely) he is BEYOND depressed. He has no history whatsoever of depression and has never felt this way before.Our family has never seen him like this. It's increasingly interfering with our relationship, as he just stares at me blankly if I happen to get upset about anything. He's just completely dead inside and feeling worthless. He can't even have an emotional conversation with me anymore and he used to be the most attentive, wonderful husband and friend he could ever be before he got on Geodon.

He also has zero interest in sex. I mean, he can go through it just fine, but he just doesn't want it on his own. And that's depressing for me!!

All in all, I want him off this drug as it seems that, once it did its job, it's eating away at his cognitive and emotional sides. He has a hard time reasoning and, of course, then ends up getting depressed because he feels worthless at his job. I just don't get it.

My question is: if he should happen to be bi-polar ( I mean, if the docs have all gotten it wrong) and he's going through a depressive phase, shouldn't the Geodon be helping? He just seems to get more and more depressed as gets further and further away from being delusional.

We're going to the doc on Thursday and I'm going to tell him that I want DH off this med.. no matter what he thinks. We just can't keep going through this crud anymore. I'd appreciate any feedback/advice/empathy you all can give.

I just miss my husband and I feel like this drug is running him into the ground and wrecking our marriage. :(

I am 21yrs old and was just diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder. My doc put me on Lamictal,Prozac and Geodon. I take 80mg at night. I feel pretty manic after being on it for only 2 days. I have enough energy for 3 people and my hands shake and my vision is quite blurred which isn't good because I'm legally blind in one eye anyways. The only real side effect that I find troublesome is when I feel like I can't breathe. It only happened when I took it the 2nd time though. It felt like I couldn't get enough oxygen in my body. It was literally hell. My mom finally gave me benadryl thinking that maybe it was allergies and I fell asleep when the benadryl kicked in.

So...
The Geodon seemed to make me too drowsy and I felt it was causing my sleep issue. I couldn't wake up in the morning. It was like I was still in REM while trying to wake. I could sleep until 12 noon and then realize I was late for work. Adderall barely seemed to help anymore.
After swearing off medications forever, I finally hit rock bottom realizing that my BiPolar had gotten the best of me. A DUI, WAY BAD CREDIT...I dug my self a hole of DEBT! My compulsive EVERYTHING had dug me a hole that thank God my Mother is still willing, after 22 years, is willing to help pull me out.
On my own, no psychiatrist involved, with my samples of Geodon and a prescription of Adderall provided by my primary care physician...I decided to go back on medication and so far...a week into it, I have noticed a significant difference...and so has others. Yes, I still might not want to wake up in the morning, but I am able to effectively work and actually somewhat enjoy doing it. I feel like I want to do things where as before...I just wanted to sleep or lay on the couch watching TV. I want to have a future and I want to better myself, where as before I wanted nothing but another drink and some pills. I feel that my quality of life has already improved and I hope with seeing my new psychiatrist on Tuesday, he might better my therapy.

Here is my current problem before asking my doctor.... hadn't taken any adderall for days. I took the Geodon at night, 60mg one day and 80mg the next thinking it might help with my sleep but it didn't do a thing. I Then the next day I took adderall around 7AM and 80mg of Geodon about 9PM and I couldn't keep my eyes open about 1-2 hours after taking the Geodon and I over-slept that morning and didn't wake up until after 10:30am when I am suppose to be at work at 9:00am.

Is it common for the extreme drowsiness to occur with the combination of Adderall in the morning and Geodon at night? I know before when I took both never missing either one, I was always extremely drowsy and that's one of the reasons I stopped taking meds. But after experiencing Geodon without adderall, I am wondering if the TWO don't mix well.

PLEASE HELP.

Geodon - Weight Loss, Mania Anyone?
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I've been on Geodon for 5 wx & have lost 15 #'s. I usually weigh 130, now 115. looking anorexic, but my depression is a lot better now, I'm happy, first time in ovr a yr. nothing else could break the barrier except the Geodon, but it makes me manic, on top of already being manic…can't sleep. as I was about to crash & burn (thu), before I went running to the ER, i found my stash of 4 mg Risperdal that I just weened myself off of 3 mos ago, due to the long term side effects I was having (td, slurring, twitching, sexual dysfunction...). it took the edge off, til I can talk to the pdoc on tue.

like many of you, i’ve tried everything. i’m at my wit’s end. This bizarre combo seems to work for me. It puts a muzzle on the mania, allowing me a more hypomanic state where I can function & still feel really happy. although I’m going to try 40 vs 60 mg geodon. & try going down to 2 mg risperdal or try another a/p. adding the risperdal allowed me to sleep, along w/the lorazepam. but, I prefer not to be on risperdal

So, as of now…i'm on 60 mg geodon, 675 mg lithium, 4 mg risperdal & 1 mg lorazepam X 2/day.

has anyone else had this experience? Especially w/the mania & weight loss?

PLZ HELP! QUEENIE

I take 5 diff. drugs and am trying to figure out which side effect is associated with which drug. I have a really shotty memory now where I have lost perception of time. I thought I had spoken to my friend two weeks ago and I spoke to her two days ago. I read the news all day at work and can't remember any of it. This could be from the Ativan, Ambien, Lamictal or Provigil that I am also taking, but I have no idea which or if its the combo of a few. I am on all of these drugs because i have Bipolar 1 disorder. I take 160 mg of Geodon at night. Also, horrible facial paresthesia and insomnia. Does anyone know if this drug causes memory loss?? Thanks

having giving this drug two chances I'm ready to give up on it. while it has been great for bipolar symptoms, I've struggled with the side effects. one that I'm attributing to Geodon I haven't really read about is back and chest pain(muscular). has anyone else experienced this or am I alone?

Within 5 days of beginning course of Geodon, 40mg daily, doc doubled my dosage to 80mg, began to have problems. Intensely manic, easily frightened, insomnia, terrifying dreams. I decided to get out of hospital ASAP and decide if to quit taking Geodon.
On day six already my face was twitching, was irritable and manic, pacing, increasingly manic throughout day, decided to skip evening dose, keep total dosage same as before, 40mg. Began tripping around midnight and it was all downhill from there. Sleepless all night, by morning I had convulsions, increased heart rate, fear and anxiety, psychosis, uncontrollable crying. Had another seizure 12 hours later. Slept a little with help of Valium. Next day developed Parkinson's like symptoms, had my father not been there to help me, Lord knows what would have happened to me. Still awake in day 3 of withdrawal. Hoping the worst is over.

Geodon has been wonderful for me!! I have been on it for 2 years (I think). My dose was just increased due to some depression. I am on 40 mg in the AM and 40 mg in the PM. I take it at 7 am and 5:30-6 pm. I think it helps to have the even doses throughout the day. I am also on Lamictal (awesome drug!) and Wellbutrin. My medley works great for me. The only side effect I had when my dose was recently increased was a little sleepiness in the AM. Now, 5 days into it, no more tiredness. Actually energy because I am no longer depressed. Best of luck to y'all. I am bipolar, and it sucks to have to take medicine for the rest of my life, but I feel great and I certainly don't want to go back to the depression and mania I felt off the drugs.

I'm on 40mg at night, and have been having good experiences with it before. I don't experience anxiety, if anything, I feel less anxious than I ever did before. I was on Risperdal and gained 75 lbs VERY quickly, even after changing my diet to low-cal, low-fat, and doing everything else in the book. Now I'm off that Risperdal garbage, on the 40 mg of Geodon, and couldn't be happier. I am bipolar, and don't experience the rapid cycling that I did before, even on the Risperdal. I'm considering asking my psychiatrist to take my oldest son OFF that Abilify mess that makes him miserable and put him on Geodon. Thumbs up from me!

Horrible medicine for my 11 year old daughter.Cant believe our doctor would prescribe.Shes been on for 5 weeks 20mg. twice a day.Stomach aches, loose stool, cold like symptoms,exhausted,blood shot eyes and glazed over at night,hyper,horrible itching,nightmares and scared at night,muscle tension or flexing,wakes up early,napping on weekends which she hasnt done since she was three,constant eating,not eating breakfast.Shes all over the place.DO NOT PUT YOUR CHILD ON THIS MEDICATION.Were weaning off now!!

Its been a week since I've been on 80mg of geodon, and the side effects really haven't subsided much. My doctor told me to take one pill in the AM and on in the PM so I did but I was so tired during the day I couldn't accomplish anything, so he said take them at night, well if I take them at night I can't sleep! It gives me so much anxiety and MANIA, racey thoughts all night being i'm bipolar its not good. I"m so restless at night it sucks! I told my doctor he said these side effects should subside in a few days and he came me some klonopin, that didn't even knock me out till i took 2! The nausea and headaches aren't even my main concern its the mania and staying up till 3 and waking up 20 times at time at night. Do these symptoms go away, and does this drug really work and help for bipolar?? Is it worth all this crap in the end?

i am a highschool student and have been taking geodon off and on for at least 6 months, i got BPD and have been on other stuff but this is the only one i will put up with, after being on it at least 6 months i still could not wake up in the morning, when i get up my eyes start rollin around the back of my head and i cant stay awake , i cant walk and i slur my words when i talk, at the most i was taking 20mg morning with 40mg riddlin and at night 20mg geodon, well i got pissed off at the side effects and stoped takin it in the morning. i read up on riddilin and i dont like it being narcodic so i stopped that since its summer and i can sleep a little later. long story short i thought i wasnt bipolar and had no problems this was a big mistake, a month after completly stopping geodon i relized all my close relashonships have been destroyed and blame it on not taking meds. one more thing i noticed though, if anyone gets very parinoid on geodon thats what happend to me and when i got off i wasnt parinoid, its now setting back in, i cant stay in my home alone. but anyways just thought id put my two cents in about that stuff its kinda put me through hell.

I too had the evelids that would NOT stay open ...this is fun while trying to drive to your job then trying to actually work while slurring your speech while not being able to see your computer screen....oh and then having to pee every 5 minutes was also very productive for my job. It s also fabulous to have the stupid psych doc just prescribe this shit like candy and not mention or care to ask you about your family history of diabetes or irregular heart beats...Definitely NOT worth the hassle. These drugs make your symtoms and anxiety and insomnia worse than before...so the doctors can give you more drugsand then try to act like you are crazy....hell they are crazy for thinking I am going to fall for this shit anymore. I am bipolar but going to go to a holistic doctor and fix my diet and vitamin intake and tell all the money grubbing condesceding psychiatrists to kiss my ass!!!

I have been on geodon for about a year and a half it was like a miracle drug for me after about three weeks all of my symptoms were gone I suffered from post partum ocd/anxiety and have been given a diagnosis of bipolar I but now it is time to start weaning and it is terrible if I am even two hours late on my dose i feel awful physicaly....has anyone successfully weaned off how slowly did you do it to avoid the withdrawl??

I have been on Geodon for a little over a week. The doctor told me to take 120 mg once daily in the morning. No one else on this page seems to take all this in the morning. About 2 hours after taking it, I crash. I can't even keep my eyes open. Throughout the day I get really tired. Like I have no energy in my body. Towards the evening, about 6pm, I get really cold. I feel like I have to stretch all the time, especially in my legs and arms. Dry mouth, dizziness...I also have insomnia, since I do not take this medicine at night. Overall, the experience hasn't been that bad. I used to have visual and auditory hallucinations (I am bipolar/personality disorder/schizoaffective disorder). Now I do not have these symptoms at all. I am also taking Wellbutrin for mood and Desyrel for insomnia. Want to know if anyone recomends getting OFF this medicine before I get in over my head with symptoms. If you have any suggestions for a different medicine, please post it.

My daughter was prescribed geodon and began having hallucinations, auditory and visual. She felt like she had taken an hallucinogenic. She had become so scared of the feelings that she checked herself into the hospital where she has been for the last two weeks and is now having her medications adjusted. She is bipolar and had been taking seroquel and zoloft

Started on Geodon 40 mg in the evening three days ago. (This is prescribed for bipolar and I also take Prozac.) It knocks me out cold about 1-1/2 hours after taking it and I have a hell of a time waking up in the morning, so knocked out-feeling, brain dead, drowsy. My husband the insomniac says I have started to make VERY strange noises in my sleep (I'm not talking in my sleep anymore, just making strange noises), but when I ask him to describe the noises, he just laughs and won't tell me. I shudder to think. After finally waking up, I feel hyper, am pacing, agitated and I am sweating like crazy. Also, my stomach feels vaguely queasy. The doctor plans to increase this to 80 mg. (Oh for joy.) It's too soon to tell, I know, but I'm so sick of taking endless drugs and combinations that don't work. I feel weird with them, I feel weird without them. What a life.

choking on my tongue, unable to breathe, rapid heart palpitations, jerking up and down, impossibility of staying still, terrifying.
Kemedrin
(procyclidine) deals with this but then its unable to get up, sleeping in the day, nightmares. i live alone so i HAVE TO get up to get food and go to bank, pay bills etc, there is NOBODY to help me with the practicalities so i was starving while unable to get up. meanwhile it has zero effect in diminishing delusions. i'm supposedly rapid cycling mixed state bipolar which i was before the experiments on me with psych drugs started. geodon was being used to get me off benzos, think i'll have to stick with the benzos despite their proven schizogenic effects

I have the sour mouth, involuntary movements (hands, arms jerking) but the most troublesome and dangerous is the falling asleep without warning, anywhere and anytime. I have missed work because I crashed out in the staff lounge and couldn't get back to "alertness," and the worst is that big chunks of my days are GONE. Just GONE. It's as though I blank out and erase whatever part of the day is happening when the wave hits me. Some memories come back, slowly, and luckily I have patient friends who help me bring some memories back. I am Bipolar I, rapid cycling with mixed states thrown in. Lots of hallucinations, mostly auditory.