Geodon and geodon

I was on 80mg of Geodon for about 1 year. I started having uncontrolled eye and neck movements. I was taken off the drug. However, I've been left with the side effect of Dystonia. I have no control over my neck muscles, my head is in the backwards and to the left position. Trying to move my neck to the right is very painful. I have to get botox injections every 3 months in my eyes and neck. The shots stop the movement for a few weeks but do nothing for the positioning of my neck as the shots weeken the muscles. I've been told I will have this the rest of my life and the only other treatment would include brain surgery. I am in pain on a daily basis, and when upset or in public the movements are greater which only causes anxiety.

I was taking 40mg of geodon twice a day. The doctor is weaning me off.
So, he said to stop taking my evening dose. Well, I did for two nights and couldn't sleep. I was really jumpy, leg spasms, couldn't sleep, hot and cold flashes, trembling,nausea. It was like having the flu really bad. I also had a couple brain zaps. I wish I never would have started geodon. It's awful.

I've been on 300 mg's of Lamcital since last December. Great drug, really helps my mania get under control. Lithium wasn't cutting it for me with my depression, in fact the side effects were making me even more depressed. My pdoc decided to try out Geodon (at 100 mg's). In the most part, it has been great. I feel alive and like myself again for the first time in years. But...
I wonder if making me so stable has also given my mind way to much time to over- analyze what I see and do. I see things out of the corner of my eye all of the time. I had something appear right in front of me the other day. I can no longer sleep past seven in the morning. And I have three facial twitches: my lower lip, the arc in my left eyebrow and the very top of my forehead where the first of my hair follicles start on my widow's peak. Those drive me nuts.
I am also on 40 mg's of Propranolol (Anderall) and Cytomel for my thyroid. For having such a severe case of BP, it's nice to be on so few medications. Geodon has been a lifesaver and has given me back my creativity and my marriage. I'll take seeing things and facial twitches any day for those.

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. :(

my friend has been on geodon for about 3 years and is experiencing some very strange things! She gets cramps, like seizures in her legs and can't walk when this happens. Her doctor says there is nothing wrong. She gets neck and leg twitching and recently, the leg things have come with shortness of breath. Does anyone know anything about these side effects?Please reply! Thank you.

I have been on geodon for about one year. My dosage have been changed too many times to count. I am presently taking geodon 60mg, lamictal 200mg and lunesta at bedtime. On some nights, I am unable to sleep and I have to get up at 430 am. I am very depressed and I feel that nobody understands what I am going through. I don't know which of my meds are causing which side effects, but I need a change. I am 5ft 7in tall and I now weigh 118# (one year ago I weighed 142#).

I honestly do not like taking Geodon. It can have negative effects on your heart. However I have been taking Geodon for at least six months now.

If I miss just one dose I start to feel extreme withdrawal. My withdrawal side effects are blurred vision, nausea, headache, and weakness.

And I've never had withdrawal from a medicine before. But for some reason it's really bad with Geodon.

I'm going to ask me Doctor about this.

Hi All,
I am very concerned about the effects of Geodon. My 12 year old daughter is on it has been on it for some time and now is having speech problems. When she talks its as if she has what I call a"Mush Mouth" you can barley understand her and it's almost like a whisper talk. Has anyone else experienced this? Please I am in need of any input. Thanks,Annette from Michigan

I have been on 40 mg Geodon for over 6 months, and I stay like I am in the clouds and my legs and hands will shake ,bad anxiety,I don't want to go out and do anything.I want to get off this drug against my docs orders , does anyone have any information on withdrawals from the Geodon?and how do you tapper yourself off it . email me *** thank you Melissa

update on Geodon-
Last week I wrote a raving review on Geodon, this week, not so good... I have lost a total of 11 lbs. in 9 days which should make me feel great, right? Nope! Because I went straight from feel good to full fledged mania (spent $300+ worth of nothing on eBay) to wading in mud depression and borderline psychotic. My husband wants me to "call the doctor and get back on the Seroquel!" I'm still trying to stick it out. The nausea is coming and going vs. staying that way all day but I'm still running (feels like crawling) back and forth to the bathroom. So- the ultimate question- to be fat and lazy, 'out of it' and with no life (including sex life) on Seroquel? or be skinny, sick and totally bipolar on Geodon? Yesterday at work, (I am a personal care assistant) I watched myself pour pepper in the pot of boiling water when I wanted salt, attempted to dry dishes with a wet dish rag, on the way home I was repeatedly forcing the windshield wipers to off trying to get them to turn on in a freezing rain storm... My words are jumbled, confused, can't make sense, crying and Belligerent, pistons aren't firing right... we'll see what happens...

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.

I've only been on Geodon for three weeks and I have had nightmares so bad I'm afraid to go back to sleep. I even had a nightmare so bad that I couldn't snap myself out of it even after I woke up. I had to be sedated finally

originally posted to Queenie30
(also should mention that in addition to the Geodon, I take Lamictal and Wellbutrin)
I have been on Geodon for just under a week and have already lost 5 lbs! I was on Seroquel, which I loved and depended on for over a year, but could no longer stand by and watch the needle on the scale get higher and higher... 50 lbs total. Talk about depression. The Seroquel was previously the only thing that worked to halt my mania and put me to bed. Since the switch from (50 mg) Seroquel to (20 mg) Geodon I feel all around better than I have in years! I felt an improvement in mood almost immediately. I am clear headed, awake, smiling and laughing, have energy, and my previously (insatiable!) appetite is clearly suppressed. I have a natural nervous/anxious/self-conscious disposition which I attribute to my personality- in addition to the BP, all of my life which limited my eating, but in a healthy way- I was not underweight/overweight. (The Seroquel turned me into a lazy, careless cookie monster to say the least.) I have gone from sleeping 12 hrs a night (and still feeling exhausted) to sleeping 6 hrs a night and waking up feeling well rested, refreshed, and actually wanting to wake up! (That says a lot, I haven't felt like I wanted to wake up since I was a kid and I'm almost 30...) The not-so-fun part- I am extremely nauseous with diarrhea. I have called out of work the last 2 days because of the constant trips to the bathroom and vomiting. I really hope this part ends soon because I want to be able to tolerate this drug and not have to go back to the seroquel. I was in such a fog w/ the Seroquel that I did not see the true zombie effect it has had on me for over a year. I completely stopped doing the things that I loved and enjoyed- including using my creativity and intelligence. I feel 'alive' again on Geodon. I have felt myself when triggered, mind racing into mania which does have me on guard. I stayed awake in bed the first 2 nights til' at least 3am unable to stop the thought train/obsessing about something stupid my husband did 6 years ago :-) This is the part however, I want to learn to control on my own without meds which I why I am aggressively seeking therapy. Though, when my mind is racing/obsessing the geodon does seem to give me that strong sense of reality/insight that what I am doing is not normal or healthy, whereas before, I'd just be extremely angry and blame my husband or whoever 'wronged me' for my obsessing/anger/rage. Now I have a clear sense that I am (or should be) in control of myself/thoughts and feelings. I need to work on that missing link between obsessing about something I can not control or change, and reality- what is healthy for me. A med can not do this for you.
Hope this makes sense! Good Luck :-)

I forgot to mention this site:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=20825&name=GEODON

You can read patient reviews on this or any drug and submit your own. I must admit, the page on Geodon is quite scary, but since my experiences have been mostly all good, I am staying extremely hopeful :-)

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

Geodon was not worth it for me. I took 60 mg in the evenings and noticed I had a clenched jaw, anxiety, blurred vision, late menstrual periods, and HORRIBLE insomnia. I took myself off it with no problems.

My mother is on Geodon. I cant remember how long shes been on it. but in the changes I have seen in her. I want her off ASAP. she used to enjoy life...you know..going to work, going out with friends, talking and hanging out with me but now I don't even recognize her. to me its like she is a zombie. all she does now is just sits at the house and watches TV all day. and as far as talking to her....it seems like shes not even interested in having a normal conversation with anybody. I think shes taking a bigger MG than she should but that cant be it cuz shes only taking 60mgs twice a day. half of the things she says I can barely understand. I have to listen carefully or I have to ask her to repeat what she said. anybody have ANY COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS PLEASE LET ME KNOW

I've been on 160 mg at night for most of this year. When my doctor switched me to a different anti-psychotic (Invega), I started having suicidal thoughts, so I went back on Geodon. I feel like I am happier and starting to do more things, but I have horrible physical side effects like brain zaps, energy running through my face and teeth, pins and needles in my eyes and on the tip of my tongue...It also gives me horrible insomnia. I have to take 25 mg of Ambien and 6 mg of Ativan at night just to get to bed! and then it makes me tired in the morning, so I take Provigil to stay awake during the day. I am confused as to what to do because I feel more sane and am becoming less preoccupied with myself daily, but these physical sensations are freaking me out!

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.

Hi I'm Link! I'm only taking 40mgs of Geodon after taking 120mgs for 6 years,I also take 1200 mgs of lithium,600mgs of Depakote and 2mg of Klonopin for sleep.My only side effects that stand out to me are very bad dry mouth and sexual dysfunction which is mostly caused by the Geodon since I did not have these problems since before I started on it,but my doctor sees a mark improvement in me and feels confident that we can go off the Geodon soon.Hopefully the ED will go away since I am a married man.This is my biggest concern because I know the dry mouth will certainly lessen even though I do take a lot of lithium,but my doctor says he only went up on that to go down on the Depakote so I may switch from Depakote to Lamictal because the Depakote gives me harsh tremors in my extremities and then I will go down on the lithium on the amount I was on before.

Before I was on Geodon I was on Zyprexa. That was the worse mistake of my life. Before I started with these anti psychotic I was 5'9 male who weighed 140 pounds after a few months I gained 50 pounds. Geodon stopped that though and I'm thankful.

The problem I have the most trouble with is never feeling awake unless its at night and I hate that.Now just a couple days ago I have been feeling that my jaw is locking. Other than that I do appreciate Geodon for what it does. I haven't been depressed for over 4 months now.

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.

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 on 60mgs at night and have noticed a lot of shakiness and sometimes I get muscle twitches. My doc said it would also help me sleep and it has done the opposite. I'm BP so I have the racing thoughts and I have been having them at night so I cant sleep until about 3AM. I also sometimes feel feverish and weak. Im pretty sure its Geodon and if Im right it sucks!

hi...I have been on 40 mg Geodon for 2 weeks....the headaches and subsequent muscle tension in my head, neck and upper back are really bad!! Will this go away?

Impotence, etc:

I have been on Geodon for about 8 months to treat my schizophrenia. It has given me sexual dysfunction: decreased libido, impotence, decreased sensation and excitement, and premature ejaculation. I did not have these problems before I started antipsychotic medicine. I had my testosterone and prolactin levels checked and they are normal, so it is most likely the medicine. I am rather angry that I wasn't warned that this could happen from my medicines.

Other side effects I have experienced are dizziness and teeth clenching. The dizziness went away after my dose was increased to 120 mg. The teeth clenching went away after a few months. Geodon also seems to have affected my sleep. I would sleep about 12 hours a night. However, the long sleeping has decreased over the months to about 9 hours of sleep per night.

Despite these side effects, the Geodon has successfully treated my hallucinating and delusions. I occasionally experience anhedonia and it isn't clear yet whether or not the Geodon treats this. It certainly doesn't treat it on a lower dose. I hope this information is helpful to other people.

I was put on Geodon about 2.5 to 3 years ago for about 7 months. I was only 15 at the time so I had little control to what medication I was being perscribed to. I wanted to get off of it about two or three months after I was on it but I had a terrible physiatrist who insisted he knew what I was experiencing better than I did which was perfect because if I refused to take any medication then I was sent to a pych ward for a week. My parents were understandably worried and didn't understand anything about these medications so they listened to that idiot.
Ok so, though at the time they weren't sure, I had severe depression. He thought it could be bi-polar and put me on Geodon, which I just read today that THIS year the FDA says is a medication to treat bi-polar. I can't remember how much I took but I think it was around 80mg to start. Within the first few days I noticed some annoying side effects such as drowziness and alittle shaking. Within a few weeks since nothing positive had happened, the physiatrist decided to increase the dosage. I noticed no change in my emotional state but the side effects were getting worse, I was becoming really fatigued most of the day, if I sat in one spot for about an hour my back would start to ache very badly, I noticed I was getting somewhat paranoid during the night as I become more tired. Still despite all this the physiatrist decided to increase it again things got worse ect. ect. he increased it AGAIN, I was on at least 180mg by then. At that point every night at about 10 I was knocked out, I literally couldn't stay awake even if I tried. Sitting in one spot for 30min made my back ache. I began to find it extremely difficult to use the bathroom (both ways). I also developed some minor hallucinations, the most memorable one being that, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dog becoming flat and sliding under the door. This sounds like it might be funny and it may have been if it wasn't for the worst side effect, the paranoia. Every evening as I began getting sleepy the slightest noises would make me jump and if I was alone in a dark area I would constantly look behind me in fear. I would tell myself "this is just that pill cmon it's not real" but I would still feel a sensation of fear. My parents, though they reluctantly trusted the phyciatrist, at that point had had enough. There was still no change in my emotional state in terms of depression and since this was all overwhelming me the depression was just getting worse. Since it was getting worse the shrink wanted to admit me to a pych ward (for the third time) and my parents disagreed. They had a pretty big arguement, I very rarely see my mom unable to handle herself in an arguement but she was crying pretty bad. We never went back to that guy, though he did send my dad a letter saying that he thought that their desicion to not send me to the hospital was stupid and that he went to however many years of school and they don't know anything ect. ect. ect.
The next guy we went to got me off Geodon as soon as possible. To this day I have a small temor in my hands and find it difficult to use the bathroom often.

Geodon has definitely proved useful for me, thus far, for the depression side of my bipolar disorder, and compared to Lamictal (which had many and terrible side effects for me, even at a low dose) and Trileptal (to which I discovered I'm quite allergic), it's been a blessing. Took it for three days and it was like throwing a switch to turn off my depression, which had been increasingly bad and getting worse over the past two years. I've been on it for only two weeks, but thus far, I have had minor problems with a rash (easily controlled with a small dose of benedryl, and which will hopefully go away in time), one night of insomnia, and a day of frequent need to urinate. The jury's still out as to whether or not it is affecting my blood pressure. I'm also taking Klonopin, which may be why I have not had much trouble with sleeping, but the need to suddenly run to the bathroom every two hours (or less) is disconcerting and will be watched. I'm taking what most doctors would probably consider an extremely low dose, only 20 mg, but my particular variety of BPD makes me extremely hypersensitive to drugs of any kind. My doctor has suggested that I try increasing the dose in another two weeks, but so long as I'm doing well at this level, I have no intention of doing so, and he knows it. I am seldom able to reach "normal therapeutic levels" for these kinds of drugs, and if I do, it takes years for me to get there. Thank God my doctor understands that if the level I'm taking is effective for me, it doesn't matter that it's half, or less, of what "normal" people take. Because nobody's body chemistry is the same, and one size does not fit all when it comes to drug dosage.

I tend to clench my jaw and grind my molars after an hour or two of taking Geodon. When my Dr. increased the dosage, my body temperature would go up and I would have to take my hat off to cool down. Irritabiltiy goes along with it. After I take Geodon, My jaw, my head, and my neck would become very tense. My vision gets blurry at night even with my glasses on.

i've been taking geodon for a year now and finally decided it is time to takings meds. if i missed a dose i couldn't sleep at all and now that i've stopped i haven't slept in five days. nothing works to put me to sleep i've tried klonopin and over the counter drugs. it is hopeless. i have to start my semester tomorrow and i dont know if i can actually do school work on no sleep.

I have been taking Geodon for 2 wks. It has put out the fire of anxiety that has caused me nights of insomnia and depression. I was diagnosted with OCD and depression. I am thankful for the drug even though it does make me tired and I have weird dreams that I did not experience before taking geodon. I see that many testimonials are negative, but I am a positive one. Living with mental illness has been my life. I am now getting my life back from the constant worry and negative thoughts that run 100 mph in my head. I am now not in constant fear of the future. It has stabilized me.