Geodon and psychiatrist

My wife has been on it and Seroquel and Lamictal for about 2 years. The longest on Geodon. Up to 80MG per day and as low as 20. She started having muscle cramps in her legs after about 2 weeks on 80 mg. Doc put her on Benztropine to counter act the cramps. Then Seroquel at night. (she had bad psychosis). Then later the Psychiatrist would not treat her and we switched to another doc. She was on Seroquel. He increased it to 600 mg at night. Then her throat felt like it was locking up at 2am She quit Seroquel immediately. Then back to 20 mg Geodon... Zyprexa for a trial.. 2 doses and she had a seizure. Invega... akathesia and heart rate up after one dose.
Now she has been off of Geodon for 5 weeks and has SEVERE gi upset. She is having ERCP and Pancrea ultrasound tomorrow. But I think it is ALL gi upset caused by Geodon. She took ONE 20 mg Geodon Saturday and EVERYTHING went away. GI normal... but I will NOT let her stay on this drug. I WANT MY WIFE BACK! It has destroyed her personality. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Is the permanent?

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

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.

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 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.

I took Zyprexa for 11 yrs always pleading with my psychiatrist to let me try something else. I had gained 90+ lbs with Zyprexa and slept about 12-14 hrs every day. Plus I just sat around watching TV all the time. No motivation. But it did stabilize me when it seemed nothing else could.

Two weeks ago my doctor changed me to Geodon. What a wonderful change! At least the first 12 days I had no problems and lost 7 lbs. My head is clear, I am hypomanic which is so much better than mired in drowsiness and trouble thinking. Now I have energy galore and feel maybe I can even return to work soon.

HOWEVER, the last two nights I just can't go to sleep. Night before last I tossed and turned for 2 hrs before I could sleep. Last night it was 4 hrs. I tried taking the Geodon (80mg) this morning instead of taking it tonight, hoping that would help the situation. But after taking it in the morning, I was in terrible shape. I couldn't seem to keep my mouth closed -- it kept falling open and I looked like an idiot. I couldn't concentrate to drive -- I know I ran at least one red light. Finally I just went home and slept for a couple of hours. Then I was fine.

Also I have light headaches and nausea off and on and totally no appetite. I like the appetite part but have had anorexia in the past so I have to be careful when I don't want to eat. Insomnia too, as I said. And hypomania. All in all, a trade up from Zyprexa, which I hated. I just hope I can manage the side effects enough to stick with it. I hope they will go away, but you never know about that. Zyprexa's side effects never went away.

I've been on Geodon for 3 years now. At first I was on 120mg per day and then I was so sick of being drowsy in the morning that I reduced my dosage to 80 mg a day. I'm really sad and frustrated because I told my doctor that I wanted to go off of it, because I don't think I have a mental illness and she refused to help me go off of it. Its a really hard drug to come off of. And it makes me so angry because she never warned me when I was first forced to go on it that going off of it would be so difficult. It makes me so angry and sad and even suicidal that other people think they know whats best for me. I had a beautiful religious experience with Jesus. I made the mistake of telling my family and doctor, and they labeled me as schizophrenic and forced me onto medication (Geodon). I think its so unfair and I have resentment that my family did this to me. Nobody believes me that I had this religious experience (I'm a Catholic) and they all think I'm crazy. Now I want to enter a religious order and become a nun. I tried to enter an order and they asked me if I take any medication. The religion teaches that its a sin to lie, so I told the truth and told them about the medication. Religious orders are strict about not admitting people with 'mental problems' so she refused to admit me. Now I want to go off of the medicine so that the next time a religious order asks me if I take medication I can say 'no' and therefore avoid the whole subject of mental illness. My advice to anyone who is starting this medicine is quit before you get addicted because going off it is next to impossible. I really resent my psychiatrist and I think she's a horrible person for forcing me on this drug. They wouldn't let me leave the mental hospital and told me they would make a court order and give me shots if I refused to take the medication. Looking back, what I should have done is just quit the medication right when I got out of the hospital because they couldn't have done anything about it. Sorry this is so long but this whole issue has caused so much friction and even hatred for me for my mom, who refuses to believe in my religious experience. I think she says she believes me to shut me up. But if she really believed me she wouldn't see the need for me to be on this medication. I'm planning on slowly weaning myself off of it, but based on what I've read I know its going to be almost impossible. I work so I need my sleep every night. I asked my doctor for Xanax and sleeping pills to help me with the withdrawal symptoms, and she refused to give them to me. I'm afraid I'll overdose on sleeping pills just trying to get the sleep I need because going off Geodon causes awful excruciating insomnia. I buy the store brand sleeping pills because my doctor wont give them to me. My opinion is most mental illness can be solved with God and prayer to Jesus. Psychiatrists put everyone and their mother on medication and I think the ones I've had are awful, sadistic, uncaring, unfeeling, unloving, do more damage than good, godless, learned in the wrong kind of knowledge, wretched people. What I wanted here was advice or any tips to going off of Geodon. I kind of got off track. If anyone has gone off of it successfully, lend me your advice.

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.

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'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!

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 have had this weird sensation of floating and rubbery. I have also felt drugged from Geodon, in a yucky tired kind of way. I feel zombie headed and warped. Everything is off kilter and it is hallucinagetic (spelling)? Everything is distorted around me. I feel numb to life. I have been on this stuff for a week and a half, the psychiatrist promises me that it will subside. I hope so.

I had 2 psychiatrists at the time I first started taking this drug, which has improved my life. (I still have fears of movement disorders developing, though.) One psychiatrist knew that to stop some side effects, I had to go UP on the dosage (from 80 mg). After I did, I quit experiencing "urge incontinence", peeing in your pants as soon as you think about peeing. Later I had problems falling asleep on my way to work, or after I'd been at work an hour or so I'd have to go out to my car and tilt the seat back so I could sleep. The other psychiatrist had no clue about what to do, but the more experienced one had me take the whole dosage (by then about 160 - 180 mg) at night. I no longer was sleepy during the day.

noticed my jaw is clenched as i read others this happened as well my eyes are blurry now and ive only been on this shit for a week. I just took 60mg just before i read these posts and im supposed to take another 60mg in the morning but im gonna just skip it totally until i see my psychiatrist. I'll tell her it was my decision to stop bc it wasn't helping it was only making me more anxious with negative side effects. I can't stop shaking either and my jaw shakes and legs are restless as well as hands. When i was on risperdal i had like no side effects but i got off it bc it lowers your libido. Anway my suggestion would be to find another drug that is for you bc this is certainly not for most after reading this forum.

I was taking risperidal and it worked great, but the weight gain and glucose intolerance were enough for me to get off of it. The psychiatrist recommended that I try Geodon. I started at 40 mg (along with Wellbutrin XL). I was still experiencing symptoms of auditory hallucinations and still was feeling irritable. He increased my dosage to 80 mg. It feels like I am emotionally better. However, now I am feeling tired all the time, my blood sugar keeps geeting low, I have had indigestion, and my vision seems to be getting worse. I saw another doctor who thinks my symptoms are related to my medications.

When I started taking Geodon and had the charming side-effect of "urge incontinence"--meaning when you feel the urge to pee you can't control yourself long enough to get to the toilet--my psychiatrist immediately went up dramatically on the dosage. I want to say it was from 80mg to 120mg. The problem completely went away.

Later when I was taking 2 doses a day and getting so sleepy at work that I had to go out to the car in the parking lot for an hour nap, this psychiatrist FINALLY (after I lost the job) suggested that I take the whole 120mg at bedtime. I've not had to take a mid-morning nap since.

I have been taking Geodon for 2 years now. I have tried on 5 or 6 occasions to taper it off. I do fine for the first 3 weeks or so, then I begin feeling worthless, as though I'd better achieve something notable fast so I won't feel so bad. I rely on Geodon to allow me to work and take care of my college-age kids. Otherwise I'm in bed flipping channels compulsively to distract myself from how I feel.

I guess that on balance I'm grateful for the drug. Check with me when tardive dyskinesia sets in!