Akathesia Sux Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I have been on Geodon for a few months now (since July). I feel that when I take it that it makes me hyper and I feel sort of on edge, sort of anxious. Since anxiety is one of my major issues, I wonder if Geodon is the right drug for me? I have read that it has a more pronounced antidepressant effect than all of the other atypicals. Perhaps this is too much for me since I have had a recent mixed episode (where anxiety was prevalent). I have rarely heard anyone say they liked Geodon or had a good experience with it. I have told my pdoc that I was coming off it and he only said that he disagrees with my opinion. He did not tell me how to titrate off, so I did it on my own and had horrible withdrawals for a couple of days (bad shakes, akathisia worse than while on the drug, hot flashes, extreme tiredness, etc...) Does anyone like this drug? How does one convince a pdoc to try another drug? Mine seems set on this one for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ammity Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 i liked it because of the antidepressant effects. i didnt like the anxiety just like you. so i quit it. but i did better on it... would have done better if they would have just gave me something for my anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 It helped with my OCD quite a bit. I just could not deal with the short halflife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweii Posted October 31, 2006 Share Posted October 31, 2006 I honestly believe it saved my life. No depression and anxiety. Also, obviously no psychotic symptoms. The first few weeks I was very hyper and maybe a bit anxious, but now I'm sleeping all the time. The only side effects I've noticed are tiredness (could be the combination with Lamictal, I dunno) and lactation. So I have to check my prolactin levels, and if they are too high I'm gonna freak out. I don't want to give Geodon up. Ever. I would titrate down slowly if you want to come off it. I can notice withdrawal if I'm even a few hours late with my dose. BUT, I would give it some more time if you can live with the side effects. For me the anxiety disappeared after a few monhts, and I rarely need benzos for panic attacks anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted November 6, 2006 Share Posted November 6, 2006 sorry to rain on the parade, but geodon and i do not get along. actually, my file reads i'm "allergic" to it. for me, of the atypicals, seroquel (which was just approved for treating bp depression) was a better AD than geodon. maybe i didn't take geodon long enough to find out though. i was in the hospital when i was taking it. at first, i just slept ilke the dead all day and night. when i woke up, i wanted to hurt myself and other people. i had fantasies and delusions about this kind of stuff day in and day out. i told the nurses and my pdocs, and they ripped me off of the stuff asap. i got better in a few days. from what i understand, "agitation" and "aggerssiveness" are common side effects of geodon, but i'd say this was some heavy-duty agitation and aggression! so from my brief dance with geodon, i'd have to give it a thumbs down. but my pdoc did give me a cool pill dispenser that a geodon rep gave him, so they can't be too bad, right? they go around passing out free stuff after all!! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerj1 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Geodon is a serious med not to be taken lightly. I thought I was immortal for the first 3 months I was taking it. Eventually the edginess got to be too much and I stopped taking it. I was a mess going off it. I should have gone off more slowly. I was crying and more depressed than I'd ever felt in my life. What I found out later on is that Geodon gives you a major lift in Dopamine which is what gives you a feeling of confidence and well being. I had to take Risperdal to sleep after stopping Geodon, that's another nightmare story for another thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TroyNY Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 Geodon kicked my ass! Okay, get this: I take my first capsule before going to work. Start feeling a little drowsy at work (which is not unusual - I occasionally have problems falling asleep). Continue to feel more drowsy. Feeling really tired now. My G-d, I can't get my head off my desk. It wasn't the pleasent kind of sleepy you get from a benzo. It was total fatigue of the body. I managed to call my wife, who met me at our car and drove me home. It took me nearly 30 minutes to walk 1/2 mile. My co-workers looked alarmed as I was literally stumbling around. Lay in bed for the rest of the day - couldn't fall asleep, couldn't get up. That was it for the Geodon. - Gene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stable not balanced Posted December 7, 2006 Share Posted December 7, 2006 yea, gave it a good try. e-p-s. hallucinations. bad, bad, bad! hope it works for you. i did notice a difference the first time i tried by the fact that i was still. my body didn't move. but, not too long after, eps. good luck! kathy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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