Geodon Heart EKG

[Guest Elizabeth]

My pdoc might switch me today from Abilify to Geodon because i have some dyskinesia I can't stand....I googled it and read that you are supposed to get an EKG before you are put on it. Is this true? Do people really die from this drug.

Sorry - I'm sure this has been talked about before, but I don't get the opportunity to get out here very much, so I really appreciate anything you fine people have to say!!

Elizabeth

Dx - Schizoaffective, anxiety

Current Rx - Wellbutrin, Zonegran, Abilify, Xanax

[Wooster]

Hey Elizabeth.

Bearing in mind that I'm no expert, there is a potential hazard for people staring on Geodon. It's important to know that Geodon can potentially increase the "QT interval". Essentially, the QT interval is the amount of time from your heart getting ready to go 'lub' until it is done going 'dub' and is ready to restart the whole sequence of 'lub-dub' all over again. Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation of the QT interval.

If your heart rhythm has a uniqueness called a "QT prolongation" or "prolonged QT interval" (being defined as 500 milliseconds or longer), and if Geodon makes this interval longer for someone taking it, there could be problems with the way your heard re-charges to beat in the regular "lub dub' pattern. That's why its a good idea to get a baseline EKG before you start taking Geodon, just to be sure there aren't any problems lurking that you and your doc(s) don't know about.

I was a little freaked out about that too, when I first started Geodon. Most people won't have any issues, but it's good for your own sanity to have one less thing to worry about if you get it checked out.

Peace,

Wooster

[OreoKitty]

I wasn't too worried when I started Geodon because I understood it was a high risk for people who had heart issues. But when I went for my physical, my doctor had me do an EKG. Everything normal. It did make me see that the side effect was potentially more serious than I thought. I still don't get to worried about side effects because all the medications are loaded with them and I am loaded with medications. It would make me crazy to think about all the potential symptoms.

Oreo