side effects of Geodon

[terry]

concerned daughter wrote:

My mother started taking geodon after a sicide attempt and I can tell you she is so much worse pysically and mentally than she was before. Its a very dangerous drug

what did she do to get of this.

[Angel]

I have been on geodon for about 10 months and it has helped me become more stable mentally. However, I have been experiencing the muscle tremors and have developed an abnormal gait, so I cannot walk properly now. I am not sure it is because of the geodon, but I hope it isn't permanant

[Joyce in Dallas]

Oh me, Geodon is NOT FOR ME. Psy doc prescribed it 3 weeks (20 mg @ bedtime). After 3-4 days, I felt better, more hopeful & positive about the future...happy, laughing more. Since my mom passed away Jan 1, I've had problems going to sleep at night (an hour to fall asleep). Twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with Obessive Compulsive Disorder and on have been on "circus" of meds since then. The psy doc thought Geodon might help with checking on the fear of running over someone when I was driving. Now I'm on zoloft (400mg), zonegran (300mg), xanax xr (very small dose)....then the GEODON (the medicine from HELL). I can't sleep, my mind is racing, I can't get still. It's taking up to 3 hours to finally go to sleep at night. When I do lay down, I feel as if I could kick my legs "to the moon & back" I might be OK. I just thought I was crazy before...this Geodon is TROUBLE with a BIG T. Tonight is my last night to go through ALL OF THIS. If there is someone, that has OCD & treated with Geodon, I'd like an email from you. OR an email from you if you have OCD and what med's/therapy has worked best for you, please email me @ [e-mail]

[Teresa]

My husband has been taking Geodon for almost a year. It took a month or so before I started seeing serious side effects. He has actually lost about 45 pounds, muscle mass and looks like a walking ZOMBIE. He has the tardive dyskinesia so bad he can't hold a spoon of food. He salivates, has already had an episode of pneumonia, sound congested all the time and profusely sweats with any exertion. People ask me on a daily basis what is wrong with him and does he have cancer? The answer is the Geodon! I'm a registered nurse and he can't seem to convey to his psychiatrist what his changes are and they won't talk to me because of the HIPAA violation issue so I can't tell them what I see and what they don't see because they don't like with man! My husband is "walking death" and I'm afraid that if he don't get off this stuff, that's exactly what is going to happen to him. At this point his chances of not dying is better with the suicide tendencies than with the treatment of this drug!!!!!!!

[jewels]

My fiance was taking 40 mg for anger management then they kicked him up to 60 mg. 4 days after he started that dose he passed out in the shower and quit breathing. I got him breathing again and the ambulance took him to the hospital where his heartbeat was only 42. They think it might be the geodon. He quit taking it. Effexor made him sick with flu like symptoms, prozac (now that is a drug from hell) made him crazy and threaten to kill me, the dogs, the horses, everything! cymbalta made him sluggish and he cried and then was angry. Now this, I think we might try it without drugs for awhile, his health is more important.

[Kathie]

My daughter is 9 and just started on Geodon... it is being mixed with wellbutrin and stratera..

stratera in the morning and wellbutrin and geodon at night. Should i be very concerned...

[Star]

My daughter takes 240 miligrams of geodon at night and 1 mg of chlonapen. She does not go to sleep until after she raids the refigerator or orders a pizza. She has to eat when she takes the medicine. During the day she has no appetite at all. I am also concerned about the flu-lik syptoms that she has. She constantly blowing her nose and dealing with drainage issues. She does not tolerate respridal consta well. She is also irritable. Do you think her medication shoud be changed or just lower the dose?

[Annie]

I have been taking Geodon now for about 2 years. 80mg at night and 40mg in the morning. At first this drug was a lifesaver to me. I had no side effects at all. Now my body seems to be use to it and I think it helps some but not like when I first started it. Ive tried switching to different meds but coming off the Geodon is a nightmare. I was sick in bed for a whole day after quitting it. I had the shakes something terrible, was throwing up and my heart was racing. So I started taking it again and within hours I was back to normal. But it was really scarey. This last week I have lowered my morning dose to 20mg and have had some anxiety. Does anyone have advice on how to get off this stuff?? I hate the idea of being on something so addictive. Plus it knocks me out cold at night. Nothing can wake me up. Any help or advice is appreciated.(I am taking this for bipolar and bulimia.)

[jfe]

It makes my body feel paralyzed when I take it. I get so agitated with everyone. I have been on it for a couple of months now; gained weight and I hate it. I think it is the worst thing I could ever be put on. I am going to a different dr. next week to change meds. DON'T START IT! It is not a good medication; if the house were on fire; I could not get myself out. It has RUINED my social life!

[jfe]

i can relate they dont no what i am first it was adht they put me on adderral nightmare i was on it for almost 2 years now i cant motivate myself i have no enery then they dig. me with bipolar put me on geodan 60mg i have gone from a size 2 to a 14 now they say im a manic deppersent and want me on lithium i finally woke up and said enough i dont want anything i have major anxiety panic attacks etc. now there trying a anti depressent called lamictal and they put me on zanix(i hope ii spelled that right ) anyway i feel like a ginny pig and im really done in

[concerned wife]

My husband has been on 80mg of geodon for alittle over 7 months. He actually was having symptoms of schitzophrenia. Now he shows no emotions. Our relationship is going down hill and I am trying my best to understand him. But do to not showing emotions he also doesn't share in a conversation. He has gained weight, this doesn't bother me but it does bother him. Now in the past couple months he has started to raise his voice to me quit often then not. My husband raised his voice once in a blue moon and like I said it is more often then not now. I would love for him to get off of the medicine, but then the fear of going through the symptoms of schitzophrenia is unbearable. He takes his at night, he falls asleep right away but wakes up about four hours later and can't go back to sleep.

[Julie]

thanks julie

[tjg]

I've been on geodon for the past six months for bipolar I with psychosis. It has stopped me from hallucinating and the extreme paranoia. I take 60 mg in the morning and 120 in the evening with meals. I also take 150 mg twice daily of lamictal. I was on seroquel before the geodon and gained a lot of weight and it did nothing for me. I've lost weight on the geodon and am generally pleased but for god's sake -- why would any doctor give this powerful medication to a child???I think that is completely irresponsible and I would switch doctors if anyone tried to prescribe it to my eight year old. So sorry to hear of all the bad experiences people have on it, truly it is hell to get off -- if I miss a dose the side effects are bad.

[jab]

find a doctor that will listen to you fast! There are some out there.

Teresa wrote:

My husband has been taking Geodon for almost a year. It took a month or so before I started seeing serious side effects. He has actually lost about 45 pounds, muscle mass and looks like a walking ZOMBIE. He has the tardive dyskinesia so bad he can't hold a spoon of food. He salivates, has already had an episode of pneumonia, sound congested all the time and profusely sweats with any exertion. People ask me on a daily basis what is wrong with him and does he have cancer? The answer is the Geodon! I'm a registered nurse and he can't seem to convey to his psychiatrist what his changes are and they won't talk to me because of the HIPAA violation issue so I can't tell them what I see and what they don't see because they don't like with man! My husband is "walking death" and I'm afraid that if he don't get off this stuff, that's exactly what is going to happen to him. At this point his chances of not dying is better with the suicide tendencies than with the treatment of this drug!!!!!!!

[Jane]

What were the right meds for you if you don't mind me asking. I have two children that are not doing well at all on Geodon. I have been trying to get there Doctor to take them off for a year with no success and it is really getting old.

Coming from experiance wrote:

<quoted text>I couldn't even take care of my son on GEODON!!! Major wieght gain, total zombie. Really out of it. After seeing a BRIAN DR. not a quack that thinks meds and talking will help you get better, I FINALLY got my right meds for what MY BRAIN need excatly. Hope you find this helpfull. good luck and GOD BLESS! Everything will be okay, depression effects the brain and makes every thing worse. Take life a quarter mile at a time Baby Girl.

[Erica U]

When I took Geodon I would wake up on random mornings feeling extremely tired and blah. When I would go to take a shower I would being to feel dizzy, then nauseous, and have to lie down on the floor so I didn't faint. My husband was ready to take me to the hospital one of the days because I turned white. I checked the FDA's web site and it said that some people get hypotensive because of Geodon and to avoid heat and humidity i.e. the shower. Needless to say between giving up the shower or the medicine... Shower 1 Geodon 0

[Erica U]

Jane wrote:

What were the right meds for you if you don't mind me asking. I have two children that are not doing well at all on Geodon. I have been trying to get there Doctor to take them off for a year with no success and it is really getting old.
<quoted text>

I can absolutely feel your pain. I've been dealing with Bipolar since I was 12 years old. I'm now 24 and just found a decent doctor. You know one who listens to you, tells you about side effects before you start a medicine, and takes you off if it doesn't agree with you. They are few and far between but they are out there. My primary care doctor recommended the one I'm seeing so maybe your kid's doctor can recommend someone. Good luck and I hope you find the help you deserve. I went through at least a dozen doctors before I found a good one.

[Tammy]

My daughter just started taking this drug three weeks ago.She's 11 and her diagnoses so far is ADHD and anxiety.She has been a very complicated kid to treat her doc says.So far she's got morning stomach aches and tired, sometimes napping which she hasn't done since she was 3.Reading this scares me but there is not much else left to try.She was on Abilfy but too much weight gain.She's on a low dose of this.

[Michelle]

I have been on 80mg at night for a week and it is awful, It makes me so tired but only my body, and I lay in bed and my mind is racing,I roll over and kick around for a least 2 hours, and I wake up to use the restroom I feel like I might not make it, I have no kind of energy to pull myself up out of bed. I have had 2 spells of extreme dizziness and I get so hot I feel like I will pass out, it was scary today I thought I would have to call my Husband home from work. I have been like on an extreme high so happy and cant stop talking,then from out of the blue today I got mad so mad, for what I have no idea, I also have short term memory loss. Everyone tells me talk to the Doctor first so I will call her Friday when shes in. I dont recommend this one!

[Jeffrey]

I was given Geodon one night at an ER after telling them I was seeing things and hearing voices. I was hearing voices and seeing things because I abruptly discontinued Restoril (Temazepam) without knowing the side effects. Well, right after taking the Geodon, I started feeling confused and I did something so very weired, I tried to climb into the back of a van at the hospital (which was moving) and then ran after it. Well I ended up in one of the hospital parking lots for 3.5 hours on my back paralyzed after a massive panic attack. Geodon good? In my body it is potentially toxic like all the other antipsychotics which I was put on. My whole experieince with the antipsychotics could have been avoided if someone had taken the time to understand that I had gone off of my Restoril cold turkey and gotten me back on it quickly.