| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken
and Dosage | | Date Added |
  | | | | F M | | | | |
Change sort order by clicking arrow under column heading.
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| 1 | Bipolar 1 | nausea, headache,diareha,worse FM,hotness,no appetite,total insomnia | This drug made me so sick, I almost went to the hospital. | F | 48 | 5 days
20 1X D | | 7/27/2010
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2 | bipolar | Hair loss, weight gain, drowsiness | I have to take it at night because it makes me very drowsy. I have noticed signifcant hair loss. | F | 30 | 3 years
160mg 1X D | | 7/19/2010
| 3 | RACING THOUGHTS | LACK OF ENERGY,LICKING MY TEETH,THE BENAFITS OUT WEIGH THE SIDE EFFECTS | | M | 41 | 3 months
60 1X D | | 7/12/2010
| 4 | Mild Bipolar Disorder | I take them in 40 mg pills. On 3 pills a day (morning, evening, and night) I felt tired and sleepy, especially in the morning and in the evening. I was mostly unproductive because I couldn't focus / stay awake. On 2 pills a day (1 at night, 1 in the afternoon) I feel great in the morning and sleepy in the evening. But the sleepiness is not so bad. Besides drowsiness, I get random thoughts. I mean really socially unacceptable stuff. This is by far the worst side effect. It is intermittent. Much lower libido, which I consider a good thing. Very very mild akathisia from time to time. The benefit of this drug is that, in general, it makes it harder for me to get angry. It mellows you out. You don't feel as depressed. I used to be a nostalgic, emotional person. Now I find it hard to remember my late father. I still miss my ex-girlfriend, but not as much as before (which is a good thing). In general, I tolerate this medication pretty well. The sleepiness, the random thoughts, and the slight | I don't know much about the long term side effects of taking antipsychotics. Will I develop parkinson's when I age? Having to rely on medication for the rest of my life sort of sucks. On the positive side, I get free disability money from the government. :) | M | 27 | 6 weeks
40 MG 2X D | | 7/11/2010
| 1 | current | If u start experiencing those effects immediately lay down & close your eyes hopefully it will wear off by the time you wake up.. & NEVER take it again,, God forbid you had to drive, take care of a child, or deal with something IMPORTANT... It's like being on an awake anesthesia, & the only thing you can do is lay there & close your eyes till it wears off after hrs so you better hope your in a safe place to rest, & can sleep long enough for it to wear off.......... dont attempt to do anything especially drive & ive use paxil zoloft cymbalta seroquel lamictal buspar klonopin xanax trazadone & probably more ..nothing ever happened. i cant believe this drug even markets period. From its effects i'd say it seems to be like a date rape drug | i was a dysfunctional zombie literally! OMG HORRIBLE! Spare your self refuse this med..… | F | 26 | 3 days
20 mg 1X D | | 7/1/2010
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| 1 | Bi-polar, depression | Made me feel drunk, drive into curbs, and feel like a zombie. Also made me feel sleepy during the day. I've taken many medicines (for depression, anxiety and bi-polar) and this was the WORST! I normally don't make comments on these types of messsage boards but this medicine was SO bad I have to let others know how bad it is. | AVOID at all costs.... Have you seen the movie Dawn of the Dead? You'll be a zombie that feels dead just like in the movie. | M | 39 | 1.5 months
20mg 1X D | | 6/25/2010
| 4 | bipolar, sever anxiety & panic, dep | I have had a loss in appetite (yay!). Does not make me drowsy. Has leveled off my anxiety. Muscle tension. Licking back of teeth. | This drug, the first time I used it, had awful side effects (and I was on a lower dose than I am on now). I was a walking zombie. Very bad spasms, which I took Cogentin, but that made me practically blind. I have been on it again for 4 months now. And a higher dose. I feel the complete opposite from last time. I have a new psch doc and I trust her immensely. She has taken me off all the controlled meds (ie - xanex, klonopin, ativan, ambien) and this has made a world of difference. Geodon is too powerful to mix with these mentioned pills. I know it seems impossible to suffer from anxiety and not take these meds and from sleeplesness and not take Ambien but this has rocked my life. Now I take Buspar instead of benzos and use Traz to sleep at night. My life hasn't been this great in a long time | F | 31 | 4 months
160 1X D | | 6/24/2010
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| 1 | OCD, anxiety. | Akathisia!!! | this is a sh** drug like Risperdal... avoid it! it increases anxiety!!! i have memory problems, depression... i do not reccomend it to anyone. | M | 24 | 2 days
20 mg 1X D | | 6/23/2010
| 1 | bipolar/ severe depression | Horrible Medicine!!! This medicine kicked in about 2 hours after taking, and no matter what i was doing, it would make me a zombie. I even fell asleep in the drs office and dont remember even talking to my dr. and then fell asleep with food in my mouth, i could have choked and died!! I thought the side effect would get better but it just got worse. I couldnt function on this medicine. I would only take the first dose and never even get to the 2nd or 3rd because i would be just out of it. Please use extreme caution on this one. | | F | 31 | 90 days
40mg 3X D | | 6/23/2010
| 2 | Anxiety/Panic & Mood Stabilizer | Side effects were exactly what this med was supposed to help. Horrible panic attacks and constant anxiety. Overall sense of doom. Have developed social phobia. Afraid to leave my home. Fear of any time I have to be in a social situation. Even with close family and friends. Also, vision problems, headaches, nausea and trouble getting thoughts from my brain out my mouth. Have no urge to eat. Must force myself to get something in my stomach and it's a chore to do that. | Have Trigeminal neuralgia (dentist drilled into my trigeminal nerve) Was on all types of narcotics for pain to no avail. Went to Dr. to get off all these meds and am now on Tegratol, Suboxone, Xanex ER, Xanex, Vyvanse and Adderal. Was on Prozac but very depressed so he switched me to Geodon. I have been complaining mostly of the panic attacks and constant anxiety to no avail. Was waking with instant sense of anxiety washing over me. Just recently things have calmed down a bit. Especially when I take an extra Xanex at night. Everyone is different but I have to admit that this medicine seems to cause everything it's supposed to help. I am very concerned how many have mentioned that side effects stick around long after you are off this med. I am going to seriously consider going off before things fire up again. | F | 36 | 6 months
40mg 2X D | | 5/28/2010
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| 4 | anxiety and depression | At first I had extreme akathesia but that was only because my dosage was too high. After I got my doc to put me on a lower dose I have noticed very few side effects. | At the right does I can honestly say that this drug has been great for my manic episodes and my delusional thoughts. On a slightly higher does it is what I would call the hell drug because of the fact that it caused terrible akathesia in me. | M | 25 | 8 weeks
60 mg 2X D | | 5/27/2010
| 1 | bipolar depression | i had severe anxiety the entire time i was on this, i could not sleep | | F | 48 | 2 years
160 mg 1X D | | 5/26/2010
| 4 | Bipolar Mixed State | Loss of appetite/weight. Slight tremors in my hands. | This is a wonder drug for me. Not only has it leveled me out, but I have lost the weight from Seroquel. I take a large dose at night and I don't feel sleepy, sluggish, etc. The only thing is the tremors, which I take Cogentin for. | F | 30 | 6 months
160mg 1X D | | 5/24/2010
| 3 | BiPolar 1, | Loss of appetite & weight loss. clenched jaw, tongue rubbing the back of my teeth, horseness in voice. | I was on Geodon for two years in 07 & 08. Lost 90 lbs going from 305 down to 215. Starting having tremors in my face got off the medication. Started taking Abilify gained all 85 lbs back. I didn't care about the adverse side effects I wanted to loose weight again. Have lost 15 lbs since February but I'm starting to have adverse side effects again. I'm currently taking 120 mg of Geodon at bedtime and need 10 hours of sleep to feel rested. I'm also on Lamictal, Xanax, Remoran & Effexor XR. My ear, nose and throat doctor just diagnoced me with Dysphonia (horesness and loss of voice). On some web sites this is a major side effect of Geodon. I have an appt with my pychatrist next month and will ask for Geodon to be discontinued. | M | 52 | 2 months
120mg 1X D | | 5/21/2010
| 1 | Bipolar II | Extreme nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, extreme drowsiness, difficulty waking up, bedwetting (YES, bedwetting) | Im very realistic when it comes to trying new meds, and I was placed on this in conjunction with 150mg of Wellbutrin XL. I couldnt wake up when I had to, was falling asleep at work even after two cups of coffee, had shortness of breath walking up the stairs (Im younger and in good shape/health). The side effects were so horrible, I would rather just be depressed, at least I could be able to work. I found it hard to drive, which was a little scary, and couldnt stand for longer than a few minutes before I would be feeling sick. And I was completely useless, couldnt hold a conversation, I might as well just slept all day. Havent felt this bad since the week I had to take Depakote. And of course, there was the bed wetting..I havent had that problem since I was like 6. I dont think its a coincidence, I stopped taking it and today I felt MUCH better. This may work for some, but DEFINITELY not for me. | M | 25 | 3 days
60mg 2X D | | 5/16/2010
| 5 | Bipolar 1 with Psychosis | No bad side effects, in fact I lost weight that I put on with Zyprexa and Abilify | Works very well for me, when we tried to lower the dose I got depressed | M | 48 | 6 months
80 2X D | | 5/14/2010
| 3 | Borderline Personality Disorder | I have experienced increased anxiety and suicidal thoughts. I sometimes feel like a zombie. The worst is the muscle spasms. I have had them so bad that I am unable to move or walk. The most recent one happened a couple of nights ago when I was playing pool at a bar (not drinking alcohol). It started in my legs making it hard to walk and then it got to the point where my friend had to literally carry me out and put me in the car because I was unable to walk. I laid on his bed for an hour with painful spasms in my legs and lower back. It was terrifying. What if something like this happens when I am alone or am driving? I talked to my doctor and she said she had never heard of this before. However, I have seen these symptoms all over the internet. | | F | 26 | 9 months
60 mg 1X D | | 5/12/2010
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| 3 | Bipolar disorder | I am getting insane headaches more like migraines sometimes it feels like my head could explode. I have also noticed a lack of appetite which I won’t complain about because when I was taking seraqol I gained a lot of weight. I have notice I haven’t been so irritable but I can say that I am still anxious if not more. I am going to stick on it a little long to see if anything changes with it. | keep you head up :) | M | 22 | 2 weeks
20 mg 2X D | | 5/5/2010
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| 1 | | Dizziness, Couldn't Keep Eyes Open, Heavy Chest, Felt Like Throat Was Closing, Leg Pains, Kept Falling Asleeping. Finally slept for 14hours and woke up still dizzy. | After About An Hour After Taking This Pill My World Turned Inside Out And Upside Down! Will Never Ever Ever EVER Take This Again. | M | 22 | 1 days
80mg 1X D | | 5/4/2010
| 5 | schizoaffective disorder | oversleeping | this medicine has been very good to me i have stayed out of the hospital for 4 yrs and am doing well in life i am able to care of my children well, but i did not feel the full effects until after 4 months of medication in the begining i still heard traces of voices make sure in the begining do not miss a dose. you will adjust to the tiredness and be able to do things as you used to be strong dont just take it for a few days and expect to be cured it takes time its brain chemistry not a headache Good luck hope this helps. | F | 31 | 3 years
80mg 2X D | | 5/2/2010
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| 3 | Schizophrenia | Horrible anxiety, jittery, feelings of unreality | I feel better in some ways. The voices are gone and the anger they engendered are gone. But, I'm not sure if the anxiety and panic attacks are worth it. | F | 38 | 4 months
120 mg 1X D | | 4/29/2010
| 1 | erroneous bipolar diagnosis | elevated blood pressure, chest heaviness, severe agitation, insomnia | In 2009 I had to go to the emergency room due to the side effects of this drug/I would not recommend it to anyone/I am blessed that my diagnosis was wrong/I now have a new dr and a new treatment plan | F | 45 | 30 days
15mg 1X D | | 4/28/2010
| 5 | Paranoid Schizophrenia | None; I've taken this before and its as if I am on nothing. | I hear voices, and my pdoc gave it to me today, and immediately the voices went away, well 95%. I feel so much better and sane. I'm Bipolar Paranoid Schizophrenic, so it is for my schizophrenia to stop the voices in my head. WHAT A RELIEF!!! | F | 39 | 1 days
60 1X D | | 4/22/2010
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| 3 | Bipolar I -PTSD, Panic/Anxiety | Neck Pain, Eye Pain w/strange Eyebrow movement, Puckering and Swallowing movements, Jaw clenching- Flutters in thigh muscles,Headache in afternoon(?withdrawl between doses?), Binge eating at night after taking Bedtime dose. Edema of face and body,inability to sit still, Breast enlargement, Breast pain | The first few days on 20 mg at bedtime were a very nice relief from the paranoid thinking and psychotic anxiety. My hopelessness, crying, irrational thinking stopped! This was fantastic. Slowly I felt and saw my eyebrows raising on their own, Eye pain developed after Dr. upped me to 40mg, 20mg AM+ 20mg PM. Stiff neck started right away, I thought this was from sleeping and lying around too much from the drowsiness, but, it was the drug itself. My breasts were already a 36 D and by day 5, my bra did not fit and I had breast soreness. Had funny twitches in thigh muscles that felt like fluttering butterflies under my skin. If the Geodon did not cause the Funny face making and the binge eating, I would have continued. My fear and Dr's fear is that it might get even worse and then not go away. Cogentin did nothing to stop the eyes from rolling/mouth from puckering or jaw clenching, however, 50 mg Benedryl every 6 hours helped.
I am sad I can't continue because Mood was improved so greatly. :( | F | 40 | 8 days
20 mg 2X D | | 4/21/2010
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| 5 | Bi Polar (Rapid Cycler) | some leg twitching, leg jumpiness | Well, I have been on Geodon for two months now, as well as a host of other drugs that have been added to control depression (Lexapro and Lamictal). Thus far the Geodon is working, I can get out of bed and get to work in the mornings, which is helpful. God knows with bipolar it can destroy much of your life. Personal relationships, career, finances all gets destroyed with this disease. I am hoping Geodon will help me rebuild my life (with the help of other drugs as well). Although I do feel a bit manic this morning. | F | 38 | 2 months
80mg 2X D | | 4/12/2010
| 3 | Bipolar II | INCREASE IN APPETITE, weight gain, tiredness, licking teeth, extremely vivid dreams. | I was put on Geodon as an addition to Lamictal (400mg/day). It undoubtedly helped me, although I became hypomanic when I first started, seemed to be TRIGGERED by the med. Has helped calm my mind immensely. It definitely made the difference between just Lamictal and adding the second med. Also kept me stable when I added Lexapro. I found that it knocked me out VERY suddenly and drastically, like falling down on the way to bed. This effect has lessened, but I still have to sleep an average of 11 hours a night to feel rested. (Only take dose in the pm.) I started licking my teeth, but the doctor suggested that I try taking Vitamin E (which I was sure wouldn't work), but I'll be damned it did! I am still eating tons, gained 70 pounds in a year and a half. The dreams are crazy on Geodon, I sometimes can't tell if I'm awake or asleep if it's early in the morning or I'm tired, have almost peed the bed on many occassions. However, compared to the side-effects of Depakote (my second option), or Lithium, it is very tolerable. | F | 32 | 2 years
160 1X D | | 4/9/2010
| 1 | bipolar/severe depression | dizzy, sensitivity to light(I couldn't watch TV because the motion and the light made my eyes and head throb.) SEVERE panic/rage attack..I felt like my body was going to explode limb from limb, nausea, I only took it 4 days and my vision is blurry for things up close. I twitched so hard I actually thought someone tapped twice on my shoulder. I turned around and nobody was there. very weird. | I took it with 50mg Pristiq and I take 1 or 2 klonopin per day also, and ambien for sleep. I started with 40mg Geodon, and it didn't bother me, and I slept well, so I followed doctor's orders and increased to 80, which made me pretty miserable.. all of the above symptoms...I tried 80 in the morning too, and that was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I couldn't sleep, but couldn't move either. I was being tortured inside my own body. I wanted that pill out of me. I would have made myself puked but it was already digested. I suffered that whole day, and then decided I can't take it anymore.... and that night, I didn't sleep at all... it threw me into a mania I've never felt. I feel like I got in a car wreck. Be careful with this drug. I've tried 6-7 different depression meds, a few benzodiazipines, a few mood stabilizers, and a few sleep meds, and this has to be in the top five most powerful drugs. I'm afraid for tonight and tomorrow. | M | 27 | 4 days
80mg 2X D | | 4/8/2010
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| 1 | anti social and severe depression. | I don't know where to start. The weird thing is that the first 2 weeks that I took it I was completely fine just a little drowsy. In just 2 weeks my doctor put me from 40 mg to 80 mg. I can honestly say that Geodon is the worst med that I've ever takin next to halodol and risperdal. I am usually anxious but this took it onto a whole other level. I was pacing back and forth with anxiety like I've never seen or heard of. I can honestly say that I wanted to go and jump off a freakin cliff on this med. I personally wouldn't recomend it to anyone. Also around the second time that I take it at 5:00 and after I take it is when the anxiety hits the hardest. Anxiety and feeling like everything is going wrong is the most common feeling I can think of. Like others have said be carefull on this drug its very very powerfull. | I am currently on my first day off the midication. I quit completely I can't go through another day of that hell. I have noticed feeling very tense and sort of anxious but nothing like what I was feeling while I was on it. I can tell you that this drug is definitely not for everyone. | M | 24 |
1X D | | 4/3/2010
| 3 | BiPolar | Had severe mania before starting this med. Was on Lithium,but had terrible weight gain on that so I was taken off Lithium. Taking Geo-Don now 2x a day. Have been very thirsty,dry mouth. Water can't seem to satisfy my thirst.If I take 1st dose in morning, then I get zoned out and too foggy to do anything, not even able to drive when I take it in am, as the drug seems to take affect in 2 hours. Only lost a little weight so far, but I am willing to put up with the side effects if it will help lose the weight that Lithium caused. Not really too hungry either, which is good.Anxious to see the long term effects. | | F | 43 | 5 weeks
80 mg 2X D | | 3/31/2010
| 5 | Bipolar 2 | Loss of appitiete, dry mouth, jaw clinching, drowzy if taken during he day | I feel great. I am taking this with the combination of cymbalta. Feel a little manic ut I like that because I am usually very depressed and cant get out of bed. Can't take during the day. Dr. told me to take 60mg plus 60mg at night. Works great for me. Love the loss of appitiete. Jaw clinching and dry mouth not so much, but very manageable. | F | 36 | 7 weeks
120 mg 1X D | | 3/15/2010
| 4 | Physhosis | Rapid/severe weight loss, nausea, aches, some anxiety | My son takes this & it has helped with his phychosis. ALL drugs of this type have side effects. You have to decide if the benefits outweigh the side effects. | M | 18 | 2 months
80mg 1X D | | 3/14/2010
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| 5 | Paranoid Schizophrenia | Weight loss. Food tastes really awful to me on Geodon. I no longer enjoy eating. That has helped me to lose weight. | All symptoms of schizophrenia are gone. I am only taking 20 mg once daily. Glad to be on such a low dose. | F | 24 | 1 years
20mg 1X D | | 3/11/2010
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| 3 | Paranoia | had periods of restlessness I couldn't sit still for 2 seconds. I had to leave work very embarrassing. | I quit after I passed out and got rushed to the hospital. | M | 52 | 1 years
30mg 2X D | | 3/11/2010
| 3 | Bipolar disorder | Weight gain, drowsiness | I was in a different country when I had my psychotic attack and they put me on the strongest thing they could get their hands on, Zyprexa. I had significant weight gain, although I needed it desperately, but I was also a vegetable. | F | 24 | 4 months
100 1X D | | 3/11/2010
| 2 | Severe Depression/Anger | I also took Geodon with Wellbutrin, and for the first few weeks Geodon seemed to make me feel better. I took it in the morning and generally felt sort of sedated but it was tolerable. Then, I started having severe panic attacks out of the blue: my heart would speed up to 170+ bpm, I'd pour sweat, and I'd feel extreme fear and anxiety - the worst I've ever felt in my life. It would happen the same time every day, which was a result of the medicine being metabolized. I also developed a heart-rhythm abnormality that had to be monitored closely by the MD. | I kept taking Geodon, as I wanted to get better and I trusted my MD...but the panic episodes increased in duration, then my skin became coarse/bumpy and rough, I gained 25 pounds, and I broke out in horrible cysts/pimples as my skin became severely oily (was very odd!), my hair also became coarse, dry, and started to thin in the front (and I had beautiful hair/skin.) All these side-effects, the heart-issues, along with the panic attacks caused me to stop taking Geodon. I also dumped that MD as I felt like she was more interested in "experimenting" on me rather than helping my depression! After 2 months off, my skin/hair were back to normal and the horrible, crippling attacks were a distant memory...I'd stay far away from the drug if you have other options you've not tried. | F | 33 | 4 months
40 mg 1X D | | 3/11/2010
| 4 | Bipolar II | The first six months were hell, I've never felt crazier - high anxiety, constant nightmares of falling over the edge of cliffs, buildings. Weird. Too much med at the wrong time of day makes you feel oddly tense and tired at the same time. | After six months I felt much better, when I combined it with Lamictal to lower the dosage from 160mg to 60-80mg, via 20mg in the morning with lamictal and 40-60 at night. Still feel a little anxiety when my life is quiet, but when occupied with something i don't notice it. Causes me to sleep 9 hours a night. If I take it from 6:30-7:30pm I fall sleep around 9:15pm, but take it later and I don't get sleepy until 11:30 or later (but still sleep 9 hours.) Dropping to 40 at night on Friday night reduces the anxiety for the next few days, but must return to 60 at night most of the time, or become manic/depressed. | M | 39 | 3 years
60-80 1X D | | 2/28/2010
| 4 | Bipolar I Disorder | Extreme somnolence, blurry vision, loss of appetite, increased thirst, jaw clenching | Geodon is an add-on medication for me. My base mood stabilizer is Lithium, but it isn't enough on its own to control my moods. I began taking Geodon as 40MG in the morning and 40 at night. The somnolence and blurred vision were so bad that I couldn't function. So, my psychiatrist instructed me to take all 80MG at night. This helped tremendously. No more somnolence. I still have some blurry vision, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. I have gained a lot of weight due to other medications, so I have no complaints about the loss of appetite. I am still eating well on Geodon. The increased thirst is annoying, but I do not feel forced to drink water excessively to compensate. I'm drinking about 80oz per day and sweating much of that out when I go to the gym. The jaw clenching just started about a week ago and it is also annoying, but so far not anything I can't handle. I am feeling great overall and think I have finally found the right combination of medications to treat my illness. | F | 31 |
80MG 1X D | | 2/23/2010
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History | 5 | Mixwd Episode | I had my first mixed episode in years. Completely went off the deep end. Geodon leved me out immediately. I have a lot of energy but not manic. Like many others I lost my appetite, but I make sure I eat 3 meals a day and very healthy. No sugar, no flour. It keeps the nausea away. The only down side is I have a little anxiety at night. I feel human again and I don't feel like playing around with new meds. I think the anxiety will go away once I adjust. | | F | 34 | 7 days
20 2X D | | 2/22/2010
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| 5 | bipolar 1, sleep | weight loss, no appetite, general agitation, twitching | I have been on Geodon for about three weks now and I have been manic bipolar for as long as I can remember. I started taking 60 mg of geodon at 6:30pm and 60 mg at 9pm for calming my manic moods and letting me sleep better. I am mostly manic and combined with 3 mg of Lunesta I can sleep a good 5 hours without waking up at all. That's the best sleep that I've gotten in years. I am a chronic insomniac and I find that this combo works best instead of having to take 400 mg's of Benadryl or 6 or 9 mg of Lunesta. I find that it has mild sedative effects that I really find to be the most help to my mania but agitation was increased by a minorly noticeable amount when taken during the day. | M | 23 | 21 days
60 2X D | | 2/18/2010
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| 4 | Depression, OCD, Panic Disorder | Runny nose, difficulty speaking, quivering in the muscles of my jaw and legs. | I wanted to update my submission from 1/27/10. I
have now been taking Geodon for one month and have noticed a few side
effects. The doctor raised the dosage to 60mg. total daily but suggested I
take it 20mg. at breakfast, lunch and dinner. The drug makes me really
drowsy during the day and I feel like everything is in slow motion. I have
trouble driving a car. My vision is off. I am having some difficulty
speaking and my jaw feels stiff. I also noticed some initial quivering in
the muscles of my legs when climbing stairs, and also the muscles in my
jaw. The doctor said by dividing up the doses, the side effects will be
fewer. He also gave me a prescription for Cogentin to counteract the side effects, but that made me VERY drowsy. Also there were some serious risks with taking Cogentin and a Tricyclic antidepressant at the same time, and I do take Anafranil. I cant function during the day if i take the medicine during the
day. So I am back to taking it at night and it really knocks me out. I
feel OK, but not wonderful like I did when I first started taking it. I
have not gained any weight, which is a good thing. My appetite is weak. I
think that I feel better on this drug than I did on Abilify or Risperdol.
I really wish I didnt have to be on an antipsychotic drug in the first place but i had been having some paranoia and the doctor suggested this type of medication.
| F | 50 | 1 months
20mg. 3X D | | 2/18/2010
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History | 1 | mood stabilizer | I took it at night and couldn't get up in the morning. After several hours the next morning it had worn off and I decided to take it again. I felt like jelly. I couldn't drive, instead I had to have my husband miss school to pick up our son, and I laid on the floor for about 3 hours. I could barely move, even though I was awake (that's a horrible feeling). It finally wore off that evening, but I couldn't afford having that side effect, even if it would have lessened after a few days. | | F | 27 | 1 days
40 MG 2X D | | 2/14/2010
| 1 | i had 1 psychotic episode | I gained 65 pounds. I had chest pain and high sugar. I feel the drug was killing me leading me down to the diabetes road. | | F | 39 | 7 years
40 mg 2X D | | 2/13/2010
| 1 | Brief Shcitzophrenic Episode | This caused terrible anxiety and breathing trouble. Did not cure my initial symptoms, appeared to have side effects that lasted long after I took the drug. Be very careful about this drug and ask for the minimum dosage if they try to force it on you. | BE VERY VERY VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS DRUG! | M | 40 | 2 days
80 mg 1X D | | 2/11/2010
| 1 | Bipolar Disorder/ Manic Depression | EXTREME Mania&talking all the time,loss of appetite,stumbling over words/forgetting what I was going to say,paranoia,vaginal bleeding(I'm not menstruating)depression that I hadn't experienced in years, suicidal thoughts, body temperature changes, trouble sleeping, manic to depressed in three minutes flat.
I went to my psychiatrist a week ago.I was taking Lamictal and Zyprexa,&was doing GREAT.Because the Zyprexa makes me eat all the time,& I gained about 20 pounds from it,he suggested Geodon.He said that there were no side effects&that I would have less of an appetite.I was so excited!I came home&did research about Geodon.I am ashamed to say that I ignored all warnings about bad sideeffects.I started taking 40 mg a night Wednesday&my doctor said to take another 40 in the morning starting in a week. | By Friday,I was already seeing the sideeffects.I felt full ALL the time,which I thought was great.However,I became extremely manic:I told my husband that I knew I was on a severe high and therefore expecting a severe low.He said that maybe I just AM a naturally talkative/euphoric person&that this medicine was making me who I "truly" am.He was wrong.I came down HARD yesterday(Monday).I was hysterical all day&this morning and couldn't be calmed down.I had thoughts I hadn't experienced in all the time I'd been on Zyprexa.My paranoia was OUTRAGEOUS.I blame myself for taking this medicine.I was proud of myself for not eating,but feel I could've become aneroxic.I called today about starting to take Zyprexa again&was told to immediately quit taking it&start back on the Zyprexa.I thought I hated the weight gain, but that's NOTHING compared to what I experienced the last week.If you're considering coming off something that's working for you in order to try this medicine to lose weight,it's NOT worth it. We've only been married 8 mnths and now my husband's dealing with crap he hadn't dealt with since the 1st time we dated 6 years ago when I wasn't medicated correctly.I'm convinced that due to this whole episode,he's doubting his love for me.I hope I can get myself back in order before I scare him off.He's helped me emotionally so much but he shouldn't have to deal with this. | F | 26 | 1 weeks
40 Mg 1X D | | 2/10/2010
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| 4 | I have a colorful array of issues | My diagnosis is Bipolar Rapid Cycle, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, ADHD NOS, & Personality Disorder w/ Cluster B Characteristics. I take 150mg Zonegran & 15mg Adderall in the am and 40mg Geodon at 5:30pm. After reading reviews I was afraid of Geodon, I sent my kids off and made my mom come stay the night I took the first pill. I woke feeling groggy and like I had Novacaine injections but I felt ALIVE for the first time in months. | I had been off Abilify for a month after taking it for a year. Needless to say I was a suicidal homicidal wreck. I was having constant anxiety w/ panic attacks on top of it & I was depressed over my 30 lb Abilify weight gain. I had not left my house in a month unless forced & when I was forced to mingle w/ society I turned vicious. All of these things subsided after 1 dose 40mg of Geodon!? The next day was even better I was doing things I had put off for 6 months. The only side effect I have I call it "the witching hour" I get nauseous about an hour before time to take it. I have tried Abilify=fatty, Wellbutrin=ugh sick, Xanax=stoned, Effexor=forgot my name, Paxil=suicide, Lexapro=insane, Cymbalta= SATAN OMG quit my job, lost it on everyone, almost lost my house! The list goes on but the bottom line is EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT CHEMICAL BALANCE JUST BECAUSE IT DID OR DIDN'T WORK FOR ONE PERSON DOESN'T MEAN YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THE SAME RESULTS. My sister whom is nearly identical in disorders couldn't take Abilify due to violent tics yet I was able to take it until my weight was out of control. She can take antidepressants where I only have positive results with antipsychotics and we're exactly alike in personality/behavior. Geodon effects for me were overnight and positive but it took a lot bad experiences to get me to it and who knows how long it's going to last. | F | 31 | 3 weeks
40 mg 1X D | | 2/9/2010
| 3 | Bi Polar (Rapid Cycler) | Well, I was worried with all the comments I read, but thus far I only have some drowsiness and drymouth. | I really just want to crawl back into bed and hide. Doesn't seem to be solving any of my bipolar issues so far...also on Lexapro and Lamictal...tapering off Paxil..taking 40mg Geodon 2x per day. Some folks could feel the effects/felt better right away, that's what I was hoping for.....nothing yet.... | F | 38 | 3 days
40mg 2X D | | 2/5/2010
| 2 | Bipolar Schizophrenia | The shakes,tremors,nervousness,sweaty palms,loss of appetite,weight loss,dry mouth,dry skin,always feeling on edge,restlessness but it would make me very tired so I took 80mg at night. | Since I've been on Geodon the only thing I can relate to is the bad side effects that I had when I was on Zoloft.This is pretty close. I'm also on Prozac, Wellbutrin and Klonapin.Before getting on Geodon I was taking Abilify and now I'm wondering if I should go back to Abilify,lower my Wellbutrin or take another medication for the side effects. But where do you draw the line. I don't want to be on a lot of meds. These side effects are almost worse than hearing the voices.I feel I'm damned if I do take it and Damned if I don't.Always having to deal with something.I'm worried I'm going to get too thin because I have no cravings for anything anymore.I hope it works for you but as for me...I am not happy especially if the side effects are long term.If they were only for a little while maybe I could deal with it knowing things would change,but I've heard its always like this with some people.Another thing is my libido is totally shot.It not only effects me but my boyfriend too.Then My mom is worried when she sees how bad I have the shakes and tremors and I'm worried I could have a seizure at any time.I wish I new more about this drug befor I started taking it.I feel like a lab rat.Its effects everything I do and find it hard to work.Plus I feel dizzy (due to low blood sugar probably) but still I feel sick everytime I want to eat something.There has to be a better drug or combonation for me.I'm able to think a little better because the voices are not as noticable,But not gone.PLEAS | F | 34 | 4 months
| | 2/2/2010
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| 1 | i was taking geodon for depresion | I have never done heroin but from what other ex addicts have described is what I felt on my second day of taking the drug- the first day I felt sleepy,weak, lethargic, I could barely stand up. The second night within an hour or so felt extremly tired and weak- than my entire body every muscle every joint everything was aching and in serious pain- I couldn't go to work and had to lay down- I literally felt like I was gonna die - drank a bunch of soda and took caffiene pills to balance out the effects -they were so terrible I couldn't believe they came from a legal drug- if u are going to try taking it -trust me take it when u have nothing to do late at night so at least u don't have to miss work - good luck I discontinues it after the second day | Very very strong drug be extremly careful with it! | F | 28 | 2 days
| | 1/31/2010
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| 1 | Bipolar disorder | This drug is horrible, i took it for 2 weeks and actually felt good to be honest. But one morning i woke up and couldnt stop shaking. Eventually it turned into severe non-stop mania with agitated and iritated feelings physically. I would cycle through bad moods non stop, and would cry about everything. I could not feel happy, only through marijuana use. All around i felt unbarably horrible for about 2 months strait, i was even hospitalized for a while. | This drug is the most horrible thing they've ever had on the market, and they said there were no side affects, that they didnt know what was wrong with me, i wouldnt recomend geodon for anybody and for all those who suffered this reaction i feel ur pain becuz only those who have had that experience truely know what hell is like, no lie or exageration please listen, lithium and xanax worked for me people, along with various herbs and dietary choices, do the right thing and dont be an experiment anymore, F the f.d.a and the government its all about profit. | M | 20 | 2 weeks
| | 1/18/2010
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| 1 | Major Depression with psychosis | Immediate loss of appetite. Feeling nauseas. | Stay away from this med is my advice. I lost 12 lbs on this medication and felt nauseas non-stop. After stopping this medication I suffered from severe gastritis and spent lots of money trying to figure out what was wrong. It was the withdraw from this medication. It IS an AWFUL medication and should be taken off the market! | F | 32 | 3 weeks
| | 1/16/2010
| 1 | BIPOLAR | AKATHISIA: People with akathisia feel restless and anxious when they are not moving. They may repeatedly stroke parts of their body or pick at their clothes. They may cross and uncross arms and legs, pace, or march in place. They may moan, groan, or shout.
| Akathisia common in taking Geodon and Risperdal. | F | 30 | 1 days
| | 1/15/2010
| 1 | Bipolar | Did extensive research before taking this drug, but never imagined the side effects would be as bad as they were. I Will NEVER take Geodon again, under ANY circumstance. If it came down to it, I would rather just deal with being Bipolar than taking Geodon, it did absolutely nothing but make things worse. Within a very short period of time I found myself easily angered and tense. That went on to become complete mania. Also, with the tension I was already experiencing, things got thrown, people got hit, uncontrollable shaking, not remembering certain things such as why theres now a hole in my wall.....this in my opinion is the devil's drug. | | F | 18 |
| | 1/11/2010
| 2 | | | | F | 20 | 3.5 years
| | 1/3/2010
| 1 | bipolar disorder pychro affective | HI IM 25 MALE AND ON GEODON LOOK THIS MEDICATION IS MAKING ME VERY DEPRESSED RESTLESSS PANIC ATTACKS BLURED VISION I WEAR GLASSES NOW BECAUSE OF GEODON I FEEL VERY WEIRD AND HOPELESSS I FEEL VERY LAZY I FEEL UNLOVED AND CARED FOR GEODON IS HELPING SOMEWHAT MY THOUGHTS ARE UNDER CONTROLL MY SEX DRIVE IS UNDER CONTROLL JUST THAT I KEEP CRYING AND DONT KNOW WHY I HAVE NO ENGERY I DO HOW EVER FEEL LIKE HURTING MYSELF BUT I WONT GOD MEANS ALOTT TO ME I NEVER LIKE TAKING MEDICATION BECAUSE OF SO MANY SIDE EFFECTS I WAS ON ALL TYPES OF ANTI DEPRESSONS I HAD HEART SURGERY BECAUSE THESE MEDICATIONS CAUSED FLUID AROUND MY HEART I HAD A HUGE AMOUNT OF FLUID 1.5 LITTERS OF FLUID MORE THEN A HUMAN I COULD OF DIED PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT ALL MEDICATIONS HAVE SIDE EFFECTS BUT ANTI DEPRESSONS ARE THE WORST IVE BEEN IN HOSPITALS AND SEEN OTHERS SUFFER THEY ALL HAD SIDE EFFECTS ONE LADIE CUT HERSELF THE MEDICATION MADE HER WANT TO DO IT OTHER PERSON PULLED DOWN HIS PANTS IN FRONT OF EVERYONE IF YOU CA | YES DONT TAKE THIS MEDICATION IF YOU FEEL DEPRESSED RESTLESS PANIC ATTACKS LOST OF CONCERTRATION CANT FOCUS CHEST PAINS TINGLING ALL OVER HEART BEATING REALLY FAST BLURRED VISION RASHES DIZZINESSS LIGHT HEADED ALSO SHORTNESS OF BREATH THESE SIDE EFFECTS HAPPENED TO ME WHILE TAKING 80MG OF GEODON TAKE A LOWER DOSAGE ALSO ALL ANTI DEPRESSION MEDICATION WILL HAVE SIDE EFFECTS I DONT RECOMEND GEODON FOR KIDS OR OLER ADULTS OVER SIXITY IT A DANGEROUS DRUG IT CAN HARM YOU ANY ANTI DEPRESSION MEDICATION CAN DONT LISTEN TO PROFESSIONALS BUT YOUR LOVED ONE PRAY FOR YOUR LOVED ONE THERE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL WHILE ON THE MEDICATION ALWAYS ASK THEM HOW THEY ARE FEELING AND TELL THEM YOU LOVE THEM ALSO THAT YOUR THERE FOR THEM WORDS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONES LIFE WELL IM HOPING I WAS HELP FULL GOOD LUCK BEST WISHES | M | 25 | 50 days
| | 1/2/2010
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| 1 | Psychosis NOS | Burning inner pain, very high core body temperature. | I tried to thow up that damn pill, but alas, I spent the whole night with a dangerously high core body temperature and feeling like a hot dog in death valley. And they told me it didn't have any side effects! | M | 24 | 1 days
| | 12/29/2009
| 5 | bipolar w/psychotic episodes | No side effects | Works great at controlling mania's and I have had no side effects; not even weight gain. I think it's perfect. | M | 43 | 6 months
| | 12/17/2009
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| 2 | bipolar with acute psychosis | racing heart or irregular heart beat, high anxiety, paranoia, uncontrollable twitching of musles, and stiffening of muscles, inability to control body temp., crazy mood swings,extream drowsiness, insomnia when not taken | I was having terrible audio and visiual hallusionations and was put in a hospital. while there they put me on 80 to 100 mg of geodon at night. i thought that this medication worked great for taking care of hallutionations and delusions. The problem is, i am a very small person who was on too high of dosage for WAY too long. i have been off this med for about 1 year and it has had awful side effects and withdrawl symptoms. THS IS A SHORT TERM DRUG! DO NOT USE FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME! it does do the job but the long term damage you can get from it is hardly worth it when there are other choices out there. everyone is different so effects will be different for everyone. Good drug when taking it but bad effects when u want to come off. | F | 21 | 5 years
| | 12/16/2009
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| 5 | Bipolar | I think it has effected my vision and my blood sugar | I was in the hospital being monitored when I started taking it. It had almost an immediate affect (within 48 hours) on my psychotic thoughts of suicidal ideations and anxiety. My moods are much more stable and I'm feeling better than I've felt for a long time. I am diabetic (mild), and I've noticed that I have to really be faithful about eating every few hours or my blood sugar drops and I become extremely anxious. Those minor side effects are well worth it as I feel so much better. | F | 45 | 3 weeks
| | 12/12/2009
| 1 | Bi-polar | I CAN NOT STOP SHACKING! Headachs, Talking to fast. | My doc gave me this crap at 60mgs at bedtime. Took the drug once and I was ON FIRE on the inside and with-out fever. Now I'm taking 20 mgs at bed time and the shacking will just not stop. Then my doc moved three states away. IDK what to do. | M | 23 | 10 days
| | 12/10/2009
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| 3 | Depression,severe anxiety, | I have been afraid to drive since taking this med. A heavy sensation on he left side of my face.And forgetting simple things like to make dinner... I feel drunk | | F | 36 | 10 days
| | 11/30/2009
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| 4 | Major Depression | I take 160mg a day; 40mg in the morning and 120mg at night. My hands shake (even more with the lithium I take) a little and I'm losing more hair than normal. Sometimes I feel a little tired in the morning. | My hallucinations have almost stopped. I still have sleep issues, mostly from falling asleep or wakeing up to early. | M | 35 | 4 months
| | 11/27/2009
| 1 | Bipolar, Depression | Dry Mouth, Shakiness/Tremors, Blurred/Tunnel Vision, Anxiety, Sleepiness, Insomnia, Nausea, Abdominal Pain, Confusion, Non-Responsive, Metallic taste in mouth ''in between doses''. | A couple hours after my first dose I felt the drug at full effect. It changed my vision and effected my hearing. Next couple of days I was out of it, I was confused, shaky, nauseas and felt inner doom and emptiness along with flu like symptoms. I had trouble concentrating ‘’worse than normal’’ and my sleeping and eating habits changed dramatically along with my motor skills. I couldn’t function normal in social situations, I couldn’t drive and I would constantly posture because I felt so uncomfortable. I was so sick of the effects so I called my doctor and he said to give it some time. On the 5th night of taking it I couldn’t sleep because it was impossible to find a comfortable position to relax, I felt so separated from my body that I went into panic and finally got the idea of jumping off my roof to end the madness. My friends called the suicide hotline and shortly after I had realized that Geodon wasn’t for me. After discontinuing the drug I have been experiencing withdraw effects like crazy for the passed 5 weeks. | M | 20 | 5 days
| | 11/23/2009
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| 5 | Bipolar Disorder | grogginess, some initial anxiety | I have only been on for one month and this is how I can summarize the change in my life: Before I slept because I wanted to and got up because I had too, now, I sleep because I have to and get up because I want too, amazing, how productive I am and just an overall decent well being - finally looking forward to life | F | 48 | 30 days
| | 11/19/2009
| 3 | bipolar disorder, bpd | when i take it in the morning i get tired about 2 hours after taking it, when i take it at night, i can stay up but when i do fall asleep i sleep good...however, my hand shaking is affecting my typing and writing and i am constantly swallowing, and when i talk i sound like im slurring my words like my tonge is heavy or something...this is the most irritating to me, i also get muscle spasms in my knees | i started taking it bc my psych told me it had some of the least amount of reported side effects and it wasnt supposed to make me drowsy but it does, but the drowsiness goes away about 4 to 6 hour after taking it...im just concerned about how im talking bc i have to speak slowly for the words to come out the way they are supposed to ...i also sumtmes say sentances backwards... | F | 25 | 12 days
| | 11/16/2009
| 4 | Anxiety/Depression and Panic Attack | Loss of appetite, greatly decreased sex drive, less alertness in general. | This drug definitely did calm me down... It got me through a tough time in my life. It also stopped my panic attacks. It's a good drug overall, just has some side effects that I don't like which is the reason why I am getting off of it. | M | 33 | 6 months
| | 11/15/2009
| 1 | Bipolar | It made me feel to good (manic)for one week.Then I woke up one morning and started walking sideways,vomited,passed out,came to and could not swallow or breath.Went to the E.R. for a shot of Kogentin to counteract the Drug from hell!(Geodon) | I was prescribed this drug because I was having mixed episodes.When i started Geodon i flipped into mania.Like an idiot i kept taking it for the high flying ride.After one week of taking it, the symptoms i mentioned hit hard. | F | 40 | 1 weeks
| | 11/12/2009
| 1 | Schizophrenia | Complete and utter loss of appetite | I took Geodon for about 3 weeks. After about the third day I could not eat. I'd try to eat something and it would make me want to throw up. It was horrible. The only thing I could tolerate was water. I would try to eat foods I really liked and I couldn't do it, I'd just want to vomit. It got to the point that even looking at food would make me want to hurl. I lost a lot of weight in those 3 weeks. I couldn't deal with it, so I called my doctor and told her what was happening. She did some blood tests and I was off the medication in a flash. I was switched to Seroquel. | F | 37 | 3 weeks
| | 11/8/2009
| 2 | Hypomania | HYPOMANIA, dry mouth, clanging, lack of appetite, insomnia. | This is strange, but I am more hypomanic than usual. I cannot stop thinking of cool things to say and am saying them even more often. I could write them all down here, but it would drive you ( ). I've given it six days. The two first days I couldn't stop sleeping. When that wore off I felt relaxed. Then the mania hit sharp and lasted longer than usual, 20 hours. It's been six days, 40 mg twice a day. This is the first med that I've taken for my hypo; I also take lamictal xr, but it's for seizures. The numbers just didn't add up. I see my doc on Tuesday. Don't worry, I stopped taking it this morning. | F | 41 | 6 days
| | 10/31/2009
| 5 | Psychotic episode/schizoaffective | Cognitive blunting, spending money, sleepy, fatigue. Took 80 mg at night with supper. Was supposed to help me sleep. | It took away my psychosis. Got my irrational thinking back to reality. Avoided the weight gain of risperadol b/c doctor changed me. I have had hypoglycemia all my life and it often left me incapacitated. This brought my sugar up to normal. It was a godsend. I would caution others about it though because it obviously raised my sugar quite a bit. But if you were below normal like me, then it did a good job of getting sugar to normal levels. | F | 42 | 2.5 years
| | 10/27/2009
| 1 | Schizoaffective Disorder | Horrible side effects included extreme agitated somnolence/Akathisia. These side effects were so severe I would describe them as my idea of what going to hell would be. I couldn't do anything except sleep and ended up in the ER the day I returned to work because heart rate was racing and felt like I was suffocating ready to pass out. | Thankfully I stopped this immediately and my psychotic symptoms have not returned. I've broken a hip and ruptured my achilles tendon before and I would rather go through that then feel these side effects from Geodon. | M | 29 | 3 days
| | 10/26/2009
| 4 | mood disorder NOS | for the first few weeks I was very tired on geodon. I learned that if I take it every 8 hours I can avoid any withdrawal and remain stable. If I don't take it every 8 hours I get irritated, sad, a little angry and nervous too. | Getting used to this drug was tricky but so far has been worth it. After a few dosing increases and finding the right times of the day to take it, I am feeling much more stable, even good. The sleepiness has pretty much gone away and I've had 2 good stable weeks for the first time in a long time. I have paranoid thoughts that can be very scary and geodon has helped curb this. I am functioning well in school and at work. I take 80 mg at 6:30am and 80 mg at 3:00pm and then 160 mg at 10:00pm. It has taken some time to figure out how much to take and when to take it but I am finally satisfied. I think a lot of the symptoms people have are of the drug wearing off between the 8-12 hour mark... this is just my guess but I think keeping geodon in your system at a steady rate will significantly decrease the bad side effects (which might just be the beginning of withdrawal from the drug). This has been the case for me anyway. I'm glad I stuck it out with geodon... sometimes I wanted to give up on it but I know that I'm improving with it. It feels really good to be stable. | F | 27 | 3 months
| | 10/24/2009
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| 1 | bi polar | shaky, nauseated, vomiting, hard time falling asleep, very easily irritated, angry HATE THIS DRUG! | I have been on this for three weeks and tonight...im not taking another pill. I get nauseated and vomit for no reason at all...once in my car while driving. I am very shaky and get chills (at this very moment im shaking like crazy) after reading all the other comments i just wanted to add one more saying this is the WORST drug i've ever taken! | F | 23 | 3 weeks
| | 10/16/2009
| 4 | Social Anxiety | Blurred Vision, exhaustion, feeling hungover | The first couple days I started taking Geodon I felt really hungover, like I have never ever been before. It only lasted 2 days and then I felt great. I would just lay around before taking it and now I get up and feel like I have a purpose and get things done. You really just need to give this drug some time to work. I feel stable now. My appetite has been curbed which was an unexpected gain. I have been on xxanx and lexapro for years and finally I feel like Geodon is a breath of fresh air. Give you body time to get through the side effects and it will adjust. My one warning is not to take this during or before you have things to do. I wait until I get home from work, even if it is late to take my Geodon. I took it a few times at dinner time as prescribed but felt like I was going to pass out at work and the whole ride home I thought I was going to fall asleep at the wheel even after several cups of coffee. This will work for you if you give it time, the side effects at first may be awful enough to make you want to stop, but let it work for a month and you will see a differece. | F | 24 | 3 months
| | 10/14/2009
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| 1 | Anti-anxiety | Trembling hands, restless legs, akathisia in general, hallucinations, drowsiness, memory problems, negative personality changes | My 86-yr old father was given this drug for anti-anxiety while he was a rehab patient in a nursing home for breaking his femur and hip. After doing research, I'm not really sure why he was prescribed this drug other than he's allergic to Morphine (for pain) and morphine derivatives and Ativan (anti-anxiety). In any case, his was a horrible experience and I would recommend staying away from this drug at all costs. When we got our father home, my sister and I had to witness my father going through a hellish experience with the withdrawal symptoms. | | | 90 days
| | 10/3/2009
| 1 | Bipolar II | Severe depression, suidical thoughts, extreme drowsiness, felt shaky/trembly, eyes "funny" - couldn't focus on details like I could before | This is an update to my previous post of 9/11/09 where I raved about Geodon. I was only taking 20mg once a day, at night. Not long after my raving review, I descended into a hellish depression of the magnitude I used to suffer before I was ever even on antidepressants at all. I can't describe the hell this drug has been for me.
Now it has been over a week since I stopped taking it, and I am STILL suffering. This is truly scary for me. How can taking the minimum tiny dose of a med for 2 and 1/2 weeks mess someone up this bad? I have no idea when I'm ever going to be better. I had a bad experience with Lamictal 2 years ago where I experienced suicidal depression, but it didn't take this long to go away after I stopped taking it.
So here I am, over a week off the drug, and I am still struggling with depression, despite still being on Lexapro. I don't know what this med did to my brain, and that scares me. At least the shaking/trembly feeling seems to have gone. But the sleepiness of having to take a nap every day, the anxiety/morbid thoughts, and depression are still with me. This is HELL. This is worse than whatever bipolar symptoms I was going thru. Now I'm scared to try any more drugs for fear of continually going thru this. Why would I??? I feel like some insignificant lab rat/guinea pig. | F | 44 | 17 days
| | 9/27/2009
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| 2 | Schizoaffective Disorder | Memory loss (example can't remember how I got home), ED, loss of ambition, weight gain, oily skin, sweating, fever, difficulty sleeping and difficulty speaking. | Geodon is better than Zyprexa but not by much. It scares me a lot when I can't remember if I dreamed that I did something or actually did it. I can only take 80mg a day. The doctor tried to increase me to 100mg and I felt like I was having a continuos anxiety attack. I have to take 40mg in the morning and 40mg at night if I don't I go through withdrawal. It feels like a really bad flu. | M | 38 | 6 years
| | 9/21/2009
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| 1 | borderline personality disorder | SEVERE TERRIBLE AKATHISIA-WORSE THEN RISPERDAL | WOULD NEVER TAKE AGAIN. DOCTORS TOTALLY TRY TO COVER UP THE SIDE EFFECT AKATHISIA WHEN TALKING TO THEM. IT MAKES ME FURIOUS. I WOULD NEVER TAKE THIS MEDICINE AGAIN. | M | 29 | 6 days
| | 9/20/2009
| 4 | Bipolar | When taking 80 mg twice a day, I had extreme twitching of my hands and fingers. Loss of appetite. | I guess the medicine is working but the twitching is still there but not as extreme cuz the dosage was reduced to 40 mg twice a day. Still a little concerned with the loss of appetite. Don't get me wrong, I need to lose 20lbs put on from other meds but I need nutrition. So I have to make myself eat but I fill up fast. | F | 39 | 30 days
| | 9/16/2009
| 5 | Bipolar II | Feel trembly; loss of appetite; eyes felt funny first couple days; stiff muscles first couple days; light-headed first couple days; had gnawing hunger first couple days | I'm on 20mg. I LOVE THIS MED!!! I feel for the first time in my life - other than in my manias - that I am living in a dream; that I can now actually get basic things in my life I have wanted for so long. Things I couldn't do because I was always sleeping or depressed from bipolar depressions. My appetite changed, which is great because I'm very overweight. It didn't go away; eating just doesn't feel as necessary to me. I don't taste things as vividly as before. It's very hard to eat a lot of food. I'm very outgoing, more than before. I have what I call more "emotional energy".
I do still have the trembly feeling in my hands and arms even though I'm not visibly shaking. Finding it hard to focus intensely on small visible details for very long as I was able to before. Hands are a little sweaty. Don't need as much sleep.
I began feeling better practically the 2nd day on Geodon. And I'm only on 20mg. It's like, can I finally have the basic, decent life and functioning I've wanted all my life, but that eluded me? I hope so!!! | F | 44 | 10 days
| | 9/11/2009
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| 5 | Paranoid Schizophrenia | | Please see my 1/20/08 posting. I'm writing to give update. I no longer hear voices at all and have been able to reduce my dose. Taking A.M. dose at 1:00 P.M. helps give me the morning hours to run errands and do things with a clear mind. Must leave 8-8 1/2 hours between doses though or else muscle cramps in shoulders. This might be
due to fibromyalgia though. A note to schizophrenics, age usually ameliorates symptoms so hang in there. This is discussed in book "Surviving Schizophrenia. P.S. I am no longer a Paranoid Schizophrenic, I only have Residual Schizophrenia. I hope this helps to give others hope. | F | 38 | 5 years
| | 9/8/2009
| 4 | Bi-polar | Restlessness, insomnia, tardive dyskinesia | I take 80mg. I started getting restless when my doc bumped me to 120mg, but since took me down to 80mg. If any one has the same symptoms, have your doctor prescribe propranolol. It helps a lot. My doctor thinks my insomnia comes from other sources, but it's the Geodon. I sleep okay with benedryl. | F | 36 | 5 months
| | 9/4/2009
| 1 | Bipolar 2 | drowsiness, inattentiveness, sore throat, random pain/cramps on wrists and arms, dry mouth, euphoria, anxiety, irritability, panic and hallucinations. | Geodon not for those with BP2! I was on geodon for three days and had terrible side effects. I took the medication to help me sleep before bed and I woke up incredibly drowsy. I had a difficult time driving to work in the morning and staying awake during work meetings. On the third day, all hell broke loose. I experienced extreme highs and towards the evening anxiety, high blood pressure, panic and hallucinations. I stopped taking it that night. On the fourth day, I felt very foggy, irritable and slow. I have read that the medication is highly addictive and very difficult to wean off--I believe it. I know I was only on the medication for three days, but I did not feel myself during that time. I have read from those with BP2 that geodon was not very effective. | F | 30 | 3 days
| | 8/29/2009
| 5 | Depression/Anxiety/Bipolar2/ASD | Sleepy the first couple of days | This medicine saved my life, and within an hour of taking it. I started last Friday -today is TUesday- with a 5 mg, (yes, 5 mg, suspended in liquid) dose at 8:00 a.m. To put it in context I've always responded to the most minimal doses of meds. Within 15 minutes I felt pleasantly woozy, relaxed, sleepy, and safe. I rested and watched TV. I actually felt GOOD!!!!!! I DK how many X in my life I can say I've felt good, just been varying degrees of pain.I was pleasant, sweet Mommy, for the 1st X in a long X. I enjoyed my kids instead of being overwhelmed by the constant demands of my 2 teenagers on the autism spectrum and my 6th grader who's just trying to survive having non-neurotypical siblings. ADD 90% better. Patience, I have energy, I have love for my family....MInd you, friend said I sounded a little manic on the phone, and I'm xperiencing a ++Sex drive. Almost none before: bad relationship, depression, age or ?, it's nice to have my old friend back, but it does feels a little high octane. If I were younger this would maybe lead to impulsive behaviors. But I don't feel impulsive. It's a new experience, not to (re) act immediately on every whim. I feel grounded for the first time. I feel sunny, friendly, full of possibility. So today is day 5, I'm @ 7.5 mg 2x a day. 1st 3 days I slept after taking it, but not today. Gd lck, hope it works for U. 2 nights ago I got a heat headache. Maybe bc I took singulair. no singulair = no heat headache. | F | 50 | 5 days
| | 8/26/2009
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| 4 | BI POLAR | Sleepiness, dry mouth (frog in my throat constantly), clenching jaw, memory loss, trouble focusing or concentrating, weird dreams, muscle twitches, tremors, paranoia, blurred vision, appetite suppressiong (good thing!)body acne, sweating, tight muscles in neck and thighs, feel off balance, irritable at times, increased skin oiliness, dialated pupils otherwise it's doing its job. | I am at 160mg that I take at night because they knock me out. It took awhile before the sleepiness got any better in the mornings, it sometimes took hours, now its only about an hour. I feel I can tolorated most of the side effects in order to feel better which it does help with that. I just hope they go away eventually. | F | 30 | 2 months
| | 8/25/2009
| 2 | Bipolar I, mood stabilizer | FACIAL TINGLING, MOUTH TINGLING, HEAD TINGLING, TIRED IN THE MORNING, HALLUCINATIONS, TIGHTNESS OF MOUTH AND NECK AREA, ANXIETY, dry lips, no appetite, and shakiness | Started on 20mg in the morning and at night. Made me too tired. Now I am on 20 mg at night plus 10 mg of Lexapro at night plus 30 mg of Busipar for anxiety and 15 mg a day of Naltraxone. I don't know what it is but I don't feel like myself. I cannot have a conversation without getting tongue tied or nervous. My nerves are bad now. My head is always tingling including my tongue and neck. It gets tight when I get upset and yes I am still having mood swings. When I lie down, my body feels like its shaking inside. Maybe the medicine is counteracting with the Lexapro. I used to take 20mg of Lexapro and didn't have any side effects. Don't know what I should do... :( Maybe I should stop taking it. Gonna call the DR. tomorrow. | F | 30 | 10 days
| | 8/25/2009
| 5 | Bipolar | I definitely have to sleep 8-9 hours most nights. | This has been like a miracle drug for me. I was a low functioning person from about the age of 21-23. I have been taking Geodon since I was 23 and I have been a fully functional, very successful member of society since I have been on it. I tried to get off Geodon about 6 year ago abruptly and was suicidal and maniacal about 2 weeks later. Got back on the Geodon and I have been textbook healthy ever since. I don't miss pills anymore, as I can't sleep without it. I have successfully decreased dosage from 80mg to 60mg per day, but tried 40mg and couldn't sleep at night. | F | 29 | 6 years
| | 8/24/2009
| 3 | Bipolar II, anxiety, anger | EXTREME fatigue, foggy thoughts, restlessness, 17 hours of sleep, hunger | Took first pill 9 AM - couple of hours later I was unable to lift anything or walk. A few hours later I was so tired I wasn't even able to speak or form coherent thoughts. I have never in my life been this tired, not even in college pulling 3 all-nighters in a row. Despite the gatigue, my legs were restless and I felt like I NEEDED to move even thought I couldn't. The anxiety was absolutely gone, though, since I was unable to think at all. I don't think I'll be continuing with this drug. I've not read anything encouraging to make me think these effects will lessen or go away. I know it was only one day, but that is just how bad that one day was. | F | 25 | 1 days
| | 8/12/2009
| 3 | bipolar disorder | I have bipolar disorder geodon helps me sleep. I usually take it at night about 7:30 pm and I sleep through the night, however I need 8 or 9 hours of sleep to sleep off the medication. I take 160mg once daily at night | I have dry mouth and I am thirsty all time. I try not to drink too much otherwise I will be in the bathroom all day | F | 52 | 3 years
| | 8/9/2009
| 2 | Bipolar Disorder II | Extreme exhaustion in the mornings, suicidal thoughts, the higher the dosage the harder the fall when the medicine would stop working, small spasms in different body parts and muscle tension especially in neck and back not stopped by Benadryl. | This worked like a charm initially at 40mg (20mg 2x daily), then stopped and I dove into depression. Dosage was upped to 60mg 1x daily but then same thing happened but worse. Went to 120mg 2x daily and within a week, same thing happened again but much worse. I started self-mutilating, having almost constant suicidal thoughts, wanted to die from the storms in my mind. Had to take time off work many mornings for exhaustion even with 200mg Provigil prescribed. STOP THIS MEDICATION SLOWLY. | F | 25 | 8 months
| | 7/29/2009
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| 5 | Bi Polar | happiness,dry moouth,anxiety | i started taking it a bout a month ago. It is a miracle drug. I have had 3 years of insane depression and anger. I am happy and loving life again. I love this medicine. I can finnally be the dad to my 3 year old she deserves. | M | 29 | 1 months
| | 7/22/2009
| 1 | bipolar disorder | Drug-induced Psychosis, extreme confusion, suicidal delusions, muscle rigidity, jawlock, uncontrollable rapid tongue spasms. | I started taking geodon 2 years ago when I was diagnosed (inaccurately I believe) with bipolar type 1. I was 25 and psychotic (first and only time I've ever been "psychotic") and the geodon helped bring me down while I stayed at the hospital. I stayed on 60 mg for about half a year, then went down to 40 mg's for half a year, then 20 mg's for a month or two, then I stopped completely in March 2009. I felt a lot better, my acne cleared up, and I had less anxiety. I was back to my old self again. At the start of June I was feeling some anxiety and a little panicky, so I figured I needed my meds again, so I started on 20 mg's geodon. My anxiety got worse, so 2 weeks later I started on 40. At this point I was getting pretty tense and thought "I guess I am bipolar, I better take the dosage the doctor prescribed", and started taking 60. This is when extreme mania came over me and I was having a ton of paranoid delusions. My kids had to stay with family as I was out of control, trying to run away with the kids in the middle of the night because "somebody's coming to hurt us". I finally got to see a psychiatrist for 5 minutes and he upped my dosage to 120 mg's a day. This is when I turned into a delusional, confused zombie. My memory was shot and I couldn't think or talk about anything except what was happening in my delusional world. My back got curled forward, my arms would bend in front of me like a zombie, my jaw wouldn't open more than about 2 mm's, | F | 27 | 2 years
| | 7/12/2009
| 4 | schizophrenia | I have experienced tight muscles in back and neck as well as very clinched jaw muscles, BUT, these are NOT side effects, they are WITHDRAWAL symptoms which occurred anywhere from 4-6 hours before my next dose and when 1st starting the med. The doc had me on 80 mg 2x per day, and these withdrawals happened only after he switched me to 80 mg once per day. | The solution to avoiding the withdrawals is to take 20mg at morning and at noon, then 40 mg at bedtime. I am very happy with the way this med helps me to think so much more clearly. I have been told by old friends that I am like the "old me" before trauma to my head induced the psychosis of schizophrenia anytime I am overstressed. | M | 36 | 2 months
| | 7/6/2009
| 3 | bipolar disorder | After 3 years on 160 mg geodon, my dentist noticed that I grind my teeth a lot and recommended a night guard. At least a year later, I noticed that I choked when drinking water, bit my tongue a lot when eating and soon after that, began slurring my words. After ruling out a stroke, my doctor suggested going off geodon gradually. All symotoms disappeared. | At one time I thought it helped with my symptoms but have felt no change in my symptoms after going off it and have not replaced it with anything else. I was on it for 3 and a half years. | F | 61 |
| | 7/6/2009
| 1 | tourette's syndrome | I don't think I can be brief with this. Tremors, hand curling up, 2 trips to the emergency room for my muscles locking up, not able to sleep, ED almost as soon as I started taking it, and involuntary movement of my tongue. It stopped my ticks but now I have (probably permanent) severe tightness of the muscles in my neck and throat,and the muscles around my eyes are so tight that I constantly squint. The muscle tightness has also caused quite a bit of breathing difficulty. | This drug was apparently pushed to the market way to fast. When I finally told my doctor no more, I contacted Phizer for help and to get answers. They took all of my information then refused to talk to me any more. They said they would contact my doctor. Guess what--they never did! And now because I took this drug, I can't buy my own health insurance for 2 years after being off of the drug. | M | 47 | 4 years
| | 7/2/2009
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| 2 | Anxiety Depression Paranoid Schizop | I've been taking Geodon for about one year. I was up to 240 mg a day. Now I'm 80 mg. I hate this medicine! If I don't take it I'm awake all night. I can't sleep if I don't take it. It has really messed up my sleep patterns. When I went down to 80 mg I gained 20 lbs. I hate having to eat something when I take it because I work swing shift and so I have to eat late at night. | I want to go off this medicine. I don't think it has really helped me anyways. I'm afraid to go off this medicine because I won't be able to sleep. Has anyone had problems with going off this medicine after taking it for awhile? I would really like some feedback about this. Thanks! | F | 26 | 1 years
| | 6/21/2009
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| 1 | Bipolar | I was diagnosed bipolar just because of my family history, I don't have it! Anyhow my doc started me on 20mg and I was ok but feeling anxiety 8 hours after taking it, so he increased me to 40mg. The first night I woke up to use the restroom, used it and came back to the room and fell smack dab into my son's dresser, surprised I didn't knock any teeth out. Husband had to put me back to bed I was so weak. Called the nurse who agreed I should eat with the dosage the 2nd night. Did that and 2 hours later could hardly walk or talk. Started getting the shiver/shakes and getting weaker after hours so ended up in the ER. This was the worst 8 hours of my life. They did nothing for me but take tests at the hospital. I've done natural childbirth and that was 10x's easier than this. All my other docs and people around me agree I'm not bipolar, this is crazy! Not taking any meds unless I'm dying next time around.
| | F | 40 | 20 days
| | 6/15/2009
| 1 | Depression | This is the devil drug, I have been on a few drugs over the last 10yrs and this is the worst. So sleepy in the mornings and had a sense of beng drugged up, but was also tweeking like I was on cocaine..Rapid heatbeats freaked me out too. The only good thing was I lost 8lbs in 3 weeks. I felt worse on this drug and towards the end was thinking about taking my own life because of the way i was feeling. It may work for some but not me. | | F | 3 | 3 weeks
| | 6/2/2009
| 1 | Bipolar | I have been on Geodon 60 MG for one week. I have been feeling extremely anxious. Crawling in my skin. Colors, smells and sensations are intense. Can't eat. Took double ambien dose and still couldn't sleep. Took ativan and still didn't relieve my anxiety. Go from manic to an irritated mixed state. Frightened of everything. Feel "out of it". Can't drive. Speech problems. I missed a dose and I already feel more "with it". It's hard to describe. I'm getting the hell off this medication. It's MAKING me crazy. | | F | 21 | 7 days
| | 5/30/2009
| 1 | schizophrenia | Body aches, tremors, eye twitch, involuntary muscle movements when lying down. | I started taking Geodon about a year after it was on the market. No real research to look up. No chat rooms. My Psych doctor said it was new and effective, yes the Geodon was EFFECTIVE for controlling my symptoms. However I can't recommend this drug except as a last resort. I developed debilitating headaches into the sixth year I was taking the drug. I had every test in the book and the doctors felt that the Geodon (which after six years NOW had a track record)was responsible. I weaned off the Geodon slowly and it was He[[ and it is STILL He[[. It's been FIVE MONTHS and I still have the debilitating headaches as well as body aches and nausea and vomiting. Weird vomiting too, like one minute it's not there and bam.... This drug needs an updated warning on it's label warning patients that they might never get off this sh*t. It needs the Psych doctors really understanding what the drug does to people and the consumer needs to understand that it is like heroin to get off... Seriously evil. I've been suffering with severe headaches for a year and withdrawal AND headaches both for five months. How much longer?? Is this permanent?? Even Pfitzer doesn't know. Yes, Schizophrenia is scary and serious but Geodon is scarier and in many respects... worse!! | M | 25 | 6 years
| | 5/29/2009
| 4 | BP II | After 1 week these subsided: drowsiness, headaches, lightheadedness if I got up too fast, no appetite (still dealing with this one), euphoric feelings right after dosage and BAD diarrhea. | I would not recommend taking Geodon. I take 40mg twice daily (so 80mg all together). It helps me tremendously but its hell to get off. I tried tapering myself down a bit just to see if I'd lose some of the 10 lbs I gained after starting it and had horrible withdrawals. Research Geodon withdrawals and decide if you want to take this drug. Your body and brain form a major addiction to it. With any drug, don't take the pdoc's word, research, get second opinions, don't just take the script, fill it and then start taking it. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. I learned the hard way. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come off it. | F | 28 | 4 months
| | 5/26/2009
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