[Cychotic]

I have been on several SSRI / SNRIs for a while now with varying degrees of success. I have always been unable to explain the agitation, anger and the cycling from being down in absolute dumps to top of the world on a daily basis. I agree with the Bipolar 2 diagnosis as it makes so much sense now.

So the P doc took me off Cymbalta as it was no longer working after 2 years and was making me very very drowsy at work and keeping me up at night. I am on Pristiq 50 mg for 2 weeks now and while I can see I am no longer tired or drowsy at work and I do sleep better at night, I still cycle enough every day to make me angry and agitated for no reason whatsoever.

I wake up very sad and depressed and once I take my Pristiq I feel a lot better in an hour or two. By the time I get to work I am severely agitated and slightly Hypomanic. The mania helps my Alpha profile at work as I get more done everyday in a high performing job than I am actually capable of in my depressed state. I can't afford to slack at work as the company and my skill set are very competitive. So no drowsy drugs for me.

I went back to the P doc today and she gave me two options to add to my Pristiq prescription - Abilify 5 mg once a day or Geodon 40mg once at bedtime. Either drug I choose is supposed to have a "Mood Stabilizing" effect I am told. However, when I read up on the internet; Abilify looks like it will energize me more and I will get more done at work. On the contrary, Geodon seems to help you sleep better and since I can't take it twice a day due to drowsiness concerns already informed by my P doc, wouldn't it leave my body by the time I wake up and then I would cycle again?

Latuda is not yet available in my country though she said it should be here soon and is a better drug for me. Lamictal/Tegretol have been ruled out due to some Steve Johnson syndrome that would be hard to detect due to my widespread Psoriasis.

Anybody here on a SSRI / SNRI + either Geodon or Abilify please let me know what to expect.

[Victoria'smom]

I really like abilify both myself and husband have been on it, so has my child. None of us have tried Gedon.

[SingDanceRunLife]

I have been on both Abilify and Geodon. Abilify is one of the worst meds I've ever been on -- within 2 weeks it made me more depressed than I'd ever been before. Geodon worked well stabilizing my mood, but I had to take it all at night because it made me so tired, and, it gave me a really bad tremor, so overall it's not a good drug for me. Good luck!

[Cychotic]

Thanks both for sharing. I took my first Geodon 20mg today and eagerly waiting for Latuda to launch here.

Please share which mood stabilizers work for you.

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[paz57]

My daughter was on ability seemed to help very much.She became very constipated and stopped taking it after they increased dosage.She also took Geodon briefly in hospital it did seem to work well. Good luck

[TryingToMoveForward]

I have been on both. Geodon made me gain a ton of weight, made me a zombie, and gave me very bad tremors. I had several other side effects and ended up taking 11 pills a day because the side effects had side effects. I don't remember much about Abilify. I wasn't on it for very long, so I guess the psychiatrist decided it didn't work for me. But a lot of people have positive things to say about it, and I didn't experience any side effects while on it.

So with that in mind, just go with trial and error. Geodon might work really well for you. But I want you to be aware of potential side effects like tremors, vertigo, weight gain, constipation or diarrhea...It did something else, but I can't remember what. I was so over medicated I barely recall that period in time, but I know the psychiatrist put me on a pill to counter a side effect. Sorry I can't remember.

[Cychotic]

Originally Posted by TryingToMoveForward

I have been on both. Geodon made me gain a ton of weight, made me a zombie, and gave me very bad tremors. I had several other side effects and ended up taking 11 pills a day because the side effects had side effects. I don't remember much about Abilify. I wasn't on it for very long, so I guess the psychiatrist decided it didn't work for me. But a lot of people have positive things to say about it, and I didn't experience any side effects while on it.

So with that in mind, just go with trial and error. Geodon might work really well for you. But I want you to be aware of potential side effects like tremors, vertigo, weight gain, constipation or diarrhea...It did something else, but I can't remember what. I was so over medicated I barely recall that period in time, but I know the psychiatrist put me on a pill to counter a side effect. Sorry I can't remember.

What are you on now and is it helping your bipolar disorder?


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[TryingToMoveForward]

Originally Posted by Cychotic

What are you on now and is it helping your bipolar disorder?


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I was on Geodon and Abilify for psychotic symptoms, not so much being bipolar. They treat both.

Right now I'm on Saphris. It tastes terrible but it doesn't cause weight gain or nasty side effects. It's an anti-psychotic and treats mood disorders. I have a couple of psychotic features with my Bipolar II diagnosis. They're not that severe, but are worse when I am hypomanic. I take lithium and LamICTal. Which are also mood stablizers. The psychiatrist said I might not need them all, but since I seem to be having seizure symptoms, I'm staying on LamICTal a bit longer, because it treats seizures too.

Those are the only psych meds I take. And I hope to keep it that way. I don't want to be on 11 pills again. That was utterly ridiculous. I hate medication, but we need it to function. Sometimes I admit, its a chore to take them...I really don't want to. But you absolutely need to, no matter how good you feel. This is the first time I've been without an anti-depressant since I was in my early twenties. So far, so good.

[raspberrytorte]

Geodon worked very well for me, but in the end it gave me heart problems so I had to stop taking it.

Abilify gave me really bad akathesia so I had to stop taking it.

Good luck!

[SingDanceRunLife]

Originally Posted by Cychotic

Thanks both for sharing. I took my first Geodon 20mg today and eagerly waiting for Latuda to launch here.

Please share which mood stabilizers work for you.

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I love Latuda. It works great for me. The other 2 that have been good for me are Seroquel and Zyprexa. Regular Zyprexa makes me gain weight, but the Zydis version doesn't. And Seroquel doesn't make me gain weight either. Latuda suppresses my appetite a bit.

[fishin fool]

I was on Abilify for a while and gained 20 pounds in four months.
I told my pdoc that I was done with it and refused to stay on it.
As soon as I stopped I started losing the weight.