[GoldenSnitch]

Any success stories with this med? New pdoc = complete med revamp again. I’ve only been on it a couple of days so I’m not sure what to expect. I was on zyprexa and Prozac from the last time I was IP but zyprexa made me gain a ton of weight and Prozac did nothing for me. I’m trying to remain hopeful that I’ll find meds that work for me without the huge list of side effects.

[wildflowerchild25]

It made me fall asleep but did not otherwise treat my mania. And I believe it’s one of the ones that you need to eat a small meal or snack with when you take it. But I’m not sure.

[still_crazy]

no personal experience, but...it causes a lot less weight gain and metabolic issues than many other 'atypical' tranquilizers. some people find it helpful w/ mood problems, too.

cardiovascular problems are a possibility. i think the shrink is supposed to make sure you're a-OK for treatment with an EKG or...something (done by a different doctor, of course). Or maybe not, I could be wrong.

Here, it was marketed as Geodon. I knew a couple people on it, they were OK with it. One dude had a minor tremor going, but I think that could have been lithium.

[AspiringAuthor]

It is my favorite med and the only one that induces no side effects in me. The problem for me is that when I am anxious, I cannot eat. My solution is to take Zyprexa in place of Geodon (Zeldox) if I was unable to eat dinner. It took me awhile to develop this plan that uses two meds, but I am very glad I did.

The meal is necessary for Zeldox to be absorbed by the body. It is very important and I had breakthrough symtptoms building up to a hospitalization before I developed this "Zyprexa as a stopgap" approach and was instead taking Geodon without a full supper.

If it is not an issue for you to eat a proper supper, disregard the above, please.

This med Zeldox (Geodon/ziprasidone) was helpful for me for years with no side effects. Well, in the very very beginning it made me very sleepy, but that eventually wore off, especially when I reached higher doses like 160 mg.

I say helpful, but not perfect because even at 160 mg (along with Tegretol and Lamictal) it wasn't always completely powerful enough to stop my mania. I had to have a second antipsychotic added. However, when my pdoc took me off Geodon, I became manic on just the remaining mix, so the Geodon was helpful to a degree.

I eventually had to go off Geodon. Though it was virtually side effect free for 5.5 years, after that it started to give me bad akathisia. I'm not sure why it took that long. Anyway, getting off Geodon was rough. I had withdrawals and mania came back again. Instead of going back on it again my pdoc raised my Seroquel XR higher and higher.

I'd definitely recommend Geodon be tried. For some people it works sufficiently. Again, it can be quite side effect friendly. It was very weight friendly for me. I had a normal BMI most of the time I was on it.

[GoldenSnitch]

Thanks for your replies!

[AspiringAuthor]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

I eventually had to go off Geodon. Though it was virtually side effect free for 5.5 years, after that it started to give me bad akathisia. I'm not sure why it took that long. Anyway, getting off Geodon was rough. I had withdrawals and mania came back again. Instead of going back on it again my pdoc raised my Seroquel XR higher and higher.

Did the akathisia start when Seroquel was added to the mix, or, when Geodon was the sole AP? I am asking because for me, Seroquel induced akathisia, as did Zyprexa at higher doses OR Zyprexa in combination with Geodon, but not Geodon alone. As far as I know from talking to various pdocs, sometimes a combo induces effects that individual drugs do not induce by themselves.

Originally Posted by AspiringAuthor

Did the akathisia start when Seroquel was added to the mix, or, when Geodon was the sole AP? I am asking because for me, Seroquel induced akathisia, as did Zyprexa at higher doses OR Zyprexa in combination with Geodon, but not Geodon alone. As far as I know from talking to various pdocs, sometimes a combo induces effects that individual drugs do not induce by themselves.

I had been on at least a low dose of Seroquel XR up to around 400 mg for most of the years I was on Geodon. I do not think that Seroquel XR in combination with Geodon caused my akathisia. I think it was solely Geodon that caused it. It took me a while to get off the Geodon because of withdrawals and mood lability, but when I finally got off a little over a year ago the akathisia was gone. I'm currently on 600 mg Seroquel XR with high dose Tegretol XR and low dose Lamictal (plus a little benzo) and I no longer have akathisia. It's a huge relief. Believe me! My psychiatrist has told me that Seroquel has about the lowest incidence of EPS of any antipsychotic. I've read that, too. It is also less apt to cause hyperprolactinemia than others, especially Risperdal and Invega.

I really like Seroquel XR a lot! The side effects are minimal for me. Perhaps it's not quite as weight friendly as Geodon, but for me it is much more weight friendly than most other antipsychotics. Right now I am a bit overweight, but no more than I once was before ever taking medications 15 years ago. I'm currently dieting without that much trouble. Seroquel XR is helpful for both my mania and depression, as well as sleep and anxiety. Geodon only helped with my mania, and not sufficiently.

[GoldenSnitch]

Originally Posted by BirdDancer

I had been on at least a low dose of Seroquel XR up to around 400 mg for most of the years I was on Geodon. I do not think that Seroquel XR in combination with Geodon caused my akathisia. I think it was solely Geodon that caused it. It took me a while to get off the Geodon because of withdrawals and mood lability, but when I finally got off a little over a year ago the akathisia was gone. I'm currently on 600 mg Seroquel XR with high dose Tegretol XR and low dose Lamictal (plus a little benzo) and I no longer have akathisia. It's a huge relief. Believe me! My psychiatrist has told me that Seroquel has about the lowest incidence of EPS of any antipsychotic. I've read that, too. It is also less apt to cause hyperprolactinemia than others, especially Risperdal and Invega.


I really like Seroquel XR a lot! The side effects are minimal for me. Perhaps it's not quite as weight friendly as Geodon, but for me it is much more weight friendly than most other antipsychotics. Right now I am a bit overweight, but no more than I once was before ever taking medications 15 years ago. I'm currently dieting without that much trouble. Seroquel XR is helpful for both my mania and depression, as well as sleep and anxiety. Geodon only helped with my mania, and not sufficiently.

I really wish I liked seroquel. I was only on it a short time but it made me so tired that I couldn’t function. I couldn’t get out of bed. I was living in a daze. And I wasn’t on that high of a dose. But it didn’t go away like it does with other meds I’ve tried. I can’t hold down a job if I’m on seroquel

[downandlonely]

I haven't tried Zeldox, but I hope it helps you.

[Unrigged64072835]

I was on Geodon for a few months. It worked great. Like Latuda, you need to eat 350 calories before taking it.

Unfortunately it's one of the worst meds for prolonged QT heart rhythm, and since I'm susceptible to that I had to stop taking it. It was to the point where the cardiologist said I needed to be off it right away. That sucked.

[~Christina]

I tried it last year , took it for a month. Hated everything about it. Was a constant head zapping. I quit it cold turkey and it was total hell , I was hot/cold, vomiting, I literally can’t remember about 3 days. It was like the flu x a million.

But I hear so many good things about it is why I tried it.

I hope it works well for you.