[Hopeful Camel]

I see my pdoc tomorrow and the plan is to move me off of zyprexa due to weight gain [went from 170 to 210lbs. I'm 5'11" woman] I've been doing some internet research, you know, the dangerous kind, lol. I'm thinking I might want to try geodon. Has anyone tried it? I'd like to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. I'd also like to hear about anyone having any luck finding a weight neutral atypical anti-psychotic.

Thank you in advance!

I HATE med changes!

[Guiness187055]

For me Abilify is a weight neutral anti psychotic. I take 20mg and no change in appetite.

Geodon was weight neutral for me. Completely. I took 160 mg per day for about 5.5 years. Initially, it was sedating, but that eased over time and I even started having trouble sleeping. Also, at one point it stopped having sufficient antimanic strength for me (perhaps related), so a second antipsychotic had to be added, but I have bipolar type 1 and can lean in the manic direction. I've heard others say it was strong enough for them, though.

Three and a half years in to my Geodon treatment, it started giving me akathisia. It was nice I had at least that period without it. Since by that time I was on the second antipsychotic, my psychiatrist attempted to take me off Geodon. That started destabilizing me, showing that Geodon did have at least some efficacy for me. He changed his mind and put me back up to 160 mg.

My akathisia grew worse over time despite being on a beta blocker (propranolol). My psychiatrist added Cogentin, which helped, but gave me bad dry mouth and worse, severe constipation. That didn't fly. So we used my benzo Ativan to ease the akathisia. That helped, but it would wear off over night and I'd be suffering the next morning until the Ativan kicked in again. I just had to get off the Geodon. The akathisia was hurting my quality of life. So we started weaning me off again.

Geodon was the hardest medication to get off to date. Bad withdrawals! It took me months to get to 0 mg, but the akathisia thankfully disappeared. I did, however, have to have my Seroquel XR dose increased to battle mania. I was on 350 mg when taking 160 mg Geodon. Now off Geodon I'm on 550 mg, or usually 600 mg.

Besides decreasing my med cocktail and eliminating akathisia, going off Geodon seemed to lower my triglycerides. Coincidence? I don't think so. Going off didn't lower my cholesterol, though. I have gained about 12 lbs since going off Geodon and having my Seroquel XR dose raised (about one year ago).

People on Geodon should ideally have an occasional EKG. It can affect the heart in some people, though very few. I never had such a problem.

I don't recommend battling akathisia with a benzo. It's taking me a while to get off Ativan completely. We tried to get me to 0 mg (and use just as a prn), but I had withdrawals.

I lost 40 lbs on a low carb diet in a 6 month period on the combo of Lithium ER, Tegretol XR, Lamictal, and Geodon. All were weight friendly for me. [Yes, even Lithium.] I maintained all but 8 to 10 lbs of that loss for four and a half years, maintaining a normal BMI. I'm in my 40s.

Abilify, Navane, and Seroquel XR doses of 350 mg and below were weight neutral for me, too.

Regular Seroquel was never weight friendly for me, but wasn't as unfriendly as Zyprexa, Invega, Risperdal, and Perphanazine (Trilafon).

[~Christina]

Invega was weight neutral for me.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Geodon gave me ocular dystonia. My eyes rolled back in my bed uncontrollably

[Victoria'smom]

Abilify was weight neutral for me

[sarahsweets]

I am on geodon and it saved my life. Minimal if any weight gain.

[Aurelius710]

Antipsychotics seem to consistently screw with my blood sugar. Now, I'm naturally a big guy I'll grant you, but I never seem to get the diabetes talk until I'm on a AP, and it all seems to go away once I stop taking them.

Weight gain for me seems to be drastic and fast. I gained 60lbs in six months on one AP and 30lbs in a month and a half on a second. Now, I've made my peace with not being Mr. Universe, but that level of weight gain was disconcerting.

I'm on Abilify now and it works. The sad part is is that I'm facing the exact same problems. Elevated triglycerides on a blood test (potential sign of diabetes) and a gain of 15-20lbs in the month that I've been on it have my doctors concerned as well they should.

So, the dilemma: Do I risk becoming diabetic in the interests of, I would say, near guaranteed stability? Or do I risk my psychiatric health in the interests of my physical health.

This sucks.

I used to be on Geodon after Seroquel and I lost a lot of weight on it (like 30 pounds in a month). It didn't work very well for me so I had to come off of it. I'm on Zyprexa now.

[MickeyCheeky]

I hope you'll find the right meds combination for you, Hopeful Camel! Just remember that different meds can have different effects on different people. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. Sending many hugs to you

[pat86]

I have used 500mg of ER Metformin twice a day with meals.

This helps a lot in preventing any new weight gain.

It takes sugar out of your liver and muscle fibers before it has a chance to be turned into fat. It also reduces your cravings for bad carbs and prevents insulin resistance.

[BipolaRNurse]

Geodon has been weight-neutral for me. I did gain weight initially when Zyprexa was added to my med regimen five years ago, and then again when my dose increased last summer. But it leveled off and I'm not continuing to gain, I just need to deal with what I put on since then.

[AspiringAuthor]

Geodon was weight neutral for me and even allowed me to lose weight, but it ultimately was not enough to combat manic tendencies, for one, and, for another, it did not help with sleep and my main issue is sleep. Zyprexa works like magic for sleep, so I am staying with Zyprexa. I gained a ton of weight, but now have started to reverse some of the gain thanks to Topomax, which also helps against the racing thoughts that even Zyprexa could not fully erase (but Topomax erased, at a low dose - a majestic medication).

Geodon also seemed to cause occasional but very bad panic attacks. Once I ended up in ER with a panic attack and uncontrollable pacing - I could not stand still in the ER waiting area.

Geodon in combination with Zyprexa produced akathisia, but by itself it did not cause akathisia. All in all I took it for several years. As far as weight neutrality goes, it is definitely one of the better antipsychotics out there.