Geodon Withdrawal

Has anyone ever weaned off Geodon? If so, did you experience any symptoms? I take 20 mg and that is the lowest dose they make. My doctor said I could try taking it every other day if I want to taper. She didn't seem to think I would have any problems, but I can't help but be a little worried.

I looked up withdrawal symptoms and the list is long. I feel like I can handle most of them. However, the list also contains psychosis, anxiety, hallucinations, depression and mania. SMH! I am wondering how one could know if they are experiencing relapse vs. withdrawal symptoms.

Now I'm a bit more nervous. I cannot put my children through psychosis mommy again.

i took it for years at 80 and tapered down slowly then stopped I believe at 20 . . . the only bad result (side effect) I had was I could not sleep for months . . it took about 2 years to feel completely back to a normal sleep pattern . . . . but remember everyone if different . . .

Hi fern. Yes, I had a heck of a time getting off of Geodon. Honestly, it was the hardest bipolar medication to get off of for me, yet.

I took 160 mg for about 5 1/2 years. I started being weaned off at that point after more than a year of extremely terrible akathisia. Geodon was initially very side effect friendly for me, until the akathisia started about 4 to 4 1/2 years in. It definitely did help calm my manias, but never did a full job when really needed. I needed a second antipsychotic added, and that was in addition to Lithium (900 mg), Lamictal (100 mg), Tegretol (1400 mg), and Klonopin (0.5 mg). All of those at the same time.

When my psychiatrist started to wean me off, I was OK after the first 20 mg was removed, and then the second. Then I started to become manic AND had withdrawal effects that included: headaches, upset stomach, loss of appetite, heartburn/indigestion, morning sweating, and anxiety. My doctor kept me at 120 mg for several weeks, then attempted to reduce to 100 mg. I got sick again, so he put me back on 120 mg because it was the holiday period. I was again on 120 mg for weeks, then down to 100 mg for some weeks. Then when I reached 80 mg, the withdrawal effects started again and I was getting manic again. All along, my Seroquel XR dose was going up, up, and up.

I think my psychiatrist kept me at 80 mg for several weeks again. Then I finally reached 60 mg and maybe he went away on his long vacation. Then 40 mg for a while. Then 20 mg. Again, Seroquel XR had to go up and up because of mood breakthroughs. At 20 mg, he considered having a compounding center create a 10 mg pill, but I decided to just go for the 0 mg. I finally managed. According to a history I took, it was about a year for me getting off because of withdrawals, holidays, vacations, mood issues, etc.

At the end of the Geodon, I was up to 600 mg of Seroquel XR, like I am now. Also, I had dependence on Ativan, because I had been taking that to curb the akathisia for years. I think the akathisia disappeared around 60 mg of Geodon, but I had to wean off that slowly, too.

oh boy. geez. I take Geodon twice a day. 60 am and 80 pm. that's quite a lot I suppose. I'm not looking forward to any of those withdrawal symptoms if my PDoc decides to change my AP down the line. and to think I did start at 20 mg in the very beginning years ago, but, my moods and mania started to spiral out of control. I hope you'll be ok. you'll get thru it. stay strong. keep us posted, too. sorry I wasn't much help...

While I haven’t been on geodon I did taper abilify which is also an antipsychotic, it took around a year to do and you generally can cut pills with a pill cutter into half’s or quarters....I was off entirely for 9 months but then I started having symptoms again.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was a good sleeper before Geodon, so I hope to be afterward. I started off taking it in the morning and it hit me hard. I was a zombie during the day and needed a 2 hour nap just to get by.

I switched to taking it at night and that was better. I started having vivid dreams that were sometimes disturbing, but it was an improvement.

I feel like I'd be able to tolerate reduced sleep ok. I used to be up all hours of the night feeding my kids a few years back. It isnt optimal, but doable. Thanks again.

That all sounds like Hell. I'm glad you got through it eventually. I asked my doctor about having a 10mg pill made for me and she laughed. I am very sensitive to chemicals. For example, a small dose of Benadryl makes my heart palpitate and gives me hallucinations. The starter dose of Depakote made my heart race 150bpm.

I weaned off Risperdal while I was on Geodon. I didn't notice any sympyoms with that, so I am hopeful maybe this will be similar.

I researched how these drugs work. They block recpetors of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. The brain then compensates by creating additional receptors. You then go off meds and your brain becomes ultra sensitive to dopamine and seratonin due to the extra receptors. I think that explains why it can throw one into mania so easily.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Thanks Jedi! I have no idea how you can take that much and still stand. 20mg kicked my butt. You're much more tolerant than I am. Maybe that's a good sign if you ever have to change meds?

I'll keep you guys posted. I'm going to drop to every other day in two weeks when I get home from vacation.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was able to do that recently with Risperdal. My Geodon is in a capsule form, so unfortunately I won't be able to cut it.

9 months is a good break. I am hopeful I can stay stable that long or maybe go as long as my mother has. She experienced mania with psychosis and decided meds weren't for her. She got rid of the triggers and bad habits in her life and did everything she could to stay healthy. She's been stable for 15 years. The doctors really don't have a good explanation for our episodes. My doctor informed me yesterday we will potentially never know what's wrong with me.

O. M. G.

I have dropped meds left and right and really had no problems but...

Geodon?? Damn. I was put on it for situational stuff and of course it didn’t help but we gave it a whirl.

I tried to taper slow but felt such nausea. So in famous Christina fashion I said “ screw you! I’m done”

I was living in Florida for 8 months and it was July or August and I hit day 2 without and I felt like I was coming down with the flu. The roughly 5-7 days following , according to my husband I was dripping sweat one minute then covered in blankets shivering, starving but even water or Gatorade made me so nauseous I barely kept some of it down , some not at all.

I guess day 2 my husband called my Pdoc and asked what to do , she said since I was 2 days in and so sick but was determined to be off to let me ride it out as long as I didn’t get dehydrated, stay hot or cold depending on my needs, to increase my Xanax to every 4-6 hours... if I had a temp over 101 he needed to take me to the ER

Well I finally started to feel better.

I saw my Pdoc maybe 2-3 weeks later and she said soooooo heard you had a rough ride dumping it ?? I said well YES what I remember anyway lol

Since we tried it for the PTSD problem she understood my anger and didn’t feel the need to make a big deal out of it. She was a really great Pdoc, I was so lucky to find her. She tried so hard to help me and was overjoyed when I last saw her and let her know we were moving home.

So my advice .... try to gooooo slow and keep your Pdoc in the loop.

It was very very unpleasant for reals.

Just remember that tapering is this crazy thing that is totally unpredictable, even with the same person.

I posted this in the check-in post but I just dropped .25 mg of klonopin (that's not much; my dose a year ago before my first taper was 2 mg and 1 mg PRN). I've been shocked at how different the withdrawal has been this time. It's been almost nothing and last time I really felt bad for a while.

My pdoc would definitely have me do every other day for a while because I'm med sensitive and a fast drop would be hard. The only times I've come off without at least a little taper is if a side effect means I need to stop immediately.

hi. the going recommendation on The Internet seems to be 10% per month, if you can tolerate it. My personal advice would be to ask for valium or gabapentin...some kind of pleasant sedative...to breeze thru it. just a thought.

I have not taken Geodon myself. I did watch my H go through it. He'd needed some klonopin to help him through.
I totally agree with still_crazy's suggestion of keeping the taper at 10% (or below) each time the taper drops (or is calculated).
Too often, the dose %, set for each decrease is far too high, some as high as 50% and higher.
I wish you the very best as you taper off of Geodon.

I don't have much to add to this discussion, but I'm really happy that ALL the other wise, wonderful posters did! Just wanted to let you know that I'm rooting for you and so is everyone else, I'm sure! Please keep us updated on your situation. We're ALL cheering you on! I'll keep you in my Thoughts and Prayers, @fern46. Please be careful and talk to your Pdoc if any problems show up. I'm sure you'll get through this as you seem REALLY wise! I'm really happy you have a family supporting you. Sending many safe, warm hugs to BOTH You, @fern46, Your Family, Your Friends and ALL Of Your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking as much as you possibly can like you're already wonderfully doing all and entirely by yourself!

Woah, that sounds pretty awful. Thanks for sharing your experience. I read flu like symptoms are common. Now that I think of it, I went through a few days of terrible nausea around the time I dropped Risperdal. I assumed I had a stomach bug, but maybe it was drug related.

I have some zofran on hand for nausea. It is a miracle worker. I'm ok with the rest of what you describe as long as it ends with my body being clean.

It is a good suggestion to keep my pdoc updated as I go. It may also help educate her as she really had no idea what to expect.

Thanks! I had no idea the process could take so long. I'm glad you're getting through it. My doctor basically left the tapering plan up to me. I feel like she has no idea what I am in for. I only knew to anticipate symptoms because so many of you have shared your journeys since I've been a member here.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm already at the lowest dose, so I'm planning to start with every other day. I will have 14 pills left in my prescription when I start. I plan to do 14 days of every other day and then every third day after that.

I'm a bit afraid of benzos after some recent research I did. I've read the addiction rates are high and they also come with their own withdrawal symptoms.

My therapist uses a number of herbal supplements for anxiety. She recommended Holy basil for stress and anxiety. I might try that.

Thanks WC! I appreciate the support. I'm gearing up to be uncomfortable and push through it. I'm pretty stubborn, so I think I'll be able to weather through as long as I'm mentally prepared. Having the support of you guys is a huge comfort.

Thanks Mickey! You are always so wonderfully loving and supportive. I think I speak for many when I say we are blessed to have you. I really appreciate the vote of confidence. It is thinking like this that will help keep me focused even if things get rough.

For me, Geodon soon lost its sedating effects entirely. It was at low doses, but at higher ones (I took mostly 160 mg, 80 morn/80 evening) for years and mostly slept only four hours per night and had manias develop. I had to have Seroquel XR added.

That makes sense. I had no idea how you guys were handling it.

Thanks for this thread! I take a high dose of Geodon each night for sleep and my NP is wanting to taper down to a low dose or go off it completely. There are some eye opening experiences here. I will be sure we take it slowly and carefully.

I wish you the best of luck and a smooth transition coming off Geodon.

Thank you! I agree. I'm so grateful for what everyone has shared.

I'll let you know how it goes. We can be taper buddies if you decide to go that route.