Geodon vs. Lithium

Hello. I am bipolar 2. I was put on Geodon and was on it for about 4 weeks. I had a dystonic reaction. For those who don't know what that is. It sucked. I started shaking really bad and kept passing out. All of my muscles became stiff and I could barely move. My muscles were so weak that I couldn't even hold my head up. I thought I was dying. So, I went to the emergency room and they gave me Benadryl and Mecklazine. Don't know if I spelled that right or not. Anyway, I was fine in about 30 minutes after taking those. I was told by the ER doctor that it's a pretty rare thing to happen. Not trying to scare anyone or anything. I loved the Geodon though. It's the first time in my life that I've ever felt "ok". I don't have the high of most bipolar people. I have low and really low. Anyway, I went to my doctor the following day and she decided to put me on Lithium. I just have a few questions/concerns. I've been on the Lithium for about a week now. I'm scared of having another reaction like this. But, my main concern is how extremely depressed I've become since being on the Geodon. I don't know if it's just because I finally felt "normal" for awhile or if it's something more. Maybe the lithium isn't working yet? I don't know. I also recently found out that my brother and my sister are bolth on Lamictal. Sorry about the spelling again. I told my doctor about this and she wants to put me on it later when I'm steady on the Lithium. I just don't know if it's the wisest course of action. I am so depressed. What should I do? Should I just listen to my doctor and tough it out? I've even been suicidal lately, which if you knew me is really off.

hi bella.

have you discussed with your doc being put on any sort of anti-depressant? is she aware that you are having thoughts of suicide? i don't have BP myself, but i'm on 2 anti-depressants and am soon to start lithium to augment those, so i know a combination like that is possible (but i'm not sure if it's *advisable* for someone who has a different diagnosis).

please let your doctor know (if you haven't already) about your thoughts. there is no reason for you to tough it out if there is something else she can think of that might help relieve your pain. my doc has given my zyprexa (an antipsychotic) to take when i'm feeling suicidal - it helps numb all my emotions, and i only take it for a little while - until the new drugs i'm starting kick in and start doing their work.

maybe something like that would work for you?

xo deli

Hi sweetie, you sound like you are having a terrible time. I am also bp type 2 and a couple of other things. Anti-depressants can cause a manic reaction if you didn't know that even though they are great for depression. I started on lithium last year and my psych also put me on an antidepressant(avanza) because I was also suicidal and we needed something until the Lithium kicked in. It can take a while. The avanza was horrible and made me really sick so he put me on a antipsychotic which had been on many times before(Olanzapine) and that worked a treat although I did put weight on from it. The lithium is great now and I came of the olanzapine about 4 months ago. I am 1000mg lithium per day and diazepam(valium) when I need it. If you don't have lithium toxicity, you should eventually slip quite nicely into it. I did notice some side effects when I first started - tremors, short-term memory loss, polyuria, inability to concentrate, stuff like that. I swear by the stuff now though. Hope that helps.

Thank you so much for your input. It helps alot to know that it takes awhile. I actually called my doc today and she told me to stop taking it. I feel so frustrated because this is really hard on me mentally. I've been going without meds for about 4 years now and it seems like all of this on and off stuff is making it worse. Did you feel like that when you switched meds? I'm going to go see my doc again tomorrow. I'm hoping this time we can figure out a keeper cuz I'm so tired of this roller coaster. So, how long have you been on the lithium now? Well, thanks again.

Wow, thank you so much for your suggestion. I'm deffinetly going to bring that up with her when I see her tomorrow. I didn't even know there was anything like that out there. It sure would help alot. Thanks again.

Lithium is definitely a drug that you have to watch for toxicity levels. When I took it I felt like a zombie. Talk to your t about the suicidal feelings-it's very common to have those if you've been off&on meds for years. I've finally realized that I HAVE to take meds 100% of the time or I can't function properly-my behavior gets too bizarre. Too bad the Geodon didn't work out-I take 80mg a day&have felt increasingly better. Sounds like you had an allergic reaction to the Geodon. I understand the disappointment in finding a med that makes you feel better&then having to change it because of reactions&side effects that are intolerable. My bad drug reaction came from taking Depakote. I felt a lot better but it affected my vision&my ankles swelled up until the were wider than my foot! Good luck on getting your meds cleared up!

When you said doctor in your original post do you mean psychiatrist? I wonder if you are getting specialist advice. Obviously if you are feeling suicidal it is natural for your doctor to want to find a quick solution but as someone wisely mentioned, it can make you worse. Olanzapine like I stated earlier worked a treat and helped keep the suicidal ideation at bay. It also has a sedating effect and made me a bit fuzzy around the edges. I also used it for insomnia as tranquilisers and sleeping tablets didn't work for me. I have been mentally ill for about 16 years now and I can't even count how much medication I have been on and what I found was that some drugs had an easy transition and some didn't. I absolutely know your frustration. It can even be terrifying. The thing is that everyone is different and reacts to drugs independantly. I was put on lithium on a lesser dose about 8 years ago and I came off it after a year as I also felt like a zombie then and really struggled with it. This time I am on a much higher dose and feel pretty good. But I also have thyroid and adrenal problems so who knows. Some things about lithium if you did not know:

1. It is a trace element found naturally in nature. Its symbol on the periodic table is Li.

2. It can become toxic in the body quite quickly hence regular blood tests to check levels

3. Change in diet, environmental stressors, some illnesses can effect lithium levels

4. Keeping electrolyte levels important in the body as lithium can effect kidney function so at least a litre and a half water everyday is good but not too much water as it can dilute electrolytes

5. It is good not to be on a low sodium diet. Try pure sea salt(if you use salt for cooking) as it is better for cholesterol control and sea salt is also higher in iodine which in small doses is good for the thyroid.

6. Lithium is not residual in the body. It passes through quite quickly so that is maybe why it takes a while to start working.

It has taken about a year for me to really notice a difference but I have noticed me getting better and better as time goes on. My psychiatrist is very happy with the results and he has seen people sometimes take up to 18 months to feel the full effects of lithium. Some people take less and some people really struggle with it. Lets face it, it is a metal and no one really knows how it works and it is a dangerous drug so you need to have someone who really knows what they are doing. Lithium requires attention so it is not an easy medication but if you can get it right and not be sick with it, it can be very successful. Hope that helps and keep your chin up. This is just a small glitch in your overall treatment. It will pass as most things do. Just keep an eye on your feelings of fragility at the moment and take action if you feel you are in danger. We are all with you in this journey and want to see you safe.

Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time with your meds recently. I, too, am Bi-Polar II and I have been on a number of different medications. As many other posters have stated Lithium is a very common, and relatively affective medication for dealing with Bi-Polar Disorder. I am in no way an expert but I have done a good deal of personal study and from my experience, Lithium takes a few months to get to a useful level. First off, they have to incrementally increase the levels mainly because it's incredibly hard to metabolize and your body has to acclimate to it, so try to be patient with it. I had some annoying side effects that went away with time. I had essential tremors, my hands shook quite a bit, especially when I was trying to do fine motor skills like drinking. I learned to not fill my glass when I drank and use a straw for about a month. Also everything I ate was a bit salty, also make sure you try to have a stable in take of salt in your diet. Also you need to have urine tests done every once in a while to see how your kidneys are responding to the drug. I did pretty good on Lithium but I didn't have a way to pay for the urinalysis. One more thing Lithium treated my mania relatively well, but for many of us don't have the same results with depression. The down side to anti-depressants(AD) is some have a tendency to push Bi-Polar persons from a state of depression right into manic states. But if Lithium doesn't work on your depression, ask for some. There are AD's that do help and I am on one. Just watch your symptoms. One more thing. Don't lose faith, if Geodon worked for you then chances are you will find another one that does. I know when they pulled me off of Lithium I almost mourned the loss of the comfort it gave me. But now I am on Seroquel and have had a good deal of success with it. Thanks for sharing. Hope all turns out well and if there's anything else we can do let us know.

Have your siblings tried Lithium? The funny thing about lithium is that how you react to them is genetic. Eg, if one of your parents is bipolar and used lithium - successfully - then lithium will work for his/her bipolar kids as well.
And Lithium is a serious drug to be on, and most bipolars that I know (including myself) haven't had any success with it. Lamictal is a real lifesaver imo, if it works for you. I was pretty much chronically depressed/suicidal, with ONE break of hypomania (lasting for about 4 months), for two freagin years - then I was put on Lamictal in the beginning of September and voila - depression cured.

I'd ask to try Lamictal, in fact - Lamictal is the first choice of medication when treating bipolar type 2s. My psychiatrist failed to mention that to me before she put me on lithium and wasted six months of my time. The medication merry-go-round is a drag.

And antidepressants generally have little effect on us, and can in fact make us worse. It's not the serotonin that causes the cycles, it's the noradrenaline level. Antidepressants give a tiny boost when you take them in addition to an SSNRI, but on their own they don't do anything at all except make our mania worse.
I'm on 100mg of lamictal and 10mg of cipralex - an incredibly low dosage on both meds. I was on 200mg of lithium - did absolutely nothing for me except make me fat. 350mg of Topimax + 10mg of cipralex worked like a charm. 100mg of Lamictal works beautifully on its own, but I like taking cipralex to give it a tiny boost.

Funny how the two meds that have worked for me are both epilepsy medication. o.O

It's funny cuz' my brother and my sister are both on Lamictal. My doc is trying that next. My brother's been on it for 5 years now and he says it's completely changed his life. I didn't take the lithium again today and I feel alot better physically. I'm just waiting for my appointment on the 8th with my psychologist. It sucks waiting but atleast I don't feel like vomitting anymore. Thanks for your advice. I'm excited to try the Lamictal. I have a feeling it's going to help.

I've been on both Geodon and Lithium. And i have to say that Li is sooo much better for me than Geodon.

Geodon made me very sleepy during the day, so much so I nearly crashed my car several times. It also started to damage my liver. (I have a genetic predisposition to liver problems so i have to avoid anything that messes with it, is terrible)

Lithium has worked well for me. It has calmed me down and lot and hasn't caused too many problems.

It does cause some weight gain, and I'm still working on that, but overall it has worked well.

I was just recently diagnosed with BP and the doctor put me on Lithium and Paxil. I will admit, the first couple of weeks on them were scary for me. I had vision issues, dizzy spells, constantly thirsty, and would stumble around like a drunk. But now that I have been on both drugs for about a month, I am very happy and very satisfied with the results. I was extremely suicidal and even attempted suicide. My lows were so low they lasted for months and my highs for mere hours. I was constantly irritable, arguementative, felt hopeless, and didn't care about anyone or anything. Lithium and Paxil have been my lifesavers. It took me about 2 weeks to adjust to them and now my moods are pretty even-toned, I am happy for the first time in a long long time, no racing thoughts, no suicidal thoughts, no weight gain (yet!), and I am even regaining interest in things I used to enjoy and haven't been interested in for over 10 years.

I say, give the Lithium a chance, have your lvls checked often and see how you feel.

Best wishes!

geodon made me manic.

Hi i just started on GEODON, and its okay so far i've had some problems though with side effects and heart burn did you expierence any of that with this medicine?? if you ever wanna talk hit me up =0)