Cogentin Reactions

Well my doc put me on 1 mg of Cogentin to help with the akithesia and other symptoms of Abilify. It seemed a day or so after starting the Cogentin I got some nasty side effects:

Hallucinations (visual and auditory)
Confusion
Odd/erratic behaviors
Trancing (black outs)
Memory loss

Those are the most troubling ones....but they are very unbearable at times. Has anyone ever experienced this due to a too high of a dose to the Cogentin???

Lexicon78 - Let your doctor know about these side effects. These aren't the typical anticholinergic side effects of Cogentin™ (benztropine), but they do happen at higher dose, and usually aren't seen at doses under 5mg a day. Your body does adjust to the drug, but not that much. I doubt that a lowering of dose is worth trying.

I believe that your doctor will have to prescribe different anticholinergic; perhaps Artane™ (trihexyphenidyl) or Kemadrin ™ (procyclidine). He will probably start these at the lower end of the dose range.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

Well that just bites! (ha! trying not to swear here)

They had just taken me off Trilafon because I had an allergic reaction to it...now this...it's just frustrating.

Lexicon78 - It takes time to find the right combination. Those Star Trek do-ma-hickie scanners are still about ten years away. Until then ya gotta do things the old fashioned way. It sucks, but hang in there; the doc will eventually get it right. Like my dad use to say, "Ya gotta kiss a lot of toads before you find your prince." The context was different, but I think you get the drift.

- Cam