[aces79]

My pdoc added Geodon 3 weeks ago. I'm already on Lamictal and Effect Xr but my depression has gotten bad again.
He explained that geodon can cause an irregular pattern on EKG. Okay.

I took it a few days and then started having mild heart palpitations or fluttering. I stopped taking it and it went away.

Started again Saturday, I'm having heart palps or fluttering right now.

Is that a normal thing or should I skip tonight's dose and call him tomorrow?

I'm doing my normal 4 mile jog while taking it. It hasn't seemed to affect my heart rate while I'm jogging.

Ideas?

It's only 60 mg.

He said I need Geodon or Abilify. The last time I took Abilify it made me super sleepy 24/7.

[qwerty68]

That is definitely something to tell your doctor about.

I don't know if you should stop taking it before talking to him. If you feel you should, you should.

I may be thinking of something different, but I seem to recall that my pdoc specifically asked about heart issues on geodon -- like it was a known side effect. Let me see if I can find info.

Okay, I looked it up:

"Ziprasidone may cause a condition that affects the heart rhythm (QT prolongation). QT prolongation can rarely cause serious (rarely fatal) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms (such as severe dizziness, fainting) that need medical attention right away.

The risk of QT prolongation may be increased if you have certain medical conditions or are taking other drugs that may cause QT prolongation. Before using ziprasidone, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all the drugs you take and if you have any of the following conditions: certain heart problems (heart failure, recent heart attack, slow heartbeat, QT prolongation in the EKG), family history of certain heart problems (QT prolongation in the EKG, sudden cardiac death)."

You definitely need to tell you pdoc about this.

Edited to add: Now that I think about it, I think this is the med he had me have an EKG before I started. (I have a careful pdoc.)

[Disorder7]

Seroquel did that to me.
Now I refuse to take antipsychotics. As soon as they come up with something better than what they had in the 1950s, I'll reconsider. Until then, it's not for me.

Please don't take any more Geodon before consulting your pdoc. Maybe he'll convince you to take a blood thinner and a drug for the arrhythmia, both of which will be expensive and have side effects of their own!