Geodon for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Kay...
• July 11, 2013

"This medicine made me really suicidal and depressed. I was wrought with paranoid thinking, dark depression, and a host of physical side effects. I have been coming off of it, and I'm feeling my mood improve. Things are seeming brighter again. I had speech problems while on this, I had a hard time working out, my eyes felt so sensitive to sunlight, and my head felt really weird, especially in the morning. I cannot believe I took it for so long. I didn't know that what I was going through was related to this medicine. It was awful for me."

• Ban...
• November 29, 2008

"After my first major breakdown in which I was diagnosed, I spent a year trying different medicines. I felt like a new (or like my old) self within a couple of days on this miracle drug. My dosages have varied depending on the other medicines (antidepressants and ADD medicines) I'm on. The only major side effect I've had that never went away (been on it for 7 years) was the sedation in the morning (I took my whole dose in the evening). Now I take 20 mgs 3x/day and 40 mgs at bedtime, then 20 mgs when required for anxiety. Right now I also take Wellbutrin XL, and I'm titrating up on Abilify due to breakthrough depression. Geodon helps both mania and depression, and I found it to be very weight neutral."

• mik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2015

"I switched recently to this medicine from Latuda due to akathisia and lack of effectiveness. It has worked wonders on my mood. It has paired up with Zoloft to make a solid team of an antidepressant/mood stabilizer combination. I feel like I can do much more now, my sociability has increased, even my anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder have been helped by it! My experience on this medicine has been better overall in the past month I've been on it than the two years I was on Latuda. The only negative side effect so far is sexual side effects."

• Bip...
• September 16, 2014

"I have only been on Geodon a few days, and I can't tolerate it. I feel intoxicated, can't type very well, and am already having some involuntary movements in my face. I am not taking it tonight and will see my doctor tomorrow and request something else."

• Bri...
• June 21, 2019

"I started Geodon a few months ago. I like it much better than Abilify, which I was previously on. Prior to Geodon, I was waking up at 3:00 am 3-4 nights per week. Since I have been on Geodon, I consistently sleep through the night. Geodon is a great adjunct to Lithium. They together really quell my mania. Overall, Geodon is a great medication, in my opinion."

• Des...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2021

"This is by far the worst medication I have ever taken for my bipolar. I would give this a zero if I could. I didn’t feel terrible at first, but I noticed some mild paranoia and anxiety. I ignored it, though, because I was actually more motivated and able to get more things done, and I was finally losing weight. I desperately wanted this med to work. The doctor increased my dose, and things got bad very quickly. I was having intense delusions, the worst I’ve ever had. They were so bad that I would just start crying because I was so scared. The brain fog, memory problems, and dissociation on this medication are awful as well. I feel so out of it all the time, and I even went to the ER because it felt like I had been drugged. My head constantly feels funny. I’m dizzy and lightheaded. My vision is blurry. Currently switching to a different med and dealing with awful withdrawal. Hopefully, the side effects go away soon. Please take caution with this medication."

• Ram...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 18, 2016

"Geodon changed my life. The first thing that happened was it was VERY sedating. Within an hour of taking it, I was asleep so deeply that I could not be woken up no matter what happened. You could yell, shake me, nothing would wake me. I did not wake up groggy, though, and within 3 days my mind no longer raced, and I started thinking clearly. As time went on, the sedating effect lessened, though it took a really long time. While I'm on it, my brain just isn't mean to me, and I sleep like a normal person. Tough to start, as you need someone who can be with you in case there is an emergency because you will not be able to wake up or move for hours, but it works. I wouldn't trade it for the world."

• esp...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2016

"I was on this for several months and had great experiences with it. It made all the weird little hallucinations go away, caused me to effortlessly drop all of the Risperdal weight (60 lbs!), and just generally really helped stabilize my mood, combined with the Xanax and Depakote. Unfortunately, it's about $300 a bottle on my insurance (generic)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 29, 2012

"I was only taking Geodon for 3 weeks (tapered up to 60 mg), and one evening I was sitting in front of my computer and experienced the worst panic attack of my life (also my first panic attack). I was admitted to the ER that day. I felt like I was about to have a drug-induced psychosis. My pdoc instructed me to stop taking it immediately. The withdrawal was an absolute nightmare. I experienced over 30 different symptoms (anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, paranoia, nausea, crawling skin, heart palpitations, chills, and tingling just to name a few). It has been almost 2 months, and I am still struggling with anxiety."

• Gre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2015

"I'm 28 with Bipolar I Disorder with psychotic features, and I switched from Abilify to Geodon a couple of months ago. I immediately loved it. I had more productive energy than I'd had in years, but nothing verging on mania, anxiety, or restlessness. It helped both with psychotic symptoms completely, and even Bipolar depression-always the hardest to treat. I was happy, energetic, and more focused, and experienced no sedation. Unfortunately, I have a history of minor heart problems-related to past meds and over-exercise in the past-and they were triggered. Tachycardia and its symptoms, which all stopped as soon as I stopped Geodon. If I didn't have pre-existing heart problems, I would have loved to stay on it."

• elp...
• August 6, 2007

"I've been on Geodon for over a year now. I take 20 mg in the AM and 160 mg in the PM. I have Bipolar (mixed). Geodon has literally saved my life, and the side effects for me have been minimal. I also take Wellbutrin, and I was taking Seroquel as well, but that lowered my blood pressure too much, and I fainted a couple of times. Geodon is a very good drug, in my opinion, but you need to be monitored closely by your psychiatrist while taking this medication. Geodon is the most effective drug I have ever taken."

• jes...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 21, 2015

"I've had a good experience with Geodon. It has controlled my mania, and I have 0 side effects. I started at 40 mg, which was not doing anything, and then switched doctors and am now at 120 mg, 40 mg in the day and 80 mg at night. It's truly been a blessing. I also take Zoloft for depression and anxiety. Together, they work well for me. My 8-year-old son has just been diagnosed with bipolar, and he has just started on Geodon. In the beginning, he was very drowsy, but in a matter of days, his hyperactivity, non-stop pressured speech, risky behavior, and emotional meltdowns and temper tantrums have all but disappeared! We all thought he had ADHD, but so far, no more ADHD meds, just Zoloft and Geodon, and he's doing well!"

• San...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 26, 2012

"I'm on 60 mg twice a day. I have been on Geodon for about 2 weeks. I am 42 and just diagnosed with mixed mood bipolar. This medicine has done nothing to my mood but make it worse. I'm about ready to bite people's heads off. I am extremely agitated, with thoughts of rage running through my head more than not. I also sweat more and am paranoid a lot. I want to give it some time but don't know how long I can take these feelings."

• Rac...
• November 19, 2014

"I've been taking Geodon for about four weeks. Before that, I was on Quetiapine, which works well but gave me horrible weight gain (their paper says 10 pounds a year on average, and I gained 23 in 6 weeks! Still eating well too!) I have had minor side effects. When I first take it, it affects my concentration. I have a hard time driving, and specifically moving things, like looking at the road makes me sleepy. If I'm not driving (or looking at the road specifically), my tiredness seems to be much better. I have had some short-term memory problems, especially if I'm stressed at the same time. Other than that, this med has worked well for me and is keeping my weight down. Now I just have to exercise off the 23-pound belly and thighs the Quetiapine gave me."

• PAU...
• December 26, 2009

"Geodon at 80 mg makes me dazed, confused, and dumb as a rock. I lost my job due to it (forgetfulness, can't concentrate). For Bipolar II and me, it's not a drug for me, but when I complain to the doctor that I want to come off Geodon, he increases it! I am in the process of changing doctors, but in the meantime, I am hostile and negative to the world, especially my partner... not good!"

• lib...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 8, 2014

"Geodon has been great for me. It balances out my moods. I'm weaning down off Lamictal because it just didn't do the trick. Geodon makes me feel more 'smooth,' I guess, not apathetic, but just my overall mood is on an even keel, without taking away from the creativity I like to display."

• Ace...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 7, 2022

"I've been taking Geodon for a little over a year, and I am constantly exhausted. Tired, no memory, no motivation, raw depression. I'm sure it works for some people, but me? I feel dead inside. So, do not recommend."

• pyr...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 6, 2013

"Other than feeling numb on Geodon (partly I think my antidepressant too), I love it. I've been on Geodon for a little over a year. Honestly, I'll probably die taking this drug. It has saved me and brought me back to reality after a mania-induced psychosis a year and a half ago. I'm almost never paranoid anymore, I can function in my day-to-day life, I am stable. I've even been able to cut down dramatically on how much I take."

• Mys...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 31, 2021

"Geodon causes horrible nausea and working memory problems. I can't remember what I'm supposed to be doing at work sometimes. I go into a room and forget why I'm there. I had to switch to one dose in the morning (I work at night) because taking two doses a day just made me too sleepy. Truthfully, this is the best antipsychotic I've been on (I don't like antipsychotics period). At least it doesn't cause weight gain. Risperidone made me a zombie, Latuda didn't work, Abilify gave me insomnia, and Seroquel made me suicidal."

• Cle...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 14, 2015

"This medication turned me into a zombie. I was so tired and unmotivated all the time. I decided I wanted off of this poison and had to taper so slow because I got bad withdrawals in the smallest dose changes. I even went down to 10 mg by emptying out half the capsule. When I went to zero, I ended up in the emergency room with severe dehydration from the vomiting and diarrhea caused by the withdrawals, and I was unable to care for myself or my daughter for about two weeks. I thought my body was giving up its will to live. I have quit dilaudid cold turkey with minimal discomfort, so it's not like I can't handle discomfort, but quitting Geodon was terrible, and from now on I will be doing more research on each medication I put in my body."

• Me ...
• September 20, 2013

"I have a 10-year-old daughter (bipolar, anxiety, and ADHD) who has been taking Geodon for about two months, and it's been working great! I think the most important thing to remember is to go slow: 20 mg for a couple of weeks, then 40 mg for a couple of weeks, and so on and so forth. It does make you tired at first, but it wears off after a while. My daughter was first on Risperdal for a couple of years starting at age 6, but it stopped working well, and she was gaining a lot of weight. Then we eased her into Abilify, and she was on it for 2 years and still was gaining too much weight. I don't think the Abilify ever worked that effectively, and she was just getting out of control."

• ear...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 25, 2016

"Mania, and especially mixed mania, are the problem. Geodon is my solution. I took myself off because of mouth moves. Bad move? Almost divorced. I can tell when I am manic because I have ideas and insights. Example: the graph of user ratings for Geodon treatment of bipolar is itself bipolar. I was doing 3x80mg when the moves started. Back to 1x80 now. Will report back. P.S. great site. I've been here many times, but my first post. Thought I should contribute."

• caw...
• January 15, 2017

"All I can say is that for the first time in my life, I feel like I can take care of myself. I owe this completely to this drug. No more manic episodes. Everything has sort of evened out for me. It's wonderful, and I cannot be without it and will freak out if I ever have to! Oh, and I'm on 20 mg twice a day. So far, no side effects other than a small twitch in my face. That sort of thing can easily be counteracted with additional medicines, though. It is very expensive, but it is completely worth it."

• Anonymous
• October 8, 2015

"After horrible experiences with a multitude of different antidepressants, the realization came upon me that I was possibly bipolar due to a prolonged episode of what I thought could be mania. Well, my psychiatrist put me on Geodon (40 mg in the evening). So far, it's been 2 months and I have had not one depressive or manic episode during this time. The first 2 or 3 days of taking the drug were awful, I had terrible brain fog and just felt totally whacked out, but that feeling disappeared after just a few days, so I can't complain too much. I'm starting to take an additional 20 mg in the morning to hopefully curb some of my anxiety, so we'll see how that goes. As far as psych meds go, this one has reigned far superior so far!"

• dmh...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 7, 2014

"When I got on this, I was self-diagnosed with depression and tried about a dozen antidepressants without getting better. My gyno, who was prescribing, said I had to see a psychiatrist because he was scared he'd 'scramble my brain.' I was diagnosed with atypical bipolar and put on Geodon and Lamictal. The Lamictal did nothing, but in 3 days I went from work or just being in bed the rest of the time, gorging on food and not wanting to be bothered, to feeling much, much better. I started on 30 mg and am now on 80, about 10 years later. I highly recommend this for bipolar. I've lately started getting into bipolar depression again, though not like it used to be, and am trying a medicine with great reviews that I'd never heard of called Symbyax."