Geodon for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• RJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2020

"At first, taking Geodon, it was great, felt alive for the first time in so, so many years, it was for my major depression disorder. Then, after three weeks of taking it, it stopped working. Now increasing to 40 mg daily. I’m hoping that works, but kinda nervous it’s not going to. Just my experience for taking it for 3 going on 4 weeks. The side effects I had were nausea, lack of appetite, shaking, and some vision issues. Side effects seem to be subsiding."

• Jef...
• May 24, 2016

"Best med I've been on for my bipolar. I also take buspirone and trazodone for sleep. I've been bipolar since 21, I think I have taken every drug there is for this illness. And since my doctor has put me on these drugs, I'm finally stable for once in my life."

• jul...
• October 9, 2015

"Geodon has worked great for my bipolar. I do not struggle with mania symptoms anymore. My thoughts are more clear and feel more stable than I ever have. I take it at night to avoid the heavy fatigue that occurred when I took it during the day. I had some weight gain, but it is worth the quality of life I now have."

• jen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2013

"I started taking Geodon last week. It has pulled me out of a terrible depression I was under for over a year! I was taking Latuda before Geodon, and it caused me to have panic attacks and bad thoughts. So far, it has been a miracle medicine! God has answered my prayers! Now I just pray it doesn't cause weight gain."

• bee...
• August 23, 2015

"Because of this drug, I have the most stability I've ever had in my 23 years with bipolar. I also take lithium, Lamictal, and Pristiq. Lithium is a great stabilizer also, but Geodon is the cornerstone of my treatment. I suffered for 12 years before Geodon. I was an ultra-rapid cycler. I had a lot of people make fun of me during that time. Now I'm married, and I have achieved so much. One word of caution: do not drink Diet Mountain Dew or any drinks or food with a flame retardant in it (brominated vegetable oil, for example). These will cause an onset of tardive dyskinesia."

• Rir...
• June 26, 2009

"Geodon has been a lifesaver. It took a while to get the right dose and know when to take it (AM versus PM), but I am doing great now. I take it in the evening and still have morning grogginess after several months. My doctor prescribed Provigil, which really helps (although costly). I take the Geodon in conjunction with Lamictal. I have less agitation and find (at least my family finds) that I am much less hostile than before. Do be careful in the heat, as I got very sick from overheating, and follow instructions and do not drink alcohol. One piña colada felt like a whole case of beer."

• Me1...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 4, 2015

"This drug is great. I have been more stable than ever since I started taking it. I have to take it at night though because it makes me super sleepy if I take it during the day. I can hardly sleep and get manic if I don't take it for a while. I don't get any side effects either. I was taking two 80 mg pills at night, but now I only take two 60 mg pills. I lost weight while on this medication. Sleepiness is horrible if I take it during the day. I, at one point, was taking 80 mg twice per day, but I almost got fired! I would fall asleep at work. It was uncontrollable sleepiness. No matter what I did to stay awake, I couldn't. Two 80 mg at night made me sleep until real late, so that's why I take two 60 mg pills at night. Haven't been manic."

• a s...
• March 17, 2013

"I love the results from this medicine. I am not anxious and haven't cried or had a rage fit. Sad to say, I am suffering major side effects such as throwing up, loss of appetite, can't swallow, sweats, can't sleep, shaking all over, teeth clenching, on and on and on. BUT it beats the hell out of anxiety, crying all the time, and severe and sometimes violent mood swings."

• Net...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 31, 2021

"Worse experience ever. I was on it for about 3 years. Gained over 100 pounds and was so out of it I couldn’t even figure out that it was this medication that was doing it. Missed out on those years of my kids' lives and still paying for it. Stay away from this medication."

• Kod...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2020

"I've been on Geodon for several months now, and I have to say the side effects that bother me the most are being tired/exhausted and extreme weakness! Sometimes it makes me so tired I literally just can't get through the day. It is like my whole body feels like I'm surrounded by sand, but so far, this is the only drug that has helped stabilize my mood and helps me have a more positive outlook without putting so much effort into it. It has helped my paranoia and suicidal ideation a little bit. I can definitely notice a difference when it starts to wear off. I could use a higher dose, but I absolutely cannot go up because of how tired and weak it makes me. I have gained weight, but that's only because I'm so tired that just going to work takes all I have :("

• Mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 15, 2019

"I took Geodon for one year. While this drug did increase my motivation to exercise, I felt the side effects were too negative to continue using. It ruined my personality for some reason and interfered with my ability to make quick, witty jokes like I am normally able to do when not taking this med. For that reason, I did not like it because it turned me into a robotic, unemotional Stepford wife or something. It gave me such severe anxiety that I had frequent panic attacks and had to be treated with an anti-anxiety med to counteract the negative side effects of the Geodon. It made me have to frequently urinate or feel like I had to go at least every 20 minutes. If you want to flatline your personality, have severely agitated anxiety, and spend your life in the bathroom, take this drug."

• Ale...
• February 27, 2017

"Ok, first off, I'm very skeptical about reviews. I don't know what to believe when it comes down to it. My doctor told me I needed a mood stabilizer, so he decided to put me on Geodon. I looked up reviews beforehand, and I was unsure, but then said, what's the worst that can happen? Well, the worst happened. I'm actually typing this in the emergency room. I've experienced awful side effects after the first 3 days: restless leg syndrome, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting. The bad outweighed the good, and after 2 weeks or so of taking this medication, my doctor told me to stop taking it. In such a short time of taking this medication, I'm experiencing crazy withdrawals. Stay away from this drug!"

• mag...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 15, 2019

"I've been on Geodon for several years now. After trying seemingly every medication as well as ECT, this combined with Lamictal finally seemed to even my bipolar out. However, it's not perfect and I still have periods of mania and depression when I mess with my dose. I'm currently thinking about switching antipsychotics, mostly because of the horrible withdrawal symptoms I get each morning and night before my next dose. Mostly bad nausea and vomiting almost every day. I also go through periods where I literally cannot stay awake because of this medication (falling asleep in the hallways of my college classes and while driving). Overall, it has helped me tremendously, but the combination of side effects, withdrawals, and still having manic symptoms is causing me to think about other options."

• dse...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2014

"Geodon has worked wonders for me, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depression, and an anxiety disorder. I take 160 mg at bedtime along with Wellbutrin in the morning and Cymbalta twice daily. I took more Geodon than the doctor recommended because I wanted it to help me sleep again, and it gave me minor twitches, but I'm back to my regular dosage, so I wouldn't recommend taking more than your doctor prescribes. Other than the twitches, I love the medicine and would recommend it to anyone with like disorders. I've been on the medicine for almost three months."

• mss...
• August 17, 2011

"I've been taking Geodon for 8-9 years after a horrible experience with Zyprexa and Seroquel. Geodon has been a lifesaver for me. It has changed my life completely. It gave me my life back when everyone gave up hope. It stabilized me 100%. If you knew me 10 years ago, you would swear I was a different person. Nobody I have met over the last 8 years has any idea that I suffer from mental illness at all. It works that well. I still suffer from morning drowsiness. It's still difficult for me to wake up early. I take 60 mg 2 times a day, and it works perfectly for me."

• egg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2016

"For bipolar. This medicine was very dangerous to me. Within the first 2 weeks of being on 30 mg twice a day, I had 2 seizures. Never have had a seizure in my 45 years of living. Had very bad hallucinations, rapid eye movement during the day, and was worse after any caffeine or cigarettes. Had an episode while driving and could not control my actions, went off the road, through a ditch and into a tree. 2 fractured vertebrae, many bruises, concussion. Stopped taking this drug. Thankfully, I didn't kill anyone or myself. Finally, 2 weeks after I stopped taking it, I am finally getting a clear head. But still in pain from the accident! Would NOT recommend this junk for anyone!!"

• Gon...
• April 22, 2017

"Possibly the worst mental med I've ever taken, and I've taken many over the years. It gave me an intense derealization side effect (only time I've experienced this, and it was unsettling as hell), and truly horrible, constant gas (as in, so bad I couldn't be in public)! Those who were brave enough to hold their breath and be around me told me that my affect was pretty flat as well. So basically it made me freaked out, flat, and repulsive all at the same time: thumbs down."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2019

"I take one 20 mg capsule every night. I have borderline personality disorder. Before starting this, I never slept, and this medication helps me sleep. I had some side effects when I started taking it. I was sick to my stomach, throwing up, and wasn't able to keep any food down. This lasted a bit over two weeks. I've been on this medication for a few months now, and it's helped me with mood and sleep. I take Prozac 40 mg as well."

• Joh...
• December 18, 2009

"I have tried a few different antipsychotics and find Geodon to be far and away the best. Risperdal worked as an antipsychotic, but it made the depression worse and made me gain 25-30 lbs. So far, I have had no side effects with Geodon. I think I have found a winner."

• lkb...
• February 9, 2009

"Geodon has been working great. I take 20 mg twice a day along with Xanax. My psychiatrist calls this a mood stabilizer, and it has done me wonders. When I get sad and depressed, I bounce back pretty good. This is a lifesaver for me."

• Anonymous
• July 29, 2010

"My experiment under my doctor's orders for bipolar depression has been working for me now for about 3 years, and I have found it to work great for me. I have been diagnosed with chronic depression for over 16 years now, and I have tried everything out there, but with Lamictal and Geodon, along with gabapentin and Xanax, I have finally found the right combination. Without the gabapentin, I have found that I can't get moving without it. It really works for me. I am bipolar and have been all my life. Being depressed has affected every part of my life, and I mean every aspect. I feel that bipolar is highly underrated. It is debilitating and causes you to make so many wrong choices in life, but I have been fortunate to find my husband."

• Eli...
• December 13, 2016

"I took this medication for about 5 days, and from the start, I knew something was wrong. I remember hallucinating in the dark, and the very next day, I went manic. I had acid reflux issues, and it felt so bad that I had a hard time breathing. I passed out and was taken to the ER. Withdrawal was terrible, in fact, I'm still going through it. I have had the worst anxiety of my life. My delusional beliefs were at an extreme high, and I was so scared that I would break out crying. Every one of my worst thoughts was greatly emphasized on this med. I would have anxiety attacks and feel like I had to puke. I would not recommend this medication to anyone."

• she...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 14, 2015

"This medication was a disaster for my bipolar disorder. I felt depressed and hyper at the same time. I couldn't sleep, and couldn't think clearly. I was more manic than I'd ever been. Stopping the drug was like turning off the faucet of pain."

• Lee...
• July 30, 2013

"This is the only medicine that I have taken without any side effects! I love it! After the initial 2-week period of sleepiness, it wears off and does what it's supposed to. I do miss my mania, no lie, but I know that it wasn't good for me. But it takes most of my depression down, and I can enjoy my life. I've been on Lamictal, which did nothing for me except give me horrid night terrors, Risperdal made me lactate, and Seroquel gave me frequent urination. I was so happy after struggling with my insurance that they put me back on the Geodon. Been on it for 2 months."

• Anonymous
• June 10, 2008

"I had no idea that I was bipolar until a psychiatrist diagnosed me. I take 20 mg in the AM and 60 mg in the PM, and I feel so much better about my life. I can focus and sleep again. The best part of it has been the feeling of 'normalcy' I now have."