Geodon and Tremors: What Users Say

• A N...
• November 25, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I warn you to be VERY careful with regards to this medication. I started taking it in July 2012 and was at one point up to 120 mg a day. (I absolutely no longer see the 'Dr' who had me on such a high dose.) It caused me to suffer neurological damage that took over a year to correct itself. I had involuntary muscle movements, rocking motions, tremors, as well as having to learn how to walk again normally, as it caused marked damage to the left side of my body. I was treated with physical therapy twice for the condition this medication left my body in. It is just not worth it!!! Do your research, as I am sure you are, since you are in this forum. This medication is even more dangerous than described!!"

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 12, 2012

For Schizophrenia "I am only on day 3. I have to say I like it. I do not hear or see voices or people. I have a wild thought process that can imagine anything and make it real in my own mind. That is under control almost completely, which is AMAZING! Living in my head without this medicine was a nightmare. 60 mg before bed did not work for me. I couldn't sleep. So, I now take it in the morning. I also have A.D.D. (no medication for A.D.D. though). Just the Geodon and Topamax. It works perfect for me. Weight gain was a BIG problem on the other medicine they tried, so far I think I have lost, I know I have not gained, which is very important to me. I had gained 14 pounds in 3 weeks on the other medication (that's a lot of weight really fast). No jaw issues or shaking."

• Jil...
• November 15, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "My Dr. switched me from Risperidone to Geodon because of weight gain. I had taken Geodon back in 2002 and didn't have any side effects that I can recall. However, this time it was a nightmare. As soon as I started taking it, I felt sick. The side effects I experienced: sore throat, cough, sore throat glands, restlessness, acid indigestion, heartburn, belching, depression, rash on my neck, loss of appetite, back pain, joint pain, flatulence, hot flashes, insomnia, unable to stay asleep, exhausted. I was on it for 2 1/2 weeks. My Dr. told me to stop cold turkey. The withdrawal was hell. I was dizzy for a week, hot flashes, chills, shaking, nauseous, vomiting, terrible spasms in my thighs. It took about 8 days for me to feel better."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 21, 2013

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Geodon has been effective in controlling my hallucinations and paranoia. It does make me drowsy and makes me shake after I take it. I have gained about 30 lbs while on it, but it has been the most effective antipsychotic for me to relieve visual and auditory hallucinations and paranoia. I have taken Seroquel, Abilify, and Geodon, and this is the most effective for me."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2017

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was diagnosed in the prodromal stage of schizophrenia 2 1/2 months ago. I was started on Geodon 80 mg once a day, which I started taking in the morning, and it made me fall asleep for 4-6 hours. After a week of this, I started taking it at night, somehow, it doesn't make me drowsy when I would like it to. It has taken away 90% of my symptoms. The first month, I would get blurry vision, shaky hands, loss of appetite, and large pupils later in the evening. The blurry vision has gone away. I have very little akathisia. I started getting panic attacks 2 months into taking Geodon, I now take it with a beta blocker, and the panic attacks are gone. I have lost weight on this medication and have very minimal side effects. I'm grateful for this drug."

• UT ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2015

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I have kind of mixed feelings about Geodon. I have only been taking it for a few weeks. It has eliminated my psychotic features... nearly 100%. The side effects are hard for me, but I have read that people get more used to it over time, so I am not ready to give up on it yet. The side effects I experience are sleepiness, which is a problem at work, but not nearly as bad as Seroquel was. The other side effect that is hard for me is the shakiness it gives me. I have to take Artane, which is a drug for Parkinson's disease, but that does calm down the shakiness. Other than that, my appetite is normal, my moods are calmed down (but I also take Lamictal for that). As far as Geodon's effect on the psychotic features goes, it's amazing."

• Anonymous
• September 14, 2010

For Schizophrenia "Been on this for 9 months now. I take it at 5 pm - pick a time and stick with it, staying steady with the routine helps with the tired feeling. Don't ever miss a dose - I was really sick one night and couldn't keep anything down, so I couldn't take it - didn't sleep at all. I was seeing people that weren't there - and heard voices calling my name all night. At 1 am, I had all the lights in the house on. I do have muscle twitching, but it's tolerable."

• Anonymous
• March 3, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Geodon for approximately 2 years and have found it to be very effective. The only side effects I have experienced are significant sleepiness in the morning and muscle twitches and stiffness. My doctor prescribed Provigil to get rid of the morning zombie, and it works great too."

• rik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I felt like a zombie while on this. I gained ten pounds in the first week - and I am one to watch my weight! Also, my hands began trembling a lot, and I felt very nervous. I was always quivering when I spoke. This medicine ended up being quite scary, with a trip to the emergency room because I felt and looked like I was having a seizure. My family called paramedics, and it was a dystonic reaction."

• Mic...
• April 24, 2020

For Schizophrenia "My doctor put me on Geodon 3 days before I got out of the hospital for mental health. 3 days later I was back in the hospital because that medication gave me so many side effects: shakiness, in and out of consciousness, blurred vision, seeing things that are not there (i.e., it the clown and other things), sweating, feeling like I can’t calm down, swelling of throat and lips, etc. I’m still dealing with them. If anyone is taking this, I tell you, please, please, please be careful! I don’t want any of that happening to you!!!!"

• Obo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 25, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Bipolar II with mixed episode, tried Geodon. Severe somnolence, with insomnia (read: trapped in half-asleep purgatory) upon starting. Triggered full-blown manic episode with hallucinations, jabbering, rambling, and fast talking, distractibility and inattentiveness, poor judgment, and dissociation with the passage of time, over the following couple of weeks. Shaking hands (could not perform ordinary fine motor tasks such as cutting my nails). Stopped and switched to quetiapine, with success."

• Geo...
• July 23, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I felt extremely woozy, nauseated, and shaky while on this medication. I had 2 trips to the ER for severe dehydration caused by the Geodon. I was so shaky I was pretty much convulsing, my heart was going crazy, and it felt like my brain was shutting down. By the time I got to the ER, I could barely form sentences and very nearly blacked out. It was a terrifying experience. I felt sick the entire time taking this drug."

• Olg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "Atypical antipsychotics like Geodon are sometimes prescribed as adjunct medications with some SSRIs. I suffer from severe contamination OCD, panic attacks, anxiety, and depression. While some of my symptoms are treated with sertraline, I was still battling my OCD and panic attacks. Abilify made me euphoric for two weeks, then had no effect. Risperidone did not alleviate my symptoms enough to warrant the weight gain, lamotrigine gave me 'the rash', and Seroquel made me loopy. My psychiatrist was ready to put me on clomipramine, but I am leery of a tricyclic antidepressant. I have been on Geodon for about three weeks now. I experienced terrible withdrawals on 20 mg twice a day, so we increased to 40 mg twice a day. The morning dose wears off by 2 PM and I woke up with withdrawals. Now, it's 40-20-40 and hoping this works! Take with food! Side effects: shakiness (not the withdrawal kind). Mood is better, OCD not as potent, less panic attacks! Remaining hopeful!"

• Ser...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I've only been taking it for 3 days. Gave me every side effect in the book. I'm currently up all night, it's 3:14, and I have to be at school at 8. Also, I have been nonstop shaking and have devoured four whole bags of chips. This medicine is not good. Not for bipolar, at least."

• ano...
• October 13, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I was taking 80 mg at bedtime because it made me drowsy and helped me sleep through the night. If I didn't take the medication, I would not sleep. Went on a weekend vacation and forgot my medications and could not sleep. Tried OTC sleeping pills and getting drunk, but did not help me sleep. Aside from that, I had bad nightmares at the beginning, but they went away. I also had hand tremors that did not go away and was put on propranolol to control it. The good thing is I did not gain weight."

• ANS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2020

"I started taking Geodon for borderline personality disorder about two weeks ago, and I think it’s causing me to dissociate really badly. My vision is blurry, I’m shaky, my heart is pounding, and nothing feels real. Hopefully, things change."

• Val...
• March 9, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Geodon for a little over a year. It's been a miracle until I started having tremors a year or so later. Doctors lowered me off it, and I went into a severe depression. The one thing I hate about it is if I miss a dose, I'm wide awake all night. The doctor is taking me off it, and I started Latuda, but I know since I'm off it now, I'm having trouble sleeping."

• Dov...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 18, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "Prescribed when I was having a mixed episode. Did its job at calming me down quite quickly. However, had some serious side effects: shaking of hands and at one stage, the entire left side of my body. Coming off it was a nightmare. Dizziness, anger, dark thoughts, shaking, rashes, headaches among others."

• A11...
• November 11, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Geodon wasn’t good for me. I couldn’t stop moving, felt uncomfortable, and had tics all the time. I couldn’t sleep. It caused tremors and affected my speech too. I forget what dose I was on, but it was only 2 weeks, and I ended up going to the psychiatric ER for the side effects. A low dose of Latuda has been a good replacement, but everyone is different."

• Sch...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 25, 2022

"I was started on Geodon in 2017 while hospitalized for suicidal ideation. It helped. In 2019, I started to gain weight. I found myself dull and was sleeping for 14 hours a night. I thought, well, this is better than being hospitalized, right? I noticed if I was even 5 minutes late taking it, I felt awful. Here it is 2022, and after my best friend of 38 years died after a 10-month long gruesome battle with cancer, I barely cried. I knew something had to change. I have gained 113 pounds since 2019. I have been weaning from 60 mg to 40 mg for 4 weeks under doctor's supervision, and it is a living nightmare. I am shaky, sweaty, nauseous, have the chills, cannot sleep, and have nightmares. I have no idea how I am going to get off this medication completely. It may take months. This is a nasty medication, and I would recommend for anyone considering taking it to research the side effects and ask your doctor a lot of questions about it."

• lkb...
• February 18, 2009

"Geodon has been working but not without its side effects. I have been on it for over 2 weeks now and having issues. Get very tired during the day but up at night. Have the shakes, my eyes blink a lot. My anxiety is up, and I cannot take my Xanax, even 0.25 mg makes me very sleepy. It does help stabilize mood, but I also do not have a thyroid, so my system is very sensitive to side effects."

• t1k...
• August 15, 2008

For Schizophrenia "This medication took care of all the hallucinations - visual, auditory, and physical. I do have some shakiness and muscle twitching though."

• t1k...
• August 15, 2008

For Schizophrenia "This medication took care of all the hallucinations - visual, auditory, and physical. I do have some shakiness and muscle twitching though."

• Lyn...
• January 8, 2009

For Schizophrenia "It helped me with all my hallucinations. I stopped hearing things more. I still went through disturbed racing thoughts, though. Shakiness still occurs."