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Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
First of all, I'm pissed off at my shrink for even prescribing this to me in the first place. It's indicated for use by schizophrenics and people with bipolar disorder who are primarily manic, and I am neither of those. I suffer from depression, typically situational (meaning brought on by a traumatic event).
I admittedly have a "freak-out" about once a year, and I had one a few weeks back, brought on primarily because I just drank too much.
My doctor decided to add the Geodon to what I'm currently taking to aid with "impulse control".
I finally start taking it on Thursday morning, 40mg as he told me to. I was basically a zombie for most of the day. On Friday morning I was supposed to take a very early flight to visit a girlfriend of mine and as I was staying at my mother's she tried to stop me from leaving, telling me I was in no condition to fly. I managed a text message to my friend at 5AM telling her I wouldn't be able to make it (I didn't want to call her house and wake everyone there up, figuring she'd check her phone before she left to go to the airport to get me at 9) and then passed right back out.
I didn't wake up on Friday until 5PM. I just couldn't wake up, even though I tried several times, and my brain was still foggy for all of Friday night.
On Saturday, things got very, very bad. I woke up feeling better, more energized and in a good mood. Around mid-afternoon though, I felt in a way that could only be described as manic. I was basically really "high on life". In another couple of hours, I just started feeling very agitated and noticed that my pupils were super-dilated. My extremities (fingers and toes) began to tingle and then go numb. Within an hour I spiked a fever of 102 and even sitting perfectly still my heart was pounding and I had chills.
I spent Saturday and last night in the hospital, undergoing several tests, many of then pretty unpleasant. The only fortunate aspect of this is that the hospital I went to is less than a mile from my house and my mother is an attending there. So it didn't cost me anything, thank God.
I'll have to have my heart monitored for the next few months, since they did tell me there's a possibility that I may have permanent damage to my heart.
Fuck.
Because of this bullshit, I'm at a point where I'm considering going off all prescription meds and trying to go the natural route. I read an older thread on 5-HTP, but of course you can't just "stop taking" psychotropic meds/mood-stabilizers because that could fuck you up even more.
I'm seeing my shrink again on Thursday and you can be sure I'll bring this up to him, even though I've spoken on the phone with him daily since Friday afternoon.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Youv'e only been on it a few days, so tech you CAN go off of it.
But I have my own lil story about the same med. Although not given to me by a dr but a friend.
A girl I use to work with ( not stripper ) at a salon gave it to me as she told me it would help me sleep.
I didn't get the zombie reaction you got instead I got the one that sent you into the hospital. It sent me too.
Hers were 80 mgs though. I took one and freaked the fuck out. I could lay down and my leg would twitch. I paced and paced for hours and then i felt like I was going to have a fucking heart attack.
it is for maniac and schizophrinics only . My god I can't believe the dr you went to put you on that! Holy fuck.
i'm glad you are okay. And personally after only 3 or 4 days of use you should just go off of it and take a week off. Ask for xanax to help to curb any ( I doubt you'll have them) side effects.
How scarey
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
:O Oh man. I hope things turn out OK.
I feel it is possible to treat mild depression without medication (IMO indeed that's the preferrable route)...It's a 100% type of thing (restructuring lifestyle, regulating diet and studying for spiritual development and growth.)
Interestingly enough, a male friend of mine with PTSD/emotional problems is of the opinion that drugs never helped him and he deals with his issues on his own.
Best wishes.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tart
I took one and freaked the fuck out. I could lay down and my leg would twitch. I paced and paced for hours and then i felt like I was going to have a fucking heart attack.
Ask for xanax to help to curb any ( I doubt you'll have them) side effects.
I did take a small amount of Xanax as directed by both my shrink and mother, and it still didn't do much.
And about the pacing...I wanted to keep moving and pacing, and it was all I could do not to since my heart was already pounding just sitting, so I was rocking back and forth on the sofa (stopping myself when I realized what I was doing) since I desperately just wanted to walk around the house but was afraid it would make my heart rate and fever go up even more.
You're damn right about it being scary.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Yah I was way out of it too. I felt like I was going to faint and throw up at the same time. I couldn't sleep and it was probably the worst feeling ever.
I wanted to murder that girl.
I truly believe that if you take a med that's for mania and you don't have mania..it will cause you to.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
You can't get a fucking break these days. Jesus.
I missed you recently. Why you didn't call me?! ARGH!
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Oh my fucking god! Girl, I was put on Geodon too in treatment and had horrid reactions. I became suicidally depressed and my motor skills went to shit. I couldn't talk, was obviously slurring, and so RESTLESS and miserable. And the asshole doc wanted to give me more because I was fucking livid over how the stuff made me react. He told me it was more mania.
Fortunately my addictionoligist here in Austin told me I don't need meds. And I don't think you do either Nina!!!
Fuck this racket, seriously honey. I am so sorry that happened to you. Geodon is the devil, can't believe how terrible its made us all feel!
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
This is one of many of the examples of why I am very against letting doctors prescribe anything to me anymore. Natural or nothing for me. I've had horrible reactions, medications that have left permanent damage to me speech and memory even after years of being off of them, etc.
No more.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Do you happen to know if this med is ever prescribed to people with Parkinson's? I just was doing some research on that for something I was working on actually.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
How awful for you!
Wishing you a speedy recovery and I hope theres no heart damage, christ!
I have known a couple people to get off psychiatric meds succesfully whilst switching to alternatives. If I come across any resorces I shall forward them to you but Im not sure if I have any anymore and right now Im not even in Australia.
A good friend of mines dad came off of schizophrina meds after 40 something years. He was in the situation where the medication was causing him severe physical health problems especially to his liver, but if he didnt take the meds his schizophrenia was absolutly terrible. It took just a few weeks for the alternative Dr / natropath to get him free of meds and without mental illness, so dont give up hope. Just obviously dont do it alone and find out all that you can about alternatives if you want to choose that option.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Thanks for the supportive words guys. Y'all know I'm not a hypochondriac or medical drama queen, but I wanted to post this in large part because I know a lot of ladies here (sadly) have depression and anxiety issues and I wanted to share my experience in case they were prescribed this medication to "help" with what they may already be taking or if they were considering taking it for something less severe like situational depression or dysthymia.
Hard-core anti-psychotic drugs like these have serious effects even for the people who they are indicated for (which is typically among the reasons why schizophrenics and those suffering from severe bipolar disorder have a hard time staying on them for long), but I don't think they should be prescribed so cavalierly for those who they aren't indicated for just to "boost" whatever someone's taking.
The other med I'm currently on is Lamictal, which actually isn't an antidepressant, it's an anti-convulsive that's mostly worked pretty well for me since I've been taking it since November. That one you do have to "step down from" and can't just quit taking.
The symptoms that put me in the hospital, such as the tachycardia, fever, and tingling and numbness in my extremities are gone now, but I'm wearing a holter monitor for the next few days (it's basically a tiny, portable EKG machine slightly bigger than an iPod that you wear at all times and records your data) and I was told that one of my heart valves had been damaged, although they couldn't say yet if the damage is permanent or just how severe it is.
I'm guessing it won't be too bad, since I only took three doses, but I've heard of a few cases where just one dose or two of the wrong medicine can seriously mess someone up. I'm crossing my fingers...
I'm the meantime, I'm taking it easy for the rest of the month and likely a little while after that. No work, minimal activity. I also asked my mother about meditation workshops she might know about in our area, since I'm staying with her for a bit to make sure I'm ok, now that an evening class I'm taking ends this week.
Thanks again guys. :) ASP/Jo, feel free to PM any info you want to share about possible alternatives for depression.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
oh shit! they put my dad on geodon for his mental illness for a little bit, and the same shit happened to him!! scary! i'm glad you're doing ok. :hug:
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
OMG that is so scary. I am so glad ur ok. make sure you look up medications and info about them before you take them.
Also if u are prescribed something that doesn't seem correct, go to somebody else and get a second opinion.
keep us updated.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Never took Geodon but I took Zoloft (100 mg) and other pain medications ,it did help for a short time but the side effects were not worth it. Lower doses did not work. My depression became worse and I always wanted to be secluded in my house away from people, and my sex drive went to shit.I even took a break from work I felt so hopeless and suicidal.Prior to the anxiety ,I was a very positive, energetic, social person and thought the meds would help get me back to normal.
The stress of owning a business, Working day and dancing at night, sleeping in later, drinking more from working at the club, and being around negativity was a large part of the problem.
I now exercise 1 hour a day, make sure to get outside (sun provided vitamin D and increased serotonin, which was what Zoloft was suppost to do ), keep key positive friends/family in my life, changed my diet (MAJOR IMPROVEMENT), and stick to a consistant schedule to keep me busy. Successories.com has modivational books and quotes including short reads. My husband and I have a day set every week that we spend doing activities we have never done before.
If you like pets and are able to care for them, my cat also helped me come out of the depression .
I was fortunate that I personally no longer needed the meds. But if you have to take them adding in these suggestions may allow you to have more managable if any side effects.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Wow, so everyone here who has taken this drug has had a horrible reaction to it? Why the hell do they give it to anyone???
ND, I'm so sorry you went through that; it sounds terrifying, and I really hope that you don't have to deal with any long-term consequences.
I am on the fence about meds. It seems that a lot of psychiatrists are basically experimenting on their patients, with these off-label uses for powerful psychotropic drugs. It really makes me wary of the whole profession.
I do have issues with mild clinical depression and anxiety, but I've never wanted to mess with anti-depressants. Anything that can't be fixed by Adderall I just try to deal with on my own. I'm cool with the Adderall because it's just amphetamine, people have been taking it forever, the short-term & long-term effects are well-known, and it's in and out of your system quickly, so you can take it when you need it and be unaffected the rest of the time. And I seem to be able to use it without having addiction issues--Half the time I forget to take it anyway!
Anyway, ND, I think reducing your meds is generally a good idea, especially if your depression is situational. I do think diet & exercise can have a huge effect on mood, as I'm sure you know. And I'm sure a lot of the ladies here can give you good advice on more specific holistic fixes. I wish you well, and I'm glad your mom is there to take care of you. :)
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
The terrifying thing here is not only that this medication sent you to the hospital, but that my daughter's neurologist prescribed it for her starting at 80 mg. a day. Her behavior seemed to worsen with the meds so he INCREASED it. After about two days of that I took her off of it myself because I was so concerned about the reaction she seemed to be having. She's a tiny little thing and I can't believe he put her on such a high dosage, wtf is wrong with doctors?
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Yup, the doctor told me the effects would go away and that I needed to give it time. Fuck that. I was doing really well all day, happy, sober, positive, detoxed. Within 30 minutes of taking it at night, I wanted to shoot myself. I sent a friend a really sad letter, that I barely remember even writing.
I also take Seroquel, off-label, to sleep. Yup, its an expensive version of Unisom and shrinks give it to anyone. Pfizer drug reps pushed that one hard. Its supposed to be anti-psychotic.
Adderral rules. I was off it for a long time while I dried out, but went back to small doses. It really keeps me focused!
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Regarding natural anti-depressants, I'm having great success with St. John's Wort. It messes with The Pill though, if you're on it.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Andygirl
The terrifying thing here is not only that this medication sent you to the hospital, but that my daughter's neurologist prescribed it for her starting at 80 mg. a day. Her behavior seemed to worsen with the meds so he INCREASED it. After about two days of that I took her off of it myself because I was so concerned about the reaction she seemed to be having. She's a tiny little thing and I can't believe he put her on such a high dosage, wtf is wrong with doctors?
That's a fucking travesty. I'm an adult, and even though I'm 5'4" and weight 105 lbs. (I'm guessing because I almost never weigh myself) 40 mg. was way too much for me.
We haven't really heard from anyone in this thread who has actually used it for what it's prescribed for, but it seems like the general consensus is that it just really shouldn't be used off-label.
I'm gonna stick to the 10mgs. of Adderal I've been taking for 14 months, plus the Lamictal, which overall has worked pretty well for me.
I went to a new treatment program at Columbia medical center today that combines holistic medicine with "conventional" treatments, and it looked good enough to me to give it a shot. We shall see...
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
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Originally Posted by Nicolina
Wow, so everyone here who has taken this drug has had a horrible reaction to it? Why the hell do they give it to anyone???
Because if a couple of people wind up hospitalized with bad reactions, nobody cares. The important thing is that the doctors get their "incentives" from the pharmaceutical companies to make sure as many of us are doped up as possible. Over 80% of the U.S. population - INCLUDING children - has been on psychiatric medication. The overwhelmingly vast majority of those people do not need to be on experimental chemicals just to get through life, but Big Pharm would have you believe otherwise, and American doctors (especially psychiatrists) are not interested in patient care so much as they are in pushing pills.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
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Wow, so everyone here who has taken this drug has had a horrible reaction to it? Why the hell do they give it to anyone???
How totally fucked up. I have a lot of dislike for drug companies and doctors. I'm not saying all doctors, but so many of them just try something like you are a walking science class experiment.
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
gotta watch St Johns Wort too. If taken with many prescribed and natural supplements can cause Bad reactions!
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Re: Bad, bad, BAD reaction to Geodon requiring hospitalization.
I never saw this thread the first time around, so I will add on to it. I took Geodon for a while a few years ago to deal with some of my schizophrenia symptons, and it did not do anything positive for me. I got aggressive towards people because it was very easy to agitate me, and my problems with paranoid thinking got worse. I took it for 2 months with the promise of 'improvement' once I had been on it long enough. I ended up telling them that I couldn't wait anymore, because it was making me violent and I didn't want to hurt somebody that tried to interact with me while I was STILL waiting for the meds to start working.
Nobody I've ever been with in a psych ward or community clinic has done well on Geodon for either on or off label uses.