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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 11:49:30
Anyone compare Abilify vs Geodon as an adjunct to anxiety/depression? I take Geodon and it seems to help with anxiety/motivation, but I feel foggy all the time; and people here are expressing concerns about Geodons side effects. How does Abilify feel in comparison? Does it help anxiety? Is there any foggy feeling?
Posted by Lazarus on November 15, 2004, at 16:03:12
In reply to Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 11:49:30
I have taken both.
Geodon made me extremely manic. It also gave me insomnia....I didn't sleep for days after a single dose. It was like being on speed, BAD speed.
Abilify is good. I find it to be a profound tranquilizer. The bad thing about it is that it impairs me cognitively; what I want to say doesn't always come out of my mouth the way I want. For this reason I think it's a powerful drug.
Lazarus
Posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 16:53:23
In reply to Re: Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by Lazarus on November 15, 2004, at 16:03:12
That may explain 'why I'm feeling today....have been on Cymbalta for three weeks, somehow it seems to potentiate Geodon...first potentiated sleepiness, now seems to potentiate that sort of pressured feeling--feel agitted today.
On the bright side, I may be finally seeing positive results with Cymbalta.....wouldn't mind getting off Geodon.
Posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 18:42:22
In reply to Re: Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 16:53:23
But didn't some people find the opposite---that the Abilify was more energizing? I thought I had heard that in the past....
Posted by Tom G on November 15, 2004, at 22:28:31
In reply to Re: Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by banga on November 15, 2004, at 18:42:22
This is a great thread. Geodon has been amazing for me cognitively. It has organized my thoughts and eliminated suicidal depression and anxiety, and gotten rid of cofusion and paranoia all of which fall under psychotic symtoms for me. It has done all this at the amazing low dose of 20mgs a day. It has left me however with unbelievable sedation that mimics negative symptoms of schizophrenia (withdrawl, amotivation, anhedonia). Provigil failed to correct this. My doctor has now raised the dose of my Geodon and believes this may correct the sedation problem. Who knew? Raising the dose actually helps sedation? Wow. He just changed my dose today so we'll see.
Ablify I tried at 15mg and it caused akathisia and heightened anxiety after a short time. My doctor gave me the choice to stop it or lower the dose and I was in such bad shape from the akathisia that I chose to stop it. However now my doctor has left trying it again open in the hopes that maybe at a lower dose it could provide some benefit. Possibly the akathisia covered any of the positive results that could've been recognized. I think Abilify is the top atypical, although not unheard of, at causing sedation.
All in all I think Geodon is a great drug. It has gotten me half way there and now I need to get rid of the sleepiness som how. Abilify could be better so we'll see. Good luck.
Posted by redscarlet on November 16, 2004, at 0:26:59
In reply to Re: Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by Tom G on November 15, 2004, at 22:28:31
Tom G ~ I've had just about the same response to Geodon as you have. It's been a good med for me as well but I'm like you, just tired and have no motivation most of the time, I can sit for hours at the computer when I really should be doing other things. Like today I needed to go do a little grocery shopping but just couldn't leave the house! The Geodon has help me so much with the paranoia and hallucinations. I'm on 40mgs a day, I take it all at night. I have bipolar and OCD and take Zonegran and Wellbutrin also. I've been on Seroquel and Abilify as well. The Abilify gave me the akathisia just like you and the Seroquel made it very hard to get up in the morning. It was very sedating for me but it was good to get me to sleep at night, to bad I just didn't want to get back up in the morning! I can't take a stimulant due to the bipolar so that is never an option for me.
I too have thought about giving Abilify another try but I worry that if it doesn't work out a second time and I needed to go back to the Geodon would I have a problem with the Geodon working. The first time I took Geodon it worked the best for me, more then any other med has ever worked for me but it began to give me very BAD akathisia and I had to stop it. I was off the Geodon and on the Seroquel for close to a year then asked my pdoc if I could give it another try, he Oked it and back on it I went. However this time no akathisia at all and it does help but I don't have the same level of effect from it as I did the first time. I've ever taken 60mgs for a while to see if that would make a difference but it didn't so I went back to the 40mgs.
So you see I'm reluctant to take a chance and miss with it, guess I should leave well enough as is, huh!
Posted by Tom G on November 16, 2004, at 1:16:33
In reply to Re: Abilify vs Geodon?, posted by redscarlet on November 16, 2004, at 0:26:59
What complicates this sedation thing for me further is that for the first two months of taking Geodon it caused *no* sedation! None. I was alive and full of energy motivated and ready to take on the world. And then all of a sudden at the two month mark BAM! the sleepiness hit me like a ton of bricks. I am still trying to work this out in my mind although I don't think there is any real clear cut answer. So, I have experienced Geodon in all it's greatness and glory, but unfortunatly it has thrown me a curve ball. Like I said I'm halfway there or maybe a little more.:-)
This is the end of the thread.
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