Geodon and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Ant...
• October 12, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "My doctor told me I had the worst bipolar disorder he had ever seen. When I talked to my doctor, I told him I wanted a little bit of mania because I could get my school work done easier. I didn't want to be depressed all the time, I wanted minimal weight gain because everything else I had been on made me gain weight, and I wanted to sleep at night because I was going weeks without sleep, and it was making be sick. He put me on 80mg, twice a day. He ended up changing that to 2 80mg pills before bedtime because when I took it in the morning, it was like I was drunk and I couldn't go to my college classes. That was 4 years ago, and I haven't been depressed since. I sleep and lost 20lbs. It's been a miracle for me."

• LJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 2, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I was on Latuda and Lamictal and was still having major irritability; I could feel the mania trying to break through. My psych kept me on the Lamictal but switched me to Geodon. Within a day, I could feel a difference. I no longer had the rage that had been bubbling under the surface for weeks; it had died down. I have rapid cycling Bipolar 1, but mania is my biggest problem. The only side effect I’m having is a hard time falling asleep. For sleep, I take gabapentin, trazodone, and last night I added in some Benadryl to be safe. I’m sleeping 8 hours and waking up without an alarm, but I’m now foggy in the morning. But halfway through my second cup of coffee, I’m fine and awake. I’m on 20 mg twice a day and I’m hoping my psych will add in a third dose midday because I feel like it’s wearing off a couple of hours before I take my evening dose. Overall, I think Geodon is working for me, and I’m glad I gave it a try. Being angry all the time is exhausting."

• tat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 18, 2014

For Schizophrenia "I was given numerous medications to treat my condition, and many of them just put me in a daze and made me sleep all day. I couldn't function. Then my psychiatrist put me on Geodon, monitored my condition, and slowly increased my dosage. My condition started to improve to the point that I can now function in society. I can understand now when I start to feel paranoid and hear voices-that they are only in my head and are not real. I come back to reality and calm myself down. Geodon has helped me more than Thorazine or Seroquel. I take 80 mg in the morning and 160 mg at night. I've been able to sleep up to 6 hours now. I feel good, I'm not tired, and now I can actually eat in restaurants. I've been taking it for 3 years."

• Czr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Geodon, in the beginning, sounded like a good idea, but it turns out that I was very wrong. After the first day of taking it, I developed insomnia, heart palpitations, and could not feel any emotions whatsoever. These symptoms persisted for the whole time I took Geodon, and on top of that, Geodon did nothing to help my psychosis. I then asked my doctor to get me off of Geodon, and that is when the real kicker shows. Geodon has horrible withdrawal symptoms that hit despite how slowly I decreased my dose. These withdrawal symptoms for me included really bad insomnia, which made it impossible to go to bed at all and caused hallucinations, flu-like symptoms, and more heart palpitations. I am currently in week 1 out of 12 of getting off my 120 mg dose. So basically, if you take this drug, you WILL be hooked on it. Good luck."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• a s...
• March 17, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Hat...
• November 14, 2012

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I take this for multiple things. I have been on it for a week. It seemed to work at first, but now I can't sleep, seeing and hearing worse. My hands twitch a lot. I'm a non-smoker that has the cravings to smoke (not good at all!). Hopefully, when I call the doctor's office, they change this med. I've been on Abilify and lithium with no problems at all, but the new doctor wanted to try something new. Well, I don't like it. My 12-year-old son thinks I've lost my marbles, as he calls it. Not cool if my son can notice a difference!"

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• 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."

• cla...
• February 14, 2012

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was originally on 160 mg of Geodon, mainly for delusions and paranoia. It helped a great deal for paranoia, but I wanted to decrease the dosage with a view to coming off it altogether. I managed to get down to 40 mg, but couldn't get off it altogether as the resulting insomnia was awful. I just could not sleep without it. Unfortunately, due to paranoia, I am now back up to 120 mg and I can't see myself ever getting off this medication, and I do suffer a lot of bloating with it, although it is not as bad as Zyprexa or Clozaril for weight gain. Overall, a good medicine for paranoid delusions."

• CM3...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, my doctor prescribed Geodon at 40 mg once daily to help with my mixed episodes. I immediately felt the effect of the drug. I had insomnia. I was hallucinating, I would hear voices at night. I was agitated and yelling at my husband and children for no real reason. My mixed episodes got much worse. I quit taking it after 4 days of absolute hell. I know everyone reacts differently to these drugs, but my experience was awful."

• Loa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I started taking this medication for my mania. I really didn’t notice a difference in my manic episodes while on it. At night, the ziprasidone would make me uncomfortably drowsy, and even then, I would be unable to sleep through the whole night. On nights where I barely slept, I would wake up so terribly drowsy that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. This impaired my driving and made work and school really difficult, if not impossible. My manic episodes remained the same until I tried stopping the ziprasidone, in which they became alarmingly worse than I’d ever had them before. One night without taking ziprasidone, I had a major manic episode and was awake for over 36 hours. I was only able to rest after taking the ziprasidone but could only sleep 9 hours after being awake for so long. I’m still trying to get off the ziprasidone, but I’m unsure how to do this without sacrificing an entire night's sleep and my sanity."

• ber...
• February 6, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I’ve been on this med, Geodon, for about a year for bipolar and BPD. I am on a dose of 160 mg, and I take it all at night. I still have mania symptoms, but the only symptom I have is not sleeping. A couple of weeks ago, I was up for 60 hours nonstop, and this past week, I've been getting 3-4 hours of sleep and have felt fully energized. The first time I took this medication, I slept from 8 PM to 5 PM and was groggy for the 4 hours. I was awake before I went back to bed. I haven’t been tired because of it since, though. I also developed an acute dystonic reaction called an “oculogyric crisis” because of this med. I am on amantadine to stop it. This med has been a game changer for me, despite this. I don’t get severely depressed anymore, and my depressive episodes would be really terrible, and my manic episodes would always end me up in the hospital because I'd go on a bender and overdose, or I'd be up for days and be extremely irritable and cranky."

• Lee...
• August 6, 2019

For Schizophrenia "Antipsychotic weight gain is an absolute nightmare. I was on Risperdal, and it made me gain twenty pounds. At first, I didn’t know what was going on. I thought I was just getting old. Then I got up to 160 pounds without even eating. This med made it so I can’t pee hardly at all, so if I just want to drink Diet Pepsi to lose weight, I have to deal with water weight. I mean just how big am I supposed to get? I have to be on this stuff for life, and I’m gaining about 2 to 3 pounds a week without even eating. How many times am I supposed to go jean shopping for bigger sizes? And I can’t say I trust Geodon much more. I’ve been on it for a month now, so far, I’ve lost five pounds by just starving myself as usual. It works for my voices, but I can’t even get off the stuff if I wanted to because the withdrawal gives me terrible insomnia. So, basically, they’ve got you for life and you're going to be fat."

• 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."

• Str...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 23, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I am a 48-year-old woman with bipolar I disorder. A year ago last fall, I was severely depressed. In the hospital, they put me on 20 mg of Geodon for depression and 10 mg of trazodone for sleep. I was already on 1000 mg of Tegretol. At first, this combo was a lifesaver, and I felt the best I have felt in years - even became slightly hypomanic and over-the-moon happy. Then, 4 months in, my mood swung to a deep suicidal depression, so I went back in the hospital for 2 weeks, and they upped the Geodon to 40 mg, then 80 mg, and the anxiety and insomnia became so bad they gave me the max they could with sleep meds, and I left the hospital worse than ever. Anxiety so bad I had to take clonazepam to counteract. Would not take again."

• Buz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I've just changed from Risperdal to Geodon. Risperdal worked well for me, but I put on 6 kg of weight, which wouldn't budge no matter what I did. I have been on Geodon for a week now, and the only side effect so far has been difficulty falling asleep and having a very light sleep pattern. I have counteracted this by taking a sleeping pill at night. I haven't lost any weight yet, but hoping to see some results here soon."

• Anonymous
• September 12, 2011

For Body Dysmorphic Disorder "I took this drug at night and immediately went to sleep. When it became time to wake up the next morning, I felt like I was in another world. It literally felt like the world was upside down. I couldn't stand in the shower and ended up collapsing in bed with only a half-wet bathrobe. I couldn't move and could barely pull the cover over the top of my immobile body. I had severe pains in my body, especially in my legs. I didn't even begin to feel coherent until 3 PM. I never took another dose. However, the following night, I had insomnia and didn't sleep a wink for two days. This is a strong medicine."

• Col...
• March 13, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "When I first began on Geodon, I was filled with anxiety. In fact, even though I was more or less covered for mania and depression, this was still the darkest period of my life. It went on for six months without getting better. Then I switched to Lamictal, which worked on my depression but left me 'high' all the time. Small amounts of Geodon countered that, which at these low levels mostly behaved itself. It still made me either insomniac or lethargic, depending on exactly what time of the evening I took it. I was anxious only a few hours in the late afternoon. Eventually, I've worked my way all the way back up to 120 mg a day, which has reduced my manic spells to zero. The goal now is to get off Lamictal again to improve my concentration."

• Van...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 22, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I took Geodon 140 mg daily, split, for three years. Along with the 750-900 mg Lithium carbonate, I have taken for about thirty years. Geodon mitigated my paranoia without breakthrough in the evening like I had with Abilify. Geodon was better than Risperdal, too. However, it caused me to have insomnia that Ambien or Trazodone only helped sometimes. I was falling asleep during the day and even while driving. This made my memory poor. I say the insomnia was from Geodon because since I switched to Caplyta for a month and then to Latuda (six months now), regular seven-hour-a-night sleep returned immediately. I have dystonia in my arms after years of taking atypical antipsychotics. It seemed no better or worse on Geodon. I took this with food at breakfast and dinner. I didn't intentionally eat less for some months and lost over 20 pounds, 2.5 years into taking it. I haven’t managed to do that on Latuda and have gained ten pounds back."

• 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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2017

For Schizophrenia "I've been on Geodon for 6 months now, and it's helped me maintain my weight and take away all my symptoms with minimal side effects. I increased my dose to 120 mg once a day, and now I developed insomnia and can't sleep without taking Xanax. I will be forced to switch medications."

• Kyl...
• August 24, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I went on this drug because I was gaining too much weight on Zyprexa. I've lost some weight so far, but literally feel like shit every day. Feel sick to my stomach and can barely keep my eyes open throughout the day. If I forget to take it, I can't fall asleep, and I've never had that problem with other meds."

• Big...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 15, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been bipolar since the age of 21. I'm now 28. Was put on Zyprexa for 6 years. Changed this med because I was gaining too much weight. I'm now 3 and a half months on Geodon in combination with Zoloft. All I can say is this medication sucks, it makes me more manic than ever. My doc wants me to try lithium. I hope I'll get better results. Been sleeping 3 hours at night for weeks. This was the worst medication I have ever been on, and I have only been on Zyprexa. I started on 80 mg, now I'm on 120 mg. Don't recommend, don't try this drug!!!"