Geodon and Restlessness: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2012

For Schizoaffective Disorder "When I first went on Geodon, it was like a sigh of relief. The first day I slept all day, but the grogginess passed. I took 160 mg once daily (the 80 mg twice daily didn't work, as it made me groggy). I had slight headaches and akathisia, but it was tolerable, and my mood was greatly improved. No rage, mood swings, or delusions. Unfortunately, I started getting depressed and was bumped up to 240 mg. Big mistake. I became a total zombie. I barely laughed, I couldn't read, and I had no emotions or interests. I lay in bed all the time. I lost 20 pounds and didn't have an increased appetite, which was a plus, but I was so tired. This medicine is a good one, just be careful you aren't put on a high dose."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "I have tried many medications for bipolar disorder. All had to be discontinued due to side effects. Then I finally tried Geodon. I have been on it for about a month. This has been the best tolerated and effective medicine for me so far. It really stabilizes my mood shifts, and I tolerate it well. The major side effects for me are restlessness, anorexia (a welcome side effect!), a little anxiety, and morning drowsiness. I went from taking this medication 40 mg twice a day to just 80 mg at night, and my morning drowsiness subsided. I am glad I tried Geodon. I hope its positive effects continue."

• Geo...
• November 2, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Can’t say too much as I was on Geodon maybe three weeks. However, during that time, I felt like I was seeing life through a bizarre perspective. I had no control over my voice levels and was yelling without realizing it. I think I almost walked into traffic. I remember being at a meeting and felt high and disjointed in thought. Couldn’t take the akathisia. That’s about it. That was enough for me. Surreal. I currently don’t take any antipsychotics so that I can work and support my family, which I have been doing now for several years. Been off them for years. And that was the secret to my success."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 3, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This drug, Geodon, was amazing. I've felt the best I have ever felt mentally in 12 years. I was literally crying of happiness because I didn't think I could ever feel normal again, it was that good. But unfortunately, I got horrible akathisia (intense restlessness) and tapping of my foot that caused me to stop the drug. The foot tapping took 2 weeks to go away. I also would get watery diarrhea and episodes of overheating where I thought I had a fever, but my temperature was normal. I would also get intense dizziness if I took my dose late, and felt like I had to drop dead of sleep no matter where I was as soon as I took my dose. I wish I didn't have such bad physical side effects! This is the only thing that has worked for me so far."

• 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."

• Dir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 8, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "Geodon made me a zombie. I cried a lot more, I could barely drive. My eyes were half shut. I took it with lots of fatty foods as ordered. I couldn't speak coherently. Seroquel caused blackouts and rage, Zyprexa made me gain 45 lb and caused akathisia."

• ilu...
• October 30, 2007

For Bipolar Disorder "I was switched from Seroquel to Geodon (Bipolar 1 Disorder) for about 1 1/2 months. My feelings of 'crawling the walls,' restlessness, sleeplessness, and a general feeling that Geodon was not working like my old Seroquel returned in less than 2 weeks. After the 1 1/2 months, I called my doctor back and requested to be switched back to my Seroquel, and life feels back to normal (as normal as it gets) with the combination of Seroquel and Invega. Thank God for the meds. I can begin to live again!"

• 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."

• Las...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2019

For Schizophrenia "This medicine can cause unwanted sleepiness. Going out in public in the middle of the afternoon, I experienced akathisia, restlessness, and the desire to sleep. I also get wicked dry mouth every night and head flashes. I still am hearing voices on this medication and am taking 160 mg a day, 80 in the morning and 80 at night. My doctor added on Cogentin to help with the akathisia, and it makes me feel even sleepier. Also, the Cogentin causes serious vision blur, so much so that my eyes won't focus when I try to read."

• Las...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 28, 2019

For Schizophrenia "This medicine can cause unwanted sleepiness. Going out in public in the middle of the afternoon, I experienced akathisia, restlessness, and the desire to sleep. I also get wicked dry mouth every night and head flashes. I still am hearing voices on this medication and am taking 160 mg a day, 80 in the morning and 80 at night. My doctor added on Cogentin to help with the akathisia, and it makes me feel even sleepier. Also, the Cogentin causes serious vision blur, so much so that my eyes won't focus when I try to read."

• Ohi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 3, 2015

For Autism "The doctor prescribed Geodon 20 mg at night for my 8-year-old daughter. She has autism and a mood disorder. She has been on this medication for about a week, and I am stopping it. She has become very agitated and restless. As of this evening, she has become severely depressed and is sobbing over everything. It breaks my heart seeing her like this. I would never recommend this medication for any child."

• 515...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 29, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "This basically affected me the same as Latuda, did nothing to help my depression, and made my anxiety worse, also made me feel restless and kinda agitated, plus I was clenching my jaws, and had jaw tightness and pain, something I normally do not have, stopped taking this."

• Tin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 30, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I suffer from bipolar mixed state, and I hear voices. The Geodon 40 mg, 2 a day, works well. They say it's supposed to help with paranoia, but it hasn't helped yet. Maybe I haven't been taking it long enough yet. Only another problem I'm having is constant restlessness, I can't be still. I forgot the name of it. But besides that, the Geodon has been working okay, just my paranoia still is not good, and I still hear the voices sometimes, but my bipolar is under control."

• liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "So far, this is the best antipsychotic I have been on. I have bipolar II and ADD. I tried Latuda, and it gave me horrible akathisia and threw me into a mixed episode. Next, Vraylar, which I liked in some ways, but I was always spending too much money on it, tired, weight gain. Abilify was just awful irritability and immediate weight gain. Geodon takes out the irritability that plagues me. I seem to definitely have less depression, and that is what I was going for since lithium does not help with my depression. I do notice it wears off a couple of hours before my next dose, and I'll feel a bit depressed. I might need to take a dose twice a day. Unsure about weight gain. The doctor started me on progesterone the same week, which I have already gone off of because I am pretty sure it was causing weight gain, bloating, and a lot of other bad side effects. So far, I am only on 20 mg per day, and I don't know if I will be going up or not. I always feel a little funny right after taking it, but then I am fine."

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm taking Geodon 20 mg in the morning and evening now. The first night was AMAZING, it was the prime of my existence. I felt so calm and present and able to think of one thing at a time. I requested to take it in the morning too. The second day, I got an anxiety attack in the middle of the day, and I'd never had one previously, so I didn't know what to do with myself. The next few days, the restlessness got better until it was gone. I thought it was over, but today I got a weird feeling of uncoordination and discomfort, I couldn't write either. But every time I get a strange side effect, I nap it off. Seems to work. After napping, I'm golden. Tomorrow will be my first completed week of Geodon."

• Amy...
• November 17, 2018

For Schizophrenia "I have been on Geodon for the last 5 years. As soon as I started taking Geodon at 20 mg, my sleep started to get disturbed. I was bumped up to 60 mg, and the hallucinations have tapered off. I still get delusions and feelings that people are talking out of my mouth as my mouth moves with words. I had initial symptoms of restlessness and anxiety, but over time these symptoms have decreased and managed. I take Geodon with food at 5:30 PM, and it wires me so I can't sleep at night. I tried taking Geodon in the morning with food, but sometimes if I don't eat enough food, it causes forced drowsiness and I am unable to do anything but sleep for a couple of hours. I switched to evening in case the forced drowsiness appeared again. I found that moderate exercise 5 days a week helps with sleep because Geodon increases DHEA levels, and when DHEA is elevated, you have sleep issues. In the fifth year of Geodon, I started to get drug-induced Parkinsonism."

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "After the initial, hard-to-get-through side effects, I stuck with the Geodon, and it has helped me greatly. I'm not as moody, and like some other people's reviews I saw, I'm not as hostile. I'm taking 160 mg/night, and due to severe stress, my doctor added another 60 mg in the morning. I'm over the sleepiness, but do get restless at times. I keep reading about the horror stories about this medicine, but for me, it works well in conjunction with my Lamictal, Klonopin, and Prozac."

• nic...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 7, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Surprised that I like this medicine. I went on it for the weight-neutral benefit and have been on it for almost 7 months before. No akathisia at all like I had on the Vraylar, which is a plus. I maintained the same weight for 5 months but just realized that I went up 2 pounds despite eating small portions, working out 5 days a week, and taking an appetite suppressant supplement. Overall, pleased with the drug though because when I was on Vraylar, I gained 30 lbs in a year and had terrible akathisia. Helps me sleep at night, too. The only cons are that I got terrible facial edema on it (face swelling) compared to other antipsychotics I've been on, so my face looks much bigger; also, you have to take it with food, so I can't drive after I take it because it makes me too groggy to drive. Staying on it though until better drugs like Ulotaront come out, because of how I didn't gain as much weight on it and because Geodon is not supposed to raise your cholesterol either."

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I do not recommend this at all. Within a week of taking this, I started hallucinating, and I got really bad akathisia. I was up for 3 days, seeing things, hearing things, and I was even having tactile hallucinations. Most horrible experience I've ever had."

• Dim...
• August 1, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Worse antipsychotic ever. The first week of taking it was okay. It would give me the munchies, but I wouldn’t eat, so I didn’t gain weight (by the way, if you get the munchies and you control it, you won’t gain any weight. I was always on Zyprexa for years, and I ignored the munchies and maintained slim). Anyway, Geodon would make me sleepy, and I was able to sleep on it. Then, after a couple of weeks, I was feeling so restless, I couldn’t sit still and was moving a lot, and I hated that side effect. Then, all of a sudden, it would make me feel wired, and I wouldn’t sleep well for days. Then, one day, I took the medication earlier, and a couple hours later, I had a severe panic attack that I almost called the ambulance. Never again will I ever take Geodon. This stuff reacts as a stimulant. I’ve been happy on Zyprexa and Seroquel. Just exercise and control your diet, and you’ll be fine."

• Dim...
• August 1, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Worse antipsychotic ever. The first week of taking it was okay. It would give me the munchies, but I wouldn’t eat, so I didn’t gain weight (by the way, if you get the munchies and you control it, you won’t gain any weight. I was always on Zyprexa for years, and I ignored the munchies and maintained slim). Anyway, Geodon would make me sleepy, and I was able to sleep on it. Then, after a couple of weeks, I was feeling so restless, I couldn’t sit still and was moving a lot, and I hated that side effect. Then, all of a sudden, it would make me feel wired, and I wouldn’t sleep well for days. Then, one day, I took the medication earlier, and a couple hours later, I had a severe panic attack that I almost called the ambulance. Never again will I ever take Geodon. This stuff reacts as a stimulant. I’ve been happy on Zyprexa and Seroquel. Just exercise and control your diet, and you’ll be fine."

• crw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Geodon gave me extreme akathisia, which sucked because it truly took away my ruminating thoughts. Or rather, I was so consumed by the akathisia that I didn't have time to think. If you can stomach it, I think it's a good drug, but was not right for my body, unfortunately."

• Mor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 28, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Geodon for a few years now. I'm supposed to take 180 mg at night. But instead of knocking me out, I'm restless and feel like I'm going to crawl out of my skin. So I take 80 mg in the morning and evening along with Zoloft, Vistril, and Klonopin, a cocktail that makes me slumber for over twelve hours a day. My mood, all the time unless triggered, is 'numb.'"

• Noc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "All I’m going to say is that it gave me such extreme akathisia that I was suicidal and landed in the psych ward again. I may be prone to akathisia, as I’m realizing with antipsychotic meds, which is unfortunate."

• Jac...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 7, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG: REALLY BAD INSOMNIA. This medicine helped with my symptoms, but it wasn't worth it. It made me feel like a zombie, it made me feel like, it rubbish got rid of my appetite and I lost 70 lbs in about 6 months, it took away all creativity and motivation I had. It made me severely depressed and anxious for a while, made me restless where I couldn't get comfortable, and worst of all was the chronic insomnia. That started with me waking up after three hours of sleep sometimes and not being able to fall back asleep, then turned into me laying awake for hours without even getting close to sleep. I started taking sleeping pills to sleep, and sometimes they wouldn't even work. And even when they did, they made you feel horrible the next day. I never felt sleepy. I know if I wouldn't have taken those sleep aids, I probably would never have slept. Stay away from this drug if you value sleeping."