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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by HappyGirl on April 3, 2009, at 15:54:46
Hi:
My pdoc. advised me to switch to 'Geodon 80 mg' from 'Zyprexa 5mg.' because of my family history on which my father's side has Diabetic tendency. Also, the pdoc. told my 'Sugar level' is slightly high when he looked at my Lab Test which I did two weeks ago.I thought the Zyprexa 5 mg. doing most of my Bipolar job and very happy about it, then it's a bit shock to me, ... but on the otherhand, since I hate to face 'Diabetic' in the future, I'm very willing to switch to the Geodon 80 mg.
Just wondering whether the Geodon does NOT cause some 'havoc,' such as sleepless nights, because with Zyprexa 5 mg. I've been sleeping VERY well throughout night.
If any of you have any experience in changing from Zyprexa to Geodon, ... or any imputs on switching, I'm very eager to hear/read anything related to those 'two' APs.
Thanks,
Posted by desolationrower on April 4, 2009, at 1:24:16
In reply to Geodon and Zyprexa, posted by HappyGirl on April 3, 2009, at 15:54:46
Well, olanzapine is one of the worst for that, but if its working, i suppose quite a lot of discipline and some luck and you could keep your risk factors at normal levels with the old diet & excercise stuff. i don't really like switching from meds that are working, but long-term AP use i'm not big on either. Diabetes doesn't just sneak up on you, so while i wouldn't personally like to take a med that makes weight maintenance harder, it is something that one can monitor to see things are going.
geodon tends to be activating at lower doses, though it improves sleep overall, like olanzapine. have you had problems in the past with insomnia? if you switch, i'd ask for a benzo in case you find it causing that problem until you get to the right dose, as insomin+bipolar isn't a good combination.
-d/r
Posted by Zyprexa on April 4, 2009, at 17:51:54
In reply to Geodon and Zyprexa, posted by HappyGirl on April 3, 2009, at 15:54:46
I've been taking zyprexa for 11 years now. I tried to switch to geodon, but it didn't work. Didn't sleep as well and it did nothing for my hearing voices.
Posted by B2chica on April 6, 2009, at 7:52:04
In reply to Geodon and Zyprexa, posted by HappyGirl on April 3, 2009, at 15:54:46
last year i was finally sick of my weight and asked to switch and doc suggested geodon.
keep in mind i am bipolar but mostly take zyprexa for my depression and quarky psychosis stuff.
about one week off zyprexa and my dark depression started coming back geodon was not helping, so pdoc upped it from 80 to 160. within two days i was making suicidal plans, stopped going to work and when pdoc called to check i told him if he wanted to see me again he'd have to make it by the end of the week.
so no, my switch did not go well for me. and doubling the geodon made things MUCH worse.
i don't think i've talked with too many people who have had good luck with geodon. but i dont want to discourage you. i'd say give it a try but really keep an eye on your body and any mood changes.
i do wish you good luck.
b2c.
Posted by CareBear04 on April 7, 2009, at 21:25:29
In reply to Geodon and Zyprexa, posted by HappyGirl on April 3, 2009, at 15:54:46
I once had a pdoc who said that Geodon is known for not doing anything good for anyone. Maybe for that reason, it was the last of the atypical APs I tried, but I actually believe it worked pretty well for me. My problem was that, at lower doses, Geodon can cause akathisia, but at higher doses, I had orthostatic hypotension. I think I ended up taking 80mg a day. I was on a huge cocktail of other meds while I was on Geodon, so it's hard for me to separate out what it alone did, but I think I would have to say that it was very good at treating and preventing mania and not so good at treating depression. In contrast, I found Zyprexa to be especially good at providing a floor for my mood so that I didn't crash. But Zyprexa made me too sedated, even only at 2.5mg, plus it made me gain weight, so I didn't stay on it long. If anything, I think I lost some weight on Geodon. Compared to Risperdal or Abilify, I would recommend GEodon. The comparison with Zyprexa is tougher. I think Zyprexa might be more effective for mood and anxiety relief, but the side effects were too much for me.
Hope this helps!
CB
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