Geodon and Lamictal have been the drugs of choice in my therapy. Before I posted this thread I wanted to make sure that even with my existing arrhythmia it was a safe medication. Although I know that each person reacts differently to individual meds, I can report that thus far I have not had any adverse side effects and we continue to monitor the electrical output.


I hope this helps someone:
Geodon (Ziprasidone) is the next to newest 'atypical antipsychotic' medication. Atypical antipsychotics are used to treat psychotic conditions (severe mental disorders characterized by distorted thoughts, perceptions, and emotions) such as schizophrenia, and have also been found to be helpful for individuals with Bipolar Disorder. Like the other atypical antipsychotics, Ziprasidone appears to work by blocking the action of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, thus producing a tranquilizing and antipsychotic effect.

Is it safe?
Several years ago, the FDA became concerned about the possibility that Geodon and a number of other drugs might increase the very small possibility of a specific, potentially fatal heart–rhythm irregularity called torsade de pointes. In fact, the FDA did not approve Geodon in 1998 because there was some evidence that it could cause a lengthening of the so–called QT interval of the heart beat, a change associated with torsade. The FDA asked for specific safety data, which were submitted in 1999. Although "QT prolongation" is still a concern, thousands of consumers have been treated without evidence of the heart–rhythm irregularity. And the overall mortality rate during the trials was similar to that of placebo and with other antipsychotic drugs. Since its introduction to US consumers in 2001, there have been no reported fatalities due to Geodon induced torsade.

http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Medications&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7399 (http://http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Medications&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7399)

Thanks for posting that :) That may come in very handy someday!

Andi,
How did you come apon such atypical medications? It always seems such a crapshoot. I'm guessing you tried a bunch and various diagnosis as well.

I have many labels that I wear but after my Lithium fiasco the doc decided to try Geodon since I had such an adverse reaction to Lithium. Thankfully it's working...we are still adjusting the dosage but I'm better now then I have ever been.

FDA Approves Pfizer's atypical antipsychotic Geodon(R) for the Treatment of Acute Bipolar Mania


Monday August 23, 1:03 pm ET
Geodon Is Not Associated With Significant Weight Gain, a Key Problem With Other Treatments - Newly Released Survey Shows Patients Gain Up to 100 Pounds on Current Bipolar Medications

NEW YORK, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Pfizer Inc announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of its atypical antipsychotic Geodon® (ziprasidone HCI) for the treatment of acute bipolar mania including manic and mixed episodes....

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040823/nym117_1.html

Ya dont have to do Blood test and stuff w/ this meds eh? Ekk If it new It must cost a fortune and a half :eek:

OMG does it ever. Thankfully we have good insurance coverage. In just a few prescriptions I met my maximum and no longer have to pay for my meds...sometimes insurance is can be a benefit and not a hassel.

I wonder If SSI medicaid would cover it....So far Lamicatal is still the Mirical Pill for me but ya never know if it's going to last..sigh*

I'm on 400mgs of Lamictal and 80 mgs of Geodon...outside of emotional disturbances that I need to take care of, I'm stabilized but still have little energy. I hope, if you decide to ask your doctor about it, that it will work for you too.

Wow I am still on 200mg of Lamictal..what's 400 like?

Let's put it this way, I wouldn't be here without it...literally

Hmmmm I wonder if I should up mine...as impulsive as i am I proably wouldn't ask the doc and just do it if I wanted to....I'm just that goofy.

Hugsssss Sweetie.....R U Ok now?

Yeah, just rolling along...take each day as it comes...square on the chin...lol

Take it day by day
Or Surely this cruel life with carry
Your sanity away.

I just made that up:D

Tue Aug 31, 6:18 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. warned doctors that the company's antipsychotic drug Geodon has been linked to extremely high blood sugar and diabetes.

Pfizer's letter to doctors, announced on Tuesday, follows a September 2003 FDA (news - web sites) request that manufacturers of the six most widely used antipsychotic drugs revise labels to reflect additional risks.

The remaining drugs affected by the FDA request include Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, Bristol-Myers Squibb's Abilify, Novartis' Clozaril, Janssen's Risperdal and AstraZeneca's Seroquel.

Pfizer's warning letter to doctors said "few reports" of hyperglycemia or diabetes were noted in patients prescribed Geodon. But it also noted fewer patients were treated with that particular antipsychotic.

As a whole, so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs were linked to such adverse events as diabetes and high blood sugar — in some cases, extreme enough to induce coma or death.

Geodon, approved to treat schizophrenia, on Aug. 23 gained FDA approval for the treatment of acute bipolar mania.

resource... http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1408&e=1&u=/ap/20040831/ap_on_he_me/antipsychotics_diabetes&sid=95862973

YIKES! If it linked to Diabetes..To great of risk for me...Father Passed away from it :(

Data from two separate studies conducted with Pfizer Inc's atypical antipsychotic Geodon® (ziprasidone HCl) showed the medication improved depressive symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder who had dysphoric mania [i] (a condition involving both manic and depressive symptoms) and in patients with schizophrenia. [ii] The studies were presented at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting.



(I-Newswire) - Symptoms of depression are wide ranging and can include feelings of sadness, loss of energy, decreased activity, and difficulty concentrating or making decisions. These symptoms are often experienced by patients who have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with dysphoric mania. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia is high, at 50 percent to 80 percent. It is also not well controlled [iii] and is associated with more relapses and poorer outcomes. [iv] Depressive symptoms associated with dysphoric mania in bipolar patients are potentially severe and difficult to treat. The use of standard antidepressants alone is generally not appropriate, as these medications may worsen manic symptom severity.

“These studies suggest that Geodon can relieve depressive symptoms that may occur as one of the many symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar mania, in addition to its clear effectiveness in treating psychotic and manic symptoms,” said Nina Schooler, Ph.D., adjunct professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Study of Geodon's Efficacy in Dysphoric Mania in Bipolar Disorder

An analysis was conducted of pooled data from three, double-blind studies involving Geodon use by patients with bipolar mania who also had dysphoria or depressive symptoms. Patients given Geodon showed significantly more rapid and consistent improvements in depressive symptoms than those given placebo or the antipsychotic haloperidol ( Haldol ). On a standard rating scale for depression, patients given Geodon showed significant improvements versus placebo starting at day four of treatment and at all subsequent visits; those given haloperidol did not show statistically significant improvement at the study end point.

Study of Geodon's Efficacy in Depressive Symptoms Associated with Schizophrenia

In this study, patients with schizophrenia who took Geodon demonstrated improvements in depressive symptoms and had high rates of response after switching from other antipsychotics to long-term treatment with Geodon.

The presentation was based on pooled data from 63 patients who completed one-year extensions of three separate, six-week studies in which they were switched to flexibly-dosed Geodon ( 40-160 mg per day ) from a previous antipsychotic -- either a conventional antipsychotic ( such as chlorpromazine or haloperidol ), or one of two second-generation antipsychotics, olanzapine ( Zyprexa® ) or risperidone ( Risperdal® ).

After one year, the average scores of the patients significantly improved on a standard measure of depression. Treatment response to Geodon, defined by a 50 percent or greater improvement on the depression scale used in this study, was achieved by 60 percent of patients who previously were taking conventional antipsychotics and 63 percent of patients who formerly used olanzapine or risperidone.

About Geodon

Approved in the United States in February 2001 for the treatment of schizophrenia and in 2004 for acute bipolar mania, Geodon is licensed in 73 countries, and more than 5 million prescriptions have been written worldwide. It is widely accepted on hospital, Medicaid, national Veterans Administration ( VA ) and managed care formularies.

Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with atypical antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death compared to placebo. Geodon is not approved for the treatment of elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis.

Geodon is contraindicated in patients with a known history of QT prolongation, recent acute myocardial infarction, or uncompensated heart failure, and should not be used with other QT-prolonging drugs.

Geodon has a greater capacity to prolong the QTc interval than several antipsychotics. With some drugs, QT prolongation has been associated with torsade de pointes, a potentially fatal arrhythmia.

Hyperglycemia related adverse events, sometimes serious, have been reported in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics. There have been few reports of hyperglycemia or diabetes in patients treated with Geodon, and it is not known if Geodon is associated with these events. Patients treated with an atypical antipsychotic should be monitored for symptoms of hyperglycemia.

Discovered and developed by Pfizer, Geodon is a serotonin and dopamine antagonist. In short-term trials, the most commonly observed side effects were somnolence and respiratory distress, of which more than 90 percent were cold symptoms or upper respiratory infections.

Full Geodon prescribing information is available at www.geodon.com.



http://i-newswire.com/pr24872.html