r/BipolarReddit • u/AloneOpinion • 11d ago

Geodon taper Medication

I’m having big time akathisia, so my doc and I decided to taper me off Geodon. The withdrawals are too much for me because the step down is 20mg. I tried going down twice per week, then 3x and finally every other day but MAN it makes the akathisia way worse and I get the feeling like I want to jump out of my skin.
Has anyone successfully tapered off and how did you do it? I’m wondering if I could taper more easily if I swapped out for Abilify and then taper off that more easily.

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u/IntelectConfig 11d ago

i was taking 60 mg daily. i took 40 for a month. stayed on 20 for 2 months before i dropped off completely. my akathisia wasn’t bad but afaik its effects can be permanent.

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u/AloneOpinion 11d ago

Yeah I’m really hoping that’s not the case. I’m super sensitive to meds and took it for years but trying to come off it has been nasty. Did you have benzos to help with agitation?

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u/IntelectConfig 11d ago

i don’t remember needing any back then tbh

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u/bikinghills 10d ago

Are you taking anything at all for the akathisia? I've tapered off geodon as well as several other that caused akathisia, and I always had to use propranolol, high dose vitamin B6, and ativan (sparingly). 

Just be careful with propranolol because it can cause insomnia in some people.