[Just Jacquie]

I am looking for any help I can get from anyone! DH was put on Depakote almost 3 yrs ago, but had to be taken off due to too low platelet count. I was in the office when we were discussing what med might be good for him - he's been on lithium, triliptol, seroquel, and, long ago Sinequan, since his firs major problem in 1983. He had to go off of most of these drugs sue to bad side effects, mostly. Anyhow, it was agreed he should have a trial of geodon, so he was tapered off of Depakote, and started geodon in early June. After the first two weeks, we we thrilled - we finially got my old DH back - his personality was so stunted on Depakote (I never liked that he was on that) but, I guess I didn't complain to our pdoc strongly enough.

Long story short, he's been doing well since mid-June. The only other psych med he was on is zoloft - at a low dose of 100mg. He started getting back into his old hobby of music, listening to much more, etc. Lately, tho (maybe the past 3 or 4 days), he's started to have a couple of slightly off behaviors, and yesterday, he told me that he felt kind of jumpy, or jittery. Took his BP, and , OMG, it was 184/116 . He does, take a BP med, but his bp has been stable and good for years. We were shocked, and I suggested he take another bp pill. That seemed to help some. He is napping now, as he did last pm, after he felt 'jittery' Seemed to help yesterday.

Sorry for going on so, but my questions are - anyone have experience w/ geodon? Any probs w/ BP? Did lots of reading of side effects, no mention really of bp as an issue. Last time he had a manic episode, his BP was very high then, too. Calling the pdoc tomorrow, for sure. Any thoughts??

Thanks, if you've read this far, I am just seeking answers!!

Jacquie

[waves]

Jacquie,

==> How is he today? How is the BP today?

==> Was he given an EKG before starting Geodon?

==> Geodon is contraindicated in patients with long QT-interval (a specific type of heart pattern), as it prolongs QT interval. Rarely, Geodon can cause torsades de pointes. This can be life-threatening, so unexplained changes in cardio function mustn't be taken lightly.

MEANTIME:

I am glad his BP med helped somewhat, but he can't be popping those as needed. Keep the BP monitored closely.

-- DO call his psychiatrist to see if he wants you to suspend/reduce the Geodon preempttively.

-- If psychiatrist is unresponsive to your concerns, call your GP and refer symptoms.

IF the BP is still high or spikes again, I'd say go to urgent care. He could probably use an EKG.

waves

[Just Jacquie]

waes, thanks for your quick reply - I really needed it. Ironically, we had complete physicals the day before he started on the new med, and his EKG was normal. It's always been normal (unlike mine!). The weird thing with his bp has been this - after his 3 month stint in the psych ward in 2011 - from June thru Sept, the first indication of trouble, besides his weird behavior, paranoid, tending toward manic, was really high bp. So, he was put on like 4 bp meds, and then he had some cardiac testing last year and his bp was so low, they couldn't do one of the tests, which happened twice. So cardiac doc eliminated two or three bp meds,and he's been that way since. Now, all of a sudden, this. Believe me, I am really keeping track of his bp here at home, and call to pdoc will be first thing in the am. My don and d-i-l are really concerned because the high bp was the first thing they had to treat when he was hospitalized in June 2011, so this is really scary, too much deja vu for us all!

Will monitor closely and let you all know - but thanks so much for the info!!

[waves]

Wow, ok. so he has a history of these events... could be something other than the Geodon, but yeah, he still needs attention. And the pdoc should still be alerted.

Oh gosh. I just looked this up...

https://www.geodon.com/

Scroll down to see effects. It mentions blood pressure as something to report immediately for a different reason than what I said, but still critical.

If you experience a high fever, stiff muscles, shaking, confusion, sweating, or increased heart rate or blood pressure, tell your doctor right away. These can be signs of a rare but potentially fatal condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

Good luck, I hope you can get in touch with the pdoc fast.

(((hugs)))

waves

[bizi]

maybe the zoloft needs to be cut back?
I think he needs to be seen, my pdoc has an ekg there in her office maybe he/she could take one and read it right there? if you can get an ASAP appointment tomorrow.
good luck and keep us posted.
bizi

[Just Jacquie]

Geez, I am frustrated! I read several pages of side effects of this drug, and specifically look for blood pressure changes, and found none. How can that be, I was specifically looking for this!?

Anyway, thank, bizi, for sharing that link! I will show it to my DH, I think it might ease his anxiety a little. After all, anxiety doesn't help this condition, does it?? Will keep ya'll posted. Have a lovely evening and s to you all!

[waves]

HI Jacquie,

You must be so worried. Were you able to get hold of the doctor?

Don't worry too much about hunting for side effects. The only reference on that page was the bit I cited, about NMS, but it is rare.

Bizi has a good point, too, that the Zoloft could be contributing. Also, the problem might not be med-related.

Anything to help ease your husband's anxiety meantime is good.

Hang in there, Jacquie. Let us know what the doctor says.

waves

[Mari]

Jacquie,

I hope all goes well at the doctor's office.

M

[Just Jacquie]

Ok, everyone, his pdoc wasn't very concerned at all, and I was a bit surprised by that, truth be told. We told him the hx, the jitteriness that only started on Saturday, and that's when we started taking his BP. His doc is very experienced, and I trust his judgement. In fact, he doesn't want to see him for another month. He did suggest we stop in to our GP, whose office is just across the street, so we did. She was booked up, but said we could stop in for a 4:30 appt, so we will. We ran some errands, and got home a little while ago. He's taking a nap right now, but his behavior is perfectly normal.

I'm just having trouble conincing my son and d-i-l that he is not going manic. What they've seen is different behavior than what they'e seen for the past three years. His affect was so stunted on Depakote,a fact which I wish I had been more emphatic about to his pdoc. But no, we lived with him like that for 3 years. He had finally gotten his old personality back, and is so different that it has scared them, and then, this high bp on top of it. That is what happened in 2011 when he ended up in the psych hospitals for three whole months. I know, however, that he has no manic sx like he did in 2011

I'll let you know what happens at his GP appointment. And thanks for all the input, you guys. You are the best !

[waves]

Thanks for the update, Jacquie!

I am glad the GP is going to see you. Let's she what she has to say.

Even if it is "nothing" it is better to be safe than sorry.

waves