Posted by kotsunega on November 18, 2004, at 19:48:03
I am Bipolar 1 with extreme manic tendancies. I took Zyprexa for more than 4 years and it solved my psychotic mania completely, but weight gain was a big problem.
So, about a month ago, my pdoc started me on Geodon. While it didn't give me the same restful sleep as Zyprexa, I thought I could tolerate it pretty well.
I started having vivid and disturbing dreams about 2 weeks ago, though. Then, this last weekend, I found myself laughing hysterically or crying mournfully without much provocation. Things people would say had me laughing so hard I would not be able to catch my breath. Scenes in movies that were not that depressing had the tears rolling down my face.
Then, on this past Monday, I began to feel like I just wanted to jump out of my skin. I was revisited by feelings of tiny electrical jolts surging from one area of my body to another.
When I got home from work and nobody was home Monday evening, I had to have every light in the house on in order to keep the boogeyman away. My 7 cats would look at me from time to time, and while I didn't think I was acting that strangely, the way they were looking at me was somehow frightening; like they would attack me.
I finally called my husband to come home from work early as I was just plain flipping out. Instead of the Geodon, I went back to taking 20 mgs of Zyprexa that night and slowly, slowly over the next few days, all of the psychotic mania aspects of my behavior began to subside.
I called my pdoc's office the next morning after my total flip out and talked with my pdoc's nurse as my pdoc was making hospital rounds. She asked if I felt like I needed to be hospitalized, but I told her no.
Now, several days after restaring Zyprexa,I still find myself reacting a little over-emotionally, but the hysterical laughing is gone. I still feel the need to have lots of lights on in the house, but am not as afraid as I was that terrible Monday night. The vivid dreams are not so strong. Things are getting better again.
Anybody else ever have a psychotic break with reality like this that seems to have been meds related? It was quite the nasty experience. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences or comments about my mini-ordeal. :)
k.
poster:kotsunega
thread:417668
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041118/msgs/417668.html