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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by MelD on April 20, 2003, at 10:20:20
My son takes Paxil in the am and Geodon at night. He starts a mild tremor about mid day and in the evening experiences feeling of more severe tremor and "spaciness". Has anyone else experienced this on either or both of these meds?
Posted by xjs7 on April 20, 2003, at 19:33:12
In reply to Paxil and Geodon, posted by MelD on April 20, 2003, at 10:20:20
I used to take Paxil and it exacerbated my tremor (by making the shaking faster and more noticeable). Once I discontinued the Paxil (I was at 10-20 mg/day) the shaking lessened. So, Paxil can exacerbate (and probably cause) tremor.
I take Geodon (120 mg/day) and it does not cause or worsen my tremor. One of the possible side effects of this medication (EPS) can involve tremor.
I have an entirely natural tremor (I will shake my legs quite a lot). Since I have taken Cogentin, however, this tremor is gone. Cogentin is a kind of medication called an anticholinergic, and it is useful for muscle stiffness and tremor--either natural or caused by an antipsychotic medication. I tried propranolol and lorazepam (Ativan) for the shaking but they did not work, and the propranolol made me more depressed. So, I highly recommend Cogentin but don't recommend propranolol or lorazepam for shaking.
I would suggest you look into discontinuing the Paxil (especially if it is not helping a lot) or adding Cogentin.
By the way, Geodon needs to be taken twice daily. The only reason I could see someone taking it only once daily would be that the dosage is the absolute minimum (20 mg/day). That dosage would probably be not enough for anything except augmentation or anxiety. I don't know why your son is on Geodon but I would definitely ask why he is not taking it twice a day.
I hope this helps--and remember that just because I have had success with certain medications does not mean your son will. We are all different.
xjs7
Posted by MelD on April 20, 2003, at 19:42:25
In reply to Re: Paxil and Geodon » MelD, posted by xjs7 on April 20, 2003, at 19:33:12
Thank you so much for your response. I suspected the Paxil was causing the tremor, because it has worsened as he increased the dose. I will ask his pdoc about Cogentin - it sounds like it has great potential. Thanks again, the information is helpful and much appreciated.
This is the end of the thread.
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