Cold-turkey, weaning-off, anxiety, OCD, substance abuse, tranquilized, side effects

[eddyjeg23]

I was prescribed Geodon mainly for anxiety, but also OCD symptoms too. I have found it to be a potent tranquilizer, especially at doses up to 240 mg (can you say over-medicated?). Tranquiliztion (with poor motor skills), unclear thinking, and sun-sensitivity are my chief complaints, in addition to the fact that I don't think it was an answer to my anxiety issues.

I am down to 20 mg twice a day, but weaning off is not fun. I would NOT recommend quitting cold-turkey. I got totally off of Geodon 6 months ago, but, a week or two after tapering off, I was having such a hard time with the withdrawal symptoms that I went back on it (at 1/4 the dose). I was happy to note another entry on this site where someone suggests liquid Geodon for tapering, which is available in 20, 10, and 5 mg increments.

On a more general note about psychopharmacology, over the years I reached a point where, for years, I was taking 8-9 psychoactive drugs - mainly for the treatment of anxiety. In my humble opinion, and in my case, I believe that I am better off without any of those drugs, and would have been better off seeking other ways to cope with anxiety. I was a "legal" pharmaceutical addict/junkie.

I would suggest doing everything you can NOT to take any drugs (legal or illegal) to treat anxiety. If you must take something, take as little as possible, and view the therapy as something VERY temporary, which will serve only as a means of enabling you to make better/faster progress with non-pharmaceutical interventions, which I believe you should view as your primary routes to recovery.

Suggested non-pharmaceutical interventions: support groups (psychological, religious, otherwise), counseling/therapy (psychological, talking with friends/family, religious professional, etc.), meditation (with or without prayer, according to your preference), exercise, healthy diet, studying/reading about your disorder, volunteering/being of service.

Sorry if I was kind of long-winded, but I hope you may find this helpful.