Hi. This post is a personal story and concerns anti-depressants and anti-psychotics. I hope this isn't an inappropriate topic.
A month ago I was perscribed Geodon and Effexor at the same time. About 5 days after I developed tachycardia (rapid heart beat) and slightly high blood pressure. My heart was pounding with a pulse of 120-170 and didn't go down for days. I felt mild pain in my chest and down my left arm. I went into the hospital several times to be dismissed each time with the diagnosis of "heart-palpitations" and "anxiety/panic attacks." I even developed a temporary cock-eye, which I later learned was an early indication of a stroke, which thankfully (wow) never happened.
I did some research on the net and found a few sites declaring Geodon lethal because of its effects on the "QT" interval, which causes rapid heart-beat. I found nothing linking Effexor with tachycardia, so a week after the events, I took an Effexor dose. The rapid heart beat began once again, but thankfully stoped at a pulse of 120, and went down the next day. I didn't take another dose.
At this point I'm considering going on Geodon again, just maybe testing it, with a dose every other day. It improved my cognitive functioning dramatically as no other anti-psychotic has done (and I would even say it boosted my inteligence) but I'm very leary. I keep asking myself: What if the Geodon played a role in the rapid heart-beat? I've spoken with 2 psychiatrists concerning this. One declares confidently that it could not have been the Geodon, citing the fact that there have been no deaths in the US from Geodon. The other says calmly, "It was probably the Geodon."
