Geodon/Atenolol

So I saw my psychiatrist today and I told him I no longer wanted to take Remeron. I haven't been taking it very long so I'm going to do a quick taper with that. But he suggested a medication called Geodon. He said it was an anti-psychotic medication that would help both my depression and anxiety and it sounded like it was a serious medication because he wants me to get an EKG before even considering putting me on it.

The other suggestion he made was Atenolol, which I guess is a beta-blocker. He also suggested an EKG and to have my blood pressure checked.

Has anyone had experiences with these particular medications?

drk-

The Remeron does need to be tapered....you are going to taper that, right? I was on it years back for 5 1/2 months at 15mg's. Not sure how long you have been on it and at what dose, just reinforcing that A/D's need to be tapered, they do have there own set of withdrawal symptoms. Please take that into consideration and allow for time; don't go too fast if you decide to get off the Remeron. May I ask why you want to stop it now? Would it not be more beneficial to start the benzo taper, complete the taper, allow your body to adjust and then taper the A/D...slowly?

Here is a link to Atenolol:

medicinenet.com/atenolol/article.htm

Here is a link for Geodon:

medicinenet.com/ziprasidone/article.htm

Both links are from Medicinet.com. I know that there are quite a few members who use Beta Blockers; you could do a forum search on that and see what posts are available. Many seem to have benefits from them.

As far as the Geodon....IMO, it seems your doctor is replacing one medication with another....can't understand that logic IMO, doctors to seem to like to use medications for "off label" use. Ultimately, of course the decision is yours. Just ask yourself honestly "why do I need this medication?" Make an educated decision from there. And remember, stopping meds, adding meds, adjusting doses can wreak havoc on our systems.....not a good idea, IMO.

I am not anti medications at all; some people need them for a variety of reasons. IMO, there is not a medication, other then a beta blocker for some, that may aid them in a taper, if they are having an issue with rapid hearbeats, hence the beta blocker. If there was one, we would all be taking it, right?

Just Breathe

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