Do any Chinese herbs interact with the antipsychotic medication Geodon?

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine are used on a daily basis around the world to treat psychiatric conditions. It is, however, not something that can be generalized about. You will need to see and work closely with a practitioner who can properly diagnose and treat you over many months.

Generally there are very little conflicts between the herbs and medicines as they often work quite differently. But proper diagnosis and proper selection of formulas is very crucial and the right formula will change over time as you improve as opposed to more fixed western medicines. You can be helped, but only by a practitioner with experience in such conditions.

Comment by Archived User

(Chad ....hope you don&#39t mind me butting in here)....but as someone who advocates in the mental health field, I would like to ask you inringsuperstar that if you are experiencing acute psychosis, do not abruptly go off of your prescriptions or adjust without your doctor&#39s supervision. Please be sure to be safe and if you feel scared or your hallucinations are taking control, call your local mental health centre.

I know quite a few folks who use acupressure points on their feet that can be effective at alleviating many symptoms, but it is not a cure. A trained practitioner will know whether you would need to be treated for depressive psychosis or manic psychosis and go from there as Chad stated. Until then though, please make sure to remain with your prescriptions.

Take care!

Comment by Archived User

I often refer my clients to see a psychotherapist if they aren&#39t already. Talk therapy paired with acupuncture is a huge benefit. To echo Chad, there cannot be an "expected" outcome and I often find results vary in efficacy and in time depending on how proactive the client is too. Mental health is a lot of work for everyone involved, but also extremely rewarding for everyone involved. I also would not expect to see much interferance with herb and meds either, but also encourage your MD to have an open dialog with your herbalist to discuss your progress, good communication btwn your practitioners will benifit you.