Is anyone taking this? Or have you in the past?
The doc gave my brother this. Just wanting to know anyones expierence.
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That’s Zyprexa. It is known for making people gain weight and feel hungry all of the time, causing diabetes, making peopke sleep too much, and also controlling psychotic disorders pretty well.
I’ve been on it. My doctor hates it.
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I have taken zyprexa. It is quite strong in battle with schizophrenia. But it makes emotions less intense and can cause anhedonia-lack of pleasure. That was in my case. But it is quite good for depression, too. I was not depressed at that time, but I was bored. In higher doses it can make you more hungry and it slows down metabolism so these in combination make people gain weight.
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I’ve been on it as well. Gained 20 pounds in less than a month. There’s studies that suggest that it effects similar receptors as cannabis and that’s why it gives you the munchies. I found it made me dizzy as I was titrating up to my final dose. Aside from that it seems a pretty typical atypical.
Here’s a link to what my favorite psych drug site says about it…
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i’m taking zyprexa 14 years, it does help a lot, it is like a sleeping tablet to me because i take it at night. it also slows down my thinking which keeps me stable. it’s the only medicine that agrees with my system. i take a high dose of 15mg at night.
the main side effect is weight gain but with correction of food intake and excerise its possible to keep trim and slim.
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I had some severe side effects on Zyprexa. My heart started racing and my BP got very low. I was on 20 mg.
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When I was on Zyprexa I craved sugar and I slept a lot. I was also in a mild depression. The world seemed kind of joyless. It does control the symptoms of sz, though. There was a class action law suit against Zyprexa for causing people diabetes. I knew a girl who got about $13,000 from it. I don’t know what the status of that settlement is now.
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I was on olanzapine twelve years ago, and only remember the time I cut myself because I felt so dead on it, and stopped taking it for that reason (landing up in hospital in the process). But it wasn’t entirely worthless, because since last month I’ve returned to taking it but in a low dose alongside my main med amisulpride. My pdoc put me on it for the depression) And I noticed an improvement since taking the two meds together. (I take 600mg amisulpride and 2,5mg olanzapine)
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Thank you all very much. He has actually lost a lot of weight, so gaining SOME would be good for him. He is also depressed.
They like to give it to people under weight or anorexia.
I put on 5 1/4 st on it and have only just managed to get my weight under control in the last year or so.
The sedation was only really noticeable to me when I went onto other meds for under a year then went back onto it!
Also it made me sleepy within 15 mins of taking it I would be asleep initially, but this is no longer the case.
These days I listen to music until I drift off and turn it off if I wake up during the night,
If it’s a choice between death and olanzapine, and on first sight may seem conflated but I truly mean this as a genuine illustration of the point, don’t touch olanzapine with a barge pole.
As I wrote in my diary earlier “suicidal after olanzapine tragically annihilated/deflated everything driving living a worthwhile life (all reason to live is almost completely gone now) in an already struggling existence, now what remains is zombie-life”.
I was healthy (texbook picture of wealth in england), prescribed olanzapine for OCD, and it has destroyed my life along with several hundreds of others posting the same experience as I on forums on the internet (including one guy taking the minimum dose for 1 week) of which I compiled a 36 page word document of quotes from people getting about the same ongoing effects after stopping to give to my neurologist to try to understand the extent of damage this harrowing compound has done, it’s as if it’s clogged my entire neuronal pathway, I can barely think or feel at all now, where I could once instantaneously creatively think, now I have 1/1000 of the speed and imagination of mental ability I once had. I was sincere when I said if it’s a choice between death and olanzapine choose death, I would suggest trying to save your brother’s life before the effects deflate him into a zombie-like version of a human. My experience with this drug has been tragic, it’s taken away my whole future life leaving a dementia combined with chronic fatigue syndrome combined with zero emotion type of existence. I would choose any mental disorder over this. It’s a heavy toxic poison, and approaching from that angle people would not even start to consider it as good for sorting anyones problems, rather the very distant opposite, from reading up since this drug I’ve learned psychiatry is even like a religion (youtube.com/watch?v=hoJBvH2xZ18&index=3&list=FLYSUQ98g2f9rXv4GjKTqBVQ liveleak.com/view?i=89c_1332477306) and in 3rd world countries the recovery rates for schizophrenia (the diagnosis this drug is apparently usually (unfathomably irresponsibly imho) prescribed for) where they don’t use drugs the recovery rates are almost 100%. There is plenty of evidence for talking therapies, natural foods, exercise, sunshine, being nurtured, holidays, being helpful in treating mental variables, I would stick with those as if my life depended on it if I was your brother.
Here is a brilliant article reporting a study reviewing people using anti-psychotic drugs written only 10 days ago: thenewamerican.com/usnews/item/20090-research-antipsychotic-meds-cause-hopelessness-zombie-like-state
I saw your forum post on google search and I had to say something, I even signed up to say it. If you could simply understand from my perspective how it has wrecked the only life I have you would never let your brother near it let alone swallow it even if he was your worst enemy you couldn’t.
The other thing to note is that at first, and I was only on a very small dose for 1 month, the effects seem to wear off between doses, then they creep up and before you know it you’ve been off it for months and the effects are at their strongest and continuing strengthening day by day with no sign of going away. Sorry, this is the brutal honest truth. [There will likely be no indication of lasting effects during the first weeks or so which will obviously be deceptive, so don’t let him assume he’s alright because no sign of lasting effects thus far, it wasn’t till 1 week since stopping after 1 month of x1dose/day that the effects gradually creeped up, until then they wore off after each dose, so like I say stear far far clear of it, it’s an early death, it’s an entire-life poison, the alternative, even death, is the wiser option, I’d take bar a few of the most extremes cancer/debilitating disease/disability instead of the effects of olanzapine given the choice, and that’s no extreme that’s fair even in ways very reserved thinking about it, how a drug with life sinking effects far more depreciating than cancer is not persistently shamed in the media let alone around let alone allowed let alone given by quasi-quasi-doctors in the masses in this day and age is immensely disillusioning and not easy to convey.]
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This was the first antipsychotic I was tried on. It didn’t work out for me personally but I can say this: It works fast. Really fast. After the first doses symptoms can start being relieved. Unfortunately, I have more problems than Zyprexa could fix, but it may work out well for your brother.
I tried Olanzapine/Zyprexa and the highest dose I tried was 7.5 mg - and at this dose it could not control my extreme mood swings, but if I went higher to probably 15 mg, it would have probably worked.
I had to get off of it because of thyroid and blood glucose issues.
I liked the way I felt on it, despite my mood instability - a very mellow calming drug
I have been stable on this drug for 9 years. I’m on 7.5 mg. When I first started it made me very tired and I wanted sugar man but that has gone over time. I feel the sanest I’ve been for decades but slightly depressed. I’ve not tried many but Chlorpromazine made me try to top mesen, Sulpiride wasn’t strong enough to keep me sane. I’m happy on Olanzapine but watch they don’t prescribe him too high a dosage otherwise he will just sleep and eat sugar.
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This was also the case for my son. He stopped taking it( at that time-injections weren`t available yet ) because of the weight gain.
My question is:: What is the lowest possible dose that will work without causing weight gain?
When he took this-it was like night and day…he was back. He just hated the weight gain.
In 2013, my psychiatrist put on zyprexa for a loud, rapid, neverending, insomnia causing heartbeat caused by something else that deserves a whole another post that I might have the courage to “post” in the future. He told me whatever you do, don’t eat-no matter how hungry you get! It did not solve the problem he put me on the zyprexa for and I just stop taking it. He moved to California anyway. Funny thing is, you do get hungry and you do have to eat. I refuse to ever be prescribed this medication again!
I got put on Seroquel on Monday. I was supposed to cut them in half at first from 50 mg to 25 mg; but, they were to small to cut; so, I have been taking the whole 50 mg at night. Today; I was very sleepy and got scared and spoke to both the nurse and my therapist. My therapist told me to try to take it about a hour earlier; but, I lost track of time and took it only about 15 minutes earlier. However, I decided to forgo my Ativan though for the night; since that makes you sleepy, too. My prescriber had given me that because I did have insomnia and mostly because I was so restless and could not remain still for even a second. It could not be determined if it was from all my years on Lithium or any other psychiatric drug. I have been on lots! Anyway, we will see what happens tomorrow. I need to do my laundry. And, if there are still problems, I will call back on Monday. My psychiatrist should be in the office then.
Great post, that is the sad truth.
I was on Zyprexa and I gained around 25kg. It made sleep a lot as well.
I find that taking supplements help with focus, I also use assistive technology on my computer.
Like a text to voice program. Highlighting / reading assistive technology that makes it easier to follow where I am on the screen etc!
I think it’s not letting yourself and meds dictate who you are, as your more than that!
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A small dose of olanzapine was a good medication for me.
Good sleep on it and so forth.
It might be the medicine that worked best for me.
Apart from sleeping tablet.
Only side effect I can think that I had of is weight gain.(20kg)
I’m on latuda now instead n notice difference .
I think it’s activating which may not be best for me.
If I was given choice which med I feel more familiar n comfortable with it would be olanzapine n immovane .
Maybe I’m still getting used to latuda only been on it a month.
I think olanzapine is good.
Interesting you been on it so many years pedro.
Good you may have found what works for you.
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