i requested to reduce from 15mg, im taking 12.5mg for two weeks then drop down to 10mg. and right down to 5mg zyprexa
do you feel you operate better on the lower dose?
I’m also on 15mg of Zyprexa and I’m interested in how this goes.
I’ve seen people reduce or go cold turkey, but finding someone who it works for is difficult!
No one is really willing advertises their a survivor and now stable and off meds.
@karl…im only doing this because of weight gain, 5 stone weight gain, ive a better chance of losing weight on a low dose
@tommiez… i hope i dont get psychosis on a low dose, but i feel i will be ok, the weight gain is out of control
I also am titrating down my AP. Its exciting, I hope to see a difference cognitively, sleep wise, and with my weight.
I wish you luck with this move @san_pedro - I tried going very low dose with Risperdal - 1.5 mg at my lowest - I could not make it, I recently increased my dose back to 2 mg and am in the process of going a bit higher to 2.5 mg - I was getting more and more manic under the 2 mg mark - Many people do well on low dose Zyprexa, its a potent drug
@Skims good to hear your trying it too, good luck
@Wave, thanks im in remission 3 years, so i think i can do it this time, the only reason im doing this is to curb the false hunger i get and to lose this weight
As long as you keep monitoring your situation, I think it is a very good move @pedro27 - Best of luck with it!
thanks @Wave
it takes time but im willing to travel it
1 Like
@san_pedro I also ballooned from about 5st from 10.5st to 15.75,
I managed to loose a little over a st last year through not eating as many sweets and avoiding ready meals and carbs like pasta (I have a thing for pasta).
Did they suggest a meds change to something a little more weight neutral? Abilify made me very poorly(physically) and they did consider sticking me on amisulpride.
Anyway I have my GP appointment and weigh in this week to see what damage Christmas did to my diet.
@tommiez they tried to swicth my meds 3 years ago i ended up in hospital…but now its different, i want to reduce to 5 mg a night and see how i get on, they make everyone put on a lot of weight, so i hope 5 mg will be enough for me
I titrated myself down from 400 to 200 mg Seroquel and was doing ok over the summer. But things got worse and I had a relapse.
And as my pdoc said there should be no weight loss taking less like that.
It’s a trade off. Over the years I used to say it’s better to be fat and happy. I remember being so thin because I didn’t eat when I was so worried I would be killed all the time.
One thing that came to mind was do you have a relapse plan?
As one of the best things you can do before you start is make a advanced directive.
That way you’ll have agreed if they are concerned or it doesn’t work after a period of time you go back on specific meds or agree to a short stay etc if they consider you at danger. Also do you have a named Dr or psychiatrist rather than someone else come on and try and coerce you into a different treatment plan.
I wish I’d done this before my only hospitalisation about 4 years back! It would have meant I would have avoided hospital.
2 Likes
i did the wrap programme, i dont think i will relapse this time
1 Like
I tried that with zyprexa. I ended up alternating 12.5 and 15 each day. Less wasn’t enough, though I was more in control of things in a small way.
The slight reduction, though lessened the mental and physical lethargy and I’m happy enough like this.
This is very true - and great that you mentioned it. Here are some good resources on Advanced DIrectives:
Psychiatric Advance Directives (PAD): These are legal documents in which the person with the brain disorder sets out the treatment he/she wishes to be enforced if he/she should become incompetent.
Some form of PAD is available in every U.S. state, however, not all states have explicit statutes standardizing PAD documents, activation, and treatment.
In most states, the PAD falls implicitly under the larger category of Advance Directives. Problems may arise during crisis situations because there are no standards dictating when a PAD should become active, exactly how far a treatment team should honor PAD instructions, or what to do if a PAD contains wishes that are judged not to be in the best interests of the patient.
Check with your state to determine any laws governing Advance Directives in general, and PADs in particular. Make the document as specific as possible - it may help to hire an attorney to oversee the process.
Usually, a PAD will appoint a representative (maybe a family member or primary caretaker) who will assume temporary responsibility for making treatment decisions while the ill person is incompetent. The document may also state the conditions under which the person considers themselves incompetent - this may be defined by the appearance or severity of certain symptoms, or by conditional situations (for example, spending over $1000 on a credit card by someone with manic-depression might be used as a signal that the person has entered a manic episode, and is unable to make good treatment decisions). In other cases, a doctor, psychiatrist, or a court may be the ones to decide when a person is incompetent, thus activating the directive.
In order to make a psychiatric advance directive work for both the ill person and the family, the agreement must be made well ahead of a crisis, when the person is in a competent state of mind. Moreover, any medical professional or hospital staff who might be involved in future treatment mandated by the directive should be made aware of its existance in advance, and be provided with copies.
More info:
http://www.nami.org/content/contentgroups/legal/advance_directives.htm
Here is a good psychiatric advanced directive form:
http://www.bazelon.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=lcYbjgw_nVY%3D&tabid=226
Here is the Wikipedia reference:
1 Like
When I was on Zyprexa I craved sugar, and I gained weight too. I was glad to get off it. Maybe you could try a different med. Just a thought.
I think it’s great you feel confident enough to lower your meds. I agree with @crimby though that a different med might be a good idea. I’m on Geodon and that doesn’t affect weight. There are others too that are weight neutral. Good luck with this change. 