Had an appointment with my pdoc this afternoon. We talked about the ever-annoying extreme paranoia I suffer with, and she felt it was time to try something besides the 30 mg of Haldol I’ve been on for the past five years.
We’re making the move to Zyprexa. I’m taking 5 mg for the next 10 days and then 10 mg after that. I’m lowering my Haldol to 20 mg for the next 10 days and then to 10 mg after that.
I see her again on April 10 to see where we go from there. She’s guessing I’ll end up between 15 or 20 mg of Zyprexa.
I’m of course scared of weight gain. But I want so badly to feel better that I’m going to be changing up and eating more fruits and vegetables from the beginning. I remember being hungry on Zyprexa when I was on it in the mid-1990’s. I don’t want weight gain to be a dealbreaker, I want to go into this with full optimism.
Hopefully the med change goes smoothly. I’ve already filled the Zyprexa 5 mg tablets so I can start tonight.
Thanks everyone! If the Zyprexa even puts a dent in the paranoia while controlling my hallucinations as well as Haldol does, we’ll have made a positive change.
I am committed to good eating habits from the start. With Abilify, I gained 50+ pounds without changing how I ate at all. The Abilify just seemed to have a mind of its own. When I gained weight on Zyprexa before, it was because I ate more. This time around I know what to expect and I have ideas on how to battle it.
@rogueone I know you have done well long term on Zyprexa, that’s partly what made me pick that drug. I suggested Prolixin after @jukebox’s success with it, but Dr M really wanted to go newer generation. There’s really no good med out there, side effects wise, so we fight our battles I guess.
Forgot to mention, she originally suggested Clozapine but I don’t drive and my husband works retail, so it would be really hard for me to do the blood work on a regular basis.
I did really well on it, which is why I was amenable to go back on it again. I can’t remember when it came out, but I want to say I was on it between 1993 and 1997. My previous pdoc used to joke with me that it had to be a superb med because it has a z, y, and x in it, and everyone knows all good meds need at least one. I don’t remember what dose I needed back then, but Dr M thinks 15-20 mg this time around.
I did gain weight, but I also didn’t have a good diet then.
That’s great that you did so well on it! I say it will be well worth with if it helps with your paranoia, and now you’re better prepared with the dietary changes you’re making.
Best of luck, @anon39736208!
