I switched from Olanzapine to Lurasidone and I can’t sleep at all from olanzapine withdrawal. My last dose of Olanzapine was a little over 6 months ago and I still suffer from brutal insomnia, although there are a few signs of improvement. Lurasidone doesn’t make me sleepy at all.
I’ve been on 1.5mg of clonazepam (a benzo) every night before bed for about 5-6 months so I can sleep.
That’s too bad. It’s good that you are getting by with a benzo though. Hopefully the mind will at some point get accustomed to natural functions again.
My doc doesen’t want to give me more than 1 drug at a time, so I’m not getting any sleep meds on the side.
Funny how pdocs differ. I’ve tried trazodone, promethezine, zopilcone, zolpidem, and lorazaepam. My doc prescribed them all without issue, unfortunately they didn’t work that well. I also tried benadryl and doxylamine, along with melatonin and various supplements but those were not very effective. I told him 1.5mg of clonazepam works best and he has prescribed that for the last 5 months without any problems.
The funny thing is my doc didn’t even come up with those ideas. I just did research on the internet about sleep meds, I would mention to him one I wanted to try, he said okay and prescribed it, we went through this process until we figured out clonazepam works best.
My docs are really cool. I’ve proven to them that I am med compliant and responsible, they know I have a job, so I think they trust me.
Actually I have never seen a pdoc. I’m only collaborating with my gp.
I guess the reason is that I get by on olanzapine without any serious issues, so there has never been the need for complex guidance.
But I am scared of zyprexa long term effects. The fact that I’m 100% dependent on it for sleep is scary. That’s why I’m considering a switch. Ofcourse there are other upleasant side effects. Like never being able to rest, and never getting sleepy except just after taking the drug.
You’re not the only one, do a Google search for “Olanzapine withdrawal insomnia” There are thousands of people on various websites that can’t sleep a year or two after quitting. There is a Facebook group for it too.
I weighed 240lbs at my heaviest (I’ve since lost 80lbs and am a healthy weight now). It gave me diabetes. I had sky high cholesterol, triglyceride, blood sugar and liver enzyme levels. My doc said my big gut was putting me at risk for a heart attack and at risk for an early death because I was so unhealthy from it. Nasty drug in my opinion.
Yeah, that is a extreme dose. The most I ever did was 20mg in stints, but for the most most part I’ve been on 5mg recent years. Doing 6,25mg now just for sleeps sake. You know something is wrong when you have to up your dose solely to get proper sleep.
My pdoc is awesome this way, too. I did research on some off label antidepressants, and he said sure and prescribed them. Didn’t work, but he was willing to try.
I think the only antipsychotic to replace Olanzapine for severe chronic insomnia on its own is Clozapine. Otherwise you will need to take another medication with the antipsychotic to work.
I currently take 50mg Quetiapine with 30mg Duloxetine at night which I am happy with, I have one of the worst cases of insomnia that anyone could have.