Zyprexa

[blackbird]

So Im thinking of switching from does-nothing-Abilify to Zyprexa...

What I want to hear to bolster my confidence are success stories! People who have found olanzapine helpful and not gained too much weight...

feedback is appreciated

[Unregistered]

It slapped me back down to reality in a day, and made me very highly productive (in a non-manic way). I did gain weight, but not massively although it was strict diet and exercise to achieve that.

[Batou]

Zyprexa is A-OK with me. Took it for a long time for BP NOS. I did gain some weight, actually different amounts different times I was on it. But the benefits of Zyprexa were worth a few pounds. Zyprexa can put on the pounds for some people, like all meds people vary so much, but I have never put on more than 10 pounds or so.

It's worth a try, see what happens, if you start ganiing weight and how quickly.

Let us know.

Erika

[whatsgoingon]

I'm a big Zyprexa fan. I was prescribed it for a psychotic mania (apparently my doctor was trying to poison me and there were secret cameras in my house). It pulled me right out of psycho land and back into hypomania. Which was good as I was very crazy and heading towards being sectioned. I'm still on it now, several months later, and shall probably begin weaning myself off it in a month or so.

I haven't gained any weight from taking it either.

[Dire Curves]

I'll go against the grain here. It turned me into a zombie, i had no imagination, i bloated out like a 60 year old beer belly, and i was dazed out of my mind. but all atypical antipsychs do that to me. Just throwing it out there to give another perspective.

[wifezilla]

Nothing snaps hubby out of psychosis-land faster than Zyprexa.

It did not work for my girlfriends schitzoeffective son...it just made him fat.

[Bane]

Before Abilify was added to my med mix, I was on Zyprexa 30 mg. It nailed the psychotic problems, and fast. No other AP has worked for me as quickly and effectively. I had deep sleep lasting about 12 hours each night. I think that's my only issue with Zyprexa. I have lost weight while taking it with Lamictal. Many people gain weight with it. Now that I've backed down on the dosage to 15 mg of Zyprexa, I sleep a bit less, not by much. It has really helped me get closer to what people call normal.

It is worth trying, but be on guard about weight gain and oversleeping. Good luck blackbird. I'd be interested to hear how it goes for you.

[blackbird]

Thanks for all the stories folks..

I see my p-doc in 8 days time, I have a feeling he will not want me to switch meds as I am tolerating abilify very well, but screw him, I cant walk around in a deteriorating psychotic/paranoid state which is where Im at at the minute.

Thanks again and keep the stories coming!

[Squirlygrl]

Of the eleven medications I have tried, Zyprexa is by far the fastest and most effective. I will always be grateful to it, and I have little sample bottles stashed around the house in case I should ever flip out again.

I took a small dose for maintenance for a little while, maybe two months. I was calm. I slept hard, but not really all that long, maybe ten hours. I was hungry for carbs and physically slow, so I didn't exercise, and I gained about seven pounds.

Abilify likes me, but I am only BP2. If I were seriously psychotic on a regular basis, I'd go back to Zyprexa in a heartbeat.

Hope it went well today,

sg

[Dweii]

It made me lie down on the floor, staring at the ceiling for hours. Even at 2 mg. I also ate like a horse.

BUT, it did calm me down and brought me back from my almost psychotic depressed state.

[myevilme]

I have had a great experience with zyprexa, except a high blood sugar count. It is the only med that has treated almost all of my symptoms besides depression. If you find the dose that works for you you might like it as well. In my experience, dr's usually seem to either under-medicate or over-medicate. I'm very open with my doctor about how the drugs effect me and if I think I need more or not. I don't feel like a zombie, it doesn't even knock me into sleep anymore. I just get to live life like a somewhat normal crazy person. I mean, I can get out of bed, go to school, go to work, and come back home without any major meltdowns or blowups. I think it actually saved my life. Yes there was weight gain in the beginning, and yes I was lethargic for a couple of weeks, but for me it has been totally worth it. Give it a try if your curious, you never know. But as they always say Your Mileage May Vary. Good luck.

[Loon-A-TiK]

Zyprexa, oh Zyprexa...

I've received shots of it for manic psychosis in the hospital and it brings me back to sanity like nothing else. I'm grateful to Zyprexa for being the only med on the planet to treat all my symptoms together and make me sane.

HOWEVER...

I went up about 15 lbs due to carb cravings and lack of energy, and went around like a zombie. I couldn't stay on it for those reasons. I'd be willing to try it again, but under a strict diet and maybe a running program. Maybe if I lived in the south, where it is always warm, I could do the outdoors exercise year-round and get around Z's side effects. For right now I'm out of Atypicals to try and am on Haldol.

With so many people gaining weight on Z, perhaps you could ask your tdoc about if others would be willing to form a Z diet/exercise support group? Z is really worth the struggle if you can control those risk factors. And if you are not transformed into a zombie.