trg247 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Is it alright to quit Zyprexa cold turkey. Between that and the Remeron I have gained alot of uneeded weight. Now everything I do seems to take twice the effort and I am moving like an old man. So can I quit Zyprexa cold? thanks trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 It always best not to quit any med cold. There are too many variable to be able to answer that question with a yes or no answer. I'm sure under some circumstances some people could do it with no problems. It would likely land others in the hospital. That's a pretty large dose you're on and it's potent stuff to begin with. How lucky do you feel? In terms of controlling your symptoms it's best to do a cross-titration, going on a new med as you taper off the old one. If you wait until the symptoms for which you are taking the Z. come back to do something about them again you might have a more difficult time getting them back under control. Bottom line: talk to your pdoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 You could ask about Zydis - it's supposed to be weight neutral form of zyprexa. I've stopped and started zyprexa a few times, and it's always left me feeling very agitated and barely in control. I'm going to ask for Zydis when I see my pdoc in 3 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 I've never heard that it's supposed to to be weight neutral. I wonder how they came up with that. It's just a different delivery mechanism. It's still the same drug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilie Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 It's probably not good to stop zyprexa cold turkey especially if you haven't been using it prn. You may wake up one morning with a fully blown mania or depression. Talk to your doc about going down and off while maybe starting something else. lilie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 the safe way to do it, with your pdoc's help and supervision, is to decrease Z while adding and increasing on something else (if something else is necessary, like another atypical). i changed from seroquel to risperdal that way. zyprexa zydis is a wafer form of zyperxa. i read that it is weight neutral so i switched to it from regular zyperxa. however, it didn't change a thing. i was still munching on everything and gaining weight, and my sugar was going up. i had to say good bye to zyprexa, even though it was a highly effective drug for me. i couldn't risk diabetes or obesity and the problems associated with it when there were other drugs available to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trg247 Posted January 1, 2007 Author Share Posted January 1, 2007 I think the main thing is the amount of weight I have been gaining is getting ridiculous. It seems every month is another pants size. I am constantly hungry and no matter what or how much I eat does not satisfy my appetite. I use to be a real healthy eater now it is constant junk food and sugar. I stopped Zyprexa last night and unless a major breakdown happens I am going to stay off of it. I know I am taking a chance but I need to get a handle on the weight gain trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I gained 50 pounds in just a few months on it. I don't blame you one bit. Still. What's the harm in talking to your pdoc and seeing about swapping out for another AP? There are weight neutral ones. Are you sure it's not the Remeron doing it btw? It can be almost as bad in terms of making you eat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 What's the harm in talking to your pdoc and seeing about swapping out for another AP? There are weight neutral ones. Which ones are weight neutral, VE? From memory, all the ones listed on Crazymeds list weight gain as a SE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I tried the Zyprexa wafers Unregistered, they did not stop the hunger one single bit Abilify is pretty weight neutral, I'm back on it again and my appetite has decreased to manageable levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 What's the harm in talking to your pdoc and seeing about swapping out for another AP? There are weight neutral ones. Which ones are weight neutral, VE? From memory, all the ones listed on Crazymeds list weight gain as a SE Yes. But there are a lot of factors there. What causes the gain, what % of people taking the medication gain weight on it and how much on average they gain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.f...t_uids=16586261 Here are summeries and links to several artifcles on med related weight gain. They are under the heading of Mirtazapine Weight Gain but the actual content is quite a bit more varried. http://www.neurotransmitter.net/mirtazapineweight.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trg247 Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 My brain is constantly chattering, my teeth are sore and my appetite has dramatically reduced so not too bad so far trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trg247 Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 Its been four days I think and so far so good. I am not constantly hungry any more and I feel more clear headed now. It was close to a month before I saw my pdoc again and I felt I could not wait that long. I'll tell him at the next appointment and probaly get a lecture but oh well I feel better. trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I quit again tonight. I missed the gym for two weeks because of Xmas and a cold and gained 7 lbs. That's 1/2 lb a friggin day! Much as I love it, the big Z is on hold till I get my weight under control again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 9, 2007 Share Posted January 9, 2007 Threadjack! I'm not coping very well on abilify. Im thinking I'll have to return to the big Z. If I do Atkins would this keep my weight under control? blackbird x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Threadjack! I'm not coping very well on abilify. Im thinking I'll have to return to the big Z. If I do Atkins would this keep my weight under control? blackbird x Atkins maintenance mode and plenty of cardio exercise and I was able to control my weight on 5mg of Z, even lose some slowly if I worked out 5 times a week. I'm now in Atkins induction phase and off the Z and losing a pound a day, so once I get to my ideal weight, I'll go back to Z and cardio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Threadjack! I'm not coping very well on abilify. Im thinking I'll have to return to the big Z. If I do Atkins would this keep my weight under control? blackbird x Atkins maintenance mode and plenty of cardio exercise and I was able to control my weight on 5mg of Z, even lose some slowly if I worked out 5 times a week. I'm now in Atkins induction phase and off the Z and losing a pound a day, so once I get to my ideal weight, I'll go back to Z and cardio. That's really bad for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 Threadjack! I'm not coping very well on abilify. Im thinking I'll have to return to the big Z. If I do Atkins would this keep my weight under control? blackbird x Eat like a diabetic, pretty much. It's possible that clozaril wouldn't be as bad. I can't be any worse. Geodon is available where you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 I think the p-docs gonna stick me on Seroquel. I read in the "Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines 2005-2006" that clozaril has the worst profile for weight gain. Im worried about the long QT issue with Geodon as I regularly suffer from a racing heart and palpitations and I think it would just make me paranois every time I heard my heart flutter that I was about to die. I think I'll give Seroquel a go, even though it simultaneously agitates and zombifies me. But I sincerely think nothing will ever work for me better than the big Z. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Z could have replaced several meds for me, but i couldn't stay on it because i gained all this weight right away and my sugar skyrocketed. i totally understand where you're coming from blackbird. seroquel turns me into a zombie and i look like i'm on drugs. good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Atkins maintenance mode and plenty of cardio exercise and I was able to control my weight on 5mg of Z, even lose some slowly if I worked out 5 times a week. I'm now in Atkins induction phase and off the Z and losing a pound a day, so once I get to my ideal weight, I'll go back to Z and cardio. That's really bad for you. Which bit is bad, VE? Atkins induction or low carb, Z and cardio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 losing weight that fast period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 losing weight that fast period. I'll risk it. The sooner I can stop and get back on the Zyprexa, the happier I'll be. I feel indescribably shitty without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonflavor Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 losing weight that fast period. I'll risk it. The sooner I can stop and get back on the Zyprexa, the happier I'll be. I feel indescribably shitty without it. You may be losing water weight if you just started the Atkins induction. (I've never done it but am familiar with it.) But over time you wouldn't want to lose more than a couple pounds a week. Otherwise you will lose muscle and your metabolism will slow down, partly because of the muscle loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 You may be losing water weight if you just started the Atkins induction. (I've never done it but am familiar with it.) But over time you wouldn't want to lose more than a couple pounds a week. Otherwise you will lose muscle and your metabolism will slow down, partly because of the muscle loss. I've done Atkins before and the trick is to drink LOTS of water. Also, as long as your protein intake is high enough, you lose fat in preference to lean tissue. It helps to work out as well, which I do. I reckon on losing 3-4lbs a week as a safe rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I can really empathize with your feeling 'indescribably shitty' without the big Z Unregistered. I had to cave in and go back to it. I was so fucking agitated. So I guess I can add Zyprexa onto the list with Prozac as drugs I am physically dependent upon. I am also in the throes of Atkins induction, dunno if I lost any weight, my mum confiscated the scales. I have tried every other fucking diet going and they just make me hungry and end in my being bulimic again. Especially when Zyprexa is involved - I feel perpetually starving. Atkins is the only diet that seems to control my hunger (especially now I'm back on the Zyprexa) and I feel like that's my only choice - Atkins or bulimia. I reckon the Atkins diet works on the premise that when you get hungry, you think "More effing meat! I just can't face it!" so you go without. It may be bad for my health but so I guess is bingeing and vomiting every day to an insane degree. It may seem extreme these two choices but that's being a borderline for ya - extremes and nothing in between I bet you can't wait to get back onto the Zyprexa Unregistered! I know the feeling all too well.... best of luck and keep us updated blackbird x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I bet you can't wait to get back onto the Zyprexa Unregistered! I know the feeling all too well.... best of luck and keep us updated blackbird x Well Velvet Elvis has made me have second thoughts about it. Seems there's a big legal thing going on, with Eli Lilly supposedly covering up bad trials results and hushing up known problems with diabetes. I'm seeing teh pdoc on Monday, so I may ask about alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Well whatever tablet you choose I wish you luck with it!! I saw the p-doc today and he urged me to stay on Olanzapine as it's 'the best of a bad bunch'. Now I have to listen to my mother nagging me about taking a '-pine' which will be 'doing untold damage to me'. And apparently I will eat the house down and drink liquids all day long to her chagrin. When I told the p-doc this, he just said "move out". The wanker. good luck blackbird x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Aaaarrrrghhh! I haven't slept for some days now, apart from two nights ago when I took 100mg of amitriptyline and woke up feeling horribly drugged. Last might I read till 2am, then lay awake till maybe 6. I never used to have problems sleeping, not even when hypo (well, a little, but not to this extent). I'm thinking of switching all my lamotrigine to AM in case it is the PM dose that is keeping me awake. Any thoughts? Can Zyprexa withdrawal alone trigger insomnia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I too got pretty bad insomnia withdrawing from Zyprexa - very restless sleep, palpitations, vivid nightmares, early wakening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 I too got pretty bad insomnia withdrawing from Zyprexa - very restless sleep, palpitations, vivid nightmares, early wakening I'm not actually sleeping - I'm physically shattered but I just lie there wide awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trg247 Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 I figured I should update this a bit. I quit Zyprexa cold and have not gone back on it since. All in all I gained close to seventy-five pounds in a nine month period. Since coming off of it I have lost almost forty pounds and slowly but surely its coming off The only positive thing I remember about this med is my urge to self harm pretty much disappeared I will never go back on this drug again. take care trg247 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I figured I should update this a bit. I quit Zyprexa cold and have not gone back on it since. All in all I gained close to seventy-five pounds in a nine month period. Since coming off of it I have lost almost forty pounds and slowly but surely its coming off The only positive thing I remember about this med is my urge to self harm pretty much disappeared I will never go back on this drug again. take care trg247 I pretty much did the same thing. Gained weight, went off cold turkey, then the weight came off. The problem with this drug isn't really the cravings, it's how it affects your body's metabolism and blood sugar. Maybe it's possible to manage.. but it's really unhealthy to be on something that throws that much off and causes you to gain weight so fast. That can definitely lead to diabetes. Long-term, unless you react better to it, it's just not a very good med. This is just my opinion, but I know my body well enough to know that the weight had nothing to do with what I was eating. It's just not worth causing a major health problem. Also, I could be completely wrong.. but I think Remeron weight is more due to the cravings than the drug itself, so it should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I've just dumped it cold turkey off of 30mgs so the next few days should be 'interesting' psychosis-wise. My shrink is going to kick my ass tomorrow and 'rightfully so' I hear you cry. As long as I'm not running round with a knife they can't touch me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unregistered Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Jeez, that'll be brutal. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemonflavor Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Yikes. I had 8 weeks of hell just going off 5 mgs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 my p-doc ordered me back onto it or he was going to commit me and inform occupational health that I was unfit to work.. That and I felt shit. So Im back on 30 mgs. I still feel psychotic but its like its buried under a dense fog of apathy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeMinded Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Discontinuing Z also rid me, for 2 weeks, the possibility (and necessity?) of sleeping. I thought I tapered properly from 10mg, taking 5mg for a week, then 2.5mg for a week, then stop. Apparently not. On 2.5mg my sleep was fine, but I totally lost all sleep after quitting. Oh yes, and since Z exerts some antidepressant effects (it shares a couple of serotonin activities with Remeron and trazodone, in fact), it's quite logical that rebound depression might be noticed -- I know I had a problem with that. my p-doc ordered me back onto it or he was going to commit me and inform occupational health that I was unfit to work.. That and I felt shit. So Im back on 30 mgs. I still feel psychotic but its like its buried under a dense fog of apathy. Well, at least this does give you the chance to taper properly, should the time come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unipolarbear Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Is it alright to quit Zyprexa cold turkey. Between that and the Remeron I have gained alot of uneeded weight. Now everything I do seems to take twice the effort and I am moving like an old man. So can I quit Zyprexa cold? thanks trg247 I know this is an older thread, but the topic is really keen to my situation now. I am now prediabetic and fat and sleep forever. The icing on the cake was the evidence from the recent (2003) trials in which lilly awarded some $600M to people unawares of the effects of this horrible drug. Reading the results are extremely disheartening and made me realize how much we are at the mercy of these large drug pushers. I stopped last night and couldn't sleep all night, of course. The racing thoughts came back pretty fast, but they're not full bore yet, although I'm sure they will be soon enough. I'll try to drink myself asleep tonight like I used to do before the zyprexa. I can't get in to see the doc until October. Oh well. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the previous threads -- they are really helpful. -- Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unipolarbear Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Is it alright to quit Zyprexa cold turkey. Between that and the Remeron I have gained alot of uneeded weight. Now everything I do seems to take twice the effort and I am moving like an old man. So can I quit Zyprexa cold? thanks trg247 I know this is an older thread, but the topic is really keen to my situation now. I am now prediabetic and fat and sleep forever. The icing on the cake was the evidence from the recent (2003) trials in which lilly awarded some $600M to people unawares of the effects of this horrible drug. Reading the results are extremely disheartening and made me realize how much we are at the mercy of these large drug pushers. I stopped last night and couldn't sleep all night, of course. The racing thoughts came back pretty fast, but they're not full bore yet, although I'm sure they will be soon enough. I'll try to drink myself asleep tonight like I used to do before the zyprexa. I can't get in to see the doc until October. Oh well. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the previous threads -- they are really helpful. -- Andrew So I've been off it for five days and I can't get enough ativans to calm down. I tried doubling the abilify, but the akathesia came back (as it did before when I was titrating up a long time ago). SO I'm going to halve the zyprexa until I can see the doctor (in October). Oh well... I tried.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 i hope you're doing this manipulation of your med cocktail with your pdoc's oversight and approval! messing with your meds on your own is really dangerous. there are other AAPs besides abilify and Z that you could try. i know Z is a wonder drug in how it makes you feel. i gained so much weight and my blood sugar went way up, so i switched to risperdal and then abilify where i am now, but i agree that Z really hits the spot. it's a hard drug to replace, because nothing handles our symptoms quite like it, at least in my opinion. it seems like a lot of other members like it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted August 5, 2007 Share Posted August 5, 2007 Can you call the doc and see if you can get in earlier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unipolarbear Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Can you call the doc and see if you can get in earlier? I called, but she doesn't have anything sooner. And her voicemail message says, so-and-so, assistant chief. ! SO I hope I don't lose her to the healthcare bureaucracy! I am just gonna take the zyprexas as normal to keep me stable until I can see her -- a few more months won't hurt what damage has already been done. Thanks for your concern and for the documentation, too. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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