konings Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Look deep inside and tell me what you think of this AP. I might try it. I see most people come here to complain about how they gain weight on olanzapine, even though 70% of people dont gain any weight on it. I might soon be one of them. And I have 10kg to lose from seroquel. I like drugs but I am coming to think all of the currently available ones suck. And the fifth way Clozapine can kill you is scaring you to death. Well at least I am scared to death of it, not trying that one until I get TD. Thank you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I did trial olanzapine. I wasn't able to get the full benefit from olanzapine because I couldn't get to a high enough dose without having side effects. I was prescribed it as an anti-manic and antipsychotic. I was only able to tolerate 5mg but that wasn't enough for my symptoms, so when we tried going to 10mg I had side effects. I got akathisia and stiff muscles (both of which aren't common w/ olanzapine but got anyways). We cut the dose to 7.5mg which helped the side effects but let my symptoms return. So I had to switch to clozapine. I did have some weight gain with olanzapine, but I was able to stabilize it by walking 2.5 miles every day that I was taking the drug. I happened to look at the PI sheet for clozapine and the #5 way listed is that it's not for use in psychosis resulting from dementia. Do you have dementia? At one point in my life I had to look into taking clozapine despite the side effects it can cause because I had tried all the other options and clozapine was all that was left at the time. It works very well for me. (and I've been on it for over 2.5 years now) I wouldn't have the stability that I have now without the aid of clozapine. Some of the protocols for it may be a pain in the ass, but it's worth it for remaining stable and out of the hospital. I hope this helps and I wish you the best with your treatment, ~ Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I have taken zyprexa three times (twice for a month or two, once for a year). I personally loved the mood effects of the med. it calmed me down and kept me out of mixed states and mania while I was on it. I have it now as an emergency back up med because it works that well on me. I probably gained about 10 pounds on it. But what it did to me was increased my cholesterol by 70 points and my triglycerides by 200 points. So that's why I can't take it as a permanent AAP. But my blood sugar level stayed perfectly fine while on it, as did all my other organ functions and blood tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8orgirl Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I took Olanzapine/Zyprexa for several months, it was great for my psychosis but I gained a considerable amount of weight on it and I was sleeping 18 hours a day. My pdoc and I made the decision to take me off of it and I went back to my Seroquel. Everyone reacts differently to medication so if you and your pdoc think it will help I say give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neingesicht Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Sleep and weight gain have been my major battle. I sleep way to much, usually about 12 hours a night more on weekends, and I gained up to 60 pounds, but dieting got rid of 30 of those, the others I'm just too tired to exercise. Other than that, it's been ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadeharia Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 I had to stop olanzapine because it gave me drug-induced thrombocytopenia. I didn't gain much weight on it (I did sleep a lot, though), but it didn't alleviate my psychotic symptoms. I'm not a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larkspur Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I'm lucky to respond at the low dose of 5mg. I feel that it helps immensely with my depressed mood, and with preventing my epic mixed episodes. I've had no known side effects, but that's likely because I keep my dose so low. I do have an emergency supply of 10mg tablets should I encounter an emergency. I say try it, but start low and go slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjimjam Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I felt kinda numb and zombie-like. I couldn't stop eating and got chubby after a month or too. I wouldn't really recommend it. YMMV but... I've noticed that there aren't that many CB members who have it in their sigs, despite it's efficacy, so I think a lot of people have problems on it. My concern would be that you gain weight so quickly that by the time you realize you might have a lot of flab that's very difficult to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vapourware Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 I'm currently on olanzapine and I find it to be a very effective drug. While on it, my psychosis is non-existent and it also helps with stabilising my moods. Basically, I think olanzapine is the best AP I've taken so far. The downside is the weight gain, which is fairly notorious on the drug. I've gained about 10kg or 22lbs since being on it, but I'm taking metformin to help with the weight gain. There are some studies to suggest that metformin can reduce weight gain from antipsychotics [see: "]http://ajp.psychiatr...icleID=1183525 ] so that's an option you can take with olanzapine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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