Have you taken the antipsychotic medication olanzapine (Zyprexa)?

I would like to know how this goes for you, I was prescribed Abilify today to take with my Effexor but I was going to ask about zyprexa

Hi, @georgette12 -- Makes sense to ask the Connect community to see what members' experiences have been on your newly-prescribed medication, Zyprexa/olanzapine. I'd like to invite some members who have talked about this drug previously to offer you their insights: @hoffman, @cathy615, @anncgrl, @chassism, @nickjr, @saraandivor, @boggs and @nancy568.

I took the exact same medication combination for 23 years: Lithium 600 MG, Gabapentin 800 MG, and Olanzapine 5 MG. Even though active I gained over 60 pounds. Moved to 5 different states, had multiple psychiatrists who pretty much rubber stamped my meds. My A1C was 5.6 and I knew it would just be a matter of time before being diabetic. Finally found a psychiatrist who I felt confident enough in to attempt to discontinue Olanzapine knowing how difficult it was going to be. Tapered from 5 MG to Omg over about 16 months. Stopped Olanzapine mid April 2023, had all the usual horrible problems with insomnia being the worst. Now on 25MG Seroquel as a stop gap with 25MG Doxepin along with the Lithium and Gabapentin until the sleep is under control. I have had multiple problems over the last 16 months. The worst problem is Tinnitus in my left ear, which started 8/2022 about 3 months or so into my taper. I had a very weird and major sinus event that started the Tinnitus. Prior to that I had never had a sinus problem in my entire life. I have been to 3 different ENT Drs and 2 Neurologists with Zero Answers. None of them want to acknowledge reducing Olanzapine would be the culprit, they say just the opposite which I already knew and for 23 years I never had Tinnitus. I have seen some articles in the NIMH, but can't get any Drs interested. My Psychiatrist says the reduction of Olanzapine can affect the Choleric system which affects the nerve that can cause Tinnitus. Does anyone have any experience with this????

I don't recommend Zyprexa. My prescibers oversold the benefits and understated the negative side effects. I was on a low dose (7.5mg/day) for almost 10 years in which I gained 60 lbs above my optimal weight of around 210. I also pushed pre-diabetes levels for blood glucose. Also had mild paranoia/obsessive-compulsive condition: always excessively worried about very minor things. I'd had enough last year when I started developing twitches and became afraid of developing Tardive Dyskinesia (also a greater risk of contracting than I was told). I talked my shrink into taking me off of it. Weaned off over a period of about 4 months. Process was not too bad until stopping entirely, then became unpleasant: anxiety/irritability (hard on the wife), extreme lethargy for a week or so, tics actually worsened for about a month, and developed a mildly annoying itch-like condition that persists to this day.
I have not had one day of depression since I quit it and the paranoia and worries have disappeared. I'm still on 200mg/day of Lamictal ( lamotrigine) which I also plan to take a stab at quitting. If I were you, I'd do some research on my own: lots of well-trusted sources available online (NIH, JohnsHopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo, of course).

Good luck!

I was prescribed Zyprexa about ten years ago as one of the many drugs that doctors tried on me. In one week I blew up so much that I could not even put on my slippers and pajamas. They took me off of it right away.

In my experience all psychiatric medications, probably all medications, have side effects that can be quite different from person to person. The question is always; are the side effects worth the relief I am getting.

For my part (here comes the broken record) nothing, I repeat nothing has relieved my symptoms more then cleaning up my diet, exercising and reducing stress in my life. I will never take another drug until I have examined these three aspects of my life. They are in my control. Have nothing but positive side effects and for the most part are simple. Notice I didn't write easy.

Lifestyle changes are hard. It's a trade off!

I used Zyprexa for a number of years while employed in a good capacity. It's been some time since then but maybe the only complaint would be sex performance unhappiness. I was taking Prozac too, so that is a consideration.

Thanks for giving your feedback on the side effects of medication and your positive lifestyle. I considerably reduced my antipsychotic medication (I went from 20 mg. Abilify to 2.5. mg.}
The tardive dyskinesia which I had almost completely disappeared.

I tried Olanzapine about 25 years ago. It was the worst medication I have ever taken. Within 3 months, I gained 75 lbs. I have since lost 43 pounds but I can't get all the excess weight off.

I still struggle with many mental health issues,but I find exercising with the Silver Sneakers program very helpful.

Thank you for your comments.

The facts are in, exercise is The Best Thing anyone can do for their mental and physical health. Diet and exercise quite literally saved my life.

I am happy to know that it helps you too.

Psyche meds could be considered to be chemical lobotomies, which, in my opinion, aren't quite as bad as those with a special scalpel in the frontal lobes. The things they do to shut you up to control you.