Posted by ed_uk2010 on March 8, 2014, at 6:21:06
In reply to Good Idea after Hospital visit, posted by b2chica on March 7, 2014, at 13:25:44
>I didn't realize that zyprexa CAME in shot form...
Yes, it comes as two different types of injection.
1. A short-acting injection. This is what you received in the ER. Like the tablets, the effects are intended to last about one day. The injection works more rapidly that the tablets in an emergency, and produces higher blood levels. This injection is used for emergency treatment of severe agitation in schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar mania/mixed states.
2. A long-acting depot injection. This injection is given every 2 weeks or every 4 weeks. It is used mainly in schizophrenia for those who do not reliably take tablets. This injection is very expensive and requires the pt to be observed for *three hours* after each injection in a clinic or hospital. This is because there have been occasional reports of loss of consciousness or very low BP after the injection, presumably caused by too much olanzapine being released too quickly. As a result, the depot form of olanzapine is not used unless someone cannot be relied upon to take tablets, and is therefore relapsing into psychosis.
If you cannot get branded Zyprexa tablets covered, it might be worth trying a different generic.
Hope you feel better soon.
x
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:1061991
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20140307/msgs/1062041.html