Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 68961

Shown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Olanzapine - any stories??

Posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

I've had my risperidone stopped and moved onto olanzapine to stop the "wierd shit" in my head (not voices, just thoughts I guess)... not heard much about it, so any info would be fab!

Ta

Nikki x

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories?? » NikkiT2

Posted by shelliR on July 4, 2001, at 19:57:33

In reply to Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

Hi Nikki.

Olanzapine is Zyprexa, so if you do a PB search on Z, you should come up with a lot of stuff about it. It's an anti-psychotic, but also prescribed as an adjunct to ADs or mood stablilizers. Major side effect is weight gain, but there is also a small chance of tardive dyskinesia. TD is bad, but often it is reversible within three-four months.

I believe it should be only used for psychosis, but others will strongly disagree with me because it does help with depression. Read as much as you can about it, see if it helps you and decide for yourself if it is worth the risk of side effects.

BTW, is geodon available in the UK? It's similar to Zyprexa, but does not have the high weight gain statistic. It has only been out in the US for a couple of months.

Shelli

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories??

Posted by SalArmy4me on July 4, 2001, at 20:16:08

In reply to Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

Zyprexa has been proven to have effects on serotonin, thus it can augment whatever your antidepressant does, Nikki. Another study confirmed that last year. Psychiatrists have been using it off-label for OCD, too.

Here are the advantages of Zyprexa, as opposed to most antipsychotics and antidepressants:

--It will calm you down all day; when I took it, I thought it was better than a benzo.
--It has no anticholinergic effects.
--It has no sexual side-effects.
--It will definitely help you sleep.
--Zyprexa is convienient because it is taken only once at night.
--It is covered by insurance, generally.
--It augments antidepressants.
--Despite what rumors go around, Tardive Dyskinesia on Zyprexa is rare.
--It is less expensive than Prozac ($340 per month of Prozac).

I took 10 mg of it at bedtime, and I had no drowsiness in the morning. I didn't have any weight gain either.

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories??

Posted by ChrisK on July 5, 2001, at 5:42:09

In reply to Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

Nikki,

When I first started taking Zyprexa I had problems with ruminating thoughts of death and suicide. They were with me constantly even though my AD had started to work a little. The Z really helped clear up my cloudy thinking. You can take it at small doses - usually 2.5 mg/day and notice a difference within a week to ten days. I will always recommend it for anyone with really disturbed thought patterns. It helped clear me up a lot.

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories?? » shelliR

Posted by NikkiT2 on July 5, 2001, at 12:26:30

In reply to Re: Olanzapine - any stories?? » NikkiT2, posted by shelliR on July 4, 2001, at 19:57:33

Ta for that! I'll find out about goedon (know its full name?) as the weight gain is a huge issue (but I've lost 8lb in last weeks!! Woo hoo!)

I'm on AD (effexor, oh joy!) and this has been prescribed partly for my psychotic episodes... obsessional suicidal thinking etc...

Nikki xx

> Hi Nikki.
>
> Olanzapine is Zyprexa, so if you do a PB search on Z, you should come up with a lot of stuff about it. It's an anti-psychotic, but also prescribed as an adjunct to ADs or mood stablilizers. Major side effect is weight gain, but there is also a small chance of tardive dyskinesia. TD is bad, but often it is reversible within three-four months.
>
> I believe it should be only used for psychosis, but others will strongly disagree with me because it does help with depression. Read as much as you can about it, see if it helps you and decide for yourself if it is worth the risk of side effects.
>
> BTW, is geodon available in the UK? It's similar to Zyprexa, but does not have the high weight gain statistic. It has only been out in the US for a couple of months.
>
> Shelli

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories?? » SalArmy4me

Posted by NikkiT2 on July 5, 2001, at 12:28:58

In reply to Re: Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by SalArmy4me on July 4, 2001, at 20:16:08

Pdoc has prescribed 2.5mg to be taken throughout the day, on top of my effexor...

I'm in the UK so insurance is no problem which is good, all drugs cost the same to us here, how ever much you get!

Nikki xx


> Zyprexa has been proven to have effects on serotonin, thus it can augment whatever your antidepressant does, Nikki. Another study confirmed that last year. Psychiatrists have been using it off-label for OCD, too.
>
> Here are the advantages of Zyprexa, as opposed to most antipsychotics and antidepressants:
>
> --It will calm you down all day; when I took it, I thought it was better than a benzo.
> --It has no anticholinergic effects.
> --It has no sexual side-effects.
> --It will definitely help you sleep.
> --Zyprexa is convienient because it is taken only once at night.
> --It is covered by insurance, generally.
> --It augments antidepressants.
> --Despite what rumors go around, Tardive Dyskinesia on Zyprexa is rare.
> --It is less expensive than Prozac ($340 per month of Prozac).
>
> I took 10 mg of it at bedtime, and I had no drowsiness in the morning. I didn't have any weight gain either.

 

Re: Olanzapine - Quest.tardive dyskinesia

Posted by rod on July 6, 2001, at 11:44:50

In reply to Re: Olanzapine - any stories?? » SalArmy4me, posted by NikkiT2 on July 5, 2001, at 12:28:58

Plaease explain to me what tardive dyskinesia is. I dont find any translation for this in my english dictionary.(I am not english)
thanks!

 

Re: Olanzapine - Quest.tardive dyskinesia » rod

Posted by shelliR on July 6, 2001, at 11:59:15

In reply to Re: Olanzapine - Quest.tardive dyskinesia, posted by rod on July 6, 2001, at 11:44:50

> Plaease explain to me what tardive dyskinesia is. I dont find any translation for this in my english dictionary.(I am not english)
> thanks!

Try this:
http://www.nami.org/helpline/tardys.htm

or put in your own search for TD on a search engine more geared to your native language.
Shelli

p.s. what is your native language?

 

Re: Olanzapine - Quest.tardive dyskinesia

Posted by rod on July 6, 2001, at 12:20:18

In reply to Re: Olanzapine - Quest.tardive dyskinesia » rod, posted by shelliR on July 6, 2001, at 11:59:15

> > Plaease explain to me what tardive dyskinesia is. I dont find any translation for this in my english dictionary.(I am not english)
> > thanks!
>
> Try this:
> http://www.nami.org/helpline/tardys.htm
>
> or put in your own search for TD on a search engine more geared to your native language.
> Shelli
>

Thanks a lot!

> p.s. what is your native language?

I live in austria and speak german.

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories??

Posted by pwagg on July 8, 2001, at 12:49:44

In reply to Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

> I've had my risperidone stopped and moved onto olanzapine to stop the "wierd shit" in my head (not voices, just thoughts I guess)... not heard much about it, so any info would be fab!
>
> Ta
>
> Nikki x
You can read an article I wrote when I first started taking olanzapine (Zyprexa) in 1996 at the Schizophrenia.com website but I'll reiterate it here: it saved my life. No, actually it gave me back a life worth saving. I never realized what a world there was out there until this drug came along, never knew how much I was missing, until I started taking Zyprexa. Then not much more than ten days later, I "came to," almost as if I were a patient in that movie with Robin Williams, "Awakenings". I could read books I hadn't been able to read for years, I could pay attention to and watch TV, even the news without being paranoid, I could go places, do things, in short it really and truly was the miracle drug people talked of these new drugs sometimes being... Yes, I know this is not the case for everyone. More often than not the benefits are more subtle. So while I'd caution you not to expect a miracle, sometimes they do happen.

 

Re: Olanzapine - any stories??

Posted by Andy123 on July 9, 2001, at 0:45:35

In reply to Olanzapine - any stories??, posted by NikkiT2 on July 4, 2001, at 14:58:52

> I've had my risperidone stopped and moved onto olanzapine to stop the "wierd shit" in my head (not voices, just thoughts I guess)... not heard much about it, so any info would be fab!
> Ta
> Nikki x

For several months before olanzapine came out, I had convinced myself that my depression must have a major psychotic component, as I was continually ruminating and my functioning had gone down the toilet. My old psychiatrist had moved away and I hadn't bothered to follow up with his "new guy." I went to a new doctor and told him that I had major ruminations with my depressions and wanted to try an antipsychotic. He was really happy to write be a big old script for the new zyprexa drug; he gave me 10 mg a day. I stayed on it for 10 days and it just made me feel awful. I totally stopped moving and I just ruminated while being still. My depression worsened. I went in and tried to tell him, but he said I looked better. I guess it really helped my complexion or something :) So the fact that I looked better totally outweighed the fact that I felt awful, and he advised me to stay on it. I gave up on this psychiatrist and went back to talk therapy with a regular "old school" psychoanalyst (they are very hard to dig up around here.) I was in analysis for 6 months or so, and then I really did start to feel better. I saw my regular physician for antidepressants and the stimulants I had been when i was much younger. So thats my little olanzapine story + some change :)


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