olanzapine - advice please, quite scared

[serialhousemover]

I've started taking olanzapine (5mg at night) to help with extreme anxiety. also on 150 venlafaxine for depression. have been a mess for a year with very messed up sleep (to no sleep some nights) and not functioning at all well. i'm exhausted and hoping this is a start-up effect of olanzapine? anyone further down the line (or who has come out the other side of all this - if i can still believe that's possible?) that can help me get some perspective on this? I've previously tried another AD at various doses and - very briefly - was given some valium for daytime use. neither helped much if at all. i used to work full-time and have energy and patience with my children and wonder if it's all gone now and i'll always have crippling anxiety and never work again. life feels pretty gloomy. Thanks for taking the time to read my rambles.

[Julialyne]

I take 2.5mg of Olanzapine as a boost to Sertraline. It really helps me though on higher doses it can cause weight gain. I had some fluid retention when I first started taking it but no other side effects. It does help me sleep too. I also occasionally take Clonazapam the lowest dose to help with anxiety. I hope you find it works for you.

[Upwardandonward]

I hope it works out for you. It can make you tired after taking it.

[serialhousemover]

Thanks both. Perhaps 2.5mg might be a better dose to not wipe me out completely. Guess I'll stay on 5mg a few days to see if it wears off or talk to my Pdoc about changing dose.

[fedupandtired]

I used to take 10mg (I think it was). Tiredness, like any side effect, should ease. It does however cause weight gain, lots in my case. If that's a problem for you keep a close eye on it.

[Julialyne]

Just make sure that you take it at night as it works on the histamine receptors or something & causes drowsiness. Don't take any hay fever or cold & flu tablets whilst taking Olanzapine. Paracetomol is ok.

[Showtime]

When you come off it, do ask for advice, as my DB suffered badly by simply stopping, as told.

[serialhousemover]

Thanks Julia I am taking it just as I go to bed. I'm still shattered in the morning though. Hope the extreme fatigue wears off soon. The less occupied I'm able to be, the more the anxiety takes hold. Thanks for giving me hope fedup.
Thanks Showtime I'll be sure to do that. But for now I'll just settle for side effects wearing off and drug kicking in! I guess the advice is to wean off very slowly or is it to switch to using something else whilst you do so?

[AlpinePony]

Olanzapine made me very tired, 14 hours a night minimum sleep! It also made me crave sweets and I put on a lot of weight fast so my real yanked me off it.

[Showtime]

DB didn't get advice, apart from stopping one and starting next, which was disastrous for days, so he recommenced olanzapine in order to reduce slowly, but please do get details from relevant HCP at the time.

[AlpinePony]

I didn't have any issues going from olanzapine to risperdal, neither did I have issues going cold turkey (!) From venlafaxine which for some people is awful and so they stay on it for life!

The one that really fucked me up was one of the mildest AD's on the market. :(

I used to hoard meds so that if the team wanted me to go cold turkey I'd have enough back-up to taper down over 2-3 weeks.

Lots of great info on a site called "crazymeds.org" I believe it is.

[Julialyne]

Forgot to say that Olanzapine can sensitise the skin in the sun so wear a high spf. I only have to be out for 10mins without sun screen for 5 mins & my chest if exposed will burn, though I do live in Australia.

I tried 5mg at night & just felt so tired the next day that I had trouble waking up. 2.5mg works best for me so I stick with that. It can increase your appetite too.

[serialhousemover]

Thanks Julia for the advice. Do you mind me asking how long you've been on olanzapine. my pdoc suggested it's for short to medium term use. but perhaps if you're on the lowest dose of 2.5 it's okay to stay on indefinitely? I'm on 5 and am very tired each day but decreasing my dose doesn't really feel like an option until i feel a bit more stable so guess i'll stay on 5 for a while.

[Julialyne]

I am on 2,5mg indefinitely. I have been on it for 7 years. I took 5mg when I was pregnant as the larger blood volume has a diluting effect on the meds. 2.5mg is the best dose for me. I take it as a boost to Sertraline. I always take Clonazapam if needed for anxiety. Do you see a Dr it Psychiatist for your meds? Psychiatrists are much better in tailoring the meds to suit you. I had to try so many due to be sensitive to side effects & this works the best for me. I have severe depression & have eating disorder (anorexia) but I am currently doing ok. I work 2 jobs & I have my own mobile beauty business & 3 children. The meds & weeking psychology sessions I have keep me stable.

My psychiatrist said Olanzapine is good for obsessional disorders & anxiety. I do notice if I miss a day my mood does drop.

Maybe 2,5mg might be a better dose for you. I take mine at 9.00pm & go to bed at 10.00pm. I get a good nights sleep & have to wake up at 6.30am. I couldn't manage that on 5mg.

[fridakahlo]

Just because a dose is stronger, does not mean it will work more effectively for you.
I guess in your shoes, I would be giving it a good four weeks and then seeing how.I felt.
Aside from the side effects, does it seem to be working?

[loverofwine]

Olanzapine is an anti psychotic not anti depressant but as far as I understand it can help with things like anxiety. It causes weight gain because it makes you very hungry. Long term I believe it is linked to other disorders (possibly diabetes) but for me it did the trick.

I am bp and it sorted out my postnatal psychosis every time and I was allowed to BF on it. It starts to work very quickly rather than some other anti anxiety drugs. I was very sleepy in the mornings but needed sleep so was ok with this. I got fat but didn't go insane.

My advice would be stick to the advice of your doctor but tell them anything that you don't feel is working as it should. It does take a while for them to get the dosage right.

Three years after my youngest child was born I am still here and haven't been on Olanzapine for a while. It's unlikely they'll keep you on it for very long. It's in no ones interests (my GP tells me it is quite pricey!)

[AlpinePony]

That I can believe, I remember coming out of the chemist and reeling at the 900 euro price tag!

[serialhousemover]

Thank you. It is definitely having an effect. The anxiety is still there though more manageable. I'm really relieved at this. but at the same time worried this is as good as it gets now. it's silly I know as I've got to give it a few more weeks (only had it for 1.5 weeks so far) - does Olanzapine's effect continue to build as anti-depressants are supposed to? Or is the total effect felt quite quickly?
Julia - I take my hat off to you. you are amazing handling so much in your life.
Loverof - was it hard to come off the Olanzapine for you? Does it depend how long you've been on it? I know i keep being told it's different for everyone and my psychiatrist has said i should not ask for other opinions but i find i find it helpful to hear other's experiences - it gives me hope that it might be easy(ish) and even if difficult - that many other mums have managed it and come out the other side.

[AlpinePony]

For me the effect was instantaneous and I got to a point where I didn't need to take them daily, only when under extreme duress - because they'd kick in within 20 minutes - send me to sleep actually and out of trouble, but that's another story! ;)

[loverofwine]

I don't remember it being hard to come off - as far as I am aware it is not particularly addictive. I just went down doses over a period of a month.

Have you visited Black Dog Tribe? Its a newish mental health website/forum for the UK and there is info on lots of different drugs and what they are used for/ contra indications etc.

I think in a way your doctor is right though. I would focus all your efforts on getting you better (with the help of professionals) and share your experiences with us but don't use info here in preferance to their advice. I am no big fan of hospitals and doctors but the mind is an amazing organ, each one unique and I believe it takes a lot of understanding to treat it properly.

[serialhousemover]

Thanks Loverof you're right and I do trust my psych. I've had a brief look at Black Dog Tribe website - seems good so when I've a bit more time / am slightly less tired I'll check it out more. I don't know if it's the famed "hangover" effect of the olanzapine but I'm shattered each day until around lunchtime - then i seem to get a bit more energy. I take the tablets around 7pm for a 9/9.30 bedtime. they seem to take a couple of hours to kick in for me as sedating.