Experiences of quetiapine or olanzapine please

[Ocdpanic]

Posted before but got no responses.

Not doing so well. Currently on 30mg mirtazipine

Been saying for months it's not working Cmht have now said I can either

Increase mirtazipine - which they're not keen on & I'm honestly feeling it's helping depression a bit but anxiety is worse

Or try

Quetiapine 25mg

Or

Olanzapine

On the one hand I'm feeling pretty desperate on the other I've had a lot of trouble finding meds that work and don't make me worse or ill in other ways.

I'd like to know if you have taken or prescribed these drugs what your thoughts are on them?

dangermouse I linked the psychology today page as there are references to peer reviewed journal articles in it.

psychedelicsheep the peer reviewed article concludes that research needs to be done as to whether schizophrenia itself or neuroleptics increase risk of dying earlier. Other studies (in the meta analysis you linked) show that unmedicated people with severe mental illness die younger than those on anti psychotics.

Some of us have to be on these medications to stay well, or to keep our children, and so it’s not really a choice freely taken. So to make sweeping statements like it’s going to take 19 years off your life and make you put on 2 stone is very much Not Helpful.

Having mental illness is known to knock 15yrs off. Life expectancy but it’s more complex than just medication. Lots of psychiatric patients smoke, they don’t look after their health, poor diet, lack of motivation to exercise, don’t take part in screening programmes, don’t attend gp for health checks. Meds contribute but as I say it’s complex and not just a meds issue. It’s a difficult issue as the meds do increase lipids and diabetes. But I don’t think it’s abuse. Most people working in psychiatry want to help and the meds we have are limited

I take 375mg Venlafaxine plus Quetiapine 50mg at 12 and 1800 then a further 350mg at bedtime it’s been great for me but I have put weight on.

I was at one point in 600mg at night which was just a tad to much as I couldn’t function for my kids

Use it at work for ICU delirium 25 mg twice a day. Calms down our very confused and agitated patients who are at real risk of injuring themselves (inadvertently disdislodging vital equipment etc). Doesn't particularly sedate them. Just enables them to rest and recover, easier to reason with them.

If you are on antipsychotics the GP should do regular bloods anyway for metabolic disorders, so you can keep a check on things like that anyway.

I refused quetiapine due to worry about weight gain. Tried aripiprazole but had weird heart pounding. I'm on venlafaxine & lamotrigine - for bpd, depression & ptsd. Psych still want to add in an antipsychotic but if weight gain's a side effect, I won't take it.

@Ocdpanic

Yes you can take another antidepressant in combination with Mirtz. Doesn't work for everybody, though.

A word of warning with aripiprazole- often they start you on it with a benzodiazepine until you get used to it so if you don't want to take diazepam or similar might not be right for you.

There are some old style antipsychotics such as haloperidol which can be used in small doses, also. They can have nasty side effects but are also better researched than newer meds.

My psych said that the weight gain etc can be avoided if you 'eat smart' on these kinds of meds. They can cause cravings especially for carbs. So if you kind of eat Low GI / low carb it can help a bit. In case that helps any.

I was on mirt / olanzapine for a while and did gain quite a bit, not the most weight friendly combination.

God I don't know what to do for the best. I think maybe inc mirtz and review in 2 months?

I'm on Quetiapine and Duloxetine. I've found this to be the best combination for me. I've found quetiapine good for helping my mood stay stable,anxiety and sleep. I'm diagnosed with gad,bpd and depression. I started on 50mg of quetiapine and I'm now on 100mg. I've not gained any weight or had any bad side affects. I would say to try quetiapine.

Im on quetiapine 50mg morning / 250mg at night pref it to olanzapine,

Also on 45mg of mirtazapine at night and doing a reduction of Cymbalta longer term so now at 60mg was at 120mg to change over to vortioxetine - currently on Depakote but being taken off it in line with NICE guidelines as I am of childbearing age and it might damage a foetus also on carbamazepine.

It's a finely tuned balance with lots of communication from me with GP, CPN and regular psych reviews.