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Core Topics => Treatment, Recovery and Rehabilitation => Topic started by: Chip on September 07, 2016, 08:47:01 AM

Title: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on September 07, 2016, 08:47:01 AM
source: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070929/msgs/786116.html

For me zyprexa took several months to get off. We all have different sensitivities. I was on it for at least 6 years. But even someone on it for a couple months can have a real hard time, or not, no way to predict.

My true hope is that this long post will have been a waste of time because you find zyprexa easy to get off of. That would be awesome. But if not, read on...

I could not do a preplanned schedule. The jump from 5mg to 2.5mg was like nuclear bomb. No way I could handle that. So I went back up to 5mg and immediately began a taper of shaving off tiny amounts with a knife or razor blade. Never accurate, but small enough it didn't make a diff. Eventually I had shaved my way down to 2.5mg. Then I got the 2.5mg tabs instead of 5mg and continued with the shaving off small amounts. The final .75 was the hardest.

Each shaving took off maybe .15mg to 25mg. I stayed at each new dose 3 days to a week, depending on how it felt. The whole process took about 3 months, but I never could have done it the way your doctor has suggested.

What's really sad is that zyprexa was given to me as an antidepressant. Not for anxiety or insomnia or schizophrenia. But wow did it create more problems than it ever was worth.

Withdrawal symptoms of shakey fingers and thumbs went away in about 6 weeks. Nervousness/anxiety and free-floating fear eased off a bit in a couple months, but never completely until I took 12.5mg to 25mg 5htp for a couple weeks. That seemed to reset everything and get serotonin back in control. On an as needed basis I like 5hpt, or passionflower extract 1/2 dropper, or 100mg valerian root capsule. All are tamely calming and natural, and very low doses. They can be your best friends during the withdrawal if you need support. Unfortunately I didn't discover them until after the fact. Another side withdrawal side effect I had was dizziness, spaciness, fogginess...which was a strange combination mixed with the fierce anxiety. But I could deal with the dizziness stuff. That part wasn't too bad.

Basically, go low and slow. Your best friends can be...a sharp edge to custom tailor your tablet size; 5htp; passionflower; valerian root; time.

I was surprised to find the above supplements worked better for anxiety, nervousness, insomnia better than zyprexa ever did. So cheap, natural and tame. My personal opinion years later is that zyprexa should be reserved for worst-case scenarios or emergencies. Docs give it out like candy. Not cool. I have a newfound respect for the power of zyprexa, but not in a good way. I have a newfound respect for natural options, in a good way.

Whatever zyprexa is ever prescribed for, God has already placed safe natural things on this planet that can achieve the same results in a much safer harmonious way.

Anyway, feel it out. Go low and slow like I did. Or do what your doc thinks. You are the boss of your own body, not someone else sitting behind a desk with a prescription pad.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: MoeMentim on September 07, 2016, 09:29:19 PM
I missed 2 days of zyprexa and freaked the fuck out.  Horrible anxiety/panic attacks, a weird out of body sensation & a bad bout of audible voices.  I might look at getting off of it.  I'm prescribed 10mg/day usually take 5mg.  I have a psych appointment in a few days. 
 
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on September 07, 2016, 09:49:09 PM
I tried to miss a day and it was wicked.

I'm on 10 mg at night.
 
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on September 28, 2016, 07:54:10 PM
Well I am now down to 5 mg. with no withdrawals that I could detect, except for 2 nights sleep loss with every 2.5 mgs drop.

A pleasant surprise and not anything like what i expected.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: MoeMentim on September 11, 2017, 02:00:24 AM
I'm fucked - ran out of zyprexa friday, no refills till tomorrow (monday) after work.  I am a ball of fear/anxiety, very "out of body" nothing feels familiar, everything seems strange.  I will be hearing voices shortly, it's what i take the zyprexa for.  Heading to the liquor store.  Want whiskey, it'd handle things quick but i have to work tomorrow which is my biggest fear right now.  So it'll be low-level beer drinking  and netflix to try to shut the world out till i can sleep.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on September 11, 2017, 11:01:30 AM
it's worse than opiate withdrawal on some levels and I tried a C/T once and it kicked my arse after 5 days. I was using GBL but when the supply stopped I got a major shock about how lousy I felt physically and mentally.

see my post in your theist thread about emergency acquisition of Zyprexa - even a hospital could dispense some.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: candy on September 11, 2017, 01:46:41 PM
It's awful that something like Zyprexa could cause such severe symptoms when not taken.
So many antidepressants out there are doing the same, but they keep giving them out hoping it will cure
the unhappiness and anxiety in people. Just doing more harm for so many.
I came off of Seroquel (Quetiapine) given to me for sleep, on it for two years and I thought I might lose my mind.
Brain zaps, strange hallucinations.

They certainly don't tell you how severe the symptoms are if you suddenly stop or run out.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: MoeMentim on September 11, 2017, 10:22:37 PM
Got my meds, hoping i straighten out quick.  Took the day off.  No sleep last night, should make me drowsy when it kicks in.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: dillydudeEL14 on October 28, 2017, 10:01:23 PM
Wow I’m so fucking glad they discontinued that for me. I was just on it 5mg 3 times a day for a week and a half during my most recent rehab stint. At first I noticed that it helped my anxiety but made me very tired. As well I s went in I noticed less effects and stopped taking it. Didn’t have any problems but only was on it for about 10 days. It was prescrib d for anxiety but I think they gave it to me to make me more easy to deal with as I was always trying to get more sub and benzos from them lol.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Hooman on October 28, 2017, 10:52:05 PM
Drugs like Olanzipine and Quetapine should *never* be prescribed for 'anxiety' or 'nervousness - FFS, they are *major* psych drugs with major side effects that should only be used for people hearing voices who sometimes think that the aliens are controlling/listening to them through radio beams from space...  :o
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: dillydudeEL14 on October 29, 2017, 03:48:09 AM
They gave out antipsychotic shit like candy at my rehab. Soooo many people were on seroquel and complaining of how tired they were. I only took the Olanzapine for like 10 days for anxiety like I said and told them I didn’t wanna take it anymore. It was ok at first  just made me tired and then after like a week I didnt even feel it at all so I stopped it. I didn’t know anything about it and didn’t wanna take shit I was unfamiliar with especially since I wasnt getting any benefits from it.

That girl I met there was on seroquel and said it made her hungry af and was worried she was gonna get fat.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Hooman on October 29, 2017, 04:10:12 AM
They gave out antipsychotic shit like candy at my rehab. Soooo many people were on seroquel and complaining of how tired they were...

I remember reading somewhere (IDK if it was bullshit or not) that Seroquel was actually *popular* in US lockups where they said it was known as 'Suzy-Q', and that inmates apparently liked it as a means to sleep or to combat boredom(!).

I know that some people have reported that taking 1-time doses of Seroquel is quite effective if you absolutely want to knock yourself out like a light after a stim binge, or whatever.

That girl I met there was on seroquel and said it made her hungry af and was worried she was gonna get fat.

It *does* make people hungry & fat - it's *famous* for doing so, in fact...  :o
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on October 29, 2017, 04:59:13 AM
OLZ does the same.

I'm currently taking 1.25 mg daily and soon expect to be off it. 17 years of it is enough !
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: dillydudeEL14 on October 29, 2017, 06:59:08 AM
Yeah Hooman, I think I read or heard the same thing you did regarding the popularity of seroquel. Don’t remember where though.

Good for you chipper from what I hear I guess it’s some pretty nasty shit.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: dillydudeEL14 on October 29, 2017, 07:02:58 AM
I really don’t have any solid reasoning behind this but I’ve always been averse to taking antipsychotic drugs and ssri’s and shit like that. Just something g seems off about them.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on November 02, 2017, 06:56:02 PM
I noticed that as I got older, the half life of the drug increases so I'm dosing as 2.5 mg every 2 days as i write this.

the main symptoms are insomnia, sweating, agitation (quite unpleasant) but I have boxes of the shit so I'm on no hurry.

Pregablin is yet again my mitigation tool as I haven't touched it in 2 weeks.

OLZ turned on me in higher doses and caused severe malaise - whole body RLS.

my goal is to have no dependencies at all.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Hooman on November 02, 2017, 08:46:19 PM
I noticed that as I got older, the half life of the drug increases...

It *does*? o_0

Is that your liver getting older and deteriorating or what, do you think?

What dose of OLZ were you on originally, and what for (if you don't mind me asking), and is the reason why you were first prescribed it rearing its head now that you're tapering off it?

It's ridiculous IMO - they hardly *ever* mention let alone talk about the (very) possible discontinuation symptoms that these nasty dirty drugs often cause (other than the original symptoms it was prescribed for possibly returning).
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on November 03, 2017, 04:45:09 AM
sure. at 38 I ended up on a psych ward due to a psychotic episode when I had a small habit on Methadone. it was not drug related as I wasn't using stimulants at that time (dexamphetamine+Methadone were my usual DOC).

my liver is fine as I have not used alcohol for my first 53 years - it's just as you age, things slow down - it's normal and that's why geriatrics are given tiny doses.

they don't mention it because they don't know just how addictive these drugs are after 10-15 years on it.

I started on 20 and dropped to 10 and now I want to be able to travel so it's so much easier to do so without carrying scripts.

yes, I went a bit nuts but you get that :P

there are no rebound symptoms as I am not manic or anything. it was a reaction to gambling and losing my house and partner but I regained an ever stronger relationship with her and bought an ever nicer house and place to live so life is sweet.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on November 12, 2017, 09:07:39 AM
OK, so the deal with nasty shit is that you can have your dose - unlike opiates - and it will hold you for two days but you will suffer intractable insomnia and some most unpleasant agitation (not unlike opiate W/D's at the "thin edge of the wedge" for 4 nights.

I am down to 2.5 mg every 2 days and am ready to drop to 1.25 - that pill cutter I bought years ago has proved indispensable !

Oddly enough, I don't recommend Pregablin etc. for this stuff straight away -- stimulants actually mask the effect of this withdrawal due to the very high levels of dopamine that stimulants are notorious for.

THEN you can add Gabapentinoids and/or benzos.

Using one drug to offset the other - an all too familiar game to us. Yep, I have given this the "field" test but of course, you probably won't find anybody else documenting this or recommending it BUT my technique, dangerous as it may sound, actually works and if you have experienced this bizarre shitty withdrawal, this is by far the lesser of the evils.

But of course, not disliking stimulants is a requisite.

You know, it could just be an excuse for me to crank up the Meth intake - drugs are deceptive like that  :P ::)
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: MoeMentim on January 16, 2019, 08:37:13 AM
went off olanzipine, lamictal and escitalopram 3 days ago.  pharm told me lamictal went up from $90 for 3 months to $440.  it ended up being a mistake that we figured out today but i was like fuck it, maybe with the ketamine treatments i'll be good.  after all it's kept the anxiety from over-drinking at bay, who knows.  what a total idiot move that was.  today was awful second only to opiate withdrawls.  (never had to withdrawl from benzos or alcohol).  been long enough since i did that that it felt at least equally as bad, different though.  took them about 45 minutes ago & pharmacist said i could expect fairly rapid relief.  i have 3 left over beers i'm trying to gulp down, hope to keep it at that.  i overdid it last night & that definitely made it worse.  i also stopped and bought some liquid "opms" kratom extract, the only headshop stuff i've found reliable & there's no way i could choke down the powder without hurling it back up immediately.  hopefully relief soon.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on September 04, 2019, 07:51:26 AM
so much for that !

I was recently placed under a court-ordered community treatment program and now are legally bound for a single monthly dose of a whopping 405 mg IM OLZ shot in the arse !  :(

the good thing is that I am tolerant to it so i can't feel it.
Title: Re: an Olanzapine Tapering Experience
Post by: Chip on May 28, 2023, 06:02:09 AM
An update:

I have been sitting on 210 mg every 4 weeks by IM depot injection for over a few years now.

I don't feel the dose but I am stable so I might as well not rock the boat.

I was ultimately diagnosed with schizoaffective disorderWiki.
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