an Olanzapine Tapering Experience

[Chip (OP)]

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.

[MoeMentim]

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. 
 

[Chip (OP)]

I tried to miss a day and it was wicked.

I'm on 10 mg at night.
 

[Chip (OP)]

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.

[MoeMentim]

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.

[Chip (OP)]

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.

[candy]

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.

[MoeMentim]

Got my meds, hoping i straighten out quick.  Took the day off.  No sleep last night, should make me drowsy when it kicks in.

[dillydudeEL14]

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.

[Hooman]

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... 

[dillydudeEL14]

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.

[Hooman]

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... 

[Chip (OP)]

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 !

[dillydudeEL14]

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.

[dillydudeEL14]

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.