TDS Taken Zyprexa for 6 months, my life is a living nightmare

[Anonymous132]

This drug is hell.

I feel like shit every second I'm awake.

My dreams are all nightmares.

I feel numb, apathetic, cold.

Nothing inspires me anymore.

Worried I will not get my life back.

I feel like my body isn't working anymore.

I was at the top of my life, and now my life is waking terror.

I'm just not ok. Nothing inspires me, my concentration is down.

I'm really scared it won't get better.

Wanting to hear from people who've taken the same medicine and if they ever recovered.

 

[Polluted_Mind]

Completely agree that olanzapine is a terrible drug in just about every single way. Tried to take it for insomnia, helped somewhat but then the next day.... holy shit! You feel like someone has smacked you with a tyre-iron. The half-life of this stuff is huge, so even if you take a single dose, you're wrecked for at least a day afterwards.

One of the main effects that I noticed (and I don't find it surprising you mentioned this) is that any kind of concentration is VERY difficult. Also general energy was barely there. Everything was an effort.

I'm clueless as to your current situation, but as long as you're mentally OK, ditch it. Like most anti-psychotics I don't understand how anyone can be functional on such a chemical. I would honestly (no exaggeration) be far more productive necking a six-pack in the morning than taking one of these the night before.

 

[KitCat]

Depends on why you're taking it?
Zyprexa is an antipsychotic and the feelings you're experiencing are quite likely caused by its mechanism of action (suppressing dopamine). You may want to consider whether you really need to take it and talk to the doctor about weaning off, reducing dose or trying something else (although other antipsychotics will have a similar effect). I think that unless you have chronic psychosis/schizophrenia or frequent mania, you probably don't need to take an antipsychotics daily. Focus on your functioning, rather than symptoms. These medications are usually quite effective at treating the symptoms you present with but on the other hand they create new problems that make you equally miserable as the original problem.

 

[Vaya]

Zyprexa is a very strong AAP as well, to supplement what was said above ^^

Many people taking this medication complain (and rightfully so) of the same negative outlook of the world as you have, Anonymous132... I second the idea that you might want to reconsider whether or not Zyprexa is really benefitting your life at all, and to also consider speaking to your doctor about trying something potentially less destructive to manage your mental health.

Risperdal is still a heavy AAP, but would represent a step down in intensity from Zyprexa nonetheless. More well-tolerated options, however, might include experimenting with Abilify or Geodon.

What psychiatric symptoms are you attempting to manage with this medication, if I may ask?

All the best,

~ Vaya

 

[woopsadaisy]

I took olanzapine/zyprexa for 18 months when I was 21...that was 14 years ago now. I was psychotic, I just thought way too much. After the first week I could function like normal, maybe cos I was still young, but during that time I gained 20 pounds. I think it did actually help me, but the prtoblem was coming off the drug. There was no internet info in 1999, so I just stopped cold turkey about 10 times, lasted 4 days eaxh time then would get a weird dissociation feeling for asplit bsecond every hour or so. In the end I got of it, but the disssociation continued for up to a year, about once a day. And until this day, 15 yeas later I still get a split second of out of body experience about once a week! I know for a fact it was the Olanzapine. Anyway, I think it can help if your brain is on overdrive and that's what's making you depressed, but be warned anout coming of of ot. I recently had my second bout of depression, I started Mirtazipine 4 days ago....it's no way nea s strong as olanzapine.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

My violent schizophrenic ex-girlfriend was put on this medication, and it made her remarkably worse. It's like she went from having mild schizophrenia to being a full blown violent schizophrenic after the Zyprexa.

Eli Lilly is going to have more lawsuits for this drug I'm sure. Give it time.

 

[It's a baby!]

I was on abilify for a few months and it was as debilitating as being psychotic. I couldn't sleep more than four or five hours a night, my muscles were messed up, and I couldn't stop pacing around, so I worked with a psychiatrist to get off of it. But some people need these drugs, I really don't know what your situation is. It sounds like it's time to try a different antipsychotic.

If you do decide to stop taking it you have to wean off slowly, when I got out of the hospital I stopped taking my abilify entirely and relapsed into psychosis, almost got institutionalized again. Sometimes it's hard to find a psychiatrist who will help you get off of these drugs, psychiatrists can be very arrogant and unsympathetic. The Icarus Project website has a good guide to getting off psych drugs. You're the only person who knows why you're on this drug and only you can decide whether you can safely stop taking antipsychotics entirely