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Coming off 2.5mg of olanzapine.

Posted , 21 users are following.

sarah24378
sarah24378

Hi

I plan to come off as soon as possible as i need to lose weight for surgery.

I cannot get dissolvable tablets. My plan is to alternate 2.5 and 1.25 for 2 weeks then 1.25 for 2 weeks. If that goes well i will jump off then if not i plan to crush the tablets and eat the powder and alternate 1.25 and 0.6 ish for 2 weeks then 0.6 ish for 2 weeks then off.

I have only been on then nearly 5 months and although i think they help the weight gain is too much. I am on other meds which mean i will be getting totally meds free.

Any advice or experience welcome. What withdrawal symptoms can i expect ?

2 likes, 73 replies

73 Replies

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  • maybefine
    maybefine sarah24378

    Posted

    If it's the same for all, I had body stinging, dimming of contact with people, world was losing brightness, i have a natural fear of people and started fearing places. But that's my fears, they have dispersed. I'm psychotic, but i go out to do things all the time. i started sleeping by the end of the withdrawal. Sleep is the restorer. I was very defensive with people, nobody could even pay attention to anything i was talking about, i had voices in my head, i was arguing with them. I decided not to trust the voices, personally.

    • bruce47310
      bruce47310 maybefine

      Posted

      Wow, a light bulb moment - sleep is the restorer!

      Many thanks, maybefine!!!

    • robert28237
      robert28237 maybefine

      Posted

      I have been on olanzapine for 2 months due to withdrawl of Baclofen in my pain pump currently at 7,5 mg will reduce to 5 mg in 1 week then 2.5mg for 1 week then half of that for 1 week hope to get off quickly i do not need it now,weight gain is why I am coming off I have put on 40 pounds in 2 months,Do you have any advice?

  • bridget46879
    bridget46879 sarah24378

    Posted

    Coming off olanzapine is the worst.... I got down to 1.25 and then went to nothing, the first few days were ok but then it kicked in and now I have irritability, anxiousness, finding it hard to think straight, hot and cold temperature, not sleeping well for the past week.  I hope it subsides soon cos I don't know how much I can take. I was on Olanzapine for nearly two years, the doctor knows that I am coming off.  when I was taking 1.25 it felt like I was taking nothing so I decided to stop taking it all together.  Yes weight gain was a problem and sleeping for longer.  I will keep trying until I am fully off this medication.  this is the 3rd or 4th time of trying to stop the meds.

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 bridget46879

      Posted

      Hi

      I am now on 0.625mg and plan to stop on sunday. So far it has not been too bad but verynervous about stoppingcompletely. Still not lost any weight. Have you lost weight yet?

    • apu91247
      apu91247 bridget46879

      Posted

      Bridget how are you tapering.which dose are you in when you started tapering?.1.25 is big to jump off.they are suggesting 10% taper every four weeks.how are you feeling now?your symptoms subsided or you reinstated 2.5? please reply as I just started tapering from 5 m.g
    • apu91247
      apu91247 sarah24378

      Posted

      Sarah how are you? Did you jump of from .625?any symptoms?
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 apu91247

      Posted

      Sorry for not replying earlier I did not get a message to say I had a reply.  I went from 1.25 to nothing, yeah I probably shouldn't have done that however the pill was so small I did not think my pill cutter would have been able to cut it without breaking it.  I am 10 and a half weeks off now I had bad insomnia for weeks so found it difficult at work concentrating etc.  I feel that things are better now but I just take it day by day as I never know whats in store for me the next day.  I have been keeping a diary of what my symptoms have been and will enter it once I have completed 3 months.

      I wish you all the best coming off this drug. Let me know how you get on. Bridget.

  • bridget46879
    bridget46879 sarah24378

    Posted

    Yes it has been 10 and a half weeks since I stopped olanzapine/zyprexa and I have lost 5 - 6 kgs however I have been going to the gym as well and eating better.  My sleep has improved but not entirely, I get about 7 hours sleep.  I have been getting headaches recently but today they are not too bad.  I feel restless at times and impatient, can't sit still for long. Anxiety has lessened.  I can't eat as much as I used to I get a sore stomach.  How are you going? 

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 bridget46879

      Posted

      I came off at 0.625 too. I was fine for 5 weeks but the last 2 to 3 weeks has been hell. Severe anxiety, bad tummy with nausea and awful headaches. It has been nearly 8 weeks now. I didn t think withdrawals would kick in 5 weeks after stopping.
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 sarah24378

      Posted

      Congratulations on getting this far! I started feeling withdrawals about 3 weeks in and it was torture.  I still have bad days but the good days help me to stay on the course of abstinence.  I take magnesium for sleep and this has helped. Have you lost any weight yet?
    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 bridget46879

      Posted

      I am very confused. My nurse says i cannot be withdrawing as it would have started earlier and be over by now. They want to put me on a different mood stabiliser as they say it is my symptoms come back. I just don t know. I am on ther meds.

      What were you symptoms as i am not sure if this is withdrawal or not ?

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 bridget46879

      Posted

      Did you have any symptoms when you were tapering or did it all start 3 weeks off ?
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 sarah24378

      Posted

      I think your nurse thinks you have become unwell because it was 5 weeks after coming off meds, however I think these are withdrawals.  I have read that the withdrawals can last up to 3months or even more after coming off olanzapine.  My withdrawals started after I came fully off meds but for some ppl. it was during the tapering, its different for everyone.  Part of the withdrawal is that you will feel as though you are becoming unwell but it is all part of the withdrawals - which were: deep depression, high anxiety, insomnia, feeling unwell I've written a post earlier with withdrawals at the time.  I have not taken any other med except magnesium.  I wish you the best but listen to your inner self as well, there is a difference between withdrawals and becoming unwell, although the symptoms are the same the withdrawals wont last.  It is tough but you can do it. Bridget.

  • apu91247
    apu91247 sarah24378

    Posted

    Dear Sarah and Bridget,what is the pattern of your tapering?did you hold one month for every reduction of Tapering?
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 apu91247

      Posted

      I tapered every two weeks but take it as slow as you can to avoid the intense withdrawals.  I am now 11 weeks off nearly 12 weeks off.  I have recently started sleeping from 10pm-5am which is better than before.  However I get tired in the afternoons, which is hard as I work 8am - 4.30pm Mon - Fri.  However going to the gym and eating healthy helps a lot.  I have lost 6kgs so far.  But yes, sleep is the restorer!
    • apu91247
      apu91247 bridget46879

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply but get.Are you experiencing dreams in the sleep.?
    • apu91247
      apu91247 bridget46879

      Posted

      Thank you for your kind reply Bridget.Are you experiencing dreams in the sleep while tapering or now?
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 apu91247

      Posted

      Yes I dream, but not bad dreams.  Good dreams.  i sometimes wake up feeling tired because of my dreams.
    • jennifer63404
      jennifer63404 bridget46879

      Posted

      Hello,

      I have read your posts, thanks for sharing. I have been on Zyprexa for about two years. 2.5 mg every night. I have gained a lot of weight, sleep too much and feel tired throughout the day. I stopped taking about 6 weeks ago. At first I didn't notice any negative effects other than sleeping less. This week however, I have not been feeling very well. Reading this discussion gives me hope that maybe I am ok, that maybe it's withdrawal symptoms. I am going to hang in there for a while longer.

    • apu91247
      apu91247 jennifer63404

      Posted

      Jennifer did you stop olanzapine 2.5 mg cold turkey?If yes,what a mistake.You should reinstate and stabilize.Once you stabilize for few months,start tapering very slow and get rid of that drug.For tapering tips Google for surviving antidepressants, olanzapine tapering.wishes.
    • jennifer63404
      jennifer63404 apu91247

      Posted

      Yes I did stop cold turkey. Ok, I just made an appointment with my doctor for tomorrow. I will discuss going back on and slowly tapering off. Thanks.
    • bridget46879
      bridget46879 jennifer63404

      Posted

      Thanks for your message, yes slow taper is best. However you will still get withdrawals just probably not as intense. i am now 17 weeks off Zyprexa and still experience some withdrawals and less sleep but I have no intention of going back on meds.

      i have lost 7 kgs and am feeling much better. Also let yourDr know to get support and let close friends, family and colleagues know as you may need to tell with them about how your feeling so they can understand and support you. i had a diary of each week and withdrawals I had this helped me when lookng at my progress. It is long and and hard but worth it.

      B!

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