how long does olanzapine withdrawal last?
Posted , 37 users are following.
Does anybody know roughly how long olanzapine withdrawal lasts?. I`ve been on it for three years for ocd like paraniod delutions and a genaral feeling of anxiety. at first it was wonderfull, helped me alot especialy with sleep. the problem was that i probably slept for too long (upwards of 14 hours each night) and did very little exercise. i lost all interest in hobbies that i had previosly enjoyed like gardening, cycling, and being close to nature. sometimes just a walk too the beach used to clear my head and when i was well i`d go to the beach or walk around the village everyday, but i just dont get the same satisfaction out of it anymore and generally stay at home, plus i dont have the confidence to go out because i feel people are wispering about me or taking the piss out of my weight or the way i look. i was an active 25 year old young man who enjoyed the simple things in life. now im 28, depressed everyday with health probems. i tapered the dose down gradually to 2.5mg and on on the 1st of march stoped completely and had six weeks of hell, nausia, insonia, anxiety.... it got to the point where i could`nt take it anymore and gave in and began taking it again but after three weeks of being drowzy all day decided to give it another go and i`ve not had any now for five weeks . im not sleeping well and cant eat very much either. the problem now is im a nevous wreck 24/7, im all sweaty and panicy just leaving the house for grocerys and i have bills to pay and jobs that need doing but just having a shower once a day is pretty much all i can manage. its got to the point now where im templed to take it just to get some good quality sleep for a few days, get my appitete back, and look presentable so i can go into town and sort my bills out but i keep telling myself to be strong and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. some poeple say it can take upto three months for your body to ajust, if anybody has had a similar experience olanzapine and managed to come off if and recover without swaping it for another drug please reply. would st johns wort or melatonin help for sleep? would apreciate any helpfull veiws or coments. thanks. james millington.
6 likes, 173 replies
deborah91099 jamesmilly
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lloyd_28589 deborah91099
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Hi Deborah, how are you coping with your battle with Zyprexa? ? Im into my 3rd wk going off this hideous drug. . I have headaches and aches an pains and terrible insomnia . Ive been taking Melatonin slow release tablets for past 4nights with out any effect yet. Jus when i think im getn on top of things the withdrawals come back to bite me harder than before. Im determined to see it thru and hopefully I'll get there. Would like to know how you're doing? ? Take care an best wishes Lloyd
francis20252 jamesmilly
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Hi, James, I can understand the "Hell" and withdrawal effects you had when coming off OLanzapine. I too tried reducing Olanzapine about 3 or 4 times. I felt drained emotionally, weak, highly nervous and had a throbbing brain.I too lost my mental health at the age of 25, when my partner left me. I was terrified and alone. I can only think of what helped me reduce Olanzapine from 30 mg to 15 mg per day and that is belonging to a social anxiety group, practising mindfulness and counselling for 13 years with a man who I could talk to about anything. As for your nerves (24/7) I feel that too and find drinking 4 pints of milk per day and weight lifting is good for me. I am now reducing Diazepam very slowly (1 mg) per month. Not much help I know. Overcoming our separation from each other and nature through being mindful in the moment of now, and having a friend or helpline buddy helped me. St.John's Wort is for mild depression and may cause complications with other drugs. If you feel able to write a few words, try writing down your experiences in a diary or write poems. Nothing special. Sorry, not a great help today. Feel tired. Take good care, Francis.
lloyd_28589 francis20252
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cheeky87 jamesmilly
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try and get some diazepam. thats what i did and have been on them for 3 years now, you have done so very well withdrawing from this. the problem is that the withdrawels are so bad that we go back on them, as you said that you have done this before believe me st johns wort is nothng compared to olanzapine which makes our brains shrink in a short period of time. please dont let anyone judge you or tell you that your taking something else by taking st johns wort. there is absolutely no comparison. i use diazepm and that helped my 24/7 nerves and pains attacks i had when i stopped taking them. within 2 weeks of stopping i felt worse than i had felt before i ever took them. you will get your energy back and get a good nights sleep. one day we will learn to stop worrying what others think of us its what we think of ourself that really matters and you are doing wonderful your so very brave. i know this as i'v been though it, make sure you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and superfoods drink pleny water too. as this helps get it all out of our systems olanzapine effects 17 receptors in our body in our eyes brain and stomachs. i will pray for you i had to pray every day when i was coming of them as i was so depressed i wanted to die and the nerves and fear were horrendous. your neary there dont give up now .god bless you and help you.
lloyd_28589 cheeky87
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kate85501 lloyd_28589
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If your WD is anything like mine, you will have reasonable days and difficult days. If that's the case, I think it means the drug is still affecting you and is still in your system. As mentioned previously, try to get to 3 months of being completely off, drink plenty of water, and do what you can to get some sleep Lloyd. Prayer, meditation, supplements, not going on computer or phone at least an hour before bed time, read a book, listen to music, whatever you have to do.
Stay strong Lloyd, you will get through this.
sincerely and with much love,
keveena11131 jamesmilly
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Hi. My name is Keveena. I took Zyprexa 20mg for 6 years. I quit cold turkey because I was sick of being on Psychotropic medication. I was told by doctors that I have Bi-polar disorder with psychotic features. Withdrawal has been a piece of cake for me because I eat a mostly plant based diet. I drink at least 5 bottles of Spring water daily. Diet is very crucial when it comes to withdrawal. If your diet is horrible then withdrawal is going to be extremely difficult. The only problem I have had is Insomnia. I just started taking Melatonin but on the first night I had a caffeinated beverage which kept me up all night. My mind did start to relax and wasn't as stimulated as previous nights. If you want to feel better you have to eat a very clean diet, drink plenty of water and take vitamins. I have read of people who have had horrible withdrawal symptoms even from tapering off of the medication. Not the case with me. Try to eat Wild Caught Salmon, fresh fruits and vegetables. Cut out Red Meat and Pork as well as Poultry. Cut out Wheat products and try Spelt based bread and pasta. Add fresh herbs and do your research on supplements. You may also want to try Nootropics. Cut out dairy as well. If you do you will feel a million times better and your brain will heal itself. Hope this has been helpful information. Do not give up and resort to going back. Patience is everything. Wishing you Optimal Health and Happiness. Keveena
bridget46879 keveena11131
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How long have you been off olanzapine? I think your one of a few that don't get many withdrawals. How much sleep do you get? i am 17 weeks off meds now but sleep is still minimal 6-7hours I am usually a 8-9hour sleeper does melatonin work for you?
B!
cheeky87 bridget46879
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kate85501 cheeky87
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kate85501 jamesmilly
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I was on zyprexa (initially 30 mg, 20 mg at night 10 mg in the day, then self decreased to 10 mg daily) for roughly 2 months until my psych switched me to abilify. After taking abilify for roughly 3 weeks I cut the pill in half for a few days and decided I didn't want to become progressively worse so i stopped cold turkey. I just had a bad feeling that the longer I took these drugs the harder it would be to come off of them or if even that was an option. The psych kept telling me that I would most likely need to stay on the drugs at least 6 months, but that sounded like her just trying to get me hooked.
Anyways, the day I switched from zyprexa to abilify the insomnia started. I've been off of zyprexa for roughly 5 and a half weeks now and off of abilify for 10 days. The insomnia is still bad, I occasionally get a half nights sleep when I'm extremely exhausted but it's been hard. Having been on zyprexa for only 2 months I would think the withdrawal symptoms would be more bearable but it seems like I am still being affected by this wicked drug.
Please let me know how you all are faring. My love and prayers for you all. Thank you for listening.
lucinda76793 kate85501
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Hey Kate,
I hope you are doing better.
Your situation is very similar to mine... I was on Olanzapine for 3 months (previous to that, was on Seroquel for 5 years), now I have been switched to Abilify. The second I switched, I have very bad insomnia that is only getting worse. It has only been a week but I am barely sleeping at all (I take Zopiclone to get about 3-4 hours sleep, but can't do this every night)... and I am wondering if all this pain and disruption will be worth it.
Has your condition improved even slightly? Thank you xx
lloyd_28589 lucinda76793
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Hi Lucinda, hope your doing well.. Are you trying to come down off Zyprexa? ? If so how are you fairing ?? Im ino my 3rd wk being off Zyprexa which i was taking 15mg Wafers for sum 7yrs.. i cut back to 10mg then 2wks later 5mg the 2wks later Cold Turkey. . Im having lot of aches an pains headaches an insomnia. But in ammongsts all this i have times where i cope reasonably well an this gives me the strength to keep going an stay the course. Hopefully I'll beat these withdrawals in the end an hopefully you to can do aswell. Best wishes and take care. Lloyd from Down Under in Oz
kate85501 lucinda76793
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hi Lucinda,
I'm sorry for the late reply. I have not been on here as much as before. Well, I have good news. I have been off zyprexa and abilify for a few months and my sleep has improved a lot. I did take the supplements from neurogenetic solution (antipsychotic package). I think it helped me a lot, esp the neuro night vitamins. I've read mixed reviews about that company from some but it seems to have been a God send for me and many of my other symptons have improved since I am finally getting decent sleep (4 to 7 hours).
It definitely feels good to feel sleepy again. How are you holding up? I hope you are doing better.
I think the big improvement point comes at 3 months off all the psychiatric drugs. I went cold turkey and it was very hard and I was scared because I read a lot of users say to not stop cold turkey, but I did and I feel almost completely normal again.
I wish you the same kind of success. My recommendation is to get all psychiatric drugs out of your system asap. How you go about getting all of it out of your system is up to you, but I think psychiatrists and many doctors are just about the same as pill pushers and legalized drug dealers if you ask me.
I hope you and whoever reads this get well soon.
My recommendation: exercise, eat healthy, supplements such as fish oil, magnesium, vitamin b, calcium, iron, and a multi vitamin, take it one day at a time. Gradual improvements will come with time, but again I saw the real improvements coming after 3 months.
Faith, family, friends, and a lot of patience is also what helped me a lot.
Day by day. Remember that.
kate85501 lloyd_28589
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After getting decent sleep again, I feel a lot of my other symptoms have gradually improved as well.
My very best to you and yours,
lloyd_28589 kate85501
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Hi Kate , many thanks for your reply. Im so glad that you beat Zyprexa Withdrawals this gives me plenty of hope that i too can beat this hideous drug.. insomnia is bad for me an my Doctor said today that she'd like me to try some Melatonin slow release tablets. I see some people on this forum have used Melatonin for there insomnia with some success so i might give them ago. As for my aches an pains headaches I'll keep fighting thru it any hopefully come out on top. You have given me alot of hope that i can do it. Thank you again an best wishes an take care. Lloyd
kate85501 lloyd_28589
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Hi Lloyd! I'm glad to share my story with you and am glad it helps. For insomnia, I tried melatonin 10 mg and even up to 20 mg, but it didn't seem to help much. What helped me a lot for the insomnia was the supplements from the road back program. I chose the anti psychotic package, even though they say it's to help taper off, I had already cold turkeyed off a month prior to finding out about that company. The book and the supplements helped me sleep again so I have to say thanks to them for that. There are mixed reviews about that company but I can say the supplements (having taken them for about 2 months now) has definitely helped me get my sleep back to a somewhat normal state.
They are a bit pricey at about $140 USD for a supply for 2 months. My question is do I need to keep taking their supplements to stay feeling normal again? I don't think i will have to, but I am certainly glad I feel a lot better now and am sleeping again. Sleep will help your brain heal much faster I have heard so do what you can to get some sleep. I listen to sermons or talks or soft music to help me fall asleep. The problem I was having was waking up at around 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. no matter how tired I was the night prior. Now I wake up at around 5 or 6 or 7 a.m. and I actually feel sleepy in the day and towards the night again.
what also helped me was doing a juice cleanse detox. You can find some good recipes on youtube, but you need to try to detox as much of toxins out of your body as possible in my opinion. So try sticking to healthy foods and if possible do a juice clenase. Be warned though, as it wasn't easy for me to do the juice cleanse as my blood sugar level dropped significantly. I thought I was going to die after! But it helped. I know it did.
Again, 3 months is a good time mark and when you should be feeling better (but maybe not perfect) being off the drug.
kate85501 lloyd_28589
Posted