Olanzapine hell.
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hello i am new here. I have been on olanzapine now for 1 year. I stopped this medication cold turkey after being on 5mg last december. Did not have any idea around what the withdrawls would be like. Was doing okay eating healthy exercising regualrly sleeping well then panicked after going through withdrawl syndrome upon discontinuation 4 months after i had stopped and was reinstated on 2.5mg after i experienced a relapse though i know this was part of the withdrawl. I am now considering stopping once again but gradually. Its taken away my personality and sense of self and i am wandering around like a zombie. Its done nothing but damage me as a person and i am only 24 years old. I have now been back on olanzapine for 4 weeks on the smallest dose just to help deal with my supposed psychotic symptoms. I experienced extreme paranoia and an inability to function or be myself when i stopped cold turkey as the withdrawls eventually caught up with me. I currently experience extreme tiredness constant migraine and mental block. I wake up feeling disorientated and all over the place. I can't seem to articulate as to why i was put on the stuff in the first place. I did have a one off psychotic episode back in 2014 when i experienced hallucinations and voices. Though since then my brain pretty much healed on its own without any medication. Even my ex girlfriend told me i seemed pretty normal it was only until 2017 that i was put onto olanzapine. What a huge mistake this was! I remember before i went on this i felt more or less okay! Its affected my memory in quite a big way and i cant remember simple things or what i even did the day before like what i talk about to others. I am terrified now that i will remain on this med for quite some time. This is the worst thing ever to withdraw from. I am furious at the medical professionals for putting me on this poison in the first place. I need some guidance right now more than ever on how to withdraw properly and how long this will take? Will i ever get back to normality again? Olanzapine is a brain killer and i certainly do not feel like i should have been on this in the first place! The tremors i got, brain zaps, insomnia, racing thoughts from cold turkey was unbearable! Will i ever be normal again? 
please any advice would be greatly appreciated! Sorry this isn't so clear i am just scared. Thank you and god bless everyone.
0 likes, 19 replies
luke93258
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MtViewCatherine luke93258
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I should say, she’s shown very minimal signs of dilusions since she’s been doing the natural stuff. The advantage she has is me. The moment she starts talking about someone leaving her a fortune in their will, I know I need to adjust something for her. We make adjustments and she does well.
If you’re doing this without help ftom someone close to you, you’ll really need to know the early signs of a trigger and be able to adjust your supplements immediately or get to a practitioner who can.
I suspect the Olanzapine is typically dosed to overshoot the problem since there’s no way to check or adjust meds daily.
MtViewCatherine luke93258
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My mother was on it and was taken off cold turkey and the symptoms you describe are very similar to what she went through, only she flatlined and became diabetic from this drug. Docs kept saying it was dementia due to her age. But you’re 24 with the same issues!
Even months after going off it, she was habing difficulties, particularly heart issues, that nearly killed her.
I think you can recover!
I helped my mother by taking her to acupuncture twice a week, and lots of herbs and supplements. I also have her on essential amino acids, which seem to help a lot. She also goes to the chiropractor fairly regularly. In two years she’s gone from not being able to respond in a timely way, to being able to have a conversation.
A lot of people have gone off. They reduce the dose very slowly. Hopefull someone will write in with their success story on how to dose to get off!
nancy76309 luke93258
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I took .62 mg for 3 months. Awful for me.
luke93258 nancy76309
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thank you for the tip. Currently still taking 2.5mg plan is after 1 month of taking this dose i will reduce it to half and do that for a month then a quarter for 1 month. Hopefully if I do it this way I wont experience the withdrawls and will get back to normality. Not too sure if this is the rational thing to do as olanzapine does serve some benefit in terms of that it clears the mind but i do wake up disorientated after sleeping for 12 hours despite only being on the smallest dose available. It is terrifying to think that I could potentially be on this for a lifetime but i do not believe that to be the case as my initial psychotic episode was drug induced and wasn't developed through external factors. I know this process has to be very gradual due to the damage it can cause to the brain if not done with caution. All the best for your recovery thank you for the advice.
apu91247 luke93258
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luke93258 apu91247
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apu91247 luke93258
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apu91247 luke93258
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2.5 mg tablet + 100ml water
am at 20ml
nancy58361 luke93258
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Luke, I am an even worse victim! They had me on 20mil for about 20 years! I was just hospitalized in April and told I was miss diagnosed and probably would not of had another psychotic Break after a bad head injury! I have been trying not to take it every since! I am so sick! Plus it gave me Tardive Dyskinesia !Witch is awful! I can only sleep because they gave me some Xanax! Most of the time I am flipping out! And have to talk myself off the Ledge! Racing thoughts! X100! But the worst part is the pain ! My whole body is in so much pain! Headaches ect. I often think why the Doctor didn't try me on a smaller dose? And who do I see about that? I won't go back to that Doctor and was surprised when she renewed my Xanax! Even though I won't go back there! But I am having an awful time finding anyone to help me! And fear once this Xanax is gone, I will be in real trouble! Please keep us posted as to how you are doing? Oh and do you get real cold sometimes? I do and this is summer!
MtViewCatherine nancy58361
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Nancy, O! M! G! That's crazy!
I took my mother to acupuncture, and she does a lot of herbs, essential amino acids and vitamins and minerals. Plus, I got her on a thyroid medication that works for her. All of it seems to help.
Shes had a bunch of funky health issues, and I’m realizing its likely most or all are related to the olanzapine/ zyprexa. Yikes!
luke93258 nancy58361
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Hello nancy I am so sorry to hear about your experience with olanzapine particularly with being on the highest dose! I am like you in that regard with being misdiagnosed but 20 years on that medication wow how on earth did you manage your life for all that time on such a high dose? my greatest sympathy for you I have been on and off it for around 4 years now myself. Does nothing but steal away emotions, personality and intelligence and they prescribe it for so many for so many different reasons! For me I am doing somewhat well on 2.5mg at the moment but I do get quite disorientated and racing thoughts first thing in the morning. I do get confusion at times and cannot seem to make conversation with others almost like I am trapped in body and mind. Even on the lowest dose walking around my area everything feels strange and like I am detached from reality. I get pins and needles sometimes and muscle aches too. But for the most part I would say I am doing better than before but that could be due to the olanzapine taking effect once again it makes a prison for the mind almost. I cannot believe the devastation this drug causes once deciding to come off. My plan is to do the monthly reduction method but will ask my pharmacist for advice around this won't go to the doctor as they do not support me wanting to be drug free. Currently got bad pins and needles in my right hand and I get a lot of headaches and sharp pains sometimes. Yeah I do get cold rather easily despite it being 30 degrees lol. I hope I can make it through this terrified of what will happen once the medication is out of my system. keep strong god bless.
apu91247 luke93258
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Good for you if read why you are getting pins and needles and how to taper etc in above mentioned forum by me.
Where you will find people with experience.
karogers luke93258
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Hello Luke
I've just read your post here and it makes me feel so angry that another person like me had to endure the criminal side affects of Olanzepine!
I also stopped that evil drug cold turkey after the Doctors refused to listen to me telling them I felt what I was experiencing was due to taking the drug. The withdrawals were nothing short of pure Hell but eventually I felt the real me again! It was so frightening!
And believe it or not I'm now working as a Consumer Consultant in Mental Health focusing on Medication Management!
I really wish for you to be free of this evil drug as soon as possible!
luke93258 karogers
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MtViewCatherine luke93258
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Horribly, this drug causes diabetic ketoacidosis. Once you’re in ketoacidosis, the docs take you off the meds comd turkey, which can cause cardiac arrest. Even months after going off, withdrawl symptoms such as tachycardia occur.