Rapid taper off Olanzapine okay after one month use?

i've been quite unwell the past few days but attributed that to the new antidepressant my Psychiatrist started me on, at the same time as dropping the 2.5mg Olanzapine. Hard to know what's causing what, but I'm going back to my old antidepressant now as I think most of the ill effects were from the new one.

so I don't think dropping the 2.5mg Olanzapine has had much effect, but can't be sure.

What are your symptoms of being "quite unwell", if you don't mind me asking?

And to answer your question overall, it's possible that you won't have any ill effects from 5mg for just one month; everyone varies however so it's impossible to tell in advance.

You need to keep people here updated with how you are feeling, so you can get accurate advice as whether it is withdrawal or your new drug.

Another question: let me just clarify - your pysch put you on olanzapine to boost your appetite? Did they actually state that was one of the reasons; in other words, this fact would be down on your medical record? Or is the main reason for you being given it your anxiety? If the latter, was your anxiety out of control to the point where it was destroying your quality of life?

Final question, you can ignore this if you want more privacy of course - what country (or at least continent) are you in?

My symptoms were nausea (quite intense at times), bowel disturbances, almost no appetite, insomnia and heightened anxiety.

The main reason my Psych put me on the drug was for anxiety, which is quite bad, yes, and she thought it might take the edge off. I'm already taking Valium regularly so I guess another benzo was out of the question. The appetite boosting was just a possible beneficial side effect as my appetite has been poor for some time now.

I am in Australia.

Thanks for the info.

Everything you state as a symptom is typical of withdrawal from this drug. How are you feeling right now - have any of these symptoms reduced, or are they the same/getting worse? (You say "my symptoms were..." which hints that you no longer have them?)

There are ways you get can around these side effects, as have been discussed on various threads on this forum, some of which I have participated in. Hopefully you won't need them though!

My symptoms have reduced for now which is a relief. However, at some point I will need to come off the 2.5mg I am still currently taking at night. I think from what I have read it will be best for me to try to halve the tablets and withdraw a bit more slowly, though it sounds like even at half a dose I will likely experience withdrawal side effects.

Like a lot of people, I wonder now why I was put on the medication and wish I had done some research instead of blindly trusting doctors as I keep doing. I did ask my Psychiatrist the other day if some of the symptoms I was experiencing were withdrawal from Olanzapine and not a reaction to the new antidepressant and she said it was possible and I could add the morning dose back in if I wished. Nope! Don't think I want to have to cut it out again down the track, given I have still got the evening dose to get rid of.

Cutting a tablet in half then half again, generally speaking, is far, far too quick a way to withdraw. A tablet crusher and some milligram scales facilitate a reduction of (ideally) 10% a week.

However, since you mention that your symptoms have reduced, it is possible that your brain has adapted to being without the additional 2.5mg of the drug quickly because you were not taking it for very long. Therefore one could assume that the same will happen when you remove the PM dose. I cannot state what will happen as everyone is individual; you need to be mindful of your symptoms and if problems do arise then you can get advice on how to deal with them here.