switching from olazapine to abilify

Well... my mother quit cold turkey because the olanzapine caused diabetic ketoacidosis, dehydration, stroke... while in the hospital, she had cardiac arrest. Months of rehab, she's never been the same. 

Bottom line- no clue of the side effects from quitting cold turkey because the side effects of the medication were so bad, she HAD to stop. The side effects from taking the meds were really bad.

Once going off the psych meds, we used herbs and TCM, and switched her thyroid meds, as they were way too low. I suspect her need for psyche meds was related to decades of untreated thyroid disease.

 

Thank you for your reply.  I am sorry about your mom.I hope she continues to get better.

Hi Sondra, Just asking how the switch to abilify went?

Hi,

  I have not done the switch yet. I am planning on waiting until the holidays are over. My doctor has agreed to let me taper off the olanzapine while adding the abilify instead of going off cold turkey. Thank you for asking.

Hi, Yes, I was given amisulpride some years ago without tapering and had a seizure, and broke my ankle, Don't know about Abilify. Do you need lots of tests? 

Thank you for your response. No, I do not need a lot of test for anything.

I did this switch 10 mg zyprexa to 10mg abilify.  The most immediate side effect was immediate insomnia.

I hope this message reaches you in time to hopefully help you.  I am 2 months off zyprexa and 1 month off abilify and the insomnia has been horrendous.

I have been changed to going off zyprexa with the aid of gabapentin instead of abilify. I have gone down from 7.5 to 5 milligrams without losing sleep. this Monday I will go down to 3.75 mg zyprexa . Thanks for the information  stay strong.

Hi Everyone,

I switched from 2.5 Olanzapine to 5mg of Abilify 3 days ago . I am wide awake and it’s 3am :0 I’ve been to the gym 2 days in a row ( weight issues on olanzapine ) which probably is a plus because I’ve been meaning to loose weight for ages but really didn’t get anywhere . I am suffering with really bad nausea and insomnia and am starting to get that worried feeling again and am afraid of relapsing . I think I might be over vigilant and maybe should give it some more time and the Insomnia may have me more restless and anxious than I usually am . Today I felt really anxious and I hope it’s just a transition from changing meds . I have lost 6lbs too which is a positive for me as I’ve put on 4 stone since being on Olanzaphine for the past year or more . I joined this forum in the hope of support and chats . Hope you are all well and any feedback would really be appreciated as I really don’t want to relapse again