Zyprexa / Olanzapine withdrawal quitting cold turkey. Please Help
Posted , 4 users are following.
hello everyone
i just joined this forum to contribute my story about quitting olanzapine and hopefully finding some meaningful help with the suffering im going through.
i was originally prescribed olanzapine years ago and only tried it for three weeks. After not enjoying how it made me feel i quit cold turkey on 5mg. i felt mild insomnia and intense akathisia for 6 months, until i had a psychotic episode with my family that put me in the ER.
i was re prescribed 5mg zyprexa which then became 10mg a month later. After 3 months or so i quit cold turkey earlier this month January of 2022.
since then i have been experiencing frequent panic attacks, loss of apetite, insomnia, and depression. the insomnia is so bad that i automatically slow or stop my breathing right before i drift off to sleep. i think i developed some type of sleep apnea.
does anyone else have breathing issues during sleep? has anyone succesfully and honestly quit this drug?
0 likes, 2 replies
lara44633 Nickh949
Posted
Hi Nickh,
are things getting better? Most success stories are with gradual reduction because the withdrawals are kept bearable . People do manage to stop cold turkey bit it's harder. Tapering can take months or even years because that is how long it takes for the brain to restore balance. it takes about the same time when going cold turkey but you get all withdrawal symptoms at once. i hope things are getting better
Skooter1st Nickh949
Edited
Hi Nick,
I took only 2.5 mgs zyprexa for six years then quit cold turkey. I am 60 years old and it was the worst experience of my life. The withdrawal symptons lasted for months. Wean yourself down before you stop taking zyprexa. I learned the hard way and would hate to see anyone go through any misery that could have been avoided. I had to start taking an antidepressant and sleep aid to help with my situation. Now here I am three years later going through withdrawal while trying to quit them as well. I would never have taken any of this medicine had I been informed on how hard it is to stop taking them! It can be done but in order to avoid a lot of the discontinuation sickness you must go very slowly. Be kind to yourself and go slowly.