zyprexa withdrawal (Page 1)

update

now im starting to laugh uncontrollably for no reason ,no real anxiety ,is this the peak of going nuts again?

Hi Pillmatic,

I am really sorry that you are having so much trouble with your medications.

Before you read further please read the following, what I am saying does not come from a medical professional but rather someone with Bipolar Disorder currently stable.

However, I am concerned re the manner in which you are taking yourself off medication. Or really that you are taking yourself off medication.

Although you do not say that your have Bipolar Disorder. I gather that you do via the meds your are on and the uncomfortable time you are currently having.

I have heard of others having problems going off Zyprexa, so it is not uncommon. Problem is, how do you tell the difference between medication withdrawal and Bipolar symptoms?

From what you say I am gathering that you feel very uncomfortable at present. I am not surprised that you do. Going off medication and particulary so without a doctor supervising is most unwise.

Now I might be wrong, but there is a good possibility that you are heading into mania or are already there.

Please do go to your prescribing doctor or a local doctor and quickly before things get worse. There is also the option of the Emergency department of your nearest hospital.

Please do get professional help.

My best wishes to you and am thinking of you, yes I care about you.

JennyRobin

I am right there with you. I have been withdrawing from Zyprexa for 9 days now. Still at 2 1/2 mg and holding. I have been having some axiety and joint pains. I thought I should wait until they lessened before dropping my dose any farther. I think we both need to consult a doctor before too long. I wish you good luck and good health

Hey nice to hear back from you Mommagoose.

Am glad to read that you have in mind to consult the doctor before too long. Great

Yeap I take good care of myself, well do now as had really been messing with my meds for about mine months, never actully weaned right off though.

But for the last six months I have been a good girl and will keep on being one. After three goes my pdoc and I have finally found what appears to be a good med combination, long may this peace last. Although think I am a little on the manic side, but no big deal.

Currently I see my pdoc now once a month. Will go onto six weeks soon. He always says to me, see him before the appointment if necessary. Which is good to know. And I can always email him, but I don't do that too often let the guy have his peace.

Have a tdoc (therapist - psychologist) as well, see him now every four or six weeks so he can keep an eye on me. Plus get all the things which have annoyed me off my chest as well. The poor guy

All the best to you,

JennyRobin

My Pdoc left town with no warning. I currently have no job so I can't afford a therapist. My Family doctor is trying to help me but he really doesn't want to. I am going to call him monday because the heart palpitations are getting really bad. I wish the drug companies did not charge so much for Zyprexa because I really want to stay on it. Oh well I just cannot afford $259 a month for my sanity.

I want to let you know that the company that makes the drug do have programs so you can get free medications through them...contact them and ask they do have it...or google it..forms to fill out...worth it.

Boy Mommagoose,

That is one heck of a large amount to pay! You might be better off to move to Australia.

Our Government does deals with the drug companies (we would be a very small market compared to the US). Thus if I had to pay full price I would have to pay $AUS56.64 (about 65 Australian cents to the US dollar - so this brings the amount dowen in US dollars)for Zyrexa.

However as I have what is called a Seniorers Health Care card (which I will lose on 1 July 2009 as the goverment is counting other things re a perons' income and my income will be over the amount one needs to have to qualify for the card)all I pay at present is $AUS4.70 for a packet of 2.5mgs 30 tablets.

When I lose the card I will get it for $31:70, if I needed it again, as that is not too bad.

Long may the Australian goverments deals with the drug companies last!

However now with my Lamictal 200mgs I have to pay the full price is some $110:00 for 56 tables. This is because it is not approved for Bipolar only epilspy. Ah, well can't win them all. But get the Seroquel under the previous deal.

I can well see your point about not being able to afford the $US259, that is to me way, way too much. The drug companies sure make a lot of money! But of course reseach costs a great deal and then there are the cases when they get sued.

We rarely if ever sue in Australia. Although it is starting to apear that sueing may becoming a bit more prevelent. Sueing people may help to keep the prices up in the US, I don't really know.

I am glad that you are contacting your doctor on Monday (to-day here). It would be nice if he can provide you with samples, or suggest other way you can get Zyprexa either for nothing or at a reduced price.

He may also suggest more comfortable ways you can wean off it.

An thinking of you,

All the best,

JennyRobin

Im listening to all these reaponses and totally understand where you guys and girls are coming from. Been on Zyprexa for over 2 years now and it causes me to be foggy. Im weaning off with my doctors aide. Zyprexa is a STRONG drug and to wean off, one must do it carefully and slowly from what Ive heard. Trying to wean off Lithium and Zoloft too. I shouldnt have EVER been on these drugs but what does an insane parent and insaner pdoc know. Trying to gain some sanity!! Thanks for listening. K

I was on Zyprexa for 3 weeks and went of it immediately because I had gained 12 lbs in 2 of those 3 weeks. I wasn't about to let it get to me. My doc now has me on Zaprasidone... it doesn't cause me to eat nearly as much, but it can cause problems with the heart if it's already weak...

And wow! You all pay so much for medication. Move to Canada, our Government and health benifits pay for almost everything. I was only paying CAD4.53 for my Zyprexa!

I am currently withdrawing from Zyprexa on day 8 went from 10 mg to 5 over a two week period. Went to emergency room with severe anxiety and was told to stop taking the medication altogether. Now am on day 8 and am having a very hard time. Disturbing excessive thoughts, anger, agitation, sweating, anxiety. I have read that three weeks is about standard for this to leave your system. I hope so! that means I have 13 maybe more days of this. I have also read that smokers tend to clear Zyprexa about 40-55% faster than non smokers. I have been chain smoking hoping that is true. I was never diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Was put on Zyprexa and Lamictal due to "possible" family history. The meds have turned me into a zombie and changed my personality for the worse. I want off these drugs but feel very discouraged after everything I have read online.

Please tell me if you were successful in weaning from zyprexa?How are you doing now? My son has been on 22.5mg per day for years. I am very worried but do not know how to wean him(he has autism too)I fear I will lose him to a early death and he is only 31 years old. Has been on the drug since 1996. Any suggestions from readers deeply appreciated.

All I can say is communicate with your doctors.

Don't make all these decisions on your own.

Some of you may be experiencing poor judgements right now from all this and would hate to see things get worse when your trying and hoping to get better.

Be patient, see your doctor and don't make any knee jerk reactions.

Listen to all of you Zyprexa users out there. I weaned myself off Zyprexa in the correct manner and its now been FOUR MONTHS since being off it totally and am a total basket case, worse day by day with severe anxiety, heart palpitations, dizziness,hallucinatory dreams, tremors/shakiness and complete loss of appetite. I think I have lost over 20 lbs. and my clothes are falling off me. I think I have also developed tarkensia being on this drug for so long (6-7 years). Beware of this wicked drug.

Your post is amazing. I have recently withdrawn from zyprexa and Im wondering when my life will come back!! Im anxious and morbid in the mornings and very excitable at night. I have no apetite at all either. I have only taken zyprexa this time for 6 months and its still hard. You are not alone. You are a hope for me and my life. thank u for sharing ur story

Your post is amazing. I have recently withdrawn from zyprexa and Im wondering when my life will come back!! Im anxious and morbid in the mornings and very excitable at night. I have no apetite at all either. I have only taken zyprexa this time for 6 months and its still hard. You are not alone. You are a hope for me and my life. thank u for sharing ur story

Hi
I am also coming off zyprexa. I tried cold turkey and i think that is nearly impossible. What i found has really helped me this time with sleep is the amino acid glycine. It increases GABA and helps with sleep. Also, 5hTP has helped and the usual - valerian, lemon balm. A great help also: Magnesium citrate and coral calcium. Bipolar is helped with magnesium - its thought to work like lithium (dont bother with magnesium oxide as we dont absorb that)
HOpe this helps
By the way I would advise coming off at less than 2.5mg eg reduce to as small a dose as poss.

But in general one SHOULD NOT withdraw from antipsychotics as it is DANGEROUS.

Good luck.

Zyprexa withdrawal is a difficult process. It is one of the nastiest antipsychotics around reasons:

- blocks more receptors types than any other
antipsychotics
* brain is more oversensitive and overactive when
withdrawing
- anticholinergic drug causes cholinergic rebound
symptoms
(including insomnia)

- zyprexa really is nastiest killer drug there is
so if your doctor prescribes it for you he
really don't like you or you are REALLY, REALLY
crazy

Help:

- gradual withdrawal BUT SPREAD THE DOSAGE AND
TAKE THE MED 2 TIMES PER DAY when lowering
dosage so that even with lower dosages drug
levels are stable between doses

I have read from elsewhere that just few
months after withdrawing from zyprexa people
have plenty of problems: heart palpitations etc.

I think this is because zyprexa upregulates so many
receptors and the brain is so overactive that this leads
neuron deaths and damage.

Some supplements that may help:

- omega3 fish oil (neuroprotective)
- curcumin (neural repair)
- taurine (increases effectiveness of GABA)
- CoQ10 (reduces glutamate toxicity/activity)
- BCAA (helps people with traumatic brain injury,
helps people with tardive dyskinesia)
- creatine (reduces glutamate levels)
- vitamin E (helps people with tardive dyskinesia)
- ceftriaxone (better glutamate handling)
- neural repair and stem cell/gene therapies
(speculative, expensive, won't fix damaged
receptor systems in brain)
- aerobic exercise (walking long distances
in fresh air increases brain size)

For sleep:

Try to avoid using other drugs for sleep because they will mess with other neurotransmitters and things are even more worse when you withdraw from them.

- glycine 3g/night
- melatonin
- honey + tea
- relaxation methods
- binaural beats (2-4 Hz?)

SEEK:

- anything that increases adrenaline,
zyprexa causes cholinergic oversensitivity and
adrenaline reduces cholinergic activity
(exercise, running etc helps)

AVOID:

- stimulants like coffeine, serotonin, dopamine,
cholinergic activation

Zyprexa and antipsychotics are killer drugs. They are used to "turn off" the brain, not to really help people.

Psychiatrists are criminals. The are just so many dead people with "somatic" problems, whatever the reason.

Withdrawal KILLs, Zyprexa and other BETTER antipsychotics are DESIGNed to work that way. You are being killed but not told that. There is a reason there exists "paranoid" schizophrenia diagnosis.

The system is there to "help" you.

I'm taking Olanzapine 5, I don't know if it is similar to Zyprexa but my best advice would be "to seek the doctor." I've always listened to the doctor and have heeded all his advice and guess what, I've been very stable since last year. It definitely pays off to listen to the doctor...

I'm taking Olanzapine 5, I don't know if it is similar to Zyprexa but my best advice would be "to seek the doctor." I've always listened to the doctor and have heeded all his advice and guess what, I've been very stable since last year. It definitely pays off to listen to the doctor...

I just asked my doctor if I could go off Zyprexa 2.5mg and he said yes, just stop. then he said "if I had problems there was a new generic I could take". One of the reasons I wanted off was the $500/year copay. Now he says "there is a cheaper generic". I have not seen what it was doing for me. I have tourette's disorder and was taking it for tics. I am also going off Zetia, a not too successful cholesterol drug. Same $500/year copay. Lots of money ($1000) for tiny and questionable results.