Zyprexa a drug not suitable for anyone, under any condition

Treatment and medication
1

The number one way to indentify a terrible doctor, one who is reckless and has no regard for patient wellbeing or safety whatsoever is one who prescribes their patient Zyprexa.  This is a drug being handed out to treat anything from anxiety to sleep disorder, none of which it has ever been approved to treat by any governmental health regulatory body.  Even worse, this is often a physician's first line treatment option.  It really requires a certain level of sociopathy and/or sadism on the part of the physician to hand this drug out to anybody.

This drug is the strongest appetite stimulant on earth, even surpassing Cannabis.  Make no mistake, you will gain weight, more so than with any other drug on earth, you will have an unbelievable hunger and inability to feel full, your insulin sensitivty will be affected negatively and you will greatly increase your risk of Diabetes type II, none of which your physician is likely to inform you about.    When I read that patients who already have Diabetes or are overweight are put on this drug, it is honestly sickening.

Even if you actually do have a psychotic or other disorder requiring an antipsychotic, there are MANY better and safer alternatives atypical antipsychotics from which your doctor can choose from.  Seroquel, Saphris, Geodon, Risperdal, etc etc.  There is really NO condition or justifiable reason that this drug should ever be used period!

2

Dear Noca,

Thank you for all your information and honesty.  Unfortunately I just started Olanzapine (Zyprexa)-----if they are the same medications?  I am on it for

bi-polar/depression and anxiety.  This is my 3rd week---not sure if I feel any better yet.  I am also on Lithium and Lamictal.  I read many patient reviews

on it----90% said they gained weight.  That in itself is depressing.  I plan to eat a healthy diet and go to the gym.  I give this medicine 2 months---then decide to go for another.

My Dr. also suggested Depekote???  Read negative reviews and my Dr. says it may cause some hair loss??  Not for me!   Risperdal is very expensive and my insurance will not cover it---If I am correct it costs $800/month

I am interested in anything that has the least amount of side effects especially weight gain!  Seroquel, Saphris and Geodon sound interesting.  If you have any information regarding these medications I would appreciate it.  I will do my research as well.  I feel patients help each other by sharing their experiences even though each of us are afffected some what differently.  

Noca I believe everything you wrote and I am educating myself about all these drugs-----unfortunately they are getting in the way of having a normal life,

Best to you, Noca.

3

Noca, I so agree with you about anti-psychotics in general (and not just Zyprexa/olanzapine) being prescribed for everything.

My particular area of experience concerns this class of drugs being prescribed for dementia sufferers who become aggressive. This is an "off-label" use of these drugs - i.e. not technically authorised by the drug companies. While I understand that staff in old people's homes need some protection from violent residents, as do the calmer residents, I cannot accept the way this is handled. In these cases, anti-psychotics are always prescribed by GPs (that's a General Practitioner or family doctor for US readers) who have absolutely no knowledge of, or interest in, side-effects or dosages. As a result, frail elderly people are invariably started on the maximum dose, which is then sharply reduced when the side-effects become too alarming. And, of course, reducing the dose of an anti-psychotic too quickly brings terrible physical and psychological consequences.

This is very much on my mind right now, as a dear friend died in a grim psycho-geriatric unit just four weeks ago today. Suffering from mild vascular dementia, she'd been very happy in an old people's home until 18 months ago, but suddenly became aggressive as the result of a perfectly innocent event in the home that recalled memories of childhood sexual abuse.

Things rapidly went from bad to worse after that. Her idiot GP put this 79-year-old lady weighing just 50kg (110lb or 7st 12lb) straight onto a whopping 4mg of risperidone (Risperdal) which immediately reduced her to what looked like the terminal stage of Parkinsons. After two weeks, when this energetic, vigorous lady had been reduced to a helpless husk, covered in bedsores, the staff panicked and tailed it off too quickly, this time plunging her into a very real psychosis in which she made several serious attempts on the life of staff members, myself and - most worryingly - several frail residents.

She was transferred to the geriatric ward of a general hospital, where she was put on a massive dose of clozapine (Leponex in Europe, don't know trade name elsewhere). This one had side-effects from the opposite end of the extra-pyramidal range. She was tormented by athetotic (twisting, writhing) movements in her arms and upper trunk which made it almost impossible even to eat.

On being transferred to the psycho-geriatric institution, which also relied entirely on local GPs for prescriptions, she was switched to olanzapine, at a comparatively modest 10mg. But still a preposterous dose for an elderly woman who was by now a barely-walking skeleton and posed no real risk to anyone. Over the last year of her life, the peripheral swelling caused by this drug severely affected her hands, causing them to become grotesquely swollen and destroying the nerves and tendons. Deprived of all independence, including the possibility of feeding herself, she finally gave up and died, while still being fully aware of where she was and what was happening to her.

As a former neuro-trained nurse, I was able to recognise the terrible side-effects of anti-psychotics in at least three-quarters of the residents in the psycho-geriatric facility. I fully understand the need to keep difficult dementia patients "manageable" for their own sake as well as everyone else's, even if it means resorting to small doses of anti-psychotic drugs. But why in the name of all that's holy is prescribing of these dangerous drugs left to ignorant GPs who have no understanding whatever of the consequences?

4

Your efforts to control the weight gain on Zyprexa will be in vain unfortunately, they will not work.  I can pretty much guarantee that you will gain weight on this drug regardless of any lifestyle or diet modifications that you make and I don't know you from a hole in the ground.

The extreme weight gain and the risk of Diabetes type II associated with Zyprexa is far higher than all the other drugs out there.  It is a completely unnecessary and serious risk to your health when whatever Zyprexa is helping you with can be achieved with plenty of other medications that are out there to choose from.  Every single condition that Zypexa is indicated to treat has safer alternatives to pick from.

This poison of a drug is repsonsible for turning countless people who suffer from mental health issues into obese or morbidly obese diabetics.

5

I've been taking Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 5 mg for around 4 months. I certainly agree with you about the appetite. You need discipline and try to ignore the cravings for more food. In my opinion, it's worth it: I've noticed reduced mood swings and generally fewer manic moments.  

I also take Concerta XL (for ADHD) and Mirtazapine (for sleep and anxiety). Drugs on their own are not magc fixes. You also need to eat well, regularly exercise and moderate alcohol consumption. 

6

I am zyprexa patient 8 years. I am everytime hungry. I am always on diet. I had 18 kilos more weight. Is now ok, but is very dificult. I have already problems with low iron in my blood.

I hoop that one time I may stop using this drug, because is a hell.

7

Hi Noca, thanks for posting. My mother was just diagnosed with severe diabetes, having had no previous risk... Her blood sugar was near 800 and she went into diabetic ketoacidosis. I suspect it was the zyprexa that caused this sudden onset diabetes, the massive and severe mental decline and bladder urgency.  Seriously, she can't remember anything.

8

I'm sure you're right, Catherine. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother.

As I posted on this thread six months ago, there's massive abuse and over-prescribing of Zyprexa and other antipsychotics among the elderly. My friend didn't develop diabetes, but the drug totally ruined both her physical and mental health and clearly contributed heavily to her death a year after starting it. I was able to impose upon her doctor to at least make two reductions, first to 7.5mg, then to 5mg three months later, but each reduction put her through even more mental hell.

I understand that psychosis can be difficult to manage, particularly in the elderly, but there has to be a better way.

9

Hi Lily, thanks for the support. I'm actually inclined to be "ok" with the psychosis, when considering it as abler native to death by these drugs. I'm hoping to have my mother live with me for a while, fill her with healthy organic foods, and get her some holistic medical attention to try and get her back to herself.

10

Did the doctor even so much as apologize or take any responsibility for causing your mother to get diabetes? I am going to guess the answer to that question would be of course not. Sociopaths don't feel guilt or remorse for their actions.

The pharmaceutical company isn't responsible because the pharmaceutical companies do not sell medications directly to the consumer. In order to get Zyprexa you need to get a prescription from a doctor which is why the responsibility relies with the doctor.

11

The problem is there are plenty of other antipsychotics with far less risk than Zyprexa on the market in almost every country that has Zyprexa.

12

I'm assuming you know you can't stop Zyprexa just like that, or even tail it off too fast? That's the problem with all antipsychotics - they cause rebound psychosis, as well as terrible physical symptoms, if you stop them too quickly. That was the problem with my poor friend. Her GP initially put her straight on maximum dose of another antipsychotic - Risperdal. She was already quite frail and nearly died as a result of the side-effects of such a massive dose, so the nursing staff took her off it. That was when the psychosis really kicked in.

I really feel for you. I know what it feels like to stand by, helpless, and watch someone you care about being destroyed by the doctors. And I admire your determination to care for your mother yourself.

13

Hi Noca, of course, when she was in the ICU,  they refused to admit to any possibilities of what triggered the diabetic attack. She was in the hospital for a week and a half, and has another week and a half of three weeks of rehab therapy. So it's all pretty new. Seems like the right thing to do would be to send out a form letter to every one of her doctors, as well as the hospital that treated her.

that said, she had been on it for quite a while, so there us a possibility she could have had an undetected stroke and not been eating or drinking for several days, to cause the iabetic attack.

14

What dose is your mother on? I just started Zyprexa for Paxil withdrawal. I have been on Paxil for 15 years and it stopped working last July. I have had major heart palpitations and anxiety and a few panic attacks since my Paxil quit working. After being on Paxil for so long I have to have something to help get me off of it. I'm also on 1mg clonazepam. I've only taken it 3 days and I'm on 1.25 mg. I'm switching to Cymbalta, but may go onto Prozac instead for OCD anxiety disorder.

15

Hi Noca,

I know your message has been posted here a long time, but I only stumbled upon it while researching Olanzapine - (the way Zyprexa is labelled here in Canada).

I was prescribed this drug by a psychiatrist recently after three full days with only one hour of sleep. He told me to take two and I would sleep a full 7 - 8 hours. You can imagine the state a person might be in without sleep for that long, so upon returning home, - did NOT look to see what the drug actually was! - I thought it would be a sleeping pill of some kind, but - (after 7 hours of sleep, - just as the Dr. said), I checked it out, only to find it was an anti-psychotic.

Then, I went on line to read what other people had to say about this drug. Though some found it helpful, I, - like you, did NOT.

I believe what you've said is true, however, you left out one important side effect! - Again, I realize, I should have looked into it beforehand, and if I had, - would have discovered it sometimes have sexual side effects - (as many of these drugs often do).

I realized in less than two days, it can simply and quickly put a stop to your ability to reach orgasm. This happened to me with another drug as well, several years ago, called Teva-Venlafaxine XR - (Effexor). THAT time, the awful side effect lasted close to a year! (And I'd only taken four pills)!

I knew pretty much right away, this drug had the same effects. But thankfully, THIS time, I'd only taken three pills, then stopped, and by the end of the week, things were back in working order. - These pills are now gone, never to be used again!

To stress, this may not happen to everyone, but for those who DO experience it - my running joke is, - if you weren't depressed BEFORE going to the shrink, - AFTER receiving this drug, you'll be more depressed than EVER!!

Wellbutrin - (Bupropion) works best for me.

Thanks for the post.

Elaine

I

16

absolutely right Noca.    tell your pdoc you do not want anything with an antiphcotice 

 

17

I agree with you, olanzapine gave me neuroleptic malignant syndrome and doctors just said I had become hypertensive. I stopped on my own advise and my blood pressure (and life) came back to normal. Clozapine and quetiapine are molecular analogues of olanzapine so side effects of constant hunger, metabolic syndrome, coma and death are very similar. The other atypicals, the dones, are more like the old ones and raise prolactin, give tardive D more and are also related to sudden death...

18

Denise, get off the olanzapine as soon as you can. Taper it down do not just stop. I took this wretched stuff for 3 to 4 years and put on 5 stone. I had to take metformin for insulinresistance and I was so unhappy because if the weight. I lost all interest in life , went to bed by 8pm every night and struggled to get up in the mornings. 

Eventually I decided the weight was too much and asked my GP for help stopping. She had no idea about this drug and just told me to stop taking it, so I did. That's when the hell started. Weeks of pain, no sleep, being sick all the time , shaking and oh the itching , I couldn't sit still for constantly scratching. Months and months later the sickness stopped but 16 months on and I'm still not right. I'm not depressed or anxious, I'm interested in life, but I hardly sleep at all now, I still itch all the time, I feel terrible, I lost the weight but my blood sugar is all over the place. I can no longer take the metformin, it now makes me sick. I get horrendous headaches and feel awful most days. There seem to be no consultants with any expertise in withdrawal from olanzapine. I found one who specialised in brain chemistry who said I may still feel like this in 30 years. 

I was prescribed olanzapine for mild anxiety, I've never been bi polar or schizophrenic.

this drug should be banned and the doctors who prescribe it struck off.

19

Sorry but i think we should all take anecdotal reports with a large pinch of salt. I have been on Zyprexa for 15 years and it has helped enormously. Risperdal that Noca mentions made me feel like a Zombie and Quetiapine gave me auditory hallucinations. But of course this is also anecdotal evidence.

My psychiatrist told me i was suffering from Olanzapine rebound when i stopped, but other Medics told me there was no convincing evidence for Rebound effect. Read this:

http://www.ehealthme.com/ds/olanzapine/rebound%20effect/

To summarise, "based on reports of 21,413 people who have side effects when taking Olanzapine from FDA, 9 people (0.04%) have Rebound effect.

All I'm saying is there's 2 sides to every story.

From my experience of patient groups and forums, people like to blame everything imaginable on drug side effects.

Just saying. Don't hate me!

20

Hi Noca  I have been on olanzapine 5mg for over ten years  As a result while taking this evil  drug  I have suffered septic shock and almost died. also a stroke which has affected my brain. become diabetic. lost my mobility. I am now in the process of suing the medical practice, I am mentally and physically disabled due to this dreadful drug  I am trying to withdraw and I have terrible side effects including panic attacks and terrible anxiety   Please if any one is reading please keep off this drug