Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Puddles
• April 12, 2008

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "Zyprexa changed my life. Before the medication, I was suicidal. I had a very difficult time with everyday life. I was tearing my family apart. I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in December 2002. My life has been much more stable, and my relationships with family members have improved dramatically."

• Poppy
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 22, 2020

"I’ve been on olanzapine 2.5 mg for 8 years and it has been a fantastic medication for me. I suffer from anxiety and severe insomnia, and Olanzapine has worked perfectly well. My anxiety is non existent now, and best of all I am sleeping really well. I haven’t gained much weight (only 5 kg) . I tried to come off it a few times and I found it very difficult, mostly because the insomnia was so bad, and the anxiety came back with a vengeance. So for now I’m happy on a small dose. I might take it for the rest of my life if I can stay well with this medication."

• Anonymous
• June 22, 2009

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I have just been diagnosed with Bipolar - Zyprexa gave me results immediately. I am beginning to feel 'normal' after only 2 weeks of being on it. No more mood swings. I am sleeping very well. I am more hungry, but I have started exercising more and am watching what I eat. It's a blessing for my husband and kids that we have found something that works. I am happy on Zyprexa so far."

• verna...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 3, 2018

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "My stomach is spilling over Instead of my mind for once. My head is no longer a circus, A tent of sad clowns and unruly animals. Uni-cycling on a tightrope Between intelligence and insanity Has never been so balanced."

• Zee-Zee
• November 10, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I take gabapentin, and when I started it, I felt like I had finally found the miracle..but after a year it quit working. After this recent stay in the psych unit, My Doctor put me on Zyprexa 5mgs in the am, 10 mgs at night and it has been a Godsend..I feel so even, I sleep soundly, and wake up without no hangover, ready to take on the world. I have been eating like a pig, but I"m working on controlling that, and eating fruit and yogurt vs. cinnamon rolls and candy...The only drawback is I fear one day it will stop working. Overall, gabapentin and Zyprexa have been lifesavers!"

• Shyllie
• July 24, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "Zyprexa has given me my life back in 4 weeks! I have the worst panic attacks and chronic nausea ever!! I have been on every medication under the sun with no relief, if not worse nausea because of the side effects of all the medications. I was on Klonopin, propranolol, hydroxyzine, and zofran every single day and I was still having really bad nausea and panic attacks so bad, I could not leave my house. Dr. prescribed Zyprexa 5mg and after 3 days, I started eating again. I have already gained 2 lbs but I needed to because I was so nauseated I couldn't eat. I'm so excited that I can eat again without feeling everything is going to come back up!!!! I hope it doesn't "poop-out" on me bc It's been a miracle!!"

• Life-...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 18, 2023

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I have been on 2.5 mg of Zyprexa for just over a year. I was on Lithium for about 8 years, and my mental health had started declining rapidly. I had absolutely no control over the thoughts in my head. I should not be here, but I knew if I didn't find a new psychiatrist and figure out how to help myself, I was on my way out in a bad way. My doctor decided to stop the Lithium because I had Lithium toxicity, and he felt that was a huge issue. He started me on Zyprexa, and within a few days of that and weaning from the Lithium, I started feeling normal. My thoughts weren't racing nearly as bad with all the negativity, and it just kept getting better. I've been more outgoing, and I've actually been able to hold down a job because I can actually focus enough to do my job. I've mended relationships with friends and family that I had withdrawn from because I didn't want to be around people and drag them down."

• Anonymous
• March 23, 2009

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I've taken Zyprexa as an adjunct to lithium for Bipolar I. My thoughts are slower, and it has gotten rid of any anxiety (this, I think, is the best side effect). I have not had issues with weight gain. I change between 5 and 10 mg per day depending on how I feel. Sometimes it can cause me to sleep late, and I need to take it earlier in the evening to avoid that. Great medicine to keep me stable and stop intrusive thinking."

• Liano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 30, 2019

"I'm 19 and I'm on 10 mg olanzapine for bipolar disorder and psychosis. First few days on this drug felt like I had fog in my brain but I felt amazing later on. I'm able to function normally and sleep well ( I've suffered with insomnia for as long as I can remember). I also feel motivated. I'm scoring well on my tests. My psychosis is completely gone. I still feel cranky but that might go away when I increase my dose. Lastly, I haven't put on weight.. it's been 2 months now."

• Bonn...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 9, 2017

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I was put on Zyprexa after my dad got murdered. It worked ok for that medicated Zombie feel. I took up to 20mg day. Gained so much weight that I wore a waist size 40 pants. Had to stop after 6 years. Doc told me to taper off it in 2 weeks! NO BUENO!!! Should have tapered off in a year+. Been in bed for 8+months with horrific post withdrawal symptoms. Never had heart problems before Zyprexa! Now I have afib and sinus tachycardia, and TD, involuntary muscle spasms are so painful! People notice when I stick my tongue out, biting it hours a day, sexy. Its killing me slowly as Eli Lilly makes $12Mil a day killing! I use Melatonin for sleep, is Z even approved for sleep? RESEARCH LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT, CUZ IT DOES!!"

• Jbazz
• February 12, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This medication has made me extremely tired! I feel like I've lost all of my motivation. I am a teacher and a coach and find it extremely hard to get myself "up" to do these things. I am very tired in the morning and its not until late at night that I start to feel like myself again. Only in time to take the medication again and start the process over. It has taken away some anxiety symptoms and helped me sleep (a bit too much) but I feel down a lot because I feel like I lost my passion. I am slowly coming off of it and look forward to getting back to feeling like myself again. I empathize with people on this medication."

• momo
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2019

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "Zyprexa makes you gain weight so fast. I used to be anorexic and watched out with what I ate so I stayed in shape. But this medicine makes you crave sugar and makes you feel hungry 24/7, also you are really really tired. It only helps with psychotic behavior if your dose is pretty high so you can't feel anything and because you want to sleep all day. "

• Tyler
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 21, 2023

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I've been on Zyprexa for about three years now. It honestly saved my life. I'm no longer having delusional thoughts or manic episodes. Of course, you have to do your part by taking it when scheduled or else you won't get the full benefits. I gained some weight (healthy weight). I was unbelievably skinny and didn't realize it until this medicine put healthy weight on me. People take medication for all different reasons, so I don't see why taking medication for your mental health is negative. You don't tell a diabetic to stop taking his insulin, do you? Treat your mental health now and you won't regret it."

• sc ho...
• November 8, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I've been talking zyprexa for about for about 2 weeks now. Family says they can tell a big difference. Mornings are a little hard to get motivated, but I also take Ritalin for add. So that helps me get going. Falling asleep easily and staying asleep. No more racing thoughts or depression. My anxiety is more under control. It does give me craving for food, but I have controlled it so far. I take 5 mg daily.so far so good."

• dukem...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 6, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I took Zyprexa for 14 years, and it stabilized my psychotic, auditory hallucinations of my bipolar I disorder. I was able to function in normal, social settings (church, friends, family, marriage and dating, even work) without having to deal with the voices I heard in my head when I was not on the medication. Unfortunately for me, the drug outlived it's usefulness, in my body's system ,right at the 14 year mark. I say "unfortunate" because I became so used to the drug's effectiveness, that I thought it would last me for the rest of my life, but as I look back, now, I'm happy to have had the time I did on Zyprexa. The side effects for me were minimal, and I am now stabilized on other meds. Zyprexa also worked well Depakote."

• Johnn...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 19, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "Zyprexa was effective at sedating me which prevented the psychotic aspects of my manic episodes from happening very quickly. Since I only had 2 manic episodes in the span of a year, I probably should've stopped taking Zyprexa around 6 months later. Unfortunately I took it for 5 more years which was a MASSIVE mistake. It caused me to be very drowsy and lethargic. Because I started taking it at age 19, I didn't realize the Zyprexa was the culprit until I stopped taking it. I thought I was just a sleepy person. It had a profoundly negative impact on my life because I took it way longer than I should have."

• Lotus
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2012

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "Bipolar I - I take Zyprexa, Lithium and Lamictal. Zyprexa is the only medicine that has controlled my severe depression part of my bipolar. It has changed my life. I am slightly hungrier but I'll take that over feeling so depressed."

• danand
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 8, 2014

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I would give Zyprexa a 10 rating except for the weight gain. I have bipolar 1 and have a lot more mania than depression. I have psychotic symptoms also and racing thoughts a lot. It did make me very tired the first couple of weeks but then it worked perfect except for the weight gain so I am not on it anymore."

• Anonymous
• October 12, 2011

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I was diagnosed with bipolar when I was fifteen years old. I have been on several other medications and stopped taking them when I was eighteen and did not take them for ten years. I developed substance issues with alcohol and drugs to try and self medicate. I had a lot of personal and social problems. I was put on Zyprexa less than a week ago and it has quite literally saved my life and my current marriage. I have not experienced any side effects. I take only 5mg once a day in conjunction with lithium. WOW!"

• Nataa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I have been on zyprexa for 5 days so far. I have been taking 2.5mg and I think I need to up the dose now to 5mg as it feels like it is wearing off. this medication is doing wonders for me, it is great! I can finally have 8 hours of un-disturbed sleep. Prior to commencing this medication, I was suffering from severe symptoms of mania such as insomnia, loss of appetite, high energy levels, psychotic symptoms (hearing voices, derealisation, making weird connections & magical experiences), making new plans, reckless spending & driving, new ideas, taking on too many tasks, agitation. the medication has calmed all of these symptoms. zyprexa is a god send for me. only side effect I have is low blood pressure from it."

• Phoen...
• June 23, 2021

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I was put on this drug because the doctor thought I was bipolar. Three years later, two psychiatrists have told me I need to get off of the Zyprexa ASAP. I was first put on 15 MG which made me tired when I woke up. All day, I felt drugged out and I gained 40 pounds. I am now only taking 10 MG and am lowering my dosage to 5 MG to finally get off of this drug for good. The withdrawal symptoms I have noticed from getting off Zyprexa are increased anxiety and difficulty sleeping. The best way to get off of Zyprexa with minimal problems is to taper slowly. I would rather deal with the withdrawal symptoms than being drugged out to the point I can’t function. I also take this with another antidepressant and am convinced I had symptoms similar to serotonin syndrome. Please use caution and only use this drug as a last resort option. It has a black box label for a reason. The long-term risks of staying on this drug include psychosis and medication-induced Parkinson’s disease."

• krystle
• September 25, 2013

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I have been on 5mg tablet for almost 2 yrs. I started off on one tab a night then cut my dose down to half tab, currently taking 1/4 tab during the day because I always miss my alarm if I take it at night. I over sleep way to much, always tired, brain feels foggy. I've gained 30 pounds and its getting harder to take it off. I'm always hungry and always thirsty. It helps with behaviors. I still flip out but way less often."

• Panda...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 2, 2013

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This drug did its job. It stopped any mood swings for the most part, but the biggest downside was that I bloated up and slept heavily. I put on maybe, 10-20kgs whilst on this drug (I was on it for 2 years). Effective nontheless."

• fyodor
• July 17, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This medication has been very useful in reducing negative thinking. Most people take it at night. I find it more useful when I take it first thing in the morning. It works better if you avoid smoking. I've tried all different antipsychotics, Zyprexa is the only one that seems to work for me."

• Gregg
• February 4, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I have been taking Zyprexa for 14 years, my new doctor took me off in October and I was a mess in Dec. Now Feb back on for a month and I feel better. Doc is worried about long time effects, she wants to try quitting again in 6 months. I don't know but I'm stable on Zyprexa. I'm fine and mess without it. I'm Bi-polar."