Zyprexa for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

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

"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

"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 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

"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

"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."

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

"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

"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 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

"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

"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

"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 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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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."

• GRano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 26, 2018

"This is the best side effect free strong antipsychotic I have taken so far. I have bipolar disorder and just 2.5 mg is enough to combat mania and minor depression. I also have anxiety and and it makes me calm. I don’t take it everyday. I take it sometimes when my doctor says. No side effects, no dizziness, no anxiety, no AKATHISIA just drowsiness which I like for anxiety."

• jigsr...
• December 12, 2013

"I have bipolar 1 disorder. Started with 5mg Zyprexa, now am on 7.5mg at night. I find it really helps me with my moods. Some of the side effects for me are swollen ankles, weight gain and sedative effect throughout the day."

• quick...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2016

"I was admitted to the hospital for severe hydration due to vomitting from being sick for a wk and prior to that completely lost my appetite do to a gluon intolerance I had become frustrated with food and I couldn't sleep was angry all the time, I was put on Apo-olanzapine aka Zyprexa and set up with a psychiatrist as an out patient...here's the thing I was prescribed this med by the psychiatrist for weight gain, but it also boost my mood swell , I feel like I'm a level playing field and the game is fair again. Definitely helps with depression, as I don't feel all is consuming me anymore and I eat everything in sight, I put 5 pounds on in 1 wk!!! So beware of that, its strange because you CRAVE food, all you do is think about food...lol"

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2022

"Makes me feel normal. I take 15 mg at night for a restful night's sleep with no nightmares like I used to have. I use in combination with 20 mg Paxil and 1000 mg Depakote which seems to be a great combination for my bipolar disorder. I no longer freak out if things don't go my way. I HIGHLY recommend Zyprexa!"