Help Olanzapine 5mg- weight gain.

[Deleted member 1465]

6 months.... under that must have been tough.

LOL tough yes...lets use that word. Tough.

 

[Sherri]

LOL tough yes...lets use that word. Tough.

Guess herbal tea and a couple of zannies will have to do for the time being, hate the feeling I feel the next day after olanzapine.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

I have already had too much herbal tea. I hate it. Why isn't it coffee? Oh, yeah:/

 

[Sherri]

I have already had too much herbal tea. I hate it. Why isn't it coffee? Oh, yeah:/

Passion flower loose leafs, helps a bit, cause I do double the recommended dose.

 

[Deleted member 94]

I know but I don't suffer from the conditions that I read on the leaflet. No where on that piece of paper says it's for insomnia.

Most antipsychotics will lead to weight gain that's a given even on normal diet it affects gut motility as well as appetite.

I've been in locked unit where people were overweight on them and regularly tested for cholesterol. Also they sleep becomes normal or excessive.

I think your doctor prescribed this to you as off label use because you said he ran out of options.

 

[Sherri]

Most antipsychotics will lead to weight gain that's a given even on normal diet it affects gut motility as well as appetite.

I've been in locked unit where people were overweight on them and regularly tested for cholesterol. Also they sleep becomes normal or excessive.

I think your doctor prescribed this to you as off label use because you said he ran out of options.

Exactly, I was taking crazy amounts of Ambien, and was making me sleep walking among other things. I'm trying not to snack at night though. Dunno if that will help. But the food cravings stopped.

 

[Sherri]

So, I've tried to stop this poison, but I can't seem to fall asleep without it. I feel so weak, dont wanna be hooked on another pill. And apparently this One as per the comments above it is not a good one to take.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

So, I've tried to stop this poison, but I can't seem to fall asleep without it. I feel so weak, dont wanna be hooked on another pill. And apparently this One as per the comments above it is not a good one to take.

Well, none of them are exactly 'good' to take unfortunately. I just made a comment in the Lunge about insomnia, from my own personal perspective. I have had a horrific case of sleeplessness, from circumstantial and anxiety related issues. I'm currently managing it without medications and I'm okay with that. Its not perfect, but its as good as it can be given my circumstances. And considering how I was, that'll do for me. Happy to discuss in private if you wish.

 

[Chupacabra 44]

So, I've tried to stop this poison, but I can't seem to fall asleep without it. I feel so weak, dont wanna be hooked on another pill. And apparently this One as per the comments above it is not a good one to take.

If you have exhausted all the safer pharmaceutical options and alternative/natural remedies, and have implemented all the lifestyle changes that you are willing to implement, then you got to do what you got to do. But, keep in mind about trying a split dosage of 2.5 mg (easily accomplished with a pill cutter) and/or not taking it every night. These meds all have varying degrees of toxicity, so obviously the less toxins one puts into their body the better. Maybe, through trial and error you can find a periodic dosage schedule that works for you.

Hypothetically, if you were to take it every other night, but only have a reduction in 10% of the efficacy for your sleep, then this might be a trade off worth making, since you have lowered your toxicity intake by 50%. Maybe, try experimenting and tweaking your approach to find a cost/benefit that works for you.

Insomnia sucks, and it's the top trigger of my manic episodes. And, in my case, I seemingly figured out what's the cart and what's the horse - the insomnia drives my mania, not the other way around. Thus, sleep hygiene is at the absolute top of my list for self care.

 

[Sherri]

If you have exhausted all the safer pharmaceutical options and alternative/natural remedies, and have implemented all the lifestyle changes that you are willing to implement, then you got to do what you got to do. But, keep in mind about trying a split dosage of 2.5 mg (easily accomplished with a pill cutter) and/or not taking it every night. These meds all have varying degrees of toxicity, so obviously the less toxins one puts into their body the better. Maybe, through trial and error you can find a periodic dosage schedule that works for you.

Hypothetically, if you were to take it every other night, but only have a reduction in 10% of the efficacy for your sleep, then this might be a trade off worth making, since you have lowered your toxicity intake by 50%. Maybe, try experimenting and tweaking your approach to find a cost/benefit that works for you.

Insomnia sucks, and it's the top trigger of my manic episodes. And, in my case, I seemingly figured out what's the cart and what's the horse - the insomnia drives my mania, not the other way around. Thus, sleep hygiene is at the absolute top of my list for self care.

Thanks @Chupacabra 44 , you seem to have a lot of knowledge. I really appreciate that, yes I do have a pill cuter and will cut some immediately. I also have some loose leafs from the herbal Store that I take it, guess I will thank half tonight with my tear and hope for the best. Thanks for all your advice, a big hug to you.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

Needing help to get to sleep doesn't make you a weak person. Acknowledging that something is wrong and taking steps to fix it is huge. I completely understand how you feel, though.

Zyprexa is rough. If you can find something else that works for you then go for it, but I agree with Chupacabra, if that's the only thing that gets you to sleep then do what you gotta do. I think you also mentioned benzos before (sorry, I'm having a huge amount of trouble reading right now and just can't focus on looking back through the thread). Those and z-drugs should probably be last resort since they're habit forming and you develop a tolerance to them. Though you could argue that they should be the second-to-last resort, before antipsychotics.

I think trazodone was mentioned earlier in the thread, but another AD that's used pretty commonly to help with sleep is remeron (mirtazapine). Not that you want to be taking more prescription medications, but IMO/IME antidepressants are less harmful than antipsychotics. In terms of OTC stuff benadryl (diphenhydramine) and other antihistamines have worked pretty well for me in the past, at least in the short-term.

I'm sure you already know about all the herbal/natural stuff available, but chamomile, valerian root, melatonin, and l-tryptophan are all supposed to help. I think valerian root can interact with certain meds, though. Always check for drug interactions before you take any supplements. Meditation for 10 or 20 minutes before you want to go to bed can help too.

One last thought, a lot of medications have insomnia as a side effect. If you're already taking prescription meds it might be helpful to just reduce the doses of certain medications or switch to different ones, and that by itself might help with your insomnia.

r/insomnia, and to a lesser extent, r/meditation, on reddit and insomnia.net (not sure how official this site is) have lots of information about this stuff if you want to do some more research on your own. Insomnia is horrible, best of luck.

 

[Sherri]

Needing help to get to sleep doesn't make you a weak person. Acknowledging that something is wrong and taking steps to fix it is huge. I completely understand how you feel, though.

Zyprexa is rough. If you can find something else that works for you then go for it, but I agree with Chupacabra, if that's the only thing that gets you to sleep then do what you gotta do. I think you also mentioned benzos before (sorry, I'm having a huge amount of trouble reading right now and just can't focus on looking back through the thread). Those and z-drugs should probably be last resort since they're habit forming and you develop a tolerance to them. Though you could argue that they should be the second-to-last resort, before antipsychotics.

I think trazodone was mentioned earlier in the thread, but another AD that's used pretty commonly to help with sleep is remeron (mirtazapine). Not that you want to be taking more prescription medications, but IMO/IME antidepressants are less harmful than antipsychotics. In terms of OTC stuff benadryl (diphenhydramine) and other antihistamines have worked pretty well for me in the past, at least in the short-term.

I'm sure you already know about all the herbal/natural stuff available, but chamomile, valerian root, melatonin, and l-tryptophan are all supposed to help. I think valerian root can interact with certain meds, though. Always check for drug interactions before you take any supplements. Meditation for 10 or 20 minutes before you want to go to bed can help too.

One last thought, a lot of medications have insomnia as a side effect. If you're already taking prescription meds it might be helpful to just reduce the doses of certain medications or switch to different ones, and that by itself might help with your insomnia.

r/insomnia, and to a lesser extent, r/meditation, on reddit and insomnia.net (not sure how official this site is) have lots of information about this stuff if you want to do some more research on your own. Insomnia is horrible, best of luck.

Thank you, yes you read well, I also took crazy amounts of ambien. Slept walk and all, amnesia cause of the a drugs. Im so hooked on chemicals that herbal medicine will take ages to kick in. I'm taking something similar to valerian root. I already cut the pills in half, the olanzapine I mean. I just wanna be drug free, at least the night meds. I was able to wean of Xanax, and barely on taking it sometimes. The best is probably to cut those in half, and endure a couple of sleepless nights. At least I know I will have company here 24\7. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Sherri]

*update, managed to sleep with only half a pill. Took forever but eventually did. Don't feel so groggy today.

 

[Sherri]

*update 2, slept better than yesterday. Guess I won't buy the second script for it.

 

[Sallydeath]

I gained 30 pounds in five months with taking it.

 

[Sherri]

I gained 30 pounds in five months with taking it.

I'm speechless, did it increased your appetite that much? I'm so sorry it this to you.

 

[Deleted member 23885]

I had the same side effect. The doctor is reducing my dosage.

 

[Sherri]

I had the same side effect. The doctor is reducing my dosage.

I'm on half now. only took it for a month or so. Should be so bad to quit I hope, good luck to you too. Hugs

 

[Wrennie]

Hello everyone, just have a question, I started to take Olanzapine 5mg to sleep at night, and noticed in maybe 3 weeks now increased weight and the need for midnight snacks, has anyone here felt the same from this medication?

I gained 30 pounds on Zyprexa, lol. It really helped me with my anxiety but I went off of it out of a fear of developing Tardive Dyskinesia (and then ironically went on to get TD from a purportedly "safer" medication afterward).

 

[Deleted member 94]

I gained 30 pounds on Zyprexa, lol. It really helped me with my anxiety but I went off of it out of a fear of developing Tardive Dyskinesia (and then ironically went on to get TD from a purportedly "safer" medication afterward).

I'm sorry to hear that and back in the hospital I had seen few people with this but it seems to the medical profession to be an acceptable condition especially if they were suffering from huge psychosis.

 

[Wrennie]

I'm sorry to hear that and back in the hospital I had seen few people with this but it seems to the medical profession to be an acceptable condition especially if they were suffering from huge psychosis.

I guess it might be seen as an acceptable trade-off if the individual in question is truly incapacitated and completely reliant upon those meds to function, but I don't think that cases of mild anxiety (like what I had) warrant putting someone on a drug that can cause permanent & irreversible dysfunction. I think that these psych doctors consistently downplay the risks of antipsychotics. Tardive Dyskinesia may be uncommon in "most" cases, but once you get it there's no going back and stopping the offending med won't be of any help. I even had a gene test performed that supposedly revealed I wasn't at high-risk of developing TD from a certain med, and yet it still happened in less than 3 months of me being on it. Ultimately these doctors have no way of knowing the effects that their drugs will have on different people as every reaction is highly individualized.

 

[Mentalmick]

I'm speechless, did it increased your appetite that much? I'm so sorry it this to you.

It's not just the appetite. I was eating approx 1300 calories a day and putting on weight.

 

[Deleted member 94]

It's not just the appetite. I was eating approx 1300 calories a day and putting on weight.

I think it affects your gut motility and food stays in your system longer and you begin to put on weight. That's what I have witnessed guys who say they hardly eat and still gained weight. That was a long time ago back in the day hospital.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

Zyprexa/Olanzapine actually changes how your metabolism works to the point that it can give you diabetes. All the APs have this potential, but Zyprexa is the most notorious for it. It wouldn't surprise me if gut motility was part of the issue, since these medications all have constipation as a side effect.

@Wrennie I'm so sorry you ended up with TD. Are you on a Parkinson's medication to manage it or do you just deal with it? I had no idea that they could test for your propensity to develop TD. I HATE how readily psychiatrists will prescribe APs. They're horrible meds and are only warranted if you're truly incapacitated and nothing else works, like severe psychosis. There seems to be increasing evidence that the whole genetic testing thing to see which meds will work best for you isn't actually helpful, so I wonder if that extends to your situation too.

 

[Sallydeath]

'm speechless, did it increased your appetite that much? I'm so sorry it this to you.

Honestly I don't feel like my appetite increased really, but I did start eating more ice cream and stuff like that, but really not so much that I feel like I would've normally gained 30 freaking pounds. It's insane. I've been the same weight, more or less since I was 14, and I'm 24 now

 

[Sherri]

Honestly I don't feel like my appetite increased really, but I did start eating more ice cream and stuff like that, but really not so much that I feel like I would've normally gained 30 freaking pounds. It's insane. I've been the same weight, more or less since I was 14, and I'm 24 now

So it's prob the pill that slows down your organism. Interesting....

 

[LittleJem]

Weed helps me sleep, could be worth trying

 

[Wrennie]

@neitherherenorthere The gene test I had performed was called 'Genomind' or something? I certainly can't vouch for its accuracy... the drug that it determined was most 'compatible' with my biology ended up putting me in a trance and lead to me jumping out of a window within the two week span I was on it lmao. Then there was a section about how dopamine receptors interact with specific medications and it said I'd be fine with a particular med but that ended up being the one that caused TD to manifest lol.

So far the only med I'm on as of now is Gabapentin. I've heard that Ingrezza can help manage TD but I've also read that it masks symptoms by blocking dopamine, which is the same mechanism of action that results in TD in the first place... So it's only a short-term drug in terms of its effectiveness and could potentially worsen/cause TD to come back with a vengeance if you ever were to stop taking it.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

So not only did you develop TD, you jumped out of a window too?? I hope you sued their miserable asses. And your psychiatrist, who's clearly incompetent if they decided to prescribe Zyprexa for anxiety.

I've never heard of Ingrezza, but that's hilarious that it's literally just another antipsychotic but marketed to treat TD instead. I hope the gabapentin is working ok for you.

 

[Sherri]

Well 3rd night, didn't take any, not even half. Wasn't so bad as I expected. Won't take anymore. Thank you all for your information. Hugs to all.