Zyprexa side effects

I was on Zyprexa a few years back and I gained a lot of weight with it due to increased appetite. In my case this was not a problem as putting on weight was something I needed. I am back on Zyprexa for a couple of weeks now. My appetite has increased again and I suffer from tiredness a lot. I have been suffering with headaches too but i'm not sure if this has anything to do with the Zyprexa. Headaches are not a side affect reported on the leaflet that comes with it so is it possible that Zyprexa is causing these headaches?????????????????

I have been on zyprexa for about 2 1/2 years I have tried 3 times to get off it, but each time have had bad anxiety and panic attacks. I am once again trying to get off it, my fourth attempt, I have this time doubled my anti-depressant while trying to cut down on the zyprexa. Hopefully I will succeed this time. I have put on 15kgs. over the 2 1/2 years I have been on it. I also have a headache every day and my eyes are always red and I don't drink.

I only took Zyprexa once every week b/c of severe insomnia and sometimes 2x's a months w/ 3 days intervals to catch up on sleep. I was doing fine just eating ridiculously healthy and exercising but the hunger came and I could no longer sleep because it was so severe I would wake up in the night ravished and couldn't sleep until I ate so I stopped the zyprexa, which I wasn't even taking much in the first place!! I've been off for a week and I would like to know from those who went off of it, how long does it take for the hunger to back to normal? They want to try seroquel but I'm scared that will keep it going, so would like to get it back to normal before trying something else. Need sleep! last semester of school, need to pass. Thank you. BTW, works great for sleep, did save my life in that aspect.

I was on zyprexa for nearly 3 years. In that time I became very lethargic and disinterested in everything! I gained over 100 pounds and suddenly was sick all the time. I suffered from involuntary muscle spasms, light headedness and nausea with frequent vomiting. I had a rapid increase in cholesterol levels from a healthy level to an extremely high level. The Doctor ran all manner of tests and could not figure out the problem. After I started suffering heart issues, mind you I was in my mid thirties, he took me off the medication for a couple of weeks to see if that made a difference. Nothing changed! It took losing my job and health insurance to find out that the medication was, in fact, the culprit! I could no longer afford the meds, so went off them. It took 4 months for me to feel "normal" again and I've not suffered this symptoms since, although I've still not lost all the weight!
While I still suffer from extreme manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, all my friends and family agree they're easier to deal with than the three years as a zombie! There is much of that time frame for which I have no recollection, it;s as though I lost 3 years of my life!

I was diagnosed with PTSD, Major depression and social phobia back in 1996, when i was 17. I was being treated by a quack psychiatrist who prescribed me Zyprexa in 1998. I never heard or seen things that others couldn't hear or see until i took this drug. Let me tell you i've probably been on a third of the pills in a PDR but NEVER have i been on a drug that destroyed my life like Zyprexa. It caused me to have angry outburst. Zyprexa caused me to have SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) in which my heart would nearly race out of my chest. It also caused me to have Sleep Paralysis in which i was seeing demons. Zyprexa put my athletic body into a chronic fatigue and hypersomnia and i gained 150lbs in 15 months of taking this drug. The quack psychiatrist no longer has a license to practice...it seems he had many patients die on his meds. I filed a class action lawsuit against the drug maker of Zyprexa that is still in effect. 10 years after taking this drug the weight will not come off and it's caused me to develop health problems such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

there are some positives with Zyprexa. I took it briefly to treat Schizoaffective disorder, which is half schizophrenia half bipolar disorder.

Zypexa helped me sleep. After years and years of sleep disorder, I actually slept so well and used to wake up feeling invigorated. However, often it would be difficult to get out of bed. Not great if you're trying to work and run your own business.

The downside of Zyprexa is the weight gain. I was always careful about what I ate, but I could not control eating whilst on Zyprexa. I'd literally eat a full meal in the evening and then go out for a pizza afterwards. My weight gain was 30%.

Ten years on zyprexa and seventy pounds gained. Decided diabetes risk too high, tried to change to Geodon, horrible. Zyprexa has done me great good (no delusions, less paranoia, out of silent stupor) but after ten years I feel maybe my life and skills have progressed to point that I don't need it. Tried to go off it before but terrible physical side effects, ready to try again.
Think my very bad anxiety disorder is driving all other symptoms (including psychosis!) so will try antianxiety meds and then off to meditation. Ultimate goal: no meds.

I live in Israel, and here in this country not only do the police do their duty incorrectly, but so do psychiatric officials.
I was in a bad state emotional, and that did not result in any obscene or out-of-the-order matter, but me having chosen to move on with my life was a bad idea since moving on meant letting go and kicking out of my life a she-devil that posed as a girlfriend.
she had connections and accused me wrongfully of stuff i didn't do, and since she had friends in the police force, I ended up being admitted to a psychiatric hospital, there I was forced to take 10 mg of ZYPREXA, every day, for a little more than a month and a half, after a couple of weeks i developed a rash on my head, and vibrations with palpitations.
when i stopped taking ZYPREXA, the rash continued, the vibrations when i go to sleep with the palpitations continue but are even worse,
I cant sleep, and when i do fall asleep I wake up every hour, if lucky i sometimes manage to sleep for 2 hours and then only wake up, and i keep waking up until i give up on sleeping, i get headaches, nausea, dizziness, i eat, and after 30 minutes to 1 hour i go the the toilet and diarrhea..
my left eye sees blurry, i hear much less in my left ear, and not to mention that i have no tinnitus, - all day long i hear an electric pulse in my ears, i am disconnected from emotions, cant concentrate, my memory is impaired, i cant seem to make myself do anything, i cant even figure out what i am feeling, my teethes health has gone bad, get mood swings which are not extreme at all, resulting in me not knowing what it is I'm going through, i think this Zyprexa ordeal as resulted in multiple sclerosis which hasn't been diagnosed yet, and i don't know what more else there is, since i am quite handicapped mentally emotional and physically i can do stuff, but for some reason i don't do anything.
bad dreams (when i do manage to get several minutes of sleep), and i feel stoned all the time. and this is not all, but seriously, here in Israel or overseas, who really gives a damn? and who can help these things go away??..Ive been told to wait (I've been waiting a little more that 3 months) for all this to go away, and nothing as gone away, instead more things slowly gather.
too bad there is no death sentence here in Israel, if there was I might try to get it, to end this suffering, though, what can i say, even dying is not something I can manage to get myself to do, I cant seem to actually decide to do anything, I just think of it, and in the meanwhile, my whole life is passing in front of my eyes, making me realize, this might be the ending of my life as I know it, and all i have to do about it is just sit and wait, either for things to change (cause i cant change them), or to die.

Slurred speech was noticed after the third dose.

I JUST STARTED THE ZYPREXA YESTERDAY AND MY LEGS WERE FEELING FUNNY I COULDNT GET COMFORTABLE IS THIS A BIG ISSUE IT ALSO LASTED FOR 5 HOURS .

Just also wanted to mention now that I see other posts have had extreme swelling in my feet and ankles which was very abnormal but told by doctors they've seen worse............yeah right!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zyprexa has ruined my life!!!!! I went in hospital in 2001 with what I would call mild delusions now compared to after being given zyprexa. As soon as this med was started I began to have extreme pressure on my back constricting my breathing, could barely get dressed look after myself walk from one end of a hall to another, began vomiting day in and day out and diagnosed with severe acid reflux, waking up night after night gasping for breath and finally diagnosed with sleep apnea - this is before I gained the 85lbs from this and other atypical drugs. Experienced sleep paralysis where I would wake and feel like I couldn't move my body, vivid nightmares, and symptoms of td with constant twitching of my body during sleep. These side effects continued for 5 long years. I still suffer from acid reflux, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis in my knees. This is a very dangerous drug. I wasn't on the drug very long but other's were tried with no avail to the side effects until I was switched to zoloft and risperdal. Now I am having high blood sugar results with at home testing. I am searching for people in Canada who have experienced any of these side effects as I am added to the Class Action Lawsuit that has been initiated here and hoping there are others who can add their names to the suit who have experienced similar side effects. If you or a loved one has experienced any of the above and are from Canada please contact me at ******

for me I needed Zyprexa b/c i have an ED and i needed to gain weight. well i gained 20 pounds and now im tapering. i lost my appetite and am losing more weight than i should be. this isnt good for me!

I was on zyprexa since I was 11. I am taking it for bipolar disorder and although it does make me gain weight I still need it. Without my 2.5 mg of zyprexa I would not sleep or eat for weeks and would probably be anorexic.

i have been taking this drug now for about a month and have noticed that it take me longer in the morning to get going my appetite has increased.

I'm taking zyprexa for months. I didn't try to taper it off because i know i will be experiencing withdrawal symptoms if i stop taking the medicine. I've been taking 10 mg of olanzapine and the side effects to me is dry mouth, dry lips and weight gain. Bad thing is I was being mistaken as a drug addict due to dry lips.

extreme weight gain

im a 30 year old man and have been on olanzipine for 4 and a half years since taking a nervous break down.during thses 4 years i,v lost all confidence in myself.i have now a deep rooted fear of flying,and have beev flying all over the world with my job but since taking olanzipine flying has now became impossible for me so now i have to work in my own country were no flying is involved.i also seem to have lost the ability to play the guitar as if i dont remember what i used to play,other concerns of mine are the excess sweating i do at night and the constant sudden urges to go to the toilet

I took Zyprexa for a week or two, during psych hospitalization for (basically) a nervous breakdown at my job. In that amount of time, I gained too much weight and for that reason, stopped the med.

It did seem to help the psych problems I had, but not worth it if it caused weight gain to that extent, that fast.

Since I have been on zyprexa for 3 years I have gained atleast 50 pounds, and I am hungry all the time and I crave sweets like their is no tomorrow I have since went off the drug and I hope in the months to come I can lose some of this weight finally.

I've been on Zyprexa (2.5 mg) for insomnia and Lexapro (10 mg) since Sept. 2004. I tried going off the meds cold turkey in April 2005 and went through MAJOR withdrawals. Thought I was dying. Doc put me back on both meds and told me to withdraw over a long period of time. I've cut my Lexapro down to 7.5 mg a day and my Zyprexa down to 1.25 mg per day. Having small withdrawals...mostly dizziness, inability to get up in the morning and tired all day. Anybody have any good ideas on a better way to get off this stuff. I've also gained 30 lbs!!!

i´ve been taking zyprexa for about 3-4 years now. i have severe imsomnia & constant twitching. i have extreme nausea & headaches. i´ve noticed that i´ve been happier but i can still feel down at times for small events that happen. i hardly ever get depressed but i hate the weight gain when i first began taking it i gained alot of weight & then for a year or so i was able to control my feeding binges but once again it´s gone out of control. i´d like to get off this medication but seeing that my doctor say´s he hasn´t seen me for over a year (my docs change periodically) he wants to keep me on it. i´m scared about getting diabetes & all the other side-effects.. i want to be able to sleep normally....

I've been searching for details about what vitamins and minerals are depleted, when taking Zyprexa. Does anyone know where I can find such information? Thanks.

I went off zyprexa cold turkey after 10 days (I know you're not supposed to do that, but I figured it was such short-term use.) I now have no emotions, and my head feels funny all of the time. I have trouble getting comfortable when I go to bed. Can anyone relate? Email me: ******

Thanks.

I was diagnosed in 1996 with depression by the VA. My depression became worse, and in 2001 Sept. I was also diagnosed with not only depression but also Bipolar disorder. I was prescribed Olanzapine for three months. When I noticed during that time I was feeling dizzy all the time, my vision was blurry, I was extremly thirsty, and urinating all the time. I stopped taking the med. after three months time because I felt it was the Olanzapine that was making me sick. By then it was to late. I went back to my doctor with the same side effects described earlier and she told me to get some blood work done right away, I got the blood work done and come to find out my blood sugars were up to 590 range. I was told I had diabetes. Even though this particular medicine has diff. effects with each individual person I strongly advise anyone who is thinking about taking it not too. I was on oral meds to control the diabetes, but now I am taking insulin shots twice a day!! I am presently pending a lawsuit with VA and the Pharmacutical company. Please be careful taking this lethal drug!!!!!!!!

I was on Lithium,1200 mg aday .I was on it for a long time and it changed my world for the good . Now I have gone off because it has lost it's affect. My Psychiatrist has put me on Zyprexa and it is doing great things for me.The only thing I don't know if I should take it at night or morning .Exercises helps keep the weight down. Esther

for five years I have been a recluse due to anxiety and panic attacks. Recently I stopped taking Olanzapine as a short attention span, poor short term memory and poor concerntration were attributed to Olanzapine by a psychologist I saw for the above. An unexpected effect of withdrawal is that now, in my sith week, The panic attacks and anxiety symptoms have gone. Anyone out there had similar?

after my doctor changed my dose to 7.5mg my hair started falling out for about 6 months. i got very sick and my eyes swelled up very large and i worry about the long term side effects.

So far has totally destroyed my libido. If I drink alcohol I seem to be able to overcome this side-effect

I've been on Zyprexa for 5 months and I've tried twice to wean myself off of it. The first time I tried it myself and it was unsuccessful, as I ended up having severe insomnia that lasted 8 days (absolutely no sleep at all). I then decided to seek a psychiatrist to help me wean off and he reduced my dosage every two weeks from 15 mg to 10 mg to 5 mg to 2.5 mg and then to no Zyprexa at all. That too ended up being unsuccessful as I also ended up having severe insomnia. I wanted so badly to be off the drug this time though and thought the psychiatrist must know his stuff so I presumed that my insomnia would eventually go away after 2 weeks or so. I ended up having insomnia for 3 weeks (with no sleep at all) and with massive headaches. I suffered throughout the whole process and then went to two psychiatrist who ended up telling me that I needed to go back on 5 mg of Zyprexa and that I need to stay on it for another 6 months as I may have a relapse and that's probably the reason why I have the insomnia.

Is there anyone who has experienced the same things I have? Has there been anyone who has successfully weaned off Zyprexa and be totally drug free? I'm not bipolar or anything. I was hearing voices back in April this year and I have recovered from it as I no longer hear voices. All I want is to get off this drug and carry on life as I did before I started on Zyprexa.

I've been to 2 doctors, 2 psychiatrist who all tell me that I can get weaned off it but based on the two unsuccessful attempts and the severe insomnia, I doubt them. Could anyone solidify to me that I can get off this damn drug? It's destroying my job and relationship. I hate the psychiatrist who put me on this drug.

Anyways, for those who have successfully weaned off, I'd like to hear your story as to how long you were on the drug and how you were tapered off it eventually. I need some faith and hope that it's possible to be Zyprexa free.

I have been on Zyprexa for the best part of 2 years. Luckily I haven't had a great deal of side effects except weight gain. I used to weigh about 10.5 stone now I weigh around 12.5. I am in the process of coming off it now I am currently down from 7.5 mg to 5mg. I go to see my doctor again in 6 - 8 weeks where I hope to drop down to 2.5 mg.

I hope I can come off this drug with no major problems.

I took Zyprexa for a year after a trip to the hospital. It knocked me out in the evening. I've gained about 20 lbs. Now, I want to lose it. The first time I tried to quit taking it suddenly and at the same time quit taking birth control pills. Big mistake. I went into a major depression and couldn't get off the couch or bed. I went back on it for a couple weeks. Now, I'm tapering off. I noticed that my appetite went from ravenous while on Zyprexa, to wanting to barf at the sight of food now that I'm off it. It's been about two weeks, I'm down to a quarter tablet every other day now, just to wean off. I, too, felt like my emotions were limited. However, the Zyprexa kept my heart from racing. I can't afford the drug. Sleeping is going to be my biggest issue. I haven't been diagnosed I don't think, but I think I'm bi-polar.

C

Side effect is weight gain. Zombie like thoughts.
When coming off it Insomnia.

dAVID MY BROTHER HAD BEEN TAKING THIS MEDICATION FOR OVER A YEAR. nOW HE WAS DIA GNOSED WITH DIABETES. WE NEED A LAWYEY.

I have been taking Zyprexa for about 3 weeks and I just started to notice I can't seem to quit eating!! I am so hungry when I know I have had enough food. I was given the drug to go with my Lexapro for O.C.D. until it starts to work so that I can sleep well. It does do good for the sleep but I am going off of it because I can't handle the hunger feeling being over done to the point where I am going to be to big for my health.

I've been on Zyprexa for about 2 months now for Generalised Anxiety Disorder and depression along with Luvox. It's great for insomnia. Only side effects i've experienced is a rather irritating stimulation of my legs, and my insomnia has come back since i got used to 15mg every night.

My ankles are swollen and I've gained 20 pounds

my ankles swelled,I gained six pounds in six days and I couldn't stop eating everything in site. I craved peanut butter on bread and chocolate. now I hope I can lose the weight, I had already gained taking depakote.

Since taking zyprexa I have had the most amazing side effects. Yes, I have changed from a raving bipolar maniac with no rationality into a "normal person" a caring parent of two baby girls and am now having a happy life. Praying that it lasts.

Taking it for 1 month. 1st 2 1/2 weeks good, then very sudden weight gain (10 lbs in 10 days) and severe swelling in legs & ankles, some in face and hands also. Took 2.5 daily. When will the swelling go away? Stopped the medication 2 days ago. No problem quitting.
Worked great for sleeping and as a compliment to 60mg paxil for severe situational depression.

I have been taking Zyprexa (and Zoloft) for 2 years. I have gained 70 lbs. I have no energy. I do not have a full range of emotions. I am now very agreeable. I don't have reasonable reponses to things/situations. I sleep a lot, I no longer exercise at all. My weight gain is a real issue to me. I recently learned that Zyprexa has been linked to diabetes, which my dad died of two years ago. I STOPPED taking it 4 days ago, and have gone thru really bad withdrawals: itching, acheing joints, tremors, severe anxiety, not sleeping, sweating, then freezing, not able to relax, can't get comfortable...I'll let ya know how it goes...

just a warning to parents, this drug as well as risperdal has been used on children, for reasons other than mentil illness. but, the FDA has NEVER approved for its use in children, not even for schizophrenia. it is not only dangerous to use in adult schizophrenics, it is much more so in children, and the damage it causes, is tragically irriversable. those with five year olds on this medication, i hope you take into consideration the effects it will have. its safety was never evaluated.

I've been taking Zyprexa for 6 wks. Gained about 20 lbs. Also on Valium, Paxil for several yrs. Started Depakote 9 mos. ago so I figured that was reason for weight gain. Now after 6 weeks I have extremely swollen legs & feet. Mostly on right side which is weird if you ask me! I was pretty much knocked out at onset of taking RX but now I'm up till 2 a.m. putzing around. So why bother taking the Zyprexa I ask. Hmm, I called doc today re: swelling but of course, no response as yet. I don't know what my DX is; I believe it's Bipolar or Unipolar. Definitely not schizophrenia (per doc) but one never knows. I actually have had some ringing type sensation in left ear, too. My face is swollen, sore throat at times and it feelsl like my glands are as well. (when I look in the mirror I look like I have mumps - I'm 53 y/o so I doubt it!). My eyes are swollen too. Basically I'm foraging around the kitchen all the time. Day, night, in-between. Hard as I'm a vegan and I'm running out of veggies all the time. Considering d/c ing myself but afraid of seizures. Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thanks and Bright Blessings to all.

Hi, I took the drug and other than a good AND RESTFUL SLEEP WITHOUT WAKING UP SEVERAL TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, I HAD NO QUALLMS WITH IT.

oN THE OTHER HAND, I WAS A LITTLE DROWSY AND WAS SINGING TO MYSELF WHILE SHOWERING. mY WIFE SAID IT SCARED HER.

sHE TRIED THE DRUG HERSELF AND SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD NEVER TAKE IT AGAIN..i WARNED HER THAT SHE SHOULD SEE HER DOCTOR, SINCE SHE IS TAKING PREMARIN AND MEDS FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. SHE WENT AHEAD AND TOOK IT ANYWAY.

SHE WAS IN A STOOPER LIKE STATE FOR TWO DAYS.

i WILL ONLY TAKE IT PERIODICALLY, MAYBE IN CASES WHEN I'M IN HIGH STRESS SITUATION THE NEXTR DAY ETC.

GOOD LUCK

my son started zyprexa almost 3 years ago and has gained over 100 pounds! my little boy is gone, hes double the child he was, and most of it was in the first year. He stopped taking zyprxa 3months ago, the first thing we noticed was how good his face looks, now his belly is even with his chest, his self confudence is better than I've seen in him in years! He doing better in school than he has in 3 yrs. Hes getting out of the house and going on with life. All this in 3months, makes me wonder about if he really needs the lithium & wellbutin, not ready to stop any other meds. yet, but this wonderful change since quitting zyprexa makes me start to think if the pills are just a scam,and the threats of what will happen if you quit is a contrlling fear, if it was my health I would quit in a minute, but its my son,and I'm afraid of taking that chance with him.

Alot of stomach problems and headaches.

Zyprexa has helped to "calm the storm" that I felt in my head. I have more energy, and I am doing more chores around the house. The only negative side effects that have me scared are nightmares and sleepwalking, which I've never done until starting this drug. Also, I have gained 20 pounds in a month. It is difficult to deal with but not as difficult as what I was dealing with before starting this drug. "PRAISE GOD!"

MY SISTER USED THIS DRUG IT WENT THROUGH HER SYSTEM LIVER ETC TO HER BRAIN AND killed HER DEAD VERY DANGERIOUS DRUG.

I have been on zyprexa three weeks now, have swelling of the ankles and legs, dry mouth at night, have to sip on water a few times. Tongue sticks to roof of mouth, mouth so dry. I also experience blurred vision have to keep blinking my eyes. I am on 5mg in mornings and 5mg at night.... voice seems to get hoarse if I speak for a length of time... Also can't seem to concentrate on reading anything for too long...
Don't know how long I will be on this pill, can't afford weight gain, have 70 to lose as is.... sincerely Judy

I have been on zyprexa for about a week and have noticed not only waight gain but also weekness in my hands.note I am also on other meds.for schzitzoaffective disorder.