I used to take Zyprexa. It worked well, but I now weigh about 300lb (up from 220) and can’t seem to lose it. I also have diabetes. It made me fall asleep every morning at work.

I had to change, Abilify is a real improvement for me.

zyprexa is an amazing drug. i would never take it unless forced but during mania it grounded me and though i couldn’t really stop eating i could almost sleep. when i took z with depression it totally knocked me out and for days was in a really bizarre state of hallucination and dizzyness

I was on Zyprexa for about five years. I gained about 40 pounds. I have gone off, and in 2 1/2 monthes, I am down 25 and nearing in on my target weight. I realize that I have to go back on something. I quit the lamictal, lithium and welburin all at the same time. I have been periodically out of control recently. I no longer sleep, I am beyond irritable. I am being eaten up with anxiety. I have started taking the welbutrin again, to try to curb my appetite for cigarettes. I am going to go back on the lamictal as well, I suppose. What I have read about lamictal doesn’t seem to be to bad. I am not looking forward to the foginess and lack of memory that I experience on it though. The decrease in libido will be nice though!!

Hi Tina -
olanzapine should not typically be less effective during your menstrual cycle – but if you are noticing a pattern you should mention it to your prescriber. Every individual is different – some people notice worsening of their mood symptoms before or during their cycle – so the dose may need to be adjusted during different times of the month.

I am wondering if any of you have experienced a movement disorder following treatment with Zyprexa?

Also,has anyone attempted to sue the maker of this drug because of a movement disorder?

Thank you, Pati

To Pati Wolf; Yes, I experienced a movement disorder (tardive diskynesia) from taking Zyprexa. Here’s the brief facts:
took: 5 mg zyprexa daily (lowest dose) for a period of six month in 2002;
reason: bipolar depression
result: at six months, I noticed involuntary jerking of the left corner of my mouth and twitching around left eye. Immediately after this, I stopped taking zyprexa.
At present: seven years later I still have involuntary twitching, though it is somewhat better. It is worse at times of stress or sickness/weakness. Also, at first, for about a month, the medication was very effective at relieving a very deep and long-lasting bipolar depression I had been experiencing. After about a month, however, the amount of relief it provided greatly decreased, and I felt I would’ve had to increase the dose, but was unwilling to do that for fear of the drug’s purported dangers.

I have not tried to sue or heard of any successful suits against the maker, Lilly, for this consequence of taking zyprexa, though I sure wouldn’t mind suing them and thing they deserve being found liable in a lawsuit.

My mom was on zyprexa with other anti depressents and anxiety medication. She ended up in the emergency room with low sodium and the internal medicine doctor said her symptoms of parkinson’s and low sodium was due to the medications she was on. He took her off all medications. Zyprexa is a bad drug that psychiatrist prescribe to their patients. We trusted this doctor who did not tell us anything about the drug and for a year kept upping the dosage. I would like to sue either the drug company or doctor for what happened to my mother. she almost died. Her shakiness has not gone away yet and the doctor says we have to wait and see if it will. He blames the zyprexa.

I am on Zyprexa 10mg,Lexapro 20mg,Klonopin 2mg,Prosom 2mg,Benadryl 50mg and Risperdal 1mg. My Psyquiatrist says that I have Schizoaffective Disorder with Schizophernia and Bipolar Disorder,he says that I need to be put on Zyprexa 10mg with Prosom 2 mg at nightime.The reason that he says is that Zyprexa would put on time I do not know what he means with that. If somebody knows something please be free to email me .I need help please.

My 8 year old daughter has been on Zyprexa for about a year now. She had to be switched to it after having a serious allergic reaction to Lithium. Zyprexa worked wonderful for her at first but we have noticed in the last couple of months that it isn’t working as well anymore. We are also having some concerns about it causing some of her bone problems. I have done some reading and noticed that it causes muscle weakness, she doesn’t have those issues yet but she is breaking alot of bones. My thinking is this…if Zyprexa weakens the muscles, which are there to protect the bones from breaking, it is inadvertingly causing bones issues as well. She is always complaining of her legs, hips, and feet hurting. Last summer she broke her tibia and her wrist in fall that would have just bruised anyone else. She has an appointment with her psych doctor next week and I’m gonna request that she be put on a different medicine.

I use Lamictal as a mood stabilizer, 10 mg Ambien for sleep. In spite of the medications, I couldn’t sleep through the night, still had breakthrough hypomania, depressions, and constant anxiety. Then I added 7 mg Zyprexa. Now I can sleep through the night, my anxiety has decreased markedly, and the breakthroughs have stopped.
In the past I had to carry 15 mg Zyprexa with me at all times for breakthroughs. My daily small dose of Zyprexa works much better, and no emergency doses are needed (yet). I’ve heard that large doses of Zyprexa can cause somnolence. However they may be necessary for persons who have Bipolar-I disorder. The combination of Lamictal and Zyprexa has changed my life for the better. Hypervigilance and extreme anxiety had been exhausting me on a daily basis before I started Zyprexa. I also couldn’t concentrate and my OCD was terrible. So far I’ve had no side effects from Zyprexa.

i’ve been diagnosed with BPD type 2 since august 2006 and have tried several combinations of medications (Mirtazapine, Alprazolam, Duloxetine, Clonazepam, Fluoxetine, Quetiapine…) to treat my depressive symptoms. around november that same year i was shifted to Mirtazapine (Remeron)30mg @HS, Lithium 450mg OD and Olanzapine (Zyprexa) 10mg @HS. These drugs helped me sleep better, so much better that sometimes I slept for almost 16 hours when I’m off from work. However, lithium gave me hand tremors which bothered me a lot since I have to do lots of written reports and Zyprexa made me always want to sleep. It was as if my mood was flattened and I did not feel like going out much anymore. My menstrual cycle was also affected as it came only every 4-5 months and since I was on these drugs, I already gained 30 pounds! It made me function at work better though, since the mood swings are minimized but it really bothered me because my mind was clouded at times and I tend to be more forgetful. I tried being off the meds 2 times and unfortunately relapsed for 2 consecutive years. But I did not want to be on these medications forever as it was causing a lot of unwanted effects and also they are very expensive. December last year, I started tapering off the medicines until finally around February this year, I am totally off everything! It was a difficult adjustment at first but I have to be brave and told myself that psychotherapy and self-motivation can help me as well. I have an A-type Personality and mildly OC and have realized that I am more productive without the medicines though the mood swings come every now and then but I have learned how to recognize and control them. Maybe I am just lucky enough to have survived the withdrawal period and I am hoping that my symptoms would not recurr anymore.