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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 05:33 PM
  #1
Anybody on Zyprexa?
I just started it (almost two weeks ago). I think its really helping me; I actually feel better. my one concern or 2, is the doc told me it could raise bad cholesterol and also blood sugar.
Any and all feedback will be greatly appreciated,
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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 05:55 PM
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Hi Seaswept. Zyprexa was amazingly fast and effective at taming my manic beast. Unfortunately, like many, I put on weight quickly on that medication. Not all notoriously weight unfriendly medications were bad for me, in that respect, but Zyprexa was. Plus, I developed akathisia on it. For these reasons, I was taken off, but I remember the psychiatrist in the hospital telling me that it could still be considered as an emergency medication for me in the future.

Actually, Zyprexa really does have great efficacy ratings from various clinical trials. It also isn't weight unfriendly for everyone. I'm sure that if it affects your blood work too negatively that you and your doc can reevaluate its use. I hope it works out great for you!

Note: They may move this thread to the "Bipolar Treatments" sub-forum here. If they do, people here will still see it.
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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 06:30 PM
  #3
It worked wonders for me but I gained 15 lbs in two months and my bad Cholesterol sky rocketed and my pcp said it wasn’t safe for me to continue taking.

That crap works though!

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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 07:32 PM
  #4
Well, I gained 147lbs (started at a slim 110lbs) from Seroquel over a 7 year period. For that and other reasons I was delighted to get off the Seroquel and switch to Zyprexa.

So I've been taking Zyprexa for a month or so. I started at 2.5mg and went up from there. I'm currently at 12.5mgs. I'm finding it to be helpful. The psychotic symptoms I was having are lessened considerably and my sleep is the best it's been in several years. So far, I'm giving Zyprexa a thumbs-up.

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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 09:14 PM
  #5
zyprexa has been a great drug for me. It helps with the intrusive thoughts. I take 10mg at night it has not improved my sleep though. I haven't put any weight on while taking the drug. I know it is know to cause high blood sugar but I already have diabetes so it really doesn't matter to me. The benefits out weigh the risks.

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Default Dec 02, 2019 at 10:02 PM
  #6
I have been on and off it since 2005. It does bring me down from mania fairly quickly and much better than some others (eg, Risperdal). As BD points out, akathesia is a risk and I certainly had that, including actually just the night before last. My big problem with Zyprexa is that I want to eat everything on the planet and then eat the planet, itself. I mean, my hunger is insatiable. It is crazy. When I used to run marathons on Zyprexa, I would have these vivid daydreams of eating an entire lemon cake, or something. It was wacky. I can honestly say I have never been so hungry in my entire life.

I use it now just as an emergency sleep measure (10 mg), for which it is hit and miss with me. All in all, I would for me put it ahead of most atypicals, with the main exception being Abilify. It has been the best one for me overall.

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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 11:08 AM
  #7
I took it for about a year. It worked really well, but my cholesterol went high and I developed akathesia from it. Propranolol helped wit the akathesia though. I also gained a lot of weight on it and ultimately switched to Risperdal.
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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 04:12 PM
  #8
Quote:
Originally Posted by bpcyclist View Post
I have been on and off it since 2005. It does bring me down from mania fairly quickly and much better than some others (eg, Risperdal). As BD points out, akathesia is a risk and I certainly had that, including actually just the night before last. My big problem with Zyprexa is that I want to eat everything on the planet and then eat the planet, itself. I mean, my hunger is insatiable. It is crazy. When I used to run marathons on Zyprexa, I would have these vivid daydreams of eating an entire lemon cake, or something. It was wacky. I can honestly say I have never been so hungry in my entire life.

I use it now just as an emergency sleep measure (10 mg), for which it is hit and miss with me. All in all, I would for me put it ahead of most atypicals, with the main exception being Abilify. It has been the best one for me overall.
It's actually far from funny, but I will say that I got a kick out of your explanation of the hunger many of us get from the aytipicals. The hunger reminds me of how I felt during pregnancies...there is no end to it. Eat a meal and all I could think about was the next meal. And dreaming about food! What is the deal with that! I'm not a foodie, but the atypicals have made me one.

Now that I am prediabetic from Seroquel I'm on Metformin which, thank the universe, curbs my appetite in the sense that I feel full much faster.

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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 06:34 PM
  #9
sad story...very low dose was like a miracle, hit 5mgs, akathisia, even with Klonopin already on board. -sad-

the big, big studies show zyprexa as 2nd only to clozapine for Schizophrenia. kind of a big deal. in bipolar, i think people/patients get more leeway with antipsychotics. is one needed? for how long? and the doses were kept lower in the days of Thorazine, Haldol, etc., but...now, its so odd...someone with Schizophrenia could be on a lower dose of a given 'atypical' than someone with Bipolar I. true story. anyway...

some doctors Rx metformin from day 1 with zyprexa. i did read some 'alternative' health info that suggested that very high doses of very potent antioxidants (think coenzyme q10, alpha lipoic acid, various tea extracts, etc.) --might-- help reduce the metabolic nastiness. and yet...

i have been popping the hi-dose, hi-potency antioxidants, b-vitamins, etc. w/ Abilify at a full dose for a long time, and I'm chubz. to be fair, i tolerate it better, and my blood sugar, total cholesterol, etc.--the labs, basically-- are solid, its just...

yup. tubz. :-(

probably not the best idea, but a friend way back when, her grandmother was on Zyprexa and the (slack) doctor gave her...Didrex, maybe? one of those old school diet pills...for weight gain. she still was kind chubz, but not obese.
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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 06:53 PM
  #10
Thank you everybody for responding!
I have decided to stay on it for now.
once i get my bloodwork,, then we shall seee
if sugars and bad cholestoral increased I will switch to lamictal
Thank you all again for being so supportive.
I would like to make this a habit, a good habit lol.
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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 07:17 PM
  #11
hi...to be perfectly honest, if you -can- make a go of things without an antipsychotic, i'd recommend you do so. its not just the lipids, weight gain, etc....these are -serious- drugs, best reserved for people who do not do OK without them. i seem to require one, so I take Abilify at a full dose, even though I had facial tics back in the day (tardive dyskinesia...ugh...more common than they let on, im afraid...).
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Default Dec 03, 2019 at 11:09 PM
  #12
oh wow. I tried abilify but for me it made me hypo manic.
i may b that way right now cuz im wide awake right now.
Thanks fpr res[[pmdomg, i appreciate youre honesty.
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Default Dec 04, 2019 at 09:14 PM
  #13
My day went pretty well today despite the awful side effects that have started from the Zyprexa. I get horrible painful sores on my tongue. TD side effects-lip licking and tongue rolling with some akathesia. its this way from every antipsychotic Ive taken!
Anyway Im in a day program right now. I have 3 days left. I try so hard to sit thru those groups but its so repetitive to me like how many f'n times do a ai need to learn this ****!
So...the doc took me right off the Zyprexa and increased my Neurontin so also I will sleep well!
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Default Dec 05, 2019 at 03:49 AM
  #14
So sorry the Zyprexa didn't work out for you. I've been on it for almost 6 years and I don't know where I'd be without it. Yes, I've gained weight on it and I've developed high cholesterol and triglycerides, but I can always take another pill. My dose has gone up gradually over the years, but 7.5 mg is still a fairly low dose and it's enough to keep the mania at bay. I'm also on Geodon for that, but I don't think it's as effective as the vitamin Z.

If I were you, I wouldn't count on Lamictal as a savior. It has its place in a good bipolar management strategy, but it's not enough for most people by itself. I hope the Neurontin will help maximize the benefits of your other BP meds.

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Default Dec 05, 2019 at 10:30 PM
  #15
Ugh, I'm sorry the Zyprexa didn't work out. But Neurontin can be really helpful. I was on it for a couple of years and it was calming. It helps a lot of people, I've noticed.

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Default Dec 07, 2019 at 11:51 AM
  #16
neurontin isn't without adverse effects, but...compared to antipsychotics (any, all of them), its light weight (personal opinion). there's Lyrica....its like a more potent gabapentin. Schedule V controlled substance (xanax is in Schedule IV, Adderall is Schedule II, to put that into perspective), so refills allowed, but some restrictions, blah blah blah...

anyway, its more popular, off label, in Europe. 2x daily dosing for all day coverage vs 3x daily dosing for gabapentin. I think its generic, now. Long term use requires a slow, steady taper, just like valium or xanax (lame, I know).

just thought i'd mention it. the 3x daily dosing is one thing that irks me about gabapentin.
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