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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Zyprexa withdrawal or just odd anxiety symptoms?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD), bipolar disorder, dementia, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, stress, transitions, and work problems.
Zyprexa withdrawal or just odd anxiety symptoms?
by babybabybabybaby, Jun 18, 2006 12:00AM
I've been taking 2.5 mg of zyprexa for about 12 years for anxiety, along with Nardil for depression& some things for sleep, etc. Every time I try to get off the zyprexa I get the same wierd physical symptoms, in addition to regular anxiety symptoms that I can recognize. This time I took 3/4 of the 2.5mg for 1 week, and went down to 1/2 for a week, and then dropped it. As in previous times of trying to go off it, I've gotten a weird feeling in my ears (a tiny bit of pain, but maybe a feeling of pressure inside or something like that; sometimes what seems to be a light ringing), and my gums (my mouth) itch, and maybe even some cut skin inside my mouth. This time round, I also feel like a have a sore throat. This all started right when I went off the zyprexa. (This time round my eyes are also hurting me and bothering me. I got new glasses about the same time, but the eyedoctor says they're fine.) COULD THESE ALL JUST BE ANXIETY SYMPTOMS OR COULD IT BE THAT SOMETHING PHYSICAL IS GOING ON BECAUSE MY BODY WAS USED TO THE ZYPREXA FOR SO LONG? HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THOSE SYMPTOMS????????? WILL THEY GO AWAY? HOW LONG COULD IT TAKE? SHOULD I WAIT IT OUT & SEE WHAT HAPPENS? My doctor says there is no such thing a zyprexa withdrawal. Also, I've been checked out by my primary care physician. He says my ears are fine; the only thing is my throat looked a little irritated. Said it could be allergy-BUT WHY WOULD THAT ALLERGY SYMPTOM START EXACTLY WHEN I GO OFF THE ZYPREXA?
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jun 19, 2006 12:00AM
, Jun 19, 2006 12:00AM
The kind of symptoms you describe around your ears and mouth are not typical, but going off of zyprexa does cause strange electrical -like flashes coming in spurts ( frequently described) and possibly you are having some variant of this.
Try, with your doctor's agreement, to cut down over a 4 week taper off period, with lowest dose every other day for the last week before you stop.
Try, with your doctor's agreement, to cut down over a 4 week taper off period, with lowest dose every other day for the last week before you stop.
There is such a thing as withdrawal symptoms from antipsychotics. It is usually referred to by doctors as a 'discontinuation syndrome'. All psychotropic drugs nicotine, antidepressants, alcohol, caffeine etc etc etc carry a risk of a withdrawal reaction/discontinuation syndrome/rebound.
Perhaps if you taper down your dosage slower you will have an easier time? You could try to cut your pill down to as small a size as you can. Zyprexa thankfully has a half life of 35 hours so you may be able to take an advatage of that and try taking it even every other day.
I took zyprexa starting in 1996 the year the FDA approved it, which was ineffective for my condition and gave me diabetes.
Zyprexa is the product name for Olanzapine,it is Lilly's top selling drug.It was approved by the FDA in 1996 ,an 'atypical' antipsychotic a newer class of drugs without the motor side effects of the older Thorazine.Zyprexa has been linked to causing diabetes and pancreatitis.
Zyprexa, which is used for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, accounted for 32% of Eli Lilly's $14.6 billion revenue last year.
Did you know that Lilly made nearly $3 billion last year on diabetic meds, Actos,Humulin and Byetta?
Yes! They sell a drug that can cause diabetes and then turn a profit on the drugs that treat the condition that they may have caused in the first place!
I was prescribed Zyprexa from 1996 until 2000.
In early 2000 i was shocked to have an A1C test result of 13.9 (normal is 4-6) I have no history of diabetes in my family.
All the psychiatrist I've interviewed and the information on line presents zyprexa as a worse offender than the other Atypicals such as seroquel.My doctor has stopped prescribing zyprexa altogether.
The PDR classifies zyprexa as 'severe' for causing weight gain and diabetes and seroquel as 'moderate'.
Of course the 50 year old Thorazine didn't cause diabetes and is many times cheaper but it could cause tardive dyskinesia.
Where Eli Lilly's negligence comes in,is their KNOWING and not informing consumers (black box warning) until the FDA demanded it.
Lilly's incentive not to readily disclose is they had billions coming in from state medicaid scripts.
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Daniel Haszard http://www.zyprexa-victims.com