What happens if you stop taking Olanzapine cold turkey?

[xblondiegirl22]

I'm not planning on doing it but the thought has often crossed my mind. What would the withdrawal symptoms be? I read somewhere that you can die so I was wondering if anyone knew what would actually happen.

[Bailey2022]

Well I've been off it for a year and I feel fantastic never better. So I guess it depends on the person in a way. Well for me I've started taking olanzapine from 3 to 22 I hated it so I stopped cold turkey and was the best decision I've made in my life because I feel fantastic an age 23.

[specialmom]

so glad you are feeling good!  Nice to hear!!

[TemporarilyCrazy]

I was taking 15 mg of olanzapine and stopped suddenly in February (8 months ago) the only effects that I felt were less drowziness and a return to a normal appetite (I've lost 2 notches on my belt after gaining several stone whilst on it).
I had an acute transient psychotic episode last summer and was admitted to a psychiatric intensive care unit. Whilst I was in there they gave me so many drugs I have no idea what I was taking. I basically ended up on a cocktail of drugs and a dulled sense of reality. It wasn't until I changed my lifestyle that my life genuinely changed  for the better. I appreciate that I went completely mental and needed help at the time but I also remember that towards the end of my stay in hospital I simply chose one of the drugs that they were giving me and told them that that one made me feel better, when in reality I knew that it was the fact that I was eating, doing things and after meeting so many mental people gaining a new perspective on life, which I didn't lie about but they wanted me to be on some form of medication anyway. I took 15 mg of olanzapine everyday for 6 months when I got out of hospital. All I really had to do though was stop smoking skunk, that's what ****** me up in the first place and that's what worked for me. The doctors are always extremely pleased with my progress and everytime I see them they suggest decreasing my dosage. I'm now "on 5mg a day" (but still not taking it). I studied psychology at A-level and got an A. I know that this by no means makes me an expert but I do know that nobody actually understands the brain and the real effects of medication. Drugs are a short-term fix to what is quite often a long-term problem. I wrote an essay on it and everything and at the time remember thinking "If I ever have mental health issues I'll do anything but take drugs to fix it. Therapy and lifestyle changes are the way to cure you" and that's the conscious decision that I made when it happened to me.
Live a healthy lifetyle. Do things that you enjoy. Don't dope yourself up on drugs. The only thing that I put into my body now is alcohol. And in the almighty words of Chris Morris "Alcohol isn't a drug. It's a drink" so it's completely fine.
If people have read this and want to hurl abuse at me then you are very welcome to do so but it's my body and my brain and if I feel better and seem healthier to healthcare professionals after 8 months of not taking the drug that they've prescribed me then who are you to say that me stopping taking the medication was a bad idea ?

[xblondiegirl22]

Sounds awful. Put me off ever stopping my medication, thanks for the info :)

[lindahand]

And you can actually die, rare, but it can cause you to have a seizure.

I just know withdrawl from Effexor and it was a nightmare. And this was before they 'knew' about discontinuation syndrome so they kept telling me I had the flu.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Yeah, but the severity of it will depend on what dose you're on.  I had to go cold turkey because of a doctor's error and then Geodon didn't work as good for me as it did before the cold turkey trial.

[xblondiegirl22]

Wow that sounds horrible. I didn't realise it'd be that bad.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

When I had to stop Geodon cold turkey, which is a med of the same class, I experience increased tremors, flu-like symptoms of a caliber I'd never experienced before, had very surreal dreams that left me feeling rotten when I woke up and had a general emotional feeling of dread.  There were perhaps other things, but I can't remember now.

[xblondiegirl22]

Don't worry, I'm not stupid enough to try it. Im new to all this and I was just curious as to what would happen.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

It will really suck.  Don't even try to pull it off.