ZyprexaWD: Introducing myself - Zyprexa taper

[ZyprexaWD]

I'm joining this forum because I cold turkeyed off of Seroquel (quetiapine) 200mg, 4 months ago.  I am currently taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) at 5mg/night.  I also take 4mg of Xanax nightly.

 

I first want to taper off of the Zyprexa.  I tried to cold turkey off of it, and I got THE WORST on fire headaches and mild nausea especially on Day 7.  I just saw my psychiatrist and asked for a 90 day's supply of (2) 2.5mg tablets.  In his 25 years of being a psychiatrist, he said he's never worked with anyone to taper off of an antipsychotic.  I was initially on 10mg/night.  What I realized is on that dose, you'll turn into a zombie if taken 2 nights in a row.  With this drug, my psychiatrist agreed with me that it's better to be on a lower dose nightly, as opposed to taking it every other night.

 

The main reason why I was taking Zyprexa was for sleep.  However, I think it also had other therapeutic effects.  I'm a highly sensitive person, and I think it was also keeping my baseline anxiety down.  However, it takes me a few hours in the morning to wake up, it really affects my memory/concentration, and I'm on a weight loss journey.  I'm 5'10 and before I stopped Seroquel, I weighed 185lb.  Now 4 months later, I am down to 156lb.  I do barbell training and medical keto if that's helpful.

 

Right now, I only want to focus on the Zyprexa taper.  If that is successful, then I will focus on  the Xanax.  I was initially going to focus on the Xanax, but I wasn't aware that the Zyprexa withdrawals would be so rough.

Edited May 8 by FireflyFyte
Updated title

[Erimus]

Hello, and welcome to Surviving Antidepressants. We are a peer support forum to assist in tapering off psychiatric drugs safely, or recovering from psychiatric drug withdrawal.

 

Your first task is to create a drug signature, with the following:

 

• All current medication you take, the dose you take, when you started the drug, and when you made dose changes
• All current supplements you take
• An accurate history of recent drugs, taken in the last 12-24 months
• Dates for recent should be written as 7 Oct 2023, or Oct 7 2023, or early Oct 2023, or mid Oct 2023
• A history of drugs taken 24 months ago and beyond - if applicable
• Dates for historical drugs can simply be listed as start and stop years
• Please do not use 07/10/23 // 10/07/23 as this is intepreted differently around the world

 

• Please leave out symptoms and diagnoses. See my signature for example of clear and concise information.

 

• Click this link to edit your signature: Edit your signature here.

 

 

This topic is for anything relating to you, and any questions you have. Please do not start another topic.

 

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% of your CURRENT dose each month, to limit withdrawal symptoms. E.g. 10mg --> 9mg --> 8.1mg --> 7.29mg

 

All the answers you are looking for regarding tapering and antidepressant withdrawal are on this site. Please search around and continue to read as much as you can manage. Use the site search function to search for specific words or phrases, such as drugs or symptoms.

 

Here are a few of the most useful links:

 

--------Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ--------

 

Micro tapering

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

 

--------From the Symptoms and Self-Care Forums--------
 
What is withdrawal syndrome?
 
About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms
 
The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

Hypersensitivity and Kindling

 

We only recommend two supplements. Omega 3 Fish Oil and Magnesium. Both should be introduced separately and increased slowly.

 

Regards

Erimus

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, ZyprexaWD said:

In his 25 years of being a psychiatrist, he said he's never worked with anyone to taper off of an antipsychotic.

The psychiatrist you spoke with is either highly ignorant, or has been deliberately committing malpractice for 25 years. Antipsychotics are very powerful drugs, and need to be tapered slowly and with great caution. It is not a good idea to cold turkey, unless you want to run the risk of causing real damage.

 

Please read Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa) .

 

I suggest you slow down your taper.