VikingsGuy: Olanzapine withdrawls really struggling.

[VikingsGuy]

I started taking Olanzapine 2 months ago for sleep and had no idea how bad it was coming off.

 

I took one 5mg tablet daily before bed for two months.  Around a week ago I stopped taking them cold turkey and after a few days I had major symptoms.  Insomnia, waking up in panic attacks, sweating, and bad anxiety.

 

I couldn’t take it last night so I took a half a pill at 2.5mg and slept pretty well but felt uneasy all day. I took another half a pill this evening and am feeling slightly better.

 

I guess i’m asking what I should do next?  Should I have went back to the regular 5mg? Or is the 2.5mg good for now?  
 

I really need help as no one has been able to tell me anything.

Edited August 4 by Emonda
Name to title

[VikingsGuy]

Hello all! 
 

I started taking Olanzapine two months ago at 5mg and was not liking how lifeless I felt. I decided to just quit about 6 days ago and within a few days Ive felt absolutely terrible with most of the side effects you can imagine.

 

Two nights ago I took 2.5mg and actually fell asleep but did feel pretty crappy upon waking up.  Last night I took the same 2.5mg dose and got no relief and sat up all night. I guess i’m wondering if I should reinstate back to the original 5mg or keep trying the 2.5? I have only been on this for two months and done won’t to keep prolonging it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Erimus]

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Edited August 5 by Erimus

[VikingsGuy]

I have read all about the tapering but I don’t want this poison in me anymore.

 

I was taking 5mgs every night for two or so months… I quit for a week and have been in disarray.  I started back up 2.5mg for a couple of days and the 3rd day took 5mg again.

 

I can’t sleep a wink and have been to the ER twice over this. Psychologist I saw said it is preferable to taper but since I hadn’t taken it long and start and stomped to try and ride it out.

 

I’m just scared i’m stuck like this forever.

[Erimus]

12 minutes ago, VikingsGuy said:

I have read all about the tapering but I don’t want this poison in me anymore.

 

I was taking 5mgs every night for two or so months… I quit for a week and have been in disarray.  I started back up 2.5mg for a couple of days and the 3rd day took 5mg again.

 

I can’t sleep a wink and have been to the ER twice over this. Psychologist I saw said it is preferable to taper but since I hadn’t taken it long and start and stomped to try and ride it out.

 

I’m just scared i’m stuck like this forever.

Cold Turkey and the subsequent withdrawal will be much worse than reinstating a small amount, stabilising, and then tapering gradually over many months.

[VikingsGuy]

12 minutes ago, Erimus said:

Cold Turkey and the subsequent withdrawal will be much worse than reinstating a small amount, stabilising, and then tapering gradually over many months.

Even only using it for two months? 
 

I hate to taper for months after only using it for a couple. I’m already scared of the damage it did using for those months.

 

Using it for 2 months at 5mg, and now basically quitting for a week, what would you recommend MG i try to start back up on?

 

in the middle of the cold turkey, I took a few doses at 2.5 and 5 and they didn’t seem to get me back on track.

 

Thanks.

[Erimus]

23 minutes ago, VikingsGuy said:

Even only using it for two months? 
 

I hate to taper for months after only using it for a couple. I’m already scared of the damage it did using for those months.

 

Using it for 2 months at 5mg, and now basically quitting for a week, what would you recommend MG i try to start back up on?

 

in the middle of the cold turkey, I took a few doses at 2.5 and 5 and they didn’t seem to get me back on track.

 

Thanks.

Yes. If you read the success story from Armorall you will see the damage that cold turkey can do:

 

Armorall: Got my dancing shoes back on!

 

Reinstatement at 0.5mg would be a sensible starting point. Just taking it for a week or two at a consistent dose will give you the information needed to know if it would be beneficial.

[VikingsGuy]

22 minutes ago, Erimus said:

Yes. If you read the success story from Armorall you will see the damage that cold turkey can do:

 

Armorall: Got my dancing shoes back on!

 

Reinstatement at 0.5mg would be a sensible starting point. Just taking it for a week or two at a consistent dose will give you the information needed to know if it would be beneficial.

I guess ill give a try a .5 and see if that helps.  Does the small of amount usually help people?

 

shouldn’t be hard to taper off that amount if it works.

 

I can’t believe only two months on this medication has caused this.  My insomnia is what’s killing me at this point.  No sleep at all.

[VikingsGuy]

Would two and a half months on this drug permanently ruin my brain?

 

I worry I may never sleep again.

[Erimus]

9 hours ago, VikingsGuy said:

Would two and a half months on this drug permanently ruin my brain?

 

I worry I may never sleep again.

No, but abrupt cessation can lead to a world of unecessary pain.

[VikingsGuy]

6 hours ago, Erimus said:

No, but abrupt cessation can lead to a world of unecessary pain.

I took some last night, it probably was more than the recommended .5  it was probably closer to 1mg.  I tossed and turned all night again. My physical symptoms had been feeling a bit better but after I took that part of the pill, I slept for maybe an hour and woke up feeling very ill and sweating.

[Erimus]

You need to take the same amount at the same time each day. The easiest way to prepare precise doses is by making your own liquid.

 

Please read:

 

Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

[N2deep]

Hi VikingsGuy,

 

I found myself in the same situation with the same drug last year. It is hard figuring out all this tapering/liquid stuff when you are reeling from withdrawal and lack of sleep. I understand. You can check out my thread, and see in my signature what I did. I got some 2.5mg pills prescribed and held at that dose for a couple months and then started tapering. It has been a long road I'm now around 1.25mg and I'm gonna be on it for a long time still. But I feel a hell of a lot better than when the doctor told me to halve my dose then jump off.

[VikingsGuy]

1 hour ago, N2deep said:

Hi VikingsGuy,

 

I found myself in the same situation with the same drug last year. It is hard figuring out all this tapering/liquid stuff when you are reeling from withdrawal and lack of sleep. I understand. You can check out my thread, and see in my signature what I did. I got some 2.5mg pills prescribed and held at that dose for a couple months and then started tapering. It has been a long road I'm now around 1.25mg and I'm gonna be on it for a long time still. But I feel a hell of a lot better than when the doctor told me to halve my dose then jump off.

Thanks, I’m just so concerned to keeping using this drug as it’s so bad for you.  I just want to return to normal. I feel like my mind is never coming back.

[VikingsGuy]

5 hours ago, Erimus said:

You need to take the same amount at the same time each day. The easiest way to prepare precise doses is by making your own liquid.

 

Please read:

 

Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

Im going to try a very lo dose for a bit. Would it be ok to do a .5 dose tonight after just doing 1mg last night?

[Ariel]

@VikingsGuy

 

6 hours ago, Erimus said:

You need to take the same amount at the same time each day. The easiest way to prepare precise doses is by making your own liquid.

 

Please read:

 

Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

Using a scale to weigh and measure doses

 

Go gently ❤️

[VikingsGuy]

I was always smart and witty, always had something to say.  
 

Now I can’t get words out and feel really disconnected.  I feel I might not ever get this back again. 
 

anybody else have this problem?

[N2deep]

What you should concentrate on: 

- what dose to take

-how to measure your doses (weighing or liquid or standardized pill). Doing this by eye, or whatever you might be doing now, might not be accurate enough to get you to a stable drug/blood level, and thus not allowing your body to stabilize and for you to start feeling better.

 

Obviously, none of us want to be on these drugs. And none of us want to be tapering for long periods. And none of us want to feel bad. But unfortunately, we all, including yourself, got on the ride, and once you're on the ride, it really doesn't matter what your wants are. What you have to do is choose a dose, and how to measure it reasonably accurately, and take it for long enough to stabilize and thus start feeling better.

[VikingsGuy]

I thought I was going to have to take a trip to the mental hospital last night.

 

my head was ringing so loud and I felt high out of my mind but was on nothing.

 

This is really scary. Tinnitus load, no personality, can’t sleep at all without the pill.

 

I feel I’ve permanently ruined my brain.

[VikingsGuy]

There are so many stories of people who never really slept again.

 

I can’t sleep at all if I haven’t taken this pill and then it just knocks me out and I wake straight up. Nothing like natural sleep.

 

2 months on this pill really ruined my brain?

[Erimus]

1 hour ago, VikingsGuy said:

I can’t sleep at all if I haven’t taken this pill and then it just knocks me out and I wake straight up. Nothing like natural sleep.

A lot of us are like that. You get used to it. You are still sleeping, even if it is not fully restorative.

[VikingsGuy]

1 minute ago, Erimus said:

A lot of us are like that. You get used to it. You are still sleeping, even if it is not fully restorative.

Does it ever get to a point where you can sleep regularly again?

 

Can two and a half months on these pills cause serious brain damage? 

[VikingsGuy]

5 minutes ago, Erimus said:

A lot of us are like that. You get used to it. You are still sleeping, even if it is not fully restorative.

Will my emotions ever come back? With I ever be able to feel hunger or thirst again? 

[Erimus]

23 minutes ago, VikingsGuy said:

Does it ever get to a point where you can sleep regularly again?

Yes, once you have stabilised and then safely tapered off the drug, your body will reach homeostasis again.

[VikingsGuy]

30 minutes ago, Erimus said:

Yes, once you have stabilised and then safely tapered off the drug, your body will reach homeostasis again.

Will sense of hunger etc come back?

[VikingsGuy]

Im so scared my emotions will never come back.

 

I’m so lifeless right now.

[VikingsGuy]

On 8/8/2024 at 1:52 PM, Erimus said:

Yes, once you have stabilised and then safely tapered off the drug, your body will reach homeostasis again.

You don’t think a few months on AP would cause permanent brain damage? 

[JandD]

Dear VikingsGuy,

There are people who have only taken a drug once and then had problems with sleep and all kinds of other symptoms for months afterwards.
 

Your brain is not permanently damaged. Not from this dose and the short amount of time. It will repair itself, don't worry. Just like the hangover after a night of partying is not permanent.
 

But I can only agree with the comments of the other forum participants. Settle on a low dose and try to take it as regularly as possible to stabilise yourself. The best method here is the liquid method, i.e. dissolve in a certain amount of water, mix well and then dilute with a pipette.

It makes a big difference whether you take 0.3mg olanzapine one day and 0.7mg the next. With a high dosage of 14.3 to 14.7mg, you would probably not notice this. This has to do with the number of receptors occupied by olanzapine. Especially in the low dosage range, a relatively large proportion of receptors are still occupied. Here is a simplified table with an approximate receptor occupancy. The greater and the faster the fluctuation, the greater the problems. Therefore, be careful with reductions, especially in the low range. The good thing is that the side effects are also minor at low doses. 

All my best!

Oh, also important. Live as healthily as possible and avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar, stress,...

 

[VikingsGuy]

4 hours ago, JandD said:

Dear VikingsGuy,

There are people who have only taken a drug once and then had problems with sleep and all kinds of other symptoms for months afterwards.
 

Your brain is not permanently damaged. Not from this dose and the short amount of time. It will repair itself, don't worry. Just like the hangover after a night of partying is not permanent.
 

But I can only agree with the comments of the other forum participants. Settle on a low dose and try to take it as regularly as possible to stabilise yourself. The best method here is the liquid method, i.e. dissolve in a certain amount of water, mix well and then dilute with a pipette.

It makes a big difference whether you take 0.3mg olanzapine one day and 0.7mg the next. With a high dosage of 14.3 to 14.7mg, you would probably not notice this. This has to do with the number of receptors occupied by olanzapine. Especially in the low dosage range, a relatively large proportion of receptors are still occupied. Here is a simplified table with an approximate receptor occupancy. The greater and the faster the fluctuation, the greater the problems. Therefore, be careful with reductions, especially in the low range. The good thing is that the side effects are also minor at low doses. 

All my best!

Oh, also important. Live as healthily as possible and avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugar, stress,...

 

Thanks for this.

 

a question I have is how do I know if I have reinstated high enough?

 

I was on 5mg for two months when I quit cold turkey.  I quit for about 6 days and then took a few days of doses that were all over the place from 5mg to just a crumb.  I finally realized I will have to do a taper and Ive been taking 2.5mg everyday for the last few days.  I still have some anxiety moments and it takes me forever to fall asleep and I still wake up with the sweats etc but i’m making it day to day.  Should I hold here?

 

My biggest fear is I won’t get my personality back.  I have no care to do anything and I don’t feel like myself and haven’t for a month or so.

 

Will this comeback? Im so scared im stuck like this.  Im also scared I will ever sleep without the meds. I got no sleep when I was completely off of it.

[VikingsGuy]

Anyone?

[N2deep]

I think holding at 2.5mg and see how it goes sounds good. That’s what I did. Again, you can read my thread. If you are cutting 5mg in half to get your 2.5mg , I personally would rather trying to get some 2.5mg pills prescribed so you get a precise dose. What I did was ask for a 3.75mg prescription (1 and 1/2 pills), but only take 2.5mg so you can build up a supply of pills for long-term tapering. Or, you can stick with the 5mg pills and drop them in water/syringe out your dose, to get a precise dose … and that will also, once you can get multiple doses per pill, allow you to build up a reserve of pills. You could also use a weighing scale. I do my water tapering a little different and use Ora-Plus solution. But whatever you prefer, these are just some ideas you can mull over. Others may have other ideas for you. Sorry this post may be a bit all over the place IM using my phone to type and its late.

[VikingsGuy]

15 hours ago, N2deep said:

I think holding at 2.5mg and see how it goes sounds good. That’s what I did. Again, you can read my thread. If you are cutting 5mg in half to get your 2.5mg , I personally would rather trying to get some 2.5mg pills prescribed so you get a precise dose. What I did was ask for a 3.75mg prescription (1 and 1/2 pills), but only take 2.5mg so you can build up a supply of pills for long-term tapering. Or, you can stick with the 5mg pills and drop them in water/syringe out your dose, to get a precise dose … and that will also, once you can get multiple doses per pill, allow you to build up a reserve of pills. You could also use a weighing scale. I do my water tapering a little different and use Ora-Plus solution. But whatever you prefer, these are just some ideas you can mull over. Others may have other ideas for you. Sorry this post may be a bit all over the place IM using my phone to type and its late.

Do you feel emotional blunting? I feel like my personality is erased and isn’t coming back  even having a beer I can’t feel anything, I am just numb.  I’m scared I will be like this forever or a very long time. 

[Ariel]

15 minutes ago, VikingsGuy said:

even having a beer I can’t feel anything

 

Hi @VikingsGuy

It's best to avoid alcohol while in WD. Using alcohol can interfere with the healing process and slow things down or cause waves. Just FYI.

Take good care of yourself and you will heal. The emotional blunting will get better over time.

I'd suggest eliminating alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, any other drugs/supplements -- to facilitate an optimal healing environment for your brain and nervous system.

If you can, eat mainly organic whole foods, lots of vegetables and lean protein and healthy fats. Easy on the sugar, gluten, dairy, and processed foods.

 

20 minutes ago, VikingsGuy said:

 I’m scared I will be like this forever or a very long time. 

 

It gets better ❤️

You will heal, give it time.

This process takes patience, and we do eventually recover.

[VikingsGuy]

I understand I need to take it slow but I have no feelings and my energy is completely gone on the 2.5mg 

 

Its not sustainable to go on like this.  Im completely fatigued after about 6 hours of being awake snd doing really nothing.

[VikingsGuy]

Quick question….

 

Every single MG scale you buy on Amazon etc that doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars seems pretty inaccurate.

 

the pill will weigh something slightly different every time you put it on the scale.

 

Are you supposed to just get it as close as possible? 
 

Thanks.

 

Even the recommended Gemini scales will show slightly different when you put the pill on it over and over.

[N2deep]

I think people who use the scales take, for example, 5 pills and use the average of the weights of those pills ... because the pills all have slightly different weights.

 

My operation: I put 4ml of water in a shot glass, drop in the pill, wait for it to dissolve then mix it around, then add 6ml of Ora-Plus compounding liquid (equalling 10ml of liquid). Mix it up some more to create my suspension, and syringe out what is not needed and drink what's still in the shot glass. So with my 10ml of water and 2.5mg pill, every 1ml equals 0.25mg, and I go down in 1/5ml increments, equalling 0.05mg at a time - with a 5ml syringe (Medisca brand)