Desiderata: Glad to be here!

[Desiderata]

I recently found this site following a Mad in America online town hall. I decided to discontinue my use of olanzapine which I have been on since 2012 and went online searching for help. My psychiatrist basically said I could cut my 2.5mg pill in half, take 1.25mg a couple of weeks and stop! Instinctively I knew it would not be that easy. I was prescribed olanzapine in 2012 during one of many ( my last ) hospitalizations for Bipolar disorder, specifically caused by extreme mania. At that time I was also on 1000 mg Depakote which I had been prescribed in 1997 but was repeatedly non compliant in taking and thus landed in the hospital. The olanzapine seemed to put an end to that. I remain on the Depakote, take it faithfully, and have no plans to discontinue. But I very much want to be off the olanzapine. My only attempt at tapering consisted of alternating 2.5mg with 1.85mg for a couple of weeks, then dropping to only 1.85mg for a couple of weeks I did this by cutting the already tiny pill in 1/4s. I’m sure it was far from an accurate dose. I suffered extreme headaches and I knew there had to be a better way. After finding this site I insisted my psychiatrist give me a prescription for 2.25mg which I picked up from a compounding pharmacy last week. I am back on 2.5mg and waiting to have a string of days with no headaches before I begin a 10%% taper.        Depakote 1000mg 1997-present, olanzapine 2.5mg 2012 - present

Edited June 23, 2021 by arbor

[arbor]

Welcome to SA, @Desiderata,

 

I hope you are feeling better after reinstating the olanzapine.  We are a non-profit site run by volunteer Administrators and Moderators who have been through or still are going through withdrawal. To give members the best information, we ask you to summarize your medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.  Just drugs, dates and dosages in a list format.  In your case, include the dates of your recent attempt at tapering.

Please use the following link and press "save."  You'll need to use a computer rather than a phone.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

I'm glad you've found a steady rhythm with the Depakote.  And I agree that waiting until you feel more stabilized and the headaches have improved before starting another taper of olanzapine.  Going slowly is really important.  Here are three sites to help you with this:

 

Tips for tapering off Zyprexa (olanzapine) 

Why taper by 10%?

Keep it Simple, Slow, and Stable

Preparing to taper

 

As you are currently dealing with symptoms, these sites can be helpful:

What is Withdrawal Syndrome?

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 3 that many of us find helpful are magnesium, omega-3, and melatonin. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

Melatonin

 

It sounds like your doctor is willing to work with you.  We don't recommend skipping doses and this site can explain why:

NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER     

 

When you decide to begin your taper then we can help further with the methods of tapering.  You can also find a lot of information about tapering under Tapering on the Forum page.

Tapering

 

This is your Introduction site where you can ask questions and connect with other members.

I'm glad you've found us.  Hope your headaches get better soon.

Arbor

[Desiderata]

Thank you Arbor for your kind reply to my introduction. I’m wondering if you or anyone else has used a compounding pharmacy to crush zyprexa tablets and put contents in capsules to taper with increasingly smaller doses. I have a lot of anxiety surrounding this entire journey and just want to make I don’t continue to make mistakes. I look forward to learning more from this site. Thanks again!

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Desiderata

 

It is very possible to have a compounding pharmacy make custom capsules of olanzapine. I updated 

 

 

with this information.

 

Prescription tapering strips from the Netherlands also will provide custom doses in tablet form, see Prescription compounded tapering strips from the Netherlands

[Desiderata]

I actually already ordered and have received tapering strips from Netherlands but based on 10% recommendation I’m afraid the standard ones I ordered taper too fast, going from 2.5mg to 0 in only 84 days. I suppose I could order custom strips? Are you finding people are having success with these?

[Altostrata]

When you order tapering strips, you decide the length of your taper. If you said you wanted to go to zero in 84 days, that's how they calculated your packets.

 

To get a 10% taper, you'd have to calculate with 2.5mg as starting dose and some mg as the ending dose over 3 months.

 

@brassmonkey, can you show Desiderata how to calculate this?

[Desiderata]

Thank you Altostrata! Not yet knowing about the 10% reduction taper I had ordered the “standard” strips and only after I got them did I realize they might be too fast. Since you confirmed for me that a local compounding pharmacy can crush tablets and make custom doses into capsules I think I’m more comfortable going that route. Thanks again! Kind regards!