guile2: needing help on tapering olanzapine

[guile2]

Hi, I'm Guile, and need help on tapering olanzapine. I am interested in buying a scale but all the milligram ones on amazon seem to have bad reviews of people complaining they're not accurate for milligrams. 

Edited April 24, 2023 by manymoretodays
Guile2 to guile2 in title only

[ChessieCat]

Hi Guile and welcome to SA,

 

We have members here who are tapering using the Gemini 20 scale.  Brassmonkey, one of the senior moderators, used it for his entire taper, managing to weigh very small amounts.  I will provide some helpful links below.

 

Please create your drug signature, which will appear below every post you make.  This way we can see your entire drug history at a glance.  We need to see details of ALL drugs and supplements, dates and doses for the last 2 years, and anything prior to that, a summary.  Thank you.

 

In case you are not aware of it, SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

tips-for-tapering-off-zyprexa-olanzapine - please read all of Post #1 of this topic

 

using-a-scale-to-weigh-and-measure-doses

 

This is your own Introduction topic, which is the best place to ask questions about your own situation.  You can also journal your progress here.  This way your history will be in one place and you will not need to repeat your story.

 

Please update your drug signature with the date and dose whenever you make a change.

[JohnBanes]

Olanzapine can be a beast to taper, especially if you are among those that get severe, persistent insomnia as you withdraw.

 

You will need to shell out a few hundred bucks on a scale that picks up 0.01 or 0.001 grams.  If you are in the U.S., there are some good options on Test Equipment Depot (check out the Ohaus brand).

 

 

[guile2]

On 10/16/2021 at 8:12 PM, ChessieCat said:

Hi Guile and welcome to SA,

 

We have members here who are tapering using the Gemini 20 scale.  Brassmonkey, one of the senior moderators, used it for his entire taper, managing to weigh very small amounts.  I will provide some helpful links below.

 

Please create your drug signature, which will appear below every post you make.  This way we can see your entire drug history at a glance.  We need to see details of ALL drugs and supplements, dates and doses for the last 2 years, and anything prior to that, a summary.  Thank you.

 

In case you are not aware of it, SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose followed by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

tips-for-tapering-off-zyprexa-olanzapine - please read all of Post #1 of this topic

 

using-a-scale-to-weigh-and-measure-doses

 

This is your own Introduction topic, which is the best place to ask questions about your own situation.  You can also journal your progress here.  This way your history will be in one place and you will not need to repeat your story.

 

Please update your drug signature with the date and dose whenever you make a change.

Hi, I've looked at several forum posts about getting off zyprexa and the taper recommendation of 10% every month. So I went from 15mg zyprexa to 12.5 for a month then to 10mg for 3 months, then 7.5mg for a month, then 5mg for now a month and a little over a half. So far so good, I haven't ended up in the hospital. However, I'm at 5mg which is the lowest recommended dose right now, From the link you posted it says 80% of the neurotransmitters are still occupied at the lowest theureputic dose which is what I'm taking now. My plan is to reduce it to 2.5mg (after going 2 months at 5mg) then at 2.5mg reducing it to 1.25mg for a month or two and then to 0. I understand the recommendation is 10% each month but I had recurring psychotic episodes every 10 months or so and don't want to wait 10 months to get off this unnatural drug which has ruined my cognitive abilities and memory. Does anyone have any experience with zyprexa and highly suggest not doing my tapering plan? As long as I don't get psychosis or voices I think I can manage the withdrawal. I'm also doing other healthy things like eating tons of fruits/vegetables juicing so I believe my brain will be able to bounce back hopefully. (Edit: Also that dr glenmullens link doesn't open)

[ChessieCat]

On 10/18/2021 at 1:40 AM, JohnBanes said:

You will need to shell out a few hundred bucks on a scale that picks up 0.01 or 0.001 grams. 

 

This is NOT necessary.  Please see what I posted above, which I assume @JohnBanes you did not read.

 

On 10/17/2021 at 11:12 AM, ChessieCat said:

We have members here who are tapering using the Gemini 20 scale.  Brassmonkey, one of the senior moderators, used it for his entire taper, managing to weigh very small amounts. 

 

[ChessieCat]

 

10 hours ago, Guile said:

I understand the recommendation is 10% each month but I had recurring psychotic episodes every 10 months or so

 

This is the reason why SA recommends tapering by no more than 10% of the current dose. 

 

From Post#1 of tips-for-tapering-off-zyprexa-olanzapine:

 

 

On 2/8/2013 at 2:00 PM, Altostrata said:

Very careful tapering is necessary when you have had psychotic symptoms. Such symptoms can appear as withdrawal symptoms; that will cause you to become diagnosed as relapsed and re-medicated. Read Psychiatrist: Some patients are better off without antipsychotics...

 

There is detailed information in the tips topic about how to get non standard doses.

 

___________________________________________________

 

 

10 hours ago, Guile said:

lowest theureputic dose

 

This is an arbitrary term which pharmaceutical companies use.  SA prefers to use the term "lowest effective dose".

 

Arbitrary means:

 

Determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle.

Based on or subject to individual judgment or preference

___________________________________________________

 

10 hours ago, Guile said:

So I went from 15mg zyprexa to 12.5 for a month then to 10mg for 3 months, then 7.5mg for a month, then 5mg for now a month and a little over a half. So far so good, I haven't ended up in the hospital. However, I'm at 5mg which is the lowest recommended dose right now, From the link you posted it says 80% of the neurotransmitters are still occupied at the lowest theureputic dose which is what I'm taking now. My plan is to reduce it to 2.5mg (after going 2 months at 5mg) then at 2.5mg reducing it to 1.25mg for a month or two and then to 0.

It is good that you have been holding for longer than 1 months between reductions.  However reductions are getting larger and larger.  It would be much better to reduce by 10% or less every month than reducing by larger amounts and holding longer.

These are percentage reductions:

15 to 12.5     16.6667% decrease

12.5 to 10     20% decrease

10 to 7.5       25% decrease

7.5 to 5         33.3333% decrease

5 to 2.5         50% decrease

 

I suggest that do more research about how to get non standard doses.

If you continue tapering at your planned rate it might end up taking longer to get off the drug than if you had gone steadily reducing no more than 10% about every month.

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Guile We're very concerned about people who are taking antipsychotics and had prior symptoms identified as psychosis. We don't like to see those people successfully get down to low doses of the drugs but then end up in the hospital with either withdrawal symptoms or symptoms that look like psychosis, which can be evoked by withdrawal.

 

(See "supersensitivity psychosis" and Horowitz, M. A., Jauhar, S., Natesan, S., Murray, R. M., & Taylor, D. (2021). A Method for Tapering Antipsychotic Treatment That May Minimize the Risk of Relapse. Schizophrenia Bulletin, sbab017. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab017 )

 

This is why we urge people with this history to be extra-careful tapering. As you may know, once you've been identified as having psychosis, if you go back to the hospital willingly or unwillingly, you are likely to come out on a hefty drug cocktail you will hate even worse than your current drug cocktail. We do not like to see people on this drug merry-go-round.

 

You have been successful so far, there may have been a lot of overcapacity in your original antipsychotic dosage. At lower dosages, people have to be even more careful to very gradually sneak off. You need to allow your neurotransmitter receptors a good amount of time to re-adapt, or they could do the supersensitivity thing.

 

Please be more careful in your reductions. It sounds like you went from 15mg Zyprexa to 5mg in 5 months. As a matter of fact, if I were you, I'd stay at 5mg for several months, don't tempt the dragon.

 

How long it takes for you to minimize your dosage without evoking psychosis-like symptoms is nothing compared to what would happen if you were see to "relapse". That would be additional years of misery.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

 

[guile2]

11 hours ago, Altostrata said:

Hello, @Guile We're very concerned about people who are taking antipsychotics and had prior symptoms identified as psychosis. We don't like to see those people successfully get down to low doses of the drugs but then end up in the hospital with either withdrawal symptoms or symptoms that look like psychosis, which can be evoked by withdrawal.

 

(See "supersensitivity psychosis" and Horowitz, M. A., Jauhar, S., Natesan, S., Murray, R. M., & Taylor, D. (2021). A Method for Tapering Antipsychotic Treatment That May Minimize the Risk of Relapse. Schizophrenia Bulletin, sbab017. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab017 )

 

This is why we urge people with this history to be extra-careful tapering. As you may know, once you've been identified as having psychosis, if you go back to the hospital willingly or unwillingly, you are likely to come out on a hefty drug cocktail you will hate even worse than your current drug cocktail. We do not like to see people on this drug merry-go-round.

 

You have been successful so far, there may have been a lot of overcapacity in your original antipsychotic dosage. At lower dosages, people have to be even more careful to very gradually sneak off. You need to allow your neurotransmitter receptors a good amount of time to re-adapt, or they could do the supersensitivity thing.

 

Please be more careful in your reductions. It sounds like you went from 15mg Zyprexa to 5mg in 5 months. As a matter of fact, if I were you, I'd stay at 5mg for several months, don't tempt the dragon.

 

How long it takes for you to minimize your dosage without evoking psychosis-like symptoms is nothing compared to what would happen if you were see to "relapse". That would be additional years of misery.

 

To help us out, follow these instructions Please summarize your drug and withdrawal history in your signature You may need to use a computer to do this.

 

 

 

I updated my signiture. I totally understand where your coming from. The main problem I had with 10% reduction every month is that the pills are only 5mg to start with and are coated with something (slightly) and I'm not sure if the Gemini 20 scale which I ordered is going to be that accurate. So I guess my concerns about 10% each month is the inaccuracy of the scale and the amount of coating getting into my dose varying every single dose if I crush the pills. I was planning on reducing again at the end of this months pills because of being 2 months on 5mg, you recommend staying on 5mg for another month to make 3 months? 

[guile2]

Need advice Tapering Zyprexa(Olanzapine)

 

I've been on Zyprexa since 2016. 

 

I went from 15mg in March of this year to 12.5mg for April and 10mg for May June and July, then 7.5mg in August and have been on 5mg since September 1st until today (October 19th). 

 

I have had other attempts not tapering where I abruptly tried to quit cold turkey and had problems with that but the tapering I have been doing so far has been working as I haven't had any hospitalizations yet. 

 

I have had some advice from people on the invitations forums to taper 10% every month. I just purchased the Gemini -20 scale from Amazon (waiting for it in the mail). 

 

I've been on 5mg for 1 month and 19days. Should I wait for another month on 5mg or try 10% taper starting next month? I also was a bit concerned that the scale wouldn't be accurate enough and I would be getting slightly different doses every day if I powdered it because of the inaccuracy of the scale at the small amounts and the coating of the pills varying. (I was planning on reducing to 2.5mg starting next month and 1.25mg the next reduction then 0 but have been recently advised against that approach). I have had cognitive problems and a lack of memory that has recently just been coming back a little on 5mg. 

 

* Also I purchased some empty gelatin capsules on Amazon. I was thinking of putting the zyprexa powder dose in them so my body doesn't just absorb it in the mouth when I take it. But I am worried about the gelatin capsules not absorbing correclty, does anyone have experience with this and find it safe to use gelatin capsules?

 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by guile2
added topic title before merging with intro topic

[hayduke]

Hello @Guile.  Awful drug, please be super careful as they're saying above.

 

You may wish to read my intro thread in my signature below and also the dosage curve I took down to zero over the last several years.

 

Liquid suspension worked very well for me, while it sounds like more bother I reckon it's way less of a production than weighing out scales.

 

Cheers

[guile2]

Note:  Post mentioned below has been moved to Guile's Introduction topic.  Click on this link to go to it.  CC

 

I appreciate the advice. Please don't delete this thread so I can look over the advice in the future. However, I did post something new in the Tapering forum (now that I can). It hasn't been approved yet but I hope that it is alright to post it there and won't be seen as spamming. Let me know if it's not ok to post also in the tapering forum please. 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by guile2
added note

[ChessieCat]

 

9 hours ago, Guile said:

Need advice Tapering Zyprexa(Olanzapine)

 

I've been on Zyprexa since 2016. 

 

I went from 15mg in March of this year to 12.5mg for April and 10mg for May June and July, then 7.5mg in August and have been on 5mg since September 1st until today (October 19th). 

 

I have had other attempts not tapering where I abruptly tried to quit cold turkey and had problems with that but the tapering I have been doing so far has been working as I haven't had any hospitalizations yet. 

 

I have had some advice from people on the invitations forums to taper 10% every month. I just purchased the Gemini -20 scale from Amazon (waiting for it in the mail). 

 

I've been on 5mg for 1 month and 19days. Should I wait for another month on 5mg or try 10% taper starting next month? I also was a bit concerned that the scale wouldn't be accurate enough and I would be getting slightly different doses every day if I powdered it because of the inaccuracy of the scale at the small amounts and the coating of the pills varying. (I was planning on reducing to 2.5mg starting next month and 1.25mg the next reduction then 0 but have been recently advised against that approach). I have had cognitive problems and a lack of memory that has recently just been coming back a little on 5mg. 

 

* Also I purchased some empty gelatin capsules on Amazon. I was thinking of putting the zyprexa powder dose in them so my body doesn't just absorb it in the mouth when I take it. But I am worried about the gelatin capsules not absorbing correclty, does anyone have experience with this and find it safe to use gelatin capsules?

 

 

 

NOTE TO MODS:

 

Please read the above post.

 

This post was moved from elsewhere but has ended up before some other posts here in Guile's topic. 

 

Thank you.

[ChessieCat]

37 minutes ago, Guile said:

I appreciate the advice. Please don't delete this thread so I can look over the advice in the future. However, I did post something new in the Tapering forum (now that I can). It hasn't been approved yet but I hope that it is alright to post it there and won't be seen as spamming. Let me know if it's not ok to post also in the tapering forum please. 

 

Hi Guile,

 

The post you mention has been moved to this topic.

 

I will explain how SA works.  Each member has their own Introduction topic.  This is your Introduction topic.  It is the best place for you to ask questions about your own situation and where you can journal your progress.  It keeps your history in one place and means that you do not have to repeat your story.

 

Please do not create any new topics.  Post here in your Introduction topic.  The staff regularly check new posts made by members in the Introduction Forum.  Posts made elsewhere on the site may not be seen be staff straight away.

[Altostrata]

@Guile, I understand you have your reasons for going off olanzapine in the way you have planned, but the ultimate court is your own nervous system, not anyone here.

 

If you run into trouble, you could be in a state where you go to the emergency room or someone else causes you to be brought there. Whatever happens will be out of your hands, and it's likely to be an injection and polypharmacy.

 

This is why we urge *everyone* who had prior psychosis-like symptoms to be extra-careful while tapering from low doses of antipsychotics. You have been identified by the system, and the system can reach out for you again. But if you go off carefully, you can avoid this.

 

We're not going to delete your Intro topic, all the Intro topics are very valuable, as each shows how people progress this this process.

[guile2]

45 minutes ago, Altostrata said:

@Guile, I understand you have your reasons for going off olanzapine in the way you have planned, but the ultimate court is your own nervous system, not anyone here.

 

If you run into trouble, you could be in a state where you go to the emergency room or someone else causes you to be brought there. Whatever happens will be out of your hands, and it's likely to be an injection and polypharmacy.

 

This is why we urge *everyone* who had prior psychosis-like symptoms to be extra-careful while tapering from low doses of antipsychotics. You have been identified by the system, and the system can reach out for you again. But if you go off carefully, you can avoid this.

 

We're not going to delete your Intro topic, all the Intro topics are very valuable, as each shows how people progress this this process.

 

 

I understand. I am considering 10% every month. I'm hoping the gemini20 (or whatever it's called) can measure 10% doses of 5mg olanzapine pills accurately because else I feel it will be hard to accomplish 10% reductions. However, I think at this point I am going to try 10% most probably. My only question is whether I should stay on 5mg for another month (to make it 3 months total) or reduce it by 10% after the end of 2 months on 5mg. How fast I have reduced to 5mg can be seen in my signiture. 

[hayduke]

Mate I wouldn't budge downwards from 5mg inside of 6 months myself.  Your body has a lot to catch up on and may still be doing so then.  

 

Also, 5mg is probably adequate to suppress psychosis (or re emerging trauma or whatever) but below that you will need to be ready to deal with the underlying issues.

[guile2]

2 hours ago, hayduke said:

Mate I wouldn't budge downwards from 5mg inside of 6 months myself.  Your body has a lot to catch up on and may still be doing so then.  

 

Also, 5mg is probably adequate to suppress psychosis (or re emerging trauma or whatever) but below that you will need to be ready to deal with the underlying issues.

 

 

Well, I was experiencing thoughts in voices 2 days ago and it seems to be reemerging in the past few hours, I also felt a bit "weird" in the past few hours so I'm thinking I might stay on 5mg hopefully until these things go away or at least having 3 months under my belt. It's only been 1 month and 19 days so far. 

[hayduke]

I would consult a clinical psychologist about symptoms like that.  They may be wd related but also sounds like they predate your drugging.

 

A trauma informed one may be of particular value.

[Altostrata]

20 hours ago, Guile said:

My only question is whether I should stay on 5mg for another month (to make it 3 months total)

 

How are you feeling now? Any fallout from the last reduction? If not, you can make another reduction -- as you know, we recommend slowing down at this point.

 

Using a liquid to make these small reductions can be more precise and less work, but people do successfully dry-taper by weighing with the digital scale.

[guile2]

1 hour ago, Altostrata said:

 

How are you feeling now? Any fallout from the last reduction? If not, you can make another reduction -- as you know, we recommend slowing down at this point.

 

Using a liquid to make these small reductions can be more precise and less work, but people do successfully dry-taper by weighing with the digital scale.

Ok, so I'm a little concerned about Zyprexa reductions. I read the scientific articles posted that listed a graph for how much to reduce Zyprexa here: https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/47/4/1116/6178746

 

I have a bit of a problem with the idea of reduction into doses like 3.6mg and 2.0mg. Basically, the zyprexa pill is coated. This means that if I were to powder it and get a precise reading of 3.6mg I might get a different dose by .1 or .2mg because of the coating variance in my zyprexa powder every single time I weigh it (more coating in some doses, less coating in others). This means I might be taking .1mg or .2mg or something like that difference every single day which is not good at all for zyprexa because this medicine needs consistency or else I could end up with symptoms. On the other hand if I were to reduce to 2.5 from 5, I risk getting supersensitive withdrawal psychosis or even worse, my brain doesn't have enough time to fix itself correctly and so I end up with permanent voices or brain damage - this is all based on the graph in the article of how to reduce zyprexa at lower doses because lower doses make increasingly bigger differences in dopamine blockage. 

 

To answer your question of how my last reduction went. It went great actually but I was having some symptoms that went away after about 16 days and that showed up on the same day I got my new batch of 5mg pills, which really makes me feel like it could have been a variance in the batch even though it was the same dose. Then I had voices acting up but I ate some vitamin rich foods which I have found helped and the voices resolved themselves out for the most part.

[guile2]

What I am trying as part of my recovery (Juicing, Natural foods, Daily walks)

 

I noticed when I got off of Seroquel cold turkey in 2010 or so I went into a grocery store and purcahased something called "power greens" after eating a bit I felt completely normal for a bit, my mind was working normal and I thought wow, this helps. 

 

Fast-forward 10 years now I'm getting off of Zyprexa and I eat Power Greens every time I take my medicine and every time I hear voices. It's interesting that when I hear voices and take the power greens, soon after eating the power greens I feel perceive the voices as thoughts, which I am unable to do before eating the power greens. 

 

So I realized that power greens were helpful. After reducing Olanzapine, I noticed that eating organic vegetables and fruits would have some effect on my supposid "symptoms" which I believe are side effects of the medicine, and in fact now that i've reduced to 5mg and have almost no "symptoms", after having these "symptoms" for 5 years on the higher dose of medicine, the only thing I can conclude is that they were actually side effects of higher doses than 5mg of zyprexa. 

 

Starting in August of this year I decided to try a Keto diet, eating mainly only (mostly organic) fruits and vegetables and meat/cheese/milk/nuts/peanut butter and carbs 3 times a week (organic quanoa once, organic brown rice once, and organic baked sweet and regular potatoes once). This really worked for me in my opinion when reducing medicine and actually made me feel great. I started having a lot of energy from my diet and started walking about 9 miles a day. 

 

My dad got me into Juicing (I purchased a hamilton beach centrifigal juicer), and I purchase organic fruits/vegs/ginger/and turmeric roots, and I juice daily. I noticed that when I didn't juice for 4 days when having reduced meds, I started to have some symptoms, but then after juicing they went away, now I won't go a day without juicing because of the experience that when I juiced the symptoms went away (fresh organic vegetable/roots/and fruits juice). 

 

So not only was it a surprise to me that power greens helped me in 2010 think normally for a period after eating them after reducing Seroquel, then organic vegetable/fruit/and root juices got rid of symptoms soon after drinking, I also steam vegetables and drink the vegetable juice that makes me feel energized. 

 

I went for 5 years agonizing on obsessive thoughts and I decided to take a multivitamin beginning of August. First day taking it that 5 years of obsessing thoughts stuff got much better (this was after a reduction of medicine). 

 

Now, I eat power greens every time I take my medicine (5mg zyprexa), and I eat steamed vegetables once a day with drinking the water, juice organic vegetables/fruits/roots once a day (now thinking its better to juice less once and do it twice a day).  And I take a multivitamin called "Mykind Organics" which is a multivitamin that is from whole organic foods. I also take a suppliment called Lions Mane when I remember to. 

 

Since I have changed my diet recently away from Keto and become more vegetarian except for eating small amounts of fish 3 times a week, I feel like the vegetables and fruits help my withdrawal symptoms quite a bit and a good multivitamin. From personal experience combatting onset of voices with eating power greens, multivatin (I started with a mens multi from CVS) that helped me lose the symptom of obsessing over thoughts that I had for 5 years on higher doses of Zyprexa, and the organic fruit/vegetable/root juice that got rid of symptoms (too personal to talk about) after 4 days of not juicing and thought I would end up in the hospital. 

 

This aggressive mostly organic fresh vegetable/fruit/root diet is full of vitamins which I am hoping the brain can use when withdrawing from zyprexa. 

 

I'm not sure if this totally works, but I feel it helps, and I'm hoping it helps, and I thought I would share it as an experimental thing. My philosophy is that health doesn't make sense to pop a small pill daily and then feed your body garbage nonstop for 30 days and expect good things to happen. In fact I am more inclined to think that feeding yourself the best natural foods possible would be a positive step. And like I said I'm hoping it works during my withdrawal. 

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by ChessieCat

[guile2]

For some reason I can't edit my last topic. But I wanted to ask if I crush the pills to get the desired dosage, will gelatin capsules work to take them in? I don't want to put the powder in my mouth as I think it's absorbed too efficiently there. But am worried that the empty gelatin capsules I got from amazon might not absorb correctly in the stomach? I heard some people say on certain vitamin pills that they noticed it in their stool and it didn't digest. Anyone have experience with gelatin capsules? Are they decent for zyprexa powder?

[hayduke]

@Guile how about a look at https://open-dialogue.net/ for finding someone to assist with your psychotic symptoms.

 

I would not proceed with any cuts until you have these settled, and it sounds like these symptoms may be one of the brakes on your taper rate along with sleep etc.

 

I can't advise on making powders but understand the contents of these tablets are fairly homogenous and the filler is usually fairly evenly mixed.

 

Again liquid suspension worked well for me.

 

[Altostrata]

Good advice from @hayduke

 

Yes, you can put the powder in an empty capsule to take your dose.

[guile2]

15 minutes ago, hayduke said:

@Guile how about a look at https://open-dialogue.net/ for finding someone to assist with your psychotic symptoms.

 

I would not proceed with any cuts until you have these settled, and it sounds like these symptoms may be one of the brakes on your taper rate along with sleep etc.

 

I can't advise on making powders but understand the contents of these tablets are fairly homogenous and the filler is usually fairly evenly mixed.

 

Again liquid suspension worked well for me.

 

I'm actually not having any psychotic symptoms at the moment. The psychotic symptoms historically have been in episodes spaced out sometimes 9-10 months apart with being totally off all drugs during that time period and being utterly and totally mental illness free. And I know what that's like because I got diagnosed at 24 years old and lived my life without any "mental illness" until that time. The fact that 1 in 5 Americans have a mental illness diagnosis doesn't make me feel that i'm super special. 

[hayduke]

@Guile that's good.  Still I think you will need to be ready to deal with this especially below 5mg.

 

 

 

[hayduke]

OK.  I would strongly suggest planning for this contingency during your taper in any case.

 

At the very least it will be one less thing to worry about.

[guile2]

15 minutes ago, hayduke said:

OK.  I would strongly suggest planning for this contingency during your taper in any case.

 

At the very least it will be one less thing to worry about.

Is there a way to private message? I feel like my messages are not always correct for every viewer. 

[hayduke]

Yes, but at this stage I advise taking a few days and reviewing all the info we've given you here, plus researching what others in comparable situations to yours have done and processing all that. There is bulk wisdom to avail yourself of on the site.  It will help you join the conversation better and help you cater to your own needs.

 

Of course we will try and respond to questions if you're in need, but I have RSI and hate repeating myself 🙂  Everyone here is a volunteer eh.  Cheers

 

[guile2]

So I wanted to add: 

 

- Taking organic power greens after cold turkey 800mg of seroquel made me think normally soon afterwards after not thinking normally at all. 

- Drinking organic vegetable/root(organic ginger and turmeric roots)/fruit juice recently after 4 days of not doing so got rid of withdrawal symptoms

- Eating a variety of organic steamed vegetables with their juice made my feelings of withdrawal disappear one day

- Taking a multivitamin (CVS mens 40+. Also took a max strength probiotic starting at the same time for 2 months but discontinued because don't believe in probiotics anymore) for the first time in August after reducing from 7.5mg of olanzapine to 5mg of olanzapine made obsesssing thoughts be much much less after suffering for 4.5 years with it. (Now I take Garden of Life Mykind, which is an organic multivitamin - not sure if it works as well as the CVS multi)

 

All of these ideas are experimental, I'm not saying they work for anyone else, but for me these are my experiences with it. 

 

I also switched to a vegetarian diet except for cheese/eggs/ (I eat fish every so often). I was having heart issues after 2 months eating too much meat. I much prefer this mostly vegetarian diet. 

 

 

What I eat every day when I take my Pill (makes me feel tingly with energy when I eat it every single time)

 

The MultiVitamin I take when I remember to (not sure if it works. But I do know the CVS multi mens 40+ worked for me the same day to help with obsessive thoughts I had had for 4.5 years)

 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Easy-Clean-Juice-Extractor-800-Watts-Model-67735/809504798?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=943&adid=22222222237809504798_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-293946777986&wl5=9011791&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=809504798&wl13=943&veh=sem_LIA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7mHKrZ4WG-4dSBbDZl32HF_hqc4gMK8AnWCTeFHqYQs5U0RPuGAPU4aAj3BEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds 

 

The Juicer link I recommend from Walmart. What I found helped my withdrawal symptoms after drinking was (Organic carrots,organic ginger root, organic turmeric root, some organic cucumber, 1 organic orange juiced with the peel, 1 organic beet, 2 pieces of organic celery), Because that helped with withdrawal symptoms, what I juice daily is (half an organic beet, half an organic orange with the peel, a bit of organic cucumber, two pieces of organic celery, some organic ginger root, some organic turmeric root, organic carrots). 

 

Obviously if you can't afford organic, I still recommend getting nonorganic vegetables to deal with withdrawal. I don't buy all my vegetables organic but I do insist that the power greens be organic since they are the things that made me feel normal in 2010 after cold turkeying 800mg of seroquel. 

 

This is all experimental stuff. I'm not saying it works for anyone else. 

 

Obviously this stuff probably won't do much of anything if you're doing something like taking different doses of medicine every day. I defer to the admins of this site on how to taper correctly. 

[hayduke]

Spinach is full of magnesium, which is typically very helpful during wds.  You can supplement it further with epsom salts baths or topical body sprays from the chemists.

 

Fish oil is a source of omega 3 which is also typically a big help.  I get my omega 3 from hemp protein powder.

 

It is good to find natural sources for these things and eat well.

[guile2]

Guile1 here, withdrawing from Olanzapine (update on progress)

 

Hi, 

 

I've been withdrawing from Olanzapine. I am now on 3.715mg of Olanzapine for the past month and will be continuing at this dose for another 20 or so days. 

 

One of the things that has helped me immensely with my withdrawal symptoms is juicing organic vegetables daily. My combination is (all organic) 1 Orange juiced with the peel, 1/3rd of a cucumber, a little bit of fresh turmeric root, a little bit of fresh ginger root, 2 sticks of celery, half a beet, and a few carrots. 

 

I went from 5mg to 3.715mg and I've come through hell of withdrawel, but most times when I felt like the symptoms/side effects were getting out of hand I juiced this combination and the symptoms got a lot less or went away completely for a while. 

 

(I'm going to be adding Kale to my juice mix as of today). 

 

This is my juicer, it's pretty inexpensive. 

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hamilton-Beach-Easy-Clean-Juice-Extractor-800-Watts-Model-67735/809504798?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=943&adid=22222222237809504798_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-293946777986&wl5=9011791&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=809504798&wl13=943&veh=sem_LIA&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlOmLBhCHARIsAGiJg7mHKrZ4WG-4dSBbDZl32HF_hqc4gMK8AnWCTeFHqYQs5U0RPuGAPU4aAj3BEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by ChessieCat
added topic title before merging with intro topic

[guile2]

my daily juicing recipe. Organic -  (half a beet, 1 orange with peel, kale, 1/3rd a cucumber, some carrots, 2 sticks celery, turmeric root, ginger root). 

 

 

 

 

[guile2]

Ok guys, wish me luck on my Olanzapine taper I did today. I really hope this goes well. 

 

The guide I read said 3.6mg to 2.7mg is the next jump. I was on 3.715mg and got it close to 2.7mg but it's 2.688mg instead (not too different).

 

I was going to go for another 20 days on 3.715mg but the new batch of pills I got weighed a little different than the old batch which would have just made me go on a different dose for 20 days and then I would have had to at least finish the 30 days because I won't go under 30 days on different doses because that's the mistake I made before and a Doctor told me if I get off Olanzapine not to change the dose under 1 month. I didn't want to have to go another full 30 days. So I've made this taper choice today, hopefully everything works out and I don't end up in the Hospital over this change. This last months taper has been pretty difficult and I'm only just coming through it. For some reason 2.5 to 4 weeks of Olanzapine is the worst withdrawal time (but I feel I might have stabalized since my last dose reduction). My plan on the next reduction is in 1 month again and I'll be reducing it by what the guide says from 2.7mg to 2.0mg. Honestly I can plan this but it's really just up in the air what happens to me in the next month. I hope I didn't make the wrong decision. Crossing my fingers on this one. 

[ChessieCat]

9 minutes ago, Guile1 said:

This last months taper has been pretty difficult and I'm only just coming through it.

 

The previous reduction was from 5mg to 3.715mg, 25.7% decrease

 

It is better to hold on a dose for longer than risk reducing too quickly.

 

I am very concerned that you are trying to go too fast.

 

1 minute ago, Guile1 said:

The guide I read said 3.6mg to 2.7mg is the next jump. I was on 3.715mg and got it close to 2.7mg but it's 2.688mg instead (not too different).

 

Q:  What guide are you following?

 

Reducing from 3.715mg to 2.7mg is a huge reduction.  More than 27%.  To be exact:  27.3217% decrease

 

SA's recommended tapering protocol is to reduce by no more than 10% following by a hold of about 4 weeks to allow the brain to adapt to not getting as much of the drug.

 

The nifty calculator that I use:  percentage-decrease-calculator

 

From Post #1 of the Tips for Tapering Olanzapine topic:

 

On 2/8/2013 at 2:00 PM, Altostrata said:

To minimize the risk of withdrawal symptoms, we recommend a conservative taper of 10% from the previous dosage every few weeks. The amount of the decrease keeps getting smaller. Some people find they can go faster and some people find they have to go slower -- they can only tolerate decreases of a fraction of a milligram at a time. See Why taper by 10% of my dosage?
 
Very careful tapering is necessary when you have had psychotic symptoms. Such symptoms can appear as withdrawal symptoms; that will cause you to become diagnosed as relapsed and re-medicated. Read Psychiatrist: Some patients are better off without antipsychotics...

 

 

[guile2]

Ok, I read this guide and there is table in it on Olanzapine which suggests 3.6mg to 2.7mg https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/article/47/4/1116/6178746