MattZ: Coming off Olanzapine 5mg

[MattZ]

I’ve only been on Olanzapine at 5 mg for a month. I’ve been on a ton of meds over the past eight months and I’m just trying to let my brain settle. How soon can I come off this drug I’ve heard it’s difficult.

[ChessieCat]

Hello Matt and welcome to SA,

 

We need to know more about the other drugs you have been taking in the past and how you got off them as well as the date and the last dose you took.

 

Please create your drug signature.  We need details for the last 2 years (drug name, dose, and date of dose change) as well as any supplements.  Anything older than 2 years can just be a summary.

 

Please remember to update your drug signature whenever you make a change so that it remains current.  Thank you.

 

Please see these instructions.

 

Instructions:  Withdrawal History Signature

 

As well as creating your signature, please tell us in a post what you experienced going on and off the other drugs.  Also tell us how you feel on olanzapine.  What symptoms are you currently having?  How is your sleep?

 

Once we have more information about your drug history we will be better able to make suggestions about how and when to start tapering olanzapine.

 

This is your own Introduction topic.  Each member has only one Introduction topic and it is the best place to ask questions specific to your own situation and journal your progress.  This way your history will all be in one place and you will not need to repeat your story. 

 

 

[MattZ]

Looking for advice for withdrawing from Olanzapine 5mg. Only been on it for a month and I’m not sure how fast to get off of it.

[ChessieCat]

I have moved the second post you made to your Introduction topic.  Andy, whose topic you posted in, has not been online since April 2019.

 

Please respond to my requests above so that we can provide further information.

[MattZ]

I’ve been on olanzapine 5mg for one month following a psychotic break that happened a few months ago. I seem level and under control but I do not want to continue taking this. I’m already down to 2.5 with no problem. Wondering how to proceed only having taken this for a month.

[Kiasofia]

Hi @MattZ

I merged your post with your introduction topic. Keep posting here, only, and respond to ChessieCat's request so we can offer appropriate advice. Also update your signature so it shows what date you started olanzapine 5mg and the date you began taking 2.5 mg.

 

15 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

please tell us in a post what you experienced going on and off the other drugs.  Also tell us how you feel on olanzapine.  What symptoms are you currently having?  How is your sleep?

 

Once we have more information about your drug history we will be better able to make suggestions about how and when to start tapering olanzapine.

 

This is your own Introduction topic.  Each member has only one Introduction topic and it is the best place to ask questions specific to your own situation and journal your progress.  This way your history will all be in one place and you will not need to repeat your story. 

 

 

[MattZ]

I edited my signature. Im not sure what else to put. I feel extremely depressed with lack of emotion and positive feeling. All I’ve experienced so far dropping down to 2.5 is a slight headache and increase in depression

[ChessieCat]

Thank you for creating your drug signature.

 

3 hours ago, MattZ said:

I feel extremely depressed with lack of emotion and positive feeling.

 

When did this feeling start related to when you started olanzapine?

 

19 hours ago, ChessieCat said:

 

please tell us in a post what you experienced going on and off the other drugs.  ... 

 

How is your sleep?

 

 

Please provide the requested information and answer my question about your sleep.  Thank you.

[ChessieCat]

From your signature:

 

2012 Zoloft 25mg CT    HOW LONG?

2017 Zoloft 25mg CT    HOW LONG?

2019-2020 Zoloft 50mg 1 week taper to 25mg then to 0mg  HOW LONG?

2021 September-October Olanzapine 5mg [five day taper to 2.5] current dose

 

Please add the length of time you were taking the Zoloft.  AND the date you started olanzapine and the date you reduced to 2.5mg.

 

And as requested above please write a post telling us about what symptoms you experienced starting the Zoloft, whilst taking the drug and also how you felt after you CTed the drug.  How did you feel between stopping Zoloft in 2012 and restarting it in 2017?

 

One of the reasons I am asking about this is because we need to know if you had possibly had a bad reaction to Zoloft.  That is why we need to know how long you were taking it each time and why you stopped it.

 

For example, 2019-2020 Zoloft 50mg could mean that you were taking it for 2 full years, but if you started it at the end of December 2019 and stopped at the beginning of January 2020, then you might have only been taking it for 2 weeks.  Big difference in the amount of time on the drug.

 

Going on and off psychiatric drugs can have a cumulative effect.  That any destabilisation of the nervous system caused by each CT and fast taper adds up.  You might be okay doing it a few times, but then the next time you try to stop a drug too quickly might cause big issues.  This will figure into how fast you might be able to get off the olanzapine.  It can take as little as 1 month for the brain to fully adapt to getting a psychiatric drug.  You have been on olanzapine for at least 1 month.

 

Please provide the information I have requested.  I will let the other staff know that you need assistance.  If you can provide the additional information ASAP it will allow them to offer suggestions about reducing the olanzapine sooner rather than later.

[MattZ]

I had a “psychotic break” after abrupt discontinued use of Zoloft. I don’t think I had any hallucinations or delusions so it may have been a misdiagnosis. I have struggled with symptoms of anhedonia, apathy, lack of interest in everything I used to like. Since getting on the olanzapine I felt more clear but zombified feelings have persisted. With that I have gotten memory problems and sensory issues in large crowds and cognitive issues. It’s hard to stay focused on tasks.

[ChessieCat]

7 minutes ago, MattZ said:

I had a “psychotic break” after abrupt discontinued use of Zoloft.

 

Please carefully read what I have posted below.  To make it easier and ensure that you answer each question, please answer them in the order given below.  Thank you. 

 

Please describe what happened.  The label of "psychotic break" is not very helpful.  We need to know the symptoms.  What did you experienced?

 

How long after you stopped the Zoloft did this happen?

 

Did it happen on the 3 times that you stopped the Zoloft?  If not every time, which times (ie 1st, 2nd, 3rd time)?

 

Do you know why you were put on Zoloft at 12 years old?  If yes, please tell us why.

 

How did you feel when you were taking Zoloft?

 

What was the reason you stopped taking the Zoloft each time?

[MattZ]

Sorry if I’m not putting in all the information. It’s just hard to put all this into words. The psychotic break or so it was labeled happened about a month after discontinued use of Zoloft 50mg. I never saw any hallucinations or had delusions I just felt detached from reality is how I would describe it. Not able to connect well with others and just feeling unbearably alone most days. It did not happen the first two times I took Zoloft because I only used them for a very short period of time before quitting them. I was put on Zoloft at 12 because I had a bout of depression and it was the only thing my mom could think to do to help me. The first two times I took Zoloft it pulled me out of the depression quick and I didn’t notice any adverse side effects. I jumped off because my depression was cured so I felt I didn’t need them. The last time I took it for a period of seven months I felt no anxiety everything was always just fine and I became complacent. I quit after I realized my libido was completely wiped out. I was never warned of the side effects of these drugs so I got scared and jumped off abruptly. My life has been hell with impatient stays and trying to recover from the mess that all that created.

[ChessieCat]

 

Thank you very much for providing the additional information.  It is very helpful.

 

2 minutes ago, MattZ said:

The psychotic break or so it was labeled happened about a month after discontinued use of Zoloft 50mg. I never saw any hallucinations or had delusions I just felt detached from reality is how I would describe it. Not able to connect well with others and just feeling unbearably alone most days.

 

What you experienced were withdrawal symptoms, and not a psychotic break.  Those particular symptoms are very common withdrawal symptoms and a lot of SA members have had or do have them.

 

As I said previously it can take as little as 1 month for the brain to fully adapt to getting the drug.  That is why you had no, or few, issues getting off the first 2 times because you were only on it for about 1 month each time.  The 3rd time you had been on for 7 months plus it was a higher dose and then got off too quickly.

 

See this list of possible withdrawal symptoms.  They are many and varied and you might have experienced some symptoms that you did not attribute to going off the Zoloft.  When I reduced my Pristiq from 100mg to 50mg, I had an upset stomach for a few days and just thought I had a tummy bug or had eaten something that caused it.  It wasn't until I joined SA and learned about antidepressant withdrawal symptoms that I made the connection that it was because I had reduced my dose.

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

32 minutes ago, MattZ said:

Since getting on the olanzapine I felt more clear but zombified feelings have persisted. With that I have gotten memory problems and sensory issues in large crowds and cognitive issues. It’s hard to stay focused on tasks.

 

2021 September-October Olanzapine 5mg [five day taper to 2.5] current dose

 

Please add the DATES to your drug signature.  The information in the drug signature is very important for the staff.  It allows us to see your drug history AT A GLANCE and means that we do not have to read back through your posts to see if the information is there, so it saves time.  It also means that there is less chance of a mistake/misread/misinterpretation.  Thank you.

 

(You may have already answered these but please repeat for me; the answers will be grouped in one post about your current drug - thanks, I appreciate your patience).

 

Q:  Why do you want to get off the olanzapine?  For example:  side effects, not helping?

 

Q:  How did you feel when taking 5mg olanzapine?

 

Q:  What symptoms happened after you reduced to 2.5mg olanzapine?

 

Q:  How is your sleep?

[MattZ]

I want to get off olanzapine because I feel like it’s not helping and makes me feel worse. I felt slightly more clear while taking the olanzapine but I feel it’s affecting my balance and memory. I have headaches and dizziness from coming down to 2.5 not much else. My sleep appears to be okay not changing. As for the exact dates of the drugs the only one I know is the olanzapine. The rest I didn’t keep close record of.

[ChessieCat]

19 minutes ago, MattZ said:

As for the exact dates of the drugs the only one I know is the olanzapine. The rest I didn’t keep close record of.

 

That's okay.  You put the length of time in your drug signature which is helpful.  And they were quite a while ago so not really necessary.

 

As requested before, please put the date you started olanzapine and the date for when you changed to 5mg in your drug signature.  As explained before the staff need to be able to see this information at a glance.  It saves us a lot of time.  Thank you.

 

22 minutes ago, MattZ said:

I have headaches and dizziness from coming down to 2.5 not much else.

 

These sound like withdrawal symptoms because it happened after the reduction.  It means that you reduced your dose by too much.  Are you are to live with the current symptoms?  If not then you might consider a small dose increase of the olanzapine.  I suggest that you do not go back to 5mg.  Your brain will already have made some adjustments and taking 5mg might be too much.

 

Please read Post #1 of this topic (most of it applies to updosing as well as reinstatement).

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

SA generally 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.  You made a 50% reduction.  Because you have been on the olanzapine for only about 1 month you might be okay going faster than the 10% reduction.  If you do want to updose my suggestion would be  to take 3.75mg, or a 25% reduction of the original 5mg.  You would then stay on that dose until the withdrawal symptoms subside and then you could try another 25% (or less) reduction.

 

Post #1 of this topic explains how to get non standard doses of your drug:

 

Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)

 

 

25 minutes ago, MattZ said:

My sleep appears to be okay not changing

 

This is good news.

 

 

Please read the information in the links provided.

 

Please continue to let us know how you are and what you decide to do regarding updose.  And also update your drug signature with the date and the dose for the reinstatement if you decide to do that.  Thank you.

 

 

 

[Altostrata]

3 hours ago, MattZ said:

I had a “psychotic break” after abrupt discontinued use of Zoloft. I don’t think I had any hallucinations or delusions so it may have been a misdiagnosis. I have struggled with symptoms of anhedonia, apathy, lack of interest in everything I used to like. Since getting on the olanzapine I felt more clear but zombified feelings have persisted. With that I have gotten memory problems and sensory issues in large crowds and cognitive issues. It’s hard to stay focused on tasks.

 

Hello, @MattZ This does sound like withdrawal effects from your going off Zoloft. What were your symptoms at the time?

 

"I have struggled with symptoms of anhedonia, apathy, lack of interest in everything I used to like." This is a very good description about the way many members feel after they go off psychiatric drugs. It is a post-drug effect that tends to slowly fade over time.

 

After you'd been on the olanzapine a bit, you might have felt better from the withdrawal symptoms simply because they settled down some. 

 

Your signature says you reinstated 3.75mg olanzapine. You tried to go off 5mg and got withdrawal from that? How long did that last? How long have you been taking 3.75mg olanzapine this time around?

 

Did the olanzapine withdrawal symptoms go away? If not, you may wish to stay on 3.75mg olanzapine until they do, then start tapering. Here's the relevant topic Tips for tapering off olanzapine (Zyprexa)

 

How's your sleep? Quite often, people with Zoloft withdrawal syndrome have insomnia. It's possible the olanzapine is helping you sleep, so you'll want to be extra-careful in tapering.

 

[ChessieCat]

Hello Matt,

 

Are you now taking 3.75mg olanzapine? 

 

How many doses/days of 3.75mg have you taken?

 

Are you feeling any improvement in your symptoms?