[deelooted]

Anyone else on olanzapine for bipolar maintenance? If so, how much?

I am currently on 5mg in the morning, and 10mg at night, and I am already feeling a difference after only 3 days It mellows me out pretty good, as I am predisposed to mania more so than depression. My paranoia, my agitation, my irritability, and even my thoughts over all are much more calmer.

NO more giving people the number 1 sign while driving (thank you, Jackie Chan!), much less road rage in general, and no more thoughts of over-turning the shopping cart of the nosy-lady-that-stares-at-me-too-much, and slinging her goods across the store

Hope it gets better, still lots of room for improvement.

Thank you for sharing, I look forward to your stories

[BipolaRNurse]

Zyprexa is my favorite of all the bipolar drugs I've been on. It brought me out of a really nasty manic episode last summer within 2-3 days, and kept me mellow without turning me into a zombie. I stayed on it throughout the summer and into the fall.

Unfortunately, it also put about 25 lbs. on me within a few weeks and sent my blood sugars spiraling out of control, so I had to come off of it. This may not happen to you, especially if you're not diabetic or obese to start with, but it does to a lot of people on antipsychotics.

I have to take an AP for maintenance too, fortunately the one I'm on now is weight-neutral and my blood sugars have stabilized. Wishing you luck with the olanzapine, that you don't gain weight or have other side effects.

[deelooted]

Thank you for the insight, BPnurse... my run on Risperidone put on 11 pounds in one month, but it mostly came off when I stopped. I really hope that Zyprexa does not do the same, as this is the first med that has worked on my mania

[deelooted]

Update- I have gained about 12 pounds since starting the Zyprexa a month ago, but I have also been extremely stable as compared with anything else I have taken. I was very thin to begin with because of my mania and depression, so putting on this weight has been good for me everyone is commenting on how I look so much better!

I also stopped exercise due to laziness, so I will try to start up again very soon. Still trying to get out of my unmotivated, empty, and depressed mood with ADs for a few weeks, hopefully will clear soon.

["Tilly may"]

my sister gained a tonne on olanzapine, so then she stopped taking it and now is in denial that she ever had a mental illness. it worked for her though and she was stable on it. not so much now, no not so much ...

[deelooted]

Originally Posted by "Tilly may"

my sister gained a tonne on olanzapine, so then she stopped taking it and now is in denial that she ever had a mental illness. it worked for her though and she was stable on it. not so much now, no not so much ...

So sorry Tilly, I know that it is hard to accept our illnesses, and I actually started a thread on it. I imagine that I will continue to gain weight, so I plan on starting an exercise regime to keep the weight gain to a minimum. But again, the stability it has brought me far outweighs (pun intended!) the weight gain, so on it I shall stay