[bewise93]

My pdoc says Zyprexa is one of the best, possibly THE best medication for bipolar. However, like most ppl, it makes me very hungry and gain weight. I take it as needed. I am prescribed Zyprexa Zydis, the dissolvable one you put under your tongue. It is nice for if I feel like I'm having a breakdown, feel very irritable, or very anxious. He thinks maybe I should take it daily, but I already take Seroquel and Risperdal. Is it bad to take long term?

I think it's strange that your pdoc wants you on 3 APs at the same time on a daily basis. Could you get a 2nd opinion? I'm just concerned that 3 APs is a lot, even though I'm not a doctor.

[Victoria'smom]

Zyprexa is a god send for me. I was on 15, then 10, then 20, now 5 but I'm taking the 5 prn. 5 is a low dose. I'd see if you can raise it higher and replace one or two of your other AP'so because it's suppose to be one of the most potent AP. Down side I gained 30 lbs.

Zyprexa is a very good antipsychotic for me. I would ask if you could use it to replace the risperdal and/or the seroquel

Originally Posted by spikes

Zyprexa is a very good antipsychotic for me. I would ask if you could use it to replace the risperdal and/or the seroquel

I second this.

I was once on three APs at the same time, and now one is sufficient, but at a higher dose. My side effects from my remaining AP (Seroquel XR) are minor. They are definitely ones I can live with considering its value to me.

Zyprexa happened to work great for me, too, but it not only caused me to gain weight rapidly, but gave me bad akathisia. That was a little rough. I remember a pdoc saying I should keep that in mind as an emergency medication. But I have read posts of people who have no or minimal side effects from Zyprexa. For them, if it works well, I can understand them taking it long-term.

Seroquel XR is only a little weight unfriendly for me, or sometimes even weight neutral. I've read people say they gained 100 lbs on it, but not me. I'm the same weight I was at a point before I ever even took bipolar (or hardly any) medications. That's just about 12 lbs overweight. And I'm in my mid 40s from a family of chunky people. I could certainly see myself taking Seroquel XR for the rest of my life. I've taken between 450 and 600 mg of it for around five or more years. Zyprexa could be the same for some people.

[Charixma]

Zyprexa made me also gain weight rapidly but has worked as one of the best antipsychotics for me. Keep in mind though, I have a history of hallucinations and delusions.
Unfortunately, I'm currently trying to get off my Zyprexa (last dose was Wednesday) and although my appetite has now returned to normal, I've become concerned that some psychotic symptoms may be appearing again.

AP's can be a wonderful drug but they can also be hell to get off of; I agree with the above comments, 3 AP's seems a tad excessive.

[BipolaRNurse]

Zyprexa is the glue that holds me together. I'm on a lot of meds but that one is the most effective IMHO. I'm on a low dose, but my pdoc is threatening to raise it if I don't start sleeping better and pulling myself out of this spring/summer hypomanic phase. It's probably time for a dose adjustment anyway; I've been stable on these meds for a couple of years but I think they're wearing out. I have been on Zyprexa for over four years and there's absolutely no indication that it's going away any time soon. I know docs don't like to leave people on multiple APs for long but it seems to be necessary for some of us.

[Unrigged64072835]

I was Zyprexa for over a year. It was great as long as I took care of the side effects. Unfortunately, I couldn't "take care" of the prolonged QT heart rhythm, so I had to come off.

I would express concern about being on 3 APs daily. But if that's what you need to do to stay stable, so be it.

[still_crazy]

hi. 3 tranquillizers/antipsychotics, all at the same time...could be tricksy. My personal approach was to work with the shrink to find one I did OK on (abilify at a somewhat higher than average dose, every day), and then one I could take as-needed (low dose risperidone). Each person is different, of course.

zyprexa...over the long haul...is 2nd only to clozapine for Schizophrenia. I don't know what the data indicates for Bipolar I and such. weight gain, diabetes, tardive dyskinesia, etc...these things happen.

have you ever tried an older tranquilizer? I'm pretty much stuck on Abilify, but a former shrink recommended amoxapine....its a tricyclic used for depression that doubles as a tranquilizer, at sufficient doses. I was too scared of taking a tricyclic to go for it, but...it might actually be "atypical," according to some experts. and then there's perphenazine, which isn't really atypical, but low to moderate doses can get the job done w/ fewer problems than haldol or thorazine and less metabolic issues than zyprexa. just a thought.

[SparkySmart]

My pdoc called in a script for Zyprexa 15 mg in May. I told him I was concerned about its weight impact, to which he responded, "That should be the least of your concerns." I just put the bottle in the medicine cabinet and haven't tried it yet. I'm always scared of how a new drug may make me feel (what if I bug out and run around town naked?); I'm worried about taking a new med that may be hard to discontinue later; I'm concerned that I might love how I feel on it and thus be tempted to abuse it; and obviously I'm afraid of gaining weight.

Oh...and Dr. A, if you're listening, don't tell me weight doesn't matter. It does. Also, Zyprexa is 26 times more expensive than Geodon, and that matters, too.

My post doesn't contribute in any way to this thread. I ought to delete it. I'm just venting. Sorry.