Olanzapine (the world's favourite anti-psychotic drug) wiki article

As with all neuroleptic drugs, olanzapine can cause tardive dyskinesia and rare, but life-threatening, neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Some also associate all antipsychotics with permanent brain damage.[23]
Other recognised side effects may include:
akathisia; inability to remain still (restlessness)[24]
dry mouth
dizziness
irritability
sedation
insomnia
constipation
urinary retention
orthostatic hypotension
weight gain
increased appetite
runny nose
impaired judgment, thinking, and motor skills
impaired spatial orientation
impaired responses to senses
seizures
trouble swallowing
dental problems and discoloration of teeth
missed periods
problems with keeping body temperature regulated
apathy, lack of emotion
Endocrine side effects have included hyperprolactinemia, hyperglycemia, and diabetes mellitus
Brain Zaps
Auditory Hallucinations[25]

my bold: http://books.google.fi/books?id=hBd0V7Ex8PUC&lpg=PR11&dq=neuroleptics%20withdrawal%20death&pg=PA85#v=onepage&q=neuroleptics%20withdrawal%20death&f=false

After exposure, researchers found an 8% to 11% reduction in brain weight.

So basically olanzapine = palatable labotomy.

Juliuseizure wrote:

Other recognised side effects may include:
...
Auditory Hallucinations[25]

That's ironic - one would think antipsychotic meds ought to decrease auditory hallucinations.

Im interested in the reason you ask.

Mostly 'cos i'm on 'em! 5mg olanzapine per day what what - I just decided to reduce my dose to 2.5 mg actually. I notice myself slurring my speech recently and I just completed an evening of dopey dinner party conversation. Scumbag? No. Mong? TBC

Juliuseizure wrote:Mostly 'cos i'm on 'em! 5mg olanzapine per day what what - I just decided to reduce my dose to 2.5 mg actually. I notice myself slurring my speech recently and I just completed an evening of dopey dinner party conversation. Scumbag? No. Mong? TBC

Does your doctor know you have reduced your dose?

Not yet. I'm going to make an appointment - tomorrow. They can't argue, they won't, I know what they'll say and decided to drop the dose but yeah I should check.

Juliuseizure wrote:Not yet. I'm going to make an appointment - tomorrow. They can't argue, they won't, I know what they'll say and decided to drop the dose but yeah I should check.

I hope you do inform them. I'm sure there's a good reason for their prescribing the dose they did.

Juliuseizure wrote:Mostly 'cos i'm on 'em! 5mg olanzapine per day what what - I just decided to reduce my dose to 2.5 mg actually. I notice myself slurring my speech recently and I just completed an evening of dopey dinner party conversation. Scumbag? No. Mong? TBC

Ya, anti-pyschotics are a bitch. Avoid them to the extent you can. And try to find the underlying etiology of your problem. When I was in my twenties, I had all sorts of issues and had myself put on all sorts of meds (anti-anxiety, anti-pyschotic, anti-depressive, anti-bipoloar). It turned out that I had a latent mitochondrial disease -- and that all these Meds, while controlling some symptoms, were exasperating it. Now, in my early thirties, I just take nootropics and metabolic enhancers and avoid stress.

As for the brain shrinking, the pathways could run from meds -- > shrinkage --> dimmed thinking or meds --> dimmed thinking --> shrinkage. The latter would mean that you're not exercising your brain due to the meds; the former, that your are destroying it. Presumably, the latter isn't as bad.

This is what I feared. No surprise the psychiatrists don't mention these effects - they've a hard enough time getting their patients to take the meds where there are few appreciable side effects.

The psychotic episodes I had, which resulted In my being prescribed olanzapine, also came about when under stress - "acute stress reaction" was one diagnosis. Avoiding stress by ensuring regular sleep patterns and avoiding alcohol binging might solve 90% of the problems. It seems risky to stop taking the meds though completely at this stage...I can just see my imagination running away with itself again and I'd hate to end up being sectioned, or something worse could happen - I might commit a crime whilst visiting cloud cuckoo land; what then?

As for identifying the underlying etiology, unfortunately that goes back to an experience with hallucinogenic drugs about a decade ago - I woke up the following day and everything was different; it's just stayed like that ever since; always within touching distance of the dream/imagination world and so never fully awake. No treatment has bee suggested for that problem although I am quite "used" to it now at least. Magic mushrooms - fucked me right up, and yet they're touted as being one of the safest of recreational drugs. The fact I slept very shortly after taking them could well have caused the problem - I slept and dreamt while tripping and so I could never properly wake up afterwards. Quite tragic really - I wouldn't wish it on anybody TBH.

Juliuseizure wrote:This is what I feared. No surprise the psychiatrists don't mention these effects - they've a hard enough time getting their patients to take the meds where there are few appreciable side effects.

The psychotic episodes I had, which resulted In my being prescribed olanzapine, also came about when under stress - "acute stress reaction" was one diagnosis. Avoiding stress by ensuring regular sleep patterns and avoiding alcohol binging might solve 90% of the problems. It seems risky to stop taking the meds though completely at this stage...I can just see my imagination running away with itself again and I'd hate to end up being sectioned, or something worse could happen - I might commit a crime whilst visiting cloud cuckoo land; what then?

As for identifying the underlying etiology, unfortunately that goes back to an experience with hallucinogenic drugs about a decade ago - I woke up the following day and everything was different; it's just stayed like that ever since; always within touching distance of the dream/imagination world and so never fully awake. No treatment has bee suggested for that problem although I am quite "used" to it now at least. Magic mushrooms - fucked me right up, and yet they're touted as being one of the safest of recreational drugs. The fact I slept very shortly after taking them could well have caused the problem - I slept and dreamt while tripping and so I could never properly wake up afterwards. Quite tragic really - I wouldn't wish it on anybody TBH.

Did you contact your doctor? I hope everything goes well for you. Just remember, these people have your best interests at heart. It may not seem that way sometimes, but they do.

I can't believe they keep shooting me in the butt with that stuff! Boy, am I going to let the medical community have it for what they might have done to my genius brain.

james1v wrote:

Did you contact your doctor? I hope everything goes well for you. Just remember, these people have your best interests at heart. It may not seem that way sometimes, but they do.

How come I'm thinking you're a doctor?

As a certified psychopath who has refused all of these meds - cause they are fricking dangerous - I'll be the Adversary. It is good advice you offer, but what is known about the mind always seems to be less than what is unknown; and preservation of the functioning of the self with consistent identity is the goal of recovery.

I mighta done it by will alone.

houseofcantor wrote:

james1v wrote:

Did you contact your doctor? I hope everything goes well for you. Just remember, these people have your best interests at heart. It may not seem that way sometimes, but they do.

How come I'm thinking you're a doctor?

As a certified psychopath who has refused all of these meds - cause they are fricking dangerous - I'll be the Adversary. It is good advice you offer, but what is known about the mind always seems to be less than what is unknown; and preservation of the functioning of the self with consistent identity is the goal of recovery.

I mighta done it by will alone.

If your under the impression i'm a doctor, you really need those meds! I'm only joking. No, i'm no doctor. Just a concerned observer, with some sympathy and a little experience of having a friend who's wife's going through something similar.

She too cuts or stops her medication, with sometimes bad results. She sometimes phones me at 3 or 4 am, to discuss their last years holiday.

james1v wrote:


If your under the impression i'm a doctor, you really need those meds! I'm only joking. No, i'm no doctor. Just a concerned observer, with some sympathy and a little experience of having a friend who's wife's going through something similar.

She too cuts or stops her medication, with sometimes bad results. She sometimes phones me at 3 or 4 am, to discuss their last years holiday.

They work for many, and your advice is sound.

My experience is in researching Big Pharma, and not liking what I found; so just some critical thinking and skepticism coming from this unit.

james1v wrote:
Did you contact your doctor? I hope everything goes well for you. Just remember, these people have your best interests at heart. It may not seem that way sometimes, but they do.

I've got an appointment on Saturday. I appreciate your concern. Of course, doctors have the best interests of society at large at heart too. It may seem that somebody monged-out on anti-psychotics gets on better in society, but it is debatable whether that person is in fact better off overall.

Scott H wrote:I can't believe they keep shooting me in the butt with that stuff! Boy, am I going to let the medical community have it for what they might have done to my genius brain.

You were give Olanzapine intravenously?! Or am I missing something : /

When I first developed psychotic tendencies I used to joke that what I needed was a lobotomy. Not so funny now.