My husband s lithium was a little too high so the doctor switched him to depakote( valproic acid) 250 mg day and night, just a few days ago. On top of that he was on olanzapine 5 mg for one week and now it s been increased to 10 mg 2 days ago . Today he is so sleepy that can t do anything. He just feels extremely tired and wants just to sleep. We went somewhere he found a couch and slept. Is This normal? And will it go away after a few days or does that mean that the 10 mg of olanzapine is too high.
What to do if olanzapine (zyprexa) makes you sleepy?
Question posted by Flo2015 on 4 June 2016
Last updated on 16 June 2016
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Answers
mrbear559
16 June 2016
Zyprexa is one of the more sedating meds available for bipolar types, it may be something that passes but in my experience a degree of next day sedation will continue as long as he takes the drug, you could look into something else like Risperidone or Abilify but he is on a very low dose of Depakote and if that is raised you might not need as much Zyprexa if the Dr is set on keeping him on it. Provigil or Nuvigil would help with getting going in the morning.
Flo2015
16 June 2016
Thanks mrbear. I will talk to the doctor.
masso
4 June 2016
I also take Zyprexa @ night (10 mg), yes it is normal, he has to adapt to the medication, it is best to take it @ night just before bed time.
That is how it was prescribed to me, you see zyprexa is used to treat insomnia among other conditions.
Zyprexa is used in the treatment of bipolar disorder; major depressive disorder; schizophrenia; agitated state; insomnia.
https://www.drugs.com/zyprexa.html
Regards...
Flo2015
4 June 2016
Thanks masso. And thank you for always answering my questions.
Flo2015
4 June 2016
Masso i was wondering: did it make you gain weight?
masso
4 June 2016
No problem, you are welcome.
masso
4 June 2016
It is a common SE (increased appetite), but I did not.
Metabolic
Very common (10% or more): Increased weight (up to 30%), increased appetite (up to 24%).
Flo2015
5 June 2016
That s great to hear. Cause all i hear about it is that it makes you gain A Lot of weight!!
Related topics
depakote, zyprexa, sleep disorders, lithium, olanzapine, valproic acid, doctor, sleep disorder
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