Olanzapine for Depressive Psychosis User Reviews

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 24, 2020

"Would seriously avoid olanzapine, as I totally lost my personality, feelings, and enjoyment in life. It has had a massive effect on my memory and IQ. I used to be really outgoing and quick-witted. It really has been a chemical lobotomy. Devastated! I am currently coming off of it with the help of a doctor. PLEASE BE CAREFUL, THIS IS A DANGEROUS DRUG!"

• SJa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2019

"I was prescribed olanzapine during a drug-induced psychosis. After my recovery and being hospitalized for over a month, I was kept on the medication. This medication turned me into a soulless shell of the person I once was. After changing psychiatrists and explaining how I felt (depressed, suicidal, numb, etc.), she decided to lower the dose and change me to another antipsychotic. However, I wanted to go off the medication. This started off slowly, but as I came off the medication, I slowly came back to life. I felt happiness in small bursts again, I enjoyed the sound of music, and my suicidal thoughts disappeared. Avoid olanzapine at all costs. It will turn you into a zombie."

• Ple...
• September 10, 2019

"Like a former commenter said, it's hard to feel any emotion while taking olanzapine. Dumbs down your IQ as well. Along with gaining weight and an increase in diabetes. Scary enough that you can't cry... AT ALL while taking it. If you value what makes you human, stay away from this poison. No healing from this 'medicine.'"

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2022

"This drug is truly a gift from God. My life was an utter wreck because of my treatment-resistant depressive episodes/psychosis, but 5 mg olanzapine + trintellix 10 mg are letting me live a somewhat normal life at college. My thoughts are more organized, I’m bursting with energy, and I can FEEL again, like I did before I became ill. My head doesn’t feel hollow anymore, and my paranoia is gone. You don’t know how good that feels. Minimal weight gain too! At least for me."

• Fif...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 15, 2018

"Olanzapine changed my life. I was suffering with insomnia, high levels of anxiety, depression, and paranoia/psychosis. Within days of taking 2.5 mg, I was sleeping better, scary thoughts had gone, and overall was feeling a lot better. The only downside is I gained about 5 pounds, but I'd rather weigh more than feel so bad. The benefits definitely outweigh the negatives. Now I've been on it for 3 months, my weight has leveled out, and I don't get as hungry. Overall, I would recommend it if you are suffering from the same symptoms."

• Mam...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 31, 2020

"I have been on olanzapine for 12 months. Originally prescribed due to psychosis, brought on by acute stress. I thought I was psychic, getting messages from TV, radio, rapid thoughts. The past year has been very difficult, I fell into a deep depression, and I began using alcohol daily. The depression has eased, but I am left with crippling anxiety and depersonalization. If you have the option of avoiding this drug, please do. It takes ages to come off it, and lots of people struggle to sleep without it."

• spy...
• October 5, 2018

"I had a psychotic episode about 10 years ago, brought about, I think, by a history of depression and some traumatic life events. I had every symptom imaginable, including mind control, paranoia, persecution complex, God talking to me through material objects like the fridge turning on and off! Rapid thoughts, anxiety, confusion, intrusive thoughts, etc. Olanzapine with an antidepressant really helped me get a hold of myself. Works straight away. It kind of puts your emotions in a box and stops your thoughts from running away with themselves. Side effects are increased appetite, which leads to increased weight gain if you can't control it. Slight sedation. You will sleep well on them. Unpleasant frozen face syndrome. I couldn't really communicate emotions facially. It felt like I was wearing a mask. Depends on how much your charisma means to you. I hated this particular side effect. I think they need to be taken with a good quality antidepressant to counter the drowsiness and sedation (sertraline)."

• Ara...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2020

"Olanzapine was the first drug I was put on and worked really well with psychotic symptoms and my mood. However, I was exhausted on it, sleeping all the time, and I felt like a zombie. I was also always eating and ravenous, and I had gained 12 kg in 2 months."

• Spe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 11, 2021

"People seem to love this drug when you're on it, but once you have or try to discontinue, it's the worst thing you'll ever go through. Worse than any street drug withdrawal I've gone through. Don't expect to sleep properly again without it, ever again. It's been months now."

• Kan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 8, 2021

"I was diagnosed with psychosis and PTSD. I was put on olanzapine, first 5 mg, then 10 mg, and now 15 mg. At first, it helped me with the voices and the depression, and also hearing the birds talking to me. I’ve been on it for 4 months, and within the first 2, I noticed a massive difference. It helped me in so many ways, but then I started to struggle waking up. I felt like life was being zapped out of me. I went from 8 st 8 to 12 st. So, I decided to take myself off of the medication, and I have never felt so good. It’s like the spark has been put back into my life. I can do normal things and actually leave the house. I would say this medication gave me a new life, but at the same time, it can drive you into a deep hole you don’t know you are in."

• Cha...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 27, 2021

"Have been taking between 5 mg - 2.5 mg of Olanzapine for about 20 years. Was told it was good for anxiety, depression, and a good mood stabilizer. Have tried to go off it many times over the years. The longest I’ve lasted is about 10 days. Dr. also said it wasn’t addictive. I put on approximately 20 kg in weight quickly after starting Olanzapine. Intend to get off this drug once and for all. It’s a horrible drug, I wish I had never started it."

• Mca...
• November 23, 2020

"I was on Zyprexa for about 6 months after I was hospitalized due to depressive psychosis. It was very helpful in calming me down, helping me sleep, and getting rid of my paranoia and racing thoughts. I decided to try another medication because of the weight gain. I was insatiably hungry at all hours of the day and would eat until I made myself sick. I gained about 50 pounds while on it, and my doctors were worried that I would develop diabetes. Coming off of it made my insomnia much worse, but other than that, I don’t remember any other negative side effects. The only thing I would warn people about before taking this medication is to be prepared for your appetite to greatly increase and to start gaining weight."

• lee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2019

"Pros and cons. After 6 months on Clozapine, my prescription was changed to Olanzapine because I moved back to the UK, where it is harder to prescribe Clozapine. After the changeover, my sleep hours went from 12 to roughly 10, and my appetite maintained the same (I put on some healthy weight). Unfortunately, I am more sensitive to stress, to the point where I did not continue with my summer job because the relatively small amount of stress I was under was enough for me to sometimes lose some lucidity while at work or in some social situations. Though less tired, I have already experienced more paranoia than when I was on Clozapine."

• Bea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 24, 2019

"I was put on this drug to help with hallucinations and voices, along with the added benefit of helping me sleep. I would take the drug 30 minutes before I went to bed and would easily be able to sleep. Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks, the drug lost effectiveness. The drug caused me significant weight gain. I gained 6 kg/14 lbs/1 st. This might be because I’m 17, so it had a more profound effect."

• fem...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 9, 2022

"It's worked very well for me and always kicks in quickly, even if just starting it for me. It definitely calms me and clears some very negative thoughts and feelings. I have mixed feelings about the weight gain side effect. It has made me gain lots of weight before, but also it allowed me to be able to eat when I didn't have any desire and, or also when I had to force myself to eat."

• Zyp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 26, 2022

"Reading people's comments is interesting. How people think their experience applies to others is alarming. Your psychiatrist will test this drug with you if suitable to see if it is effective. My wife took it following postpartum psychosis - mania bipolar, and it is a miracle drug. She was able to wean off without problem following recovery under psychiatrist guidance. Did cause weight gain. I can imagine if you do not have a good psychiatrist and the drug is not suitable for you, it could be a very unpleasant experience. With my wife, it was easy to see when to reduce the medication and eventually stop, as the drug made her too tired and heavy when the dose was too high. It helped her sleep immediately and fixed it within seven days."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 1, 2024

"To be completely honest, it helped. A lot. Mainly as an emergency during a suicidal crisis, but as maintenance too. I had to take the maximum dosage of 20 mg/day though, but it worked. It also gave me every side effect it could. I gained 40 kg in 6 months, got type 2 diabetes, sky-high cholesterol, etc. It cost me my 3-year relationship too. It helped me through a very difficult time, but I still try to fix my physical health, 3 years after I stopped the medication. However, the impact of olanzapine on my body is not permanent."

• C-P...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 11, 2023

"I was really unwell because the Abilify was causing me psychosis, so the psychiatrist gave me olanzapine, which really helped me to come back to reality, but it caused me VERY SERIOUS ANXIETY. I was shaking. It was really debilitating but it helped, so I continued the treatment. I stopped it a year later and I was fine, but that's when I realized how much anxiety I was suffering from. So, I only take it when I feel the intrusive thoughts are coming back. I take it for 2 or 3 days, then I stop it so I can control the anxiety."

• Bob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2019

"Took this for a week. Three stomach aches that lasted four hours. Never again."