Olanzapine for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews

• Doc...
• May 17, 2020

"This olanzapine is the worst drug ever made. Makes you lose all your emotion and decreases your IQ. Increases anxiety and depression and increases restlessness that does not go away after going off the drug. Completely messes up your GI system with terrible constipation, zero energy, inability to cry, decreases communication, and you lose the ability to have any type of sex life. Big pharma should be ashamed to have this available. I would give it a zero if I could."

• Jil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2024

Olanzapine "I was put on Zyprexa 12.5 mg this past summer when I was hospitalized. Along with Nortriptyline, it saved my life. I was constantly anxious and suicidal. Zyprexa does increase your appetite, but if you count calories, avoid binging, and take Metformin 500 mg twice daily, you don’t have to gain weight. I also exercise daily. Zyprexa worked on everything: Anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It’s mildly sedating, but won’t knock you out like Seroquel will. These meds are a tricky business, and I wish all of you well. Hang in there if you’re suffering."

• SNe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2015

Olanzapine "I am 5'3' tall and weigh 94 lbs. I was prescribed several different antidepressants over a span of ten years along with Klonopin 1 mg tid and Remeron 45 mg at bedtime for anxiety. I finally decided to see a psychiatrist, and she put me on 2.5 mg of Zyprexa at bedtime. Just one dose, and I was a completely different person! I woke up rested, smiling, happy, energized, and with a sense of well-being again! This drug was like night and day for me! I am now on day 5, and I just keep feeling better! I am doing things I never dreamed I would and was able to get the job I've always wanted! For me, Zyprexa has truly changed my life, and I hope it helps others the way it has helped me! The only side effect I've had is increased appetite (which I needed). :)"

• DPD...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 19, 2015

Olanzapine "Zyprexa has been a lifesaver. I was literally on the brink of suicide because of my major depression, generalized anxiety, slight bipolar II, OCD, PTSD, and depersonalization/derealization. I have been on it for about a week, and I feel a complete difference already. No more night terrors, no more worry about the littlest things, no more feeling anxious around people, and no more not feeling like my bad self again. I feel the best I've felt in 2 years because of this! All my symptoms have gone away with little side effects, despite the weight gain and lethargy an hour after taking it. I take it at night, 5 mgs, I may start taking 2.5 mgs in the morning to help the morning edge off. I heard a lot about the diabetes, hope it doesn't happen to me."

• Ste...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2015

Olanzapine "For the amount of calmness I got from this drug, I was still physically alert and able. That's more than I can say for most antipsychotics. It helped me sleep, and the following day my anxieties were lessened. I also found weird glimmers of hope in things, that had to be my depression lifting. It's a miracle to me. However, I gained 20 pounds in one month, and the doctor saw that as a reason to get me off the drug. Food had this crazy magnetism about it; it quickly became the most valuable thing on the planet, and I was having cravings for food unlike anything I've ever craved. If you can take the drug without binge eating, congratulations, because it works. Still, most people on this are overweight."

• Wor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2015

"A lifetime of propensity to depression, then a miracle 24 hours after my first 2.5 dose of olanzapine combined with 100 mg of sertraline (been on that for years). I have my life back! Yes, there are a few side effects, but they are in the main handleable/controllable and certainly better than the desire to die. The last 5 years of excruciating fear, shaking, crying, not showering/dressing. Staring at television all day, taking sleeping pills to keep me out of the world and avoid suicide. Name an antidepressant, and there's an 80% chance I've been on it! 6 weeks in private hospital this summer. Within a week of release, I was back to the couch and my blanket. God bless my new GP for prescribing this!!"

• Rea...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 22, 2020

Olanzapine "I started taking Zyprexa when I was hospitalized for suicide. It worked; I felt less suicidal because I felt more dull. Zyprexa is a medication meant for short-term use, and many people end up on it for years and years. It acts as a sexual suppressant, though, which I didn’t notice until I was off of it and suddenly felt more easily turned on. It is very hard to get off it and has some side effects; it took me 1 year to taper it down, and when I finally got off of it, I am now having terrible issues sleeping."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2020

Olanzapine "I've been trying different meds for anxiety for years. I have debilitating anxiety and depression. Zyprexa started out great, my head cleared of the perpetual fog, and I was able to function. Two weeks later, I started becoming a zombie, and my hair started falling out. It's been a month now, I'm now on Seroquel, gaining weight, and my hair is still falling out by the handful. I simply don't know what to do."

• ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 17, 2023

Olanzapine "This medication is so annoying. I was on a low mg and didn’t feel a difference at all, but when it finally got upped just by .5, I felt SO irritable. Also gained massive weight on it, and I barely ate. I have horrible eating habits as it is, to where I eat maybe twice at max a day, but I gained 45 lbs on this medication in the span of not even two months. I was on 5 mg."

• LDi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 21, 2023

Olanzapine "This medication saved me. I am off it now, but I had been on it for a little over a year. It straightened my brain out, pulled me out of a nervous breakdown, and did NOT aggravate joint and muscle pain - which Abilify and Seroquel gave me. It balanced me and enabled me to live a full life. It made me sleepy, so I took it at night. The only bad thing about this drug for me was the weight gain. It made me so damn hungry. I gained 60 lbs and it won't come off. My doctor ended up taking me off it due to that, but otherwise it's an incredible medicine and it does its job. So grateful for it. Also, what helped me out of a nervous breakdown was therapy, medicine, journaling, and getting outside often. Slowly I've been able to recoup and let go of each crutch. There is hope and you can do this!"

• zip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2022

"I took 2.5 mg, it took me out of the most severe depression I have experienced when SSRIs did not work. I do not feel completely back to normal, but at least it helps me function a little instead of being a vegetable."

• Zzz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2017

Olanzapine "Avoid this like the plague! I have had irreversible damage to my metabolic system because of this medication, including my thyroid. Evidence came out after the medication's release that they hid these symptoms to get a quick release. Gained 30 lbs in 2 months on this. I weaned off 10 years ago and am still dealing with the ramifications of this drug. Not worth it."

• Kar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 5, 2019

Olanzapine "So I don't know if I'm alone here, but Zyprexa gave me very strange, borderline psychotic symptoms. I started having thoughts of tripping people or pushing them, complete strangers, by the way... these thoughts came out of nowhere. I took it for about a month and had to stop taking it out of fear that it would get worse. I told my doc about this, and he said it wasn't a typical reaction, but I know what I felt..."

• Nic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2021

"I've suffered from severe depression and anxiety for such a long time. I am only 22 years old, but I have tried several antidepressants already. I was put on escitalopram 20 mg, but it seemed it wasn't doing enough for my condition. My doc suggested I take 2.5 mg of olanzapine alongside my antidepressant. I felt relief from the first days. It was pretty unbelievable for me. My obsessive thoughts were not so violent and frequent anymore, I could laugh, make jokes, be present, do sports, cook, etc. I felt the desire to go out and do things, which was a pretty big step for me. I am so thankful for this drug. I really hope it will get even better and better."

• sat...
• February 17, 2018

"To say olanzapine is either good or bad is too simplistic. When times were rough (and they were very rough indeed!), this drug did help me to carry on living. However, as I recovered, at some stage, I felt the awful side effects were not worth continuing it. Incredible weight gain (6 stone in total) was just one of them. It also dumbed me down a lot, I wasn't as alert anymore, had problems concentrating - but I slept like a log. Came off this drug completely about 2 months ago and I feel a lot better for it! Feels like I'm me again. People have commented on how I smile and laugh a lot more. I have much more energy and don't need a nap in the afternoon anymore. Overall, I feel this drug can be helpful in the short term, but, at least for me, it's not a long-term option!"

• JOH...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2021

Olanzapine "Do NOT take this medicine. It caused my dad to get diabetes, and I took it not knowing that it was the same medication and gave me a terrible reaction. I had to be rushed to the hospital. I couldn’t walk because I was so out of it. I started talking funny, I couldn’t focus, much less keep myself awake most of the time. This medicine is for schizophrenia patients, NOT bipolar. This medication has lawsuits on it continually because of it causing so many issues."

• Kat...
• June 30, 2022

Olanzapine "I was put on this medicine Zyprexa at 5 mg a day. I took it at night before bed. I slept hard on this med and woke up feeling better after about 6 days on it. My mental health was better, but I gained too much weight and was worried about my cholesterol levels. The pdoc decided to start the taper, and now I'm falling back into that deep depression yet again. Now what?"

• Hir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2022

"It's magical for me. 200% work. Olanzapine was the most powerful drug for anxiety or insomnia and gets you down for easy sleep as well. It's been long since I've been using olanzapine, and it's completely changed my personality. However, it's no matter for negative impact like weight gain, but it’s okay. Thank you to whoever made this drug for mood stability. I'm so happy always and thinking more and more right for everyday life."

• Jim...
• August 22, 2022

"I have had major depressive disorder pretty much all of my life. I am a 66-year-old male, been married 43 years, four children, successful career, but I have battled depression all my life. I had a recent bout, and it was a strong one, I began about 3 months ago. I tried increasing doses of Trintellix, Wellbutrin, and other things that did not work. I was put on fluoxetine 20, then 40 milligrams, and that started to help, but it just was not enough. My doctor upped my dosage to 60 mg, and it was just too much, caused major anxiety, and I had to bounce back to the 40 mg. About a week ago, I was put on 5 mg of olanzapine. Sounds too good to be true, but in only one week, I feel as normal as I have felt in a long, long time. They say, just like most medicines, it takes 4 to 6 weeks to reach optimal efficacy. But I also read where some people do see improvement in less than a week, and I was one of those fortunate ones. Olanzapine is working like a miracle for me, please don't be afraid to give it a try. Good luck."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2016

"My depression was so bad my anxiety became horrible and I also developed scary thoughts. I tried a few different pills, and each one after 3 days I had to stop due to bad side effects. I was then put on Zyprexa 2.5 mg and did not expect much from it, but I was surprised! The first day I did not feel any different, but by day 3 I felt a little better and started day 4, broke my pill record! I'm on day 7 now and feel a lot better! I feel like me again, I still have some anxiety, but it's bearable :) and the bad thoughts seem to get blocked out when starting :). Still no bad side effects. I have had a few dizzy moments when bending over and getting up too fast, but it passes quickly :) I'm glad I started this pill, I wish it was the first one I tried!!"

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2017

Olanzapine "Wow, this medication has helped me tremendously lower my anxiety and actually enjoy going out, and the intrusive thoughts have not disappeared totally, but I am able to shrug them off. I was taking 2.5 mg in the morning and 2.5 at night, but successfully decreased by half for day and night. CBT has helped as well. I am not a doctor, but if you're debating on if you should take it, I would. The weight gain is a side effect, but I have managed by limiting to 3 meals a day and not having any sweets in the house. Take note, I am also on Cipralex and Lamotrigine, so the cocktail of meds is helping a lot."

• Bil...
• May 19, 2015

"I have been taking this in combination with Citalopram 40 mg for about 7 years. This drug controlled my racing thoughts and allowed me to sleep properly. My initial dose was 7.5 mg, but I am now down to 2.5 mg. For me now, it feels that 7.5 mg was a very strong dose, but I needed it at the time. I had no negative side effects. No withdrawal on reducing dosage. I don't suffer undue hunger - actually, for me, my depression contributed to a lack of appetite, so any effect was actually beneficial to me. For me, it worked wonders and enabled me to work. I think with all these drugs, there are different effects on different people, and each person is also suffering unique conditions. I was lucky in that my doctor hit on the right combination for me day 1."

• san...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2019

"On olanzapine, I felt like I had been lobotomized. I felt sad and unmotivated as usual, but I could not bring myself to cry or express any pent-up feelings. I could not cry at all, no matter how hard I tried, it freaked me out."

• Tow...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 7, 2018

"Been on 2.5 mg for 5 months due to anxiety and agitation. It’s helped, no doubt. Sleep is rock solid, 8 hours every night and zero weight gain. I train 5 days a week, rotating cardio and weight training. I also take 45 mg mirtazapine for depression. Hopefully, there is no poop-out with this drug. My Pdoc and plan to come off when I have healed enough."

• bee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 2, 2015

"I just got off of this medication after taking it for 1 yr. Sure, it keeps depression at bay, but I experienced some horrible side effects that my doctor didn't even warn me about! I gained 80 lbs in 1 yr on this med. I went from being a healthy 170 lbs (women's size 12) to a lethargic 250 lbs (size 20). All I wanted to do on this medicine was eat. Another side effect was that I was tired all the time. I would sleep for 14 hours and still be tired. This medication also raised my blood sugar, and my general practitioner was ready to put me on medication for type 2 diabetes. I'm only 25 and just want to be healthy again. So glad I got off this medication. Been off it for 5 days (now on Viibryd) and already feel a million percent better!"