Olanzapine and Brain Fog: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Nun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 12, 2019

For Insomnia "Male, 10 mg of this with 10 mg of Ambien made me sleep like a baby 8+ hours. It was very hard to get out of bed. If I drank a six-pack of beer on this, I could not drive properly in the morning for 4+ hours. Ambien by itself gives me 5-6 hours of sleep. And I can drive just fine in the morning if I drink a six-pack the night before. This drug made me feel kind of like a zombie, and I gained weight. It was given to me for anxiety, of which it did not help. Though I would not mind trying it again at a lower dose combined with Ambien to help me sleep 8 hours. I've got a few old pills and ran out of Ambien, so will see what 10 mg does by itself."

• cec...
• November 29, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "So here is the straight-up deal: Zyprexa sucks. It does. It makes you starving but never feel full, you feel tired and foggy, and generally out of it. However, if you're going through psychosis, it will stop it FAST. Bottom line: don't take it if you don't have to, if you do have to, take it as little as possible. Zyprexa saved my life, but the side effects are horrible."

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2019

For Agitated State "Was given Zyprexa for 2 days in the hospital every 4 hours in a 5 mg dose and then for 3 more days in the physical rehab facility till my wife asked why I was a 'zombie.' They explained it was my 'antipsychotic' medication and the Prozac I was given for depression. There was no mention of a diagnosis other than I was 'agitated' in the hospital. That was the end of that concoction. They sent me home 3 days later since I was 'uncooperative' with physical rehab. Took almost 2 weeks for my mind to return to normal and the fog lifted. Moral is to watch what they give you in the hospital and don't just accept the 'your meds' line."

• dmm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I take 5 mg of olanzapine at night with 250 mg of Lamictal. The olanzapine has been great to ease my manic episode. My hearing voices and racing thoughts have eased, and the only side effect other than the slight zombie feeling and drowsiness at night was I am feeling more thirsty more often. And my hunger has actually decreased, not increased, as others have had."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 6, 2018

For Schizophrenia "I have been on a 2.5 mg pill a day dosage for a while, and that was okay. I didn't expect that after 3 years of it working well, I would start experiencing brain fog, dizziness, slurred speech, excessive sweat, and in a downward spiral start losing control of my mind. I have been prescribed the 5 mg one, but I feel lightheaded all the time as if I'm gonna faint, and I couldn't stay awake more than 8 hours the first days because of it. The delusion I have is that I will die of brain cancer, every night I think of that before going to sleep. I wish I never got schizophrenia."

• Exo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Was prescribed medication to treat bipolar 2. Even taking half a dose, the medication made me drowsy, actually more like sedated, as some call it 'zombie feel.' On the third day, I noticed short-term memory loss and I couldn't articulate my thoughts efficiently, had this cloudy, foggy mind. I was hoping my body would adjust to the medication, but even after a couple of weeks, it seemed the side effects got more severe. Plus, I gained 5 lbs in a week and noticed my energy level was down, heart rate up. I'm an Ironman triathlete, so I copiously monitor my health, and this drug decreases my performance. Finally, I had to call my doctor to get another option. It did calm me down and I didn't have any mania or depression, just the side effects were too great for me to continue."

• Exo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 30, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Was prescribed medication to treat bipolar 2. Even taking half a dose, the medication made me drowsy, actually more like sedated, as some call it 'zombie feel.' On the third day, I noticed short-term memory loss and I couldn't articulate my thoughts efficiently, had this cloudy, foggy mind. I was hoping my body would adjust to the medication, but even after a couple of weeks, it seemed the side effects got more severe. Plus, I gained 5 lbs in a week and noticed my energy level was down, heart rate up. I'm an Ironman triathlete, so I copiously monitor my health, and this drug decreases my performance. Finally, I had to call my doctor to get another option. It did calm me down and I didn't have any mania or depression, just the side effects were too great for me to continue."

• Zom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 31, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Olanzapine has ruined my life in ways I could not even possibly understand. For the three years I took it, it was almost pointless, but I wasn’t having as many mood swings. I also didn’t even feel like a person with feelings. When I finally decided to stop taking this poison, the withdrawals were worse than I could ever possibly imagine for about a month. Now I feel like I have about half of my personality left. Complete brain fog, tardive dyskinesia, which is the worst one. I have zero libido whatsoever. There are more, like my jaw is now completely messed up for good from tardive dyskinesia. I had to quit my job because all of the side effects literally made it almost impossible to function. I already had ADHD when I started taking this medication, but now I can’t even watch TV and know what’s going on. Three years of this, and I thought when I got off of it, it would get better, but nobody warned me like they're supposed to."

• hol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 7, 2023

For Paranoid Disorder "I started Zyprexa at 2.5 mg for something to take the edge off anxiety since I have done well on atypical antipsychotics before. I had been through the wringer in terms of stressful life events and was willing to try anything. It did help with disordered thinking, some intrusive thoughts, and visual disturbances, but after a few days, it increased my anxiety every time I took it (within half an hour). I was having a hard time distinguishing whether that was from me or the med until I realized the pattern. The brain fog you read about is REAL, and I became even more dissociated on this than before I started. This is a heavy antipsychotic, so it will work that fast on symptoms, but remember it is an antipsychotic first! You can research for yourself just how many receptors this works on -- like, all of them -- it is a chemical lobotomy, to put it nicely. I would have liked it if not for the extra anxiety and dissociating, too much."

• jlg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 21, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I recently was diagnosed with bipolar I and was prescribed 5 mg of olanzapine. The racing thoughts, anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia were really hard on me. Initially, the medication reduced the mania symptoms, but I still couldn't sleep. My doctor increased the dose to 10 mg, and I finally could sleep, i.e., 8 to 10 hours. I'm a little 'fuzzy' when I first get up, but it is manageable. So far, this medication is a life-saver."

• cat...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2022

Olanzapine "I was on 0.5 mg for over 2 years after a Borderline Personality Disorder episode that landed me in a hospital, where I was prescribed this. It helped me a lot, chilled out my severe mood swings, and finally helped me stop freaking out over anything. Zyprexa probably saved my life, but it was not 100% good. While it zapped excess emotion that made life difficult, it destroyed my ability to feel emotion at full capacity. I don’t consider this a total con, as it’s preferable to the way I used to live, but it is undeniable. So was the weight gain. I gained around 30-40 lbs during my time on Zyprexa and felt extremely self-conscious and depressed due to it. I also became very lazy, sleepy, zombie-like, and so emotionless I was reckless/careless. After 2 months of being off, the weight has been lost. I still don’t feel to the same extent, especially negative emotion, but positive emotion is coming back. The side effects are real and lasting, but it might be a chance worth taking."

• She...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 11, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Been on Olanzapine 5 mg to help with my bipolar depression and anxiety for 1 year. I decided to stop the drug because it was making me gain weight and give me brain fog, which made it difficult to concentrate at work. Stopping it suddenly was a very bad idea, as all the symptoms of depression and anxiety came back even worse. I felt like vomiting for 2+ weeks and could not sleep. I had to go back on the drug as my mental state worsened and landed me in the hospital. Olanzapine works, but be ready for some side effects like weight gain if you are on a high dose."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2010

Olanzapine for Depression "I was constantly tired, spaced out, and I couldn't eat enough. In 2 months, I gained 20 pounds and slept an average of close to 14 hours a day."

• tes...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 2, 2020

For Schizophrenia "Olanzapine works well on my delusions, but it makes me unable to focus on anything. Destroyed my ability to study."