Olanzapine and Increased Appetite: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Edu...
• August 23, 2016

For Depression "This drug was prescribed to me for depression and anxiety, but it had an unexpected effect. I simply cannot stop eating. I eat the entire day, and right after I finish eating a full meal, I feel hungry as if I hadn't eaten anything, so I eat again and again. I have gained 9 kg in less than 3 weeks, and I am loving it. People always make fun of me because I'm skinny. I never thought a psychiatric drug could fix this. I am so happy when I look in the mirror. Olanzapine is the best drug if you are a skinny ectomorph who struggles with lack of appetite."

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

For Depressive Psychosis "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."

• Anonymous
• October 15, 2012

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "I found Zyprexa to be quite effective, however, it made me very tired and unmotivated, though. I was incredibly hungry all day. Only stayed on it for about a month and put on 7 lbs. I am in the process of exploring different antipsychotics that are more weight-friendly. Putting on weight was making me depressed and making me become more hostile because of it."

• Lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2024

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I had heavy and severe OCD, anxiety, panic attacks, delusion, derealization, and I couldn't take it anymore. Then the doctor prescribed me Olanzapine 5 mg/day. In 3 days I was feeling like my old self and happier. My thoughts were regular thoughts, nothing crazy, it completely stopped the ruminating thoughts with which I was physically/mentally exhausted before taking Zyprexa. Yes, you will feel hungry more, but for the time being, it’s worth having this side effect. You can watch your weight gain by drinking lots of water and exercising. I feel good knowing there is this drug when I go down again in the future."

• lal...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2016

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "This medicine sucked! I was asleep all the time, all day long! Couldn't function in school, couldn't function at work. I was tired all the time and was eating every food that I saw in front of me. If I could give 0 stars to this medication, I would."

• Sco...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 24, 2022

For Insomnia "I was in critical condition from not sleeping, and nothing was working. I was prescribed olanzapine 5 mg at the hospital, and it did work. It put me to sleep, that was 1.5 years ago. I just got off it a week ago and didn't realize how many problems it gave me over time. Huge appetite increase and messed with my metabolism and gut. I gained 60 lbs and had chronic diarrhea and horrible heartburn. It just made me eat and eat, and if I didn't eat, the excessive acid in my stomach and throat reminded me to. It messed with my heart, raised my blood pressure, and made me close to fainting if I got up too fast. I am off it and on gabapentin 300-600 mg, and I'm sleeping without any side effects. Olanzapine can help off-label with insomnia, but be prepared for its crazy side effects. Would not recommend. There are better options. Also, it's not cheap. Now that I am off it, I am so much happier."

• Wil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2022

For Insomnia "I have tried a litany of prescription sleep medications over the last 20 years. A month ago, I started on Zyprexa 5 mg. It helped me sleep about 4-5 hours a night without the morning grogginess of Ambien. I went up to 7.5 mg, and sleep is great. I tried 10 mg for a week, but the hunger pangs were too much to handle, and my blood sugar was over 300! On 7.5, my blood sugar is gradually coming down to acceptable levels. I also have the extra benefit of being able to set aside my busy thoughts and live in the moment. I'm loving it. I hope this will not be one of those meds that I need more and more of over time. Will report back in 6 months! Meanwhile, Zyprexa is worth a look if other sleep meds haven't worked for you."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 5, 2018

Olanzapine for Schizophrenia "While I am schizoaffective, I was put on 2.5 mg (now 5 mg) of Zyprexa for intractable insomnia after averaging 2 or 3 nights a week without sleeping. I now go without sleep only once a week. I also sleep much deeper. Unfortunately, I have gained 2.5 lbs a month on it and have gone from normal blood sugar to circling pre-diabetic. My doctor put me on 7.5 mg briefly, but my appetite was unreal. I wish I could take more, but I've already put on 30 lbs. I can't say if it has impacted my psychosis, as the other antipsychotic was working when I started on this. I think it helps with my anxiety. I sometimes take an extra pill when I have an anxiety attack. It helps, but maybe it is the placebo effect."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 25, 2018

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "My psychiatrist put me on 10 mg of Zyprexa and 20 mg of Prozac. He said those two meds are supposed to work well together. After two months, I was still feeling depressed, so he increased the Zyprexa to 15 mg. This has been a miracle drug for me. I fall asleep within 30 minutes of taking it and sleep very well, except it is difficult to wake up in the morning. I set three alarms around my bedroom. One I have to physically get out of bed to turn off, so it helps me get up. But that side effect is getting better after two months of taking Zyprexa. I no longer have ruminating thoughts or bouts of rage. My mood is very even. I have had some weight gain due to the med making me feel hungry all the time. Now I'm trying to drink water instead of eating, and that seems to help."

• Anonymous
• November 7, 2012

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "After the first time I took Zyprexa, my head and legs felt like they weighed one ton each! I tried it for 2 weeks, and this got worse! It increased my appetite a lot too. My doctor is currently trying to find a medicine that works for me. It's so hard as I get a lot of strange side effects on these medicines!"

• mm3...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 3, 2017

For Borderline Personality Disorder "2.5 mgs of olanzapine a day, BPD-ADHD-GAD. Able to cope with mood swings better as if observing them from a distance. Takes the edge off agitation and have that all-important regular sleep cycle. I can't stop eating but haven't gained a lot of weight. Symptoms are still present but easier to deal with."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 30, 2019

For Borderline Personality Disorder "On the olanzapine for bipolar and borderline. There was no difference in my condition, except it destroyed my liver and affected my appetite so much that I gained 30 kg in about a month. I was never obese in my whole life until then, and I am still, although that was almost 3 years ago. The liver got healthy very fast, as it always had been until the biggest destroyer of my life - olanzapine."

• Sil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 20, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I'm a 20-year-old female, and I have had both good and bad experiences with olanzapine, 20 mg dose for about 8 months. I previously suffered from delusions, such as believing I had superpowers (I could see and hear ghosts!) and impulsive thoughts that were hard to ignore (such as turning the wheel of the car into oncoming traffic). Luckily, olanzapine solved these issues. However, I suffer from some of the side effects. I gained 40 pounds, which no amount of dieting or exercising could fix, gained a sharp increase in appetite, I always suffer from a dry mouth, and I always feel low energy, though that could be from sleeping 12 hours a day due to depression. I'm considering switching to a different antipsychotic, hopefully one without the weight gain."

• CTa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "My dose of olanzapine was recently increased from 2.5 mg to 5 mg for my delusions associated with my OCD and bipolar disorder. I'm not sure if I see it working or not, but I am sure that it makes me very hungry, and despite eating way less than I normally eat, I am still gaining weight. Before starting this medication, I was underweight, 94 lbs, now I am 130 lbs. The weight gain, despite exercising, is setting off my depression. Not really sure what to do."

• Uge...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 3, 2018

For Schizoaffective Disorder "After trying Abilify, Sinogan, Risperdal, and Seroquel without any success, I finally found my dreamed med. I've been on it for almost 2 months. The first few days, it felt like a mental breakdown, but come on! You need to break through in order to reach a normal state of consciousness again. After a couple of weeks on it, I feel like a perfectly normal person again. No more paranoia, anxiety fully suppressed, and depression too. Just watch out for what you eat. The hunger it gives is completely manageable. If you go fat, it is because you are giving up to your desires."

• Ash...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2021

For Insomnia "I love Zyprexa! Been on it four years. Before, I couldn't sleep or eat! I will say I have put on weight, and I would suggest eating every four to five hours because the hunger can be overwhelming sometimes. But I have slept so much better, and oddly enough, I feel happier!"

• Anonymous
• March 2, 2008

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "My 6-year-old son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I thought it was ADHD, but they started him on Zyprexa, and we've seen a lot of improvement in his behavior. Would highly recommend. Virtually no side effects. He eats a little more, but most 6-year-old hyperactive boys could stand to eat a little more."

• reb...
• April 18, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I'm 30 years old, been diagnosed with bipolar effective disorder with anxiety. I'm on olanzapine, and it's absolutely brilliant. I take olanzapine 10 mg at night and 3 diazepam 5 mg, now down to 2 mg 3 times a day. I was put on quetiapine but had to stop that on my 4th day, it caused me to be aggressive, and I felt I was put in a coma for days. I was nearly sectioned. I would give olanzapine a 10, but it makes you go to the fridge and binge eat, lol. But I'd rather be fat and happy."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2020

Olanzapine for Schizophrenia "I take 10 mg of Zyprexa in the morning and at night. I use 1 mg of Cogentin morning and night to stop side effects. Then I use 50 mg of Vistaril for my anxiety. But Zyprexa makes me feel worse. The voices are still there. I'm more paranoid. I've gained 20 lbs in 1 month. My appetite has increased. I have tremors throughout the day. Plus, the Vistaril doesn't help much with my anxiety. I can't wait to see my doctor and get something else! I wouldn't recommend this medicine to nobody from my experience. But each person is different."

• Mat...
• May 12, 2017

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "Avoid at all costs - Weight gain is insane. Hungry all of the time, can't stop eating even when full, and that awful feeling afterward. BE AWARE - coming off of this is hell, too. Be very careful, and come off of this very slowly."

• Sjf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 7, 2018

For Depression "I was on olanzapine and fluoxetine for depression, and it helped with my depression, but the olanzapine was far too sedating and made me feel emotionally numb and indifferent. I was also on Vyvanse for ADD at the time, and it essentially eliminated the effect of the Vyvanse. It also increased my appetite significantly, and I ended up putting on 10 lbs in a month and a half, so I stopped taking it and had no issues with any withdrawal symptoms. Overall, it helped with my depression somewhat, but it didn’t give me any benefit apart from being not depressed and emotionally numb."

• Anonymous
• March 26, 2018

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have a love-hate relationship with Zyprexa. I was initially put on it when I had a breakdown, it was the worst I ever felt mentally in my life. Before going on it, I hadn’t slept soundly for 10 years. Taking Zyprexa was a last-resort drug, and it worked great for getting me through that tough time. When I started to take it, I could finally get a good night's sleep, I can’t even explain how good that felt after going so long without it. I also feel like it saved my marriage. Now the downsides: I gained about 40 lbs since I’ve started taking it 12 years ago. It makes me feel hungry constantly and crave sweets. Another thing is I am so unmotivated, it’s so frustrating! Anytime I try to reduce it, I find I get irritable and not able to sleep, so then I go back up again. I definitely think this drug is not good for everyone, I would only recommend it as a last resort."

• Cin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 21, 2017

Olanzapine for Bipolar Disorder "I was on this for maybe 6 months, 2 years ago. I went from 121 to 184 in less than 3 months. I was eating constantly, even after I had dinner, I would be hungry 15 minutes later. If your doctor wants you to take this, DON'T. It's easy for the weight to come, but harder to make the weight go away."

• Kri...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 1, 2025

"This drug was a miracle, it helped me tremendously. I suffer from panic disorder and agoraphobia, insomnia, and emetophobia, and was also severely underweight at the time I was prescribed it. Olanzapine helped me gain all the weight I lost and helped me slowly reintroduce myself to the outside again. My panic attacks stopped, I was sleeping 8+ hours a night. It was amazing. I had to stop taking it because of the weight gain. It started to affect me emotionally and set me back. Also, the fatigue was nice at first for my anxiety, but over time, it got in the way of my everyday living. I would give anything to stay on this drug forever, but the hunger and metabolic side effects scared me more, unfortunately. Truly saved my life."

• spy...
• October 5, 2018

For Depressive Psychosis "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)."