Skip to main content

Zyprexa for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews

Zyprexa has an average rating of 5.0 out of 10 from a total of 24 reviews for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder. 38% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 50% reported a negative experience.

Zyprexa rating summary

5.0 average rating out of 10

24 ratings from 25 user reviews.

Compare all 55 medications used in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.

10
25%
9
8%
8
4%
7
4%
6
4%
5
4%
4
0%
3
8%
2
4%
1
38%

Reviews for Zyprexa

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

"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."

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
16 Report
  • SNe...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 1, 2015

"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). :)"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
81 Report
  • DPD...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 19, 2015

"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."

9 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
50 Report

Frequently asked questions

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

"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."

6 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
48 Report
  • Jen...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • August 29, 2020

"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."

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
25 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Your review helps others make informed decisions.
Write a review
  • Rea...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • February 22, 2020

"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."

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
26 Report
  • ann...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 17, 2023

"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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
12 Report
  • Zzz...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 29, 2017

"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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
28 Report
  • JOH...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 20, 2021

"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"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
15 Report
  • LDi...
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • September 21, 2023

"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!"

9 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
6 Report
  • Kar...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 5, 2019

"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..."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
17 Report
  • Kat...
  • June 30, 2022

"I was put on this medicine Zyprexa @ 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. Pdoc decided to start the taper and now I'm falling back into that deep depression yet again. Now what?"

8 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
8 Report
  • ton...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 7, 2016

"this drug didnt do shit to me. it actually made me feeling worse. my doctor doesnt want to take me off it. ive been taking it for 3 weeks for anxiety and hasnt done anything. plus i have put on 7 kilos. my dosage is 7.5 mg."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
19 Report
  • Hap...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 13, 2017

"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."

Was this helpful?YesNo
16 Report
  • Bet...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • September 24, 2021

"I had an episode of major depressive disorder and was given this med. I weighed 154 and have never had a weight problem. Within about 6-8 months I gained 60 pounds! It increases your appetite but also slows your metabolism by a lot. At the higher doses I had stomach issues like diarrhea daily. I had bad nausea 90% of every day and lived on ginger. We’ve been lowering it now very slowly for a few months and I completely stopped it 2 weeks ago. The side effects are terrible. I’ve missed so much work as I’ve had horrible migraines, weakness, shakiness, etc…. This is a horrible medication!!!"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
8 Report
  • Kmo...
  • October 4, 2016

"Prescribed Zyprexa after taking Duloxetine/Cymbalta made me suicidal. It did mellow my mood, helped me gain back the 30 lbs I had lost during height of illness. Hated the inability to laugh or cry. Hated the dry mouth. As a dancer the stiff, dry joints were dangerous. I hurt my knee because the extreme change in my flexibility. Took it for 3 months."

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
16 Report
  • mcd...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 13, 2016

"after 4 weeks on this medication my partner of 18 years a 35 year old man died from its side effects"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
31 Report
  • Kat...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • October 30, 2017

"This taken with Zoloft helped me tremendously with my MDD, PTSD, and OCD. Did gain some weight this last time taking it, but mentally feel 98% better."

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
24 Report
  • Bet...
  • February 7, 2021

"This medicine made my mom go into a seizure that lead to her death- stay away from this drug!"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
14 Report
  • Mec...
  • March 10, 2015

"I gained 100 lbs but slept well and felt mentally ok"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
24 Report
  • Tan...
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • August 2, 2021

"This drug saved my life. Helped immediately when I was going through a separation"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
9 Report
  • min...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 3, 2022

"It made me sick, made me have a horrible gut pain and spent a 24 hour period vomiting stomach acid. I had to go to two different ERs and get a cat scan bc morphine wouldn't even touch the gut pain."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
4 Report
  • Dib...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 31, 2016

"Amazing drug ! Love it ."

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
11 Report
  • Mah...
  • May 11, 2021

"it's a good medicine, I feel me again during one week ! Sure I have gained weight but it is worth it as my depression and anxiety are more under control"

7 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
5 Report
  • Dea...
  • Taken for 2 to 5 years
  • January 17, 2021

"I could only tolerate a very small dose of this med Zyprexa, it did nothing for depression. Good for sleep. Ps I’m a slow metaboliser of CYP2d6"

2 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
5 Report
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.

Learn more about Major Depressive Disorder

Care guides