Olanzapine for Insomnia User Reviews

• Corinne
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 11, 2020

"My best friend was on 10 mg of Olanzapine for 25 years. He made the decision to get off of it with the doctor's guidance because it caused his diabetes and was making his diabetes worse. I am also on olanzapine, and my friend told me he will be the guinea pig and get off of it first, and if he is okay then I will know to get off of it. He got off of it 4 months ago, and his insomnia was so bad that he went 4 months with hardly any sleep at all. The doctor prescribed hydroxyzine for his insomnia but it didn't work. My friend could NOT sleep and got very, very sick from not sleeping and was so confused. He took his life and died on August 8, 2020, as a result. I lost my best friend due to olanzapine."

• Mitch
• December 4, 2018

"I’ve used Olanzapine 2.5 mg (dosage one) for years. It works great for me, it gives me a good 8-10 hours of sleep a night without waking up throughout the night, and I always wake up feeling like I’ve had a great night's sleep. Don’t be put off by the scare tactics of other reviewers; 2.5mg or 5mg dosages do affect the same neurotransmitters but only mildly. You’re not going to develop psychosis when you start taking this medication or when you stop taking it. I’ve stopped and started Olanzapine many times, and I’ve had no issues whatsoever, no mood changes (it actually helped improve some anxiety issues). Just be cautious of weight gain, but at a low dose, you’ll barely gain any weight, and if you eat healthy and workout, you’ll be more than fine."

• Mandy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 3, 2020

"Horrendous withdrawal symptoms. I was on olanzapine for insomnia for only 12 days. After stopping it, I had 2 weeks of withdrawal symptoms: nausea, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, brain fog, and more than a week of insomnia. My brain doesn’t know how to sleep without this drug and works really hard to regain the ability to sleep on its own. Even on it, I didn’t have good sleep; I went to bed at 11, stayed up until 2 am, then slept until 11 am. It made me feel like a zombie while on it. Stay away from this awful drug!!!!"

• Brett
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 31, 2021

"DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION FOR SLEEP! It will help you sleep for a little while, then your sleep will get worse with time, then you will not be able to sleep without it once you try getting off. I'm going on 3 and 1/2 weeks off it after a slow taper, and it has destroyed my sleep cycle. It has also left me with worse depression, anxiety, and exhaustion (all things that were starting to worsen after a few months on this medication). Trust me, if you're not bipolar or schizophrenic, do not take this medication, especially if you're just using it for sleep. You will regret it."

• Sebas...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 17, 2018

"Zyprexa is not a sleep medication and should not be prescribed for sleep issues. It is a powerful antipsychotic approved and used for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It is one of the most potent, if not the most potent antipsychotic. Once on it, in most cases, it is virtually impossible to get off it. Psychiatrists and other doctors are told that it does not have addictive or withdrawal effects. Once on Zyprexa, most people cannot get off it without major side effects. Psychiatrists call this discontinuation syndrome, but for laypeople, it is no different than withdrawal. At first, it will help your sleep and, over time, it will lose its potency, requiring ever higher and more dangerous amounts of a drug that affects myriad chemicals in the brain and has been shown to shrink brain tissue. Do your research. Be very careful."

• Ash
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 14, 2019

"If you want to have zero quality of life, I urge you not to take olanzapine. I was prescribed this horrific drug just for insomnia. For the first 6 months, it sedated me. Then I started developing horrific side effects (inability to swallow, restlessness, anxiety, being in a zombie-like state, etc.). Eventually, I developed a tolerance so it no longer helped me sleep. Sadly, I know others who have taken this drug and have developed permanent movement disorders and brain damage. It affects numerous neurotransmitters in your brain. After stopping this drug cold turkey because I couldn’t swallow anything, I have been left with 9 months of 0-2 hours of sleep. This drug will ruin your life. Check out all the lawsuits against Eli Lilly. You’ve been warned. I wish I had been!"

• Joey
• July 2, 2020

"Before I started taking Olanzapine, I could not sleep properly, losing a lot of sleep. In fact, I would go 72 hours without a wink of sleep. Now I get a full 9 hours of sleep throughout the night. It is a miracle drug. If you cannot sleep properly, I highly recommend taking Olanzapine."

• Brett
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2020

"Took this medication olanzapine for about 2 and 1/2 months. I was suicidally anxious when my psychiatrist decided to give this a try. Made me very tired for the first few days but it nearly eliminated my anxiety and it helped me sleep better. Over time, though, I started having diminishing returns at even 10mg, along with feeling like I was becoming dumber (having trouble focusing, trying to remember certain words)... It just made me more foggy and depressed. Decided to get off it and didn't realize until a few days after that I was having bad withdrawals (nausea, anxiety, worse sleep). I would not recommend this med. I'm trying to conquer my severe depression and poor sleep and this is making everything way worse. Even cutting to small pieces to taper is hardly helping. Wish I never started it."

• Tano
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 25, 2018

"Prescribed 2.5mg for anxiety and insomnia. Helped a lot at first, then after several months sleep problems returned. Anxiety started getting worse. I tried to slowly lower my dosage, and anxiety and insomnia got worse than ever. After 2 years, I started having tardive dyskinesia symptoms and trembling. And never feel rested. My sleep was very light, not deep. Again, tried to reduce the dosage but couldn't sleep at all and had unbearably intense anxiety. 4 years later I'm stuck on this awful medication, hardly sleeping at all, high anxiety, foggy-slow brain, with tardive dyskinesia. Before I took olanzapine, my only problem was mild anxiety and insomnia. This drug causes permanent damage. This drug ruined my life."

• holly...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 27, 2020

"I had a misdiagnosis of bipolar and I'm sure the insomnia started around the time I tapered off it. I was on it for over a year and the insomnia has lasted for 2 years. I'm frustrated that I see other people here have had bad experiences and the side effects are similar and had bad withdrawals but the Doctors never validate me when I ask if Olanzipine was the reason for this chronic insomnia or take responsibility that the reason you are still sick could be the drugs they prescribed and not down to poor sleep hygiene. I've now gone private but I doubt anyone will ever tell me the truth and more drugs will be prescribed to combat the problems they were the cause of in the first place. All I needed was therapy which I got eventually on the NHS but the legacy of the misdiagnosis and all the powerful drugs has ruined my life and I can't even work. I don't even have a mental health diagnosis anymore apart from insomnia."

• Compl...
• July 15, 2019

"I suffered SEVERE insomnia from early childhood. Not until completely psychotic did any drug work. I don't think I slept at all for 5 days at 18 years old. Then I was given zyprexa 5mg. I slept. Unfortunately a few days later I once again didn't sleep for 3 days. Now given 10mg zyprexa. I slept. This cycle continued to 20mg. From that time 17 years ago I have weaned to 7.5mg. An awakening has occurred at the 7.5mg mark. This is the most stable I have ever been. Through diet, exercise and lifestyle choices. If you are advised to take olanzapine be sure your psychiatrist knows everything about your health. Sleep, diet, drug abuse, any recent trigger events etc. it's a tough tough road"

• Mitch
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2019

"Great for sleep! Olanzapine is a great sleep aid alternative to addictive sleep medication. I take 5mg at night and I sleep 8 - 10 hours without waking up throughout the night (I used to sleep 5 - 6 hours and waking up several times). For the first couple of weeks you’ll feel groggy and be hungry but these side effects will go away. I’ve been on Olanzapine for 3 months and it’s still working great for sleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 10, 2014

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This medicine is the best sleep aid I have found. I tried Ambien, and it made me crazy. I can sleep with Zyprexa and wake up the next morning with no side effects. I just have to make sure I take it early in the evening. If I take it too late, it will make me groggy in the morning. Unlike some of the reports I have heard, it doesn't affect my weight at all."

• Charlie
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 18, 2023

"I've been taking this drug for 15 years. I have tried to get off it but don't sleep without taking it. I have had weight gain and find it very difficult to lose weight. If I don't take this for about 3-4 nights, I feel sick from not sleeping and get depressed and will have a mental breakdown. Once I take it again, I feel normal. I have tried sleeping pills, but they don't work. This is the only thing that will make me sleep. I don't have any side effects other than the weight gain and the sleep is amazing. But off it, I can barely function. I'm on 5 mg. I've never been on any more than that. I wish I didn't have to take it, but honestly, I can't function without it."

• Jason
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 16, 2021

"This drug ruined my life. I took a low dose for mild insomnia and anxiety, and after a while it turned out I can't stop taking it. I have tried tapering very slowly over many months, but it is a nightmare. I am now taking half the original dose, and insomnia and anxiety and heart palpitations and brain fog are through the roof. It's not temporary withdrawal, I've been at this dose for a year now. I'm much much much worse off than before I started taking this stuff. AVOID!"

• Chronic...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 27, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "It's Definetely was a love/hate relationship with Zyprexa. I have tried virtually every sleep drug available, and it was one of the best because it not only put me to sleep, but it also KEPT me asleep for 8 hours. Started at 2.5mg, then 5mg, & eventually 7.5. It did take a long time to kick in though, so I had to take it 2 hours before bedtime. But like everybody who takes this, I gained weight. But I found the 1 way you can actually lose weight on this drug, which is to combine exercise with Atkins diet (low carb). Zyprexa gives you metabolic syndrome. You no longer burn carbs, which means all carbs you eat becomes body fat, which is why you become fat on this stuff (so you have to stop eating carbs). I got off this drug after 1 year."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 17, 2013

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I used Zyprexa (2.5mg) at night for insomnia caused by anxiety and obsessive thoughts. It is the only thing that helped me sleep that is not addictive and actually worked. It also helped my appetite because when I don't sleep well I don't feel like eating much either. This medication helped with that also. Unfortunately I cannot use it often because it causes my blood sugar to shoot up sky high and I don't like the risk of tardive dyskinesia. I only take a very small dose when I haven't slept in awhile. "

• Chris
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2021

"I was put on this in conjunction with Prozac and Ativan. I took this drug for a month and all it did was increase my appetite. I started out at 5mg then increased to 10 and I felt drugged. My depression worsened and I started having anxiety and panic attacks. I’m now at 2.5 mg. My doctor used this as a sleeping pill which only worked moderately. Use this pill with caution. If you aren’t bipolar or have a severe mental illness then stay away from this drug."

• Sugaray
• December 25, 2014

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "I went to a psychiatrist for sleep meds and was prescribed 5 mg. Zyprexa. It helped me sleep but as soon as I stopped taking the medicine after two weeks, I experienced severe insomnia, sweating, palpitation, agitation depression and agitation. I had to be put back on it to to stabilize. I am now taking 7.5 mg. I don't like the effect on me and I will try to taper off of this medicine. I wish I had known about the side effects and widthrawal symptoms of this medicine. "

• nicsn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2015

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This medicine is a God send. I've tried every sleeping pill in the book (Ambien, Trazodone, Seroquel, Elavil, ETC.) None of them would keep me asleep the whole night. 10mg of this and I sleep like a baby and don't have the racing thoughts. Only problem is it's real hard to get out of bed and get moving."

• Stassie
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 24, 2020

"Zyprexa gives me the best sleep ever, but I'm tired constantly and it makes me so uncontrollably hungry. Just need to be careful about what you eat. It helps my mood too as I also have bipolar disorder. I'd recommend it if you truly can't sleep and have bipolar disorder and/or ocd."

• Bubbles
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2016

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "After having tried just about every medication. Zyprexa is the one that kept me asleep. Of course there are some mornings I wake up early. Like about 4-5 in the morning. Those nights are rare. As far as weight gain? It hasn't been an issue. And I wish everybody the best of luck while taking these medications. Because finding the right fit takes lots of patience:)"

• Cwilson
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2020

"Im back to leave another review after being on olanzapine for a couple of months. I started taking 10mg now I take 15mg. So the issue I was so scared of was weight gain. When I started taking it I was 80 pounds, very sick and unhealthy. It helped me gain back my normal weight, back to 100-105lbs. Other than when I first started taking it, it hasn't had an effect on my hunger or weight anymore. I think it can cause weight gain if you allow it too. If you exercise, and eat normal weight gain shouldn't be an issue for you. The reason I rate this a 9 is because it does make it hard for me to get up and going like I used to prior to taking this drug, but I'd pick that over a sleepless night any day."

• Riblet
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 14, 2019

"For years I suffered from insomnia. My doctors tried ambien benzos antidepressants seroquel and antihistamine and nothing worked for me. I saw a new doctor who put me on ten milligrams of Olanzapine and it was a success. I am now currently on 20mgs at night. It puts me to sleep but the hunger and weight gain is severe."

• R pack
• March 8, 2017

Zyprexa (olanzapine) "This medicine has made me gain a lot of weight due to the fact I get hungry about 2 hours after taking it. After eating I always pass out and sleep through the night till I have to wake up for my job at 7 a.m. I have been taking this medication for two years now so I do not wake up groggy and foggy. This medication to me is a life saver for putting me to sleep and keeping me asleep. Just be careful with the night hungers! Other then that would totally recommend the medication if you can't sleep at night."