Okay, so I've been on Zyprexa for a little over three weeks now. I was on it a couple of months ago, but stopped because I started gaining weight. Well, this time was different because my psych put me on Topomax to dispel the weight gain side effect of the Zyprexa. Well, the Topomax didn't work out for me. I was so weak and tired that I couldn't even finish a 40 minute workout that I was able to do with ease the week before. So, I decided to stay on the Zyprexa anyway.
Then, the dreaded cravings started. I would pound down dinner only to be craving MORE when I was finished. I couldn't stop the cravings for sweets. I wanted ice cream, chocolate, candy. It was like everything that I had worked so hard for...my lifestyle change....was going down the drain. I started reading about Zyprexa and learned that it can cause diabetes, life-threatening diabetes, and it makes your cholesterol go WAY up which can cause heart disease. Why would I want to stay on a drug that would make me the way I was before I started losing weight? Well, I was a mess. Completely depressed and obsessing about getting off this drug. I couldn't stop eating and had gained about 6 pounds. NOT GOOD.
Well, I saw my psych on Friday. He wasn't happy about taking me off of the Zyprexa, but he did because, in his words, I wanted to "risk it". I did a lot of research on Geodon and found that it had the same GOOD effects as Zyprexa without the bad side effects.
So, now I'm slowly going off of the Zyprexa and slowly increasing the Geodon. In two weeks, I'll be Zyprexa free. The cravings are still bad. I'm trying to put them to the back of my mind, but I have been overeating. I can't take it anymore! I can't wait to get this awful drug out of my system.

I took that drug a few years back. It made me gain weight also. The start of my weight gain mostly was Deprakote..that's another horrible drug.

If you need some support or motivation to get back on track, you can always message me & I will try my best. I know how all of that is.

I may be bipolar, but...all those crappy anti-depression drugs make you crave horrible foods, make you pack on pounds, and it seems like they make you MORE depressed. The real medicine is laughter, a healthy diet, and exercise! I am doing just FINE without all the drugs!

Keep your chin up hon. It'll all turn out alright.

I know about Depakote...I gained over 80 pounds while on it. Zyprexa scared me so much because it was like being on Depakote all over again. I REFUSE to go through that again.
I'm getting myself back on track and need to lose these 20 lbs. that I've gained. I'm all set and raring to go!

I'm so glad there are soooo many different medications to try! I had a pt last night who is on Zyprexa ... she may be able to home instead of longterm care which was the oringinal plan.
Never stop trying to find the right one for you.

I agree CemetarySirean! We also had bad experiences with Zyprexa. My son was on it and gained 25 lbs in less than a year. While he was on it he constantly craved carbs and seemed to have hypoglycemic reactions.

Going cold turkey off of it can cause out of character violent reactions called "discontinuation syndrome" and I have talked with many that experienced that. It’s awful! You can do a search of “discontinuation syndrome” if you’d like to read about it.

My son switched from Zyprexa to Geodon and we really didn’t notice the same side effects as much (weight gain & carb cravings & hypoglycemia) but I am thrilled to say that once we found his thyroid problem and realized that a thyroid problem could cause the things he was dealing with then we spent a year removing all the meds he was taking, one by one, by doing 10% reductions every 10 to 14 days and now all that he is taking is Armour Thyroid. He is better than he has been in years!

Recently we did blood work and found his insulin levels were high in the range which means he is “Insulin Resistant”. That is a side effect of the Zyprexa and Geodon and I’m afraid that taking those meds probably brought on the Insulin Resitance, which he is now taking Glucophage for. I’m hoping with a little time his insulin levels will get lower in the range and that he will not need to take the Glucophage long term.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and allowing me to do the same.
I wish you the best!
hugs,
Cathy

Hi cemetary,

I'm really sorry about your bad experience. I'm also really disappointed in your psychiatrist in encouraging you to stay on this drug for longer than absolutely necessary..! I've actually never heard of a psych using this as a long term treatment. It's GREAT for stopping mania in it's tracks, and getting someone stable on fairly short notice. Docs will usually use it for that purpose while simultaneously building up to a therapeutic dose on a more traditional mood stabilizer. But it's generally well known (at least I thought it was!) that Zyprexa puts people at a HUGE risk for diabetes and weight gain (which is a given) and really can't be safely used long term, except in extreme cases.

Depakote, while a weight-gainer for many people (it certainly packed on the pounds for me), isn't nearly as bad, because it only affects your appetite. There ARE some people who don't experience the weight gain at all. It's a shame, because it did wonders for my mood.

I think Zyprexa is the only AP that is clinically proven to cause weight gain (and not just by affecting your appetite). I'm glad you're stopping it before any real damage is done!