DOSE:

2,5-5 mg

oral

Pharms - Olanzapine

(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

180 lb

Zyprexa for Bipolar II and Acute Hypomania

I'm a 21 year old male, a regular pot-smoker who occasionally uses psychedelics (few times a year). I suffer from severe depression and Bipolar II.

Meth is a huge mistake for anyone, but it's a special kind of dumb to take it when you're bipolar. Stimulants and me just don't get along, and I should have known better. A night of smoking T set off a 4 day hypomanic episode that lasted long after I came down. I thought I was actually, finally going insane. I was constantly agitated and irritated, as though I was constantly under pressure to get something done (but I didn't know what). I paced around grabbing at my hair, remarking to my roommates that I felt 'crazy'. I couldn't chill out. Added to this state was a huge amount of anxiety - I was afraid I had permanently shorted out my brain, like a health-class video nightmare come true.

Zyprexa put the fire out. It let me sleep, and afterwards I remained in a normal state, even without upkeep. It was amazing. I was so relieved to feel normal again.

My bipolar is predominately manifested as depression, the mania being very rare. Therefore, I don't have much experience to speak from in terms of it's effectiveness as treatment for someone with a more up-and-down variety of bipolar. It has stronger anti-mania effects than anti-depressant effects, but it does help somewhat with depression. I take 2 other antidepressants (Lamictal and Lexapro (SSRI)) so I can't single Zyprexa out. I CAN say that during the time I've been taking it, the only manic episodes were ones I caused - by taking too much LSD once, for example. The end of my trip turned a hypomanic panic attack - Zyprexa to the rescue once again. A very effective anti-mania drug, definitely perfect for a comedown from a stimulant (won't undo the damage though).

Zyprexa is notorious for being an appetite-stimulant. For me, the increased hunger was more noticeable at first, but the effect waned over time. It was certainly never overwhelming, but there were times when I ate more than usual. For me this side-effect was mild to moderate; however, there are many reports of significant weight gain on this medication, so consider the kind of shape you're in. If you don't take care of yourself, this drug will multiply the effects of that neglect.

I started at 2.5mg on this medication and moved to 5 a few months later. Listen to your doctor, but I wouldn't start with higher than 5mg unless you're in a severe state - I find the 5mg can make me sleepy into the next day. I got months of benefit out of the 2.5 before I had to go up. The less the better, as with any med.

Overall, Zyprexa is pretty gentle. No strange feelings, just sleepiness. Definitely NO recreational value. Look elsewhere, trust me.

Exp Year: 2007	ExpID: 70175
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 21
Published: Jun 3, 2021	Views: 679
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Pharms - Olanzapine (260) : Not Applicable (38), Depression (15), Medical Use (47), Retrospective / Summary (11)