olanzapine trouble

[NicJK]

Hi everyone, a big Merry Christmas to you! I haven’t had the best Christmas. A few days ago I had gastro and I vomited 1.5 hours after taking olanzapine. I called a pharmacist in the morning and he told me to take another dose. Soon after that I became very emotionally numb (I’m assuming I must have absorbed most of the first dose). I am now back on my regular 5mg and still feeling emotionally flat 3 days later. Will this pass? Has this happened to anyone else?

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi NicJK, Merry Christmas to you, hope you have had a lovely day. I am sorry that you were physically ill a couple of days ago, it can completely throw us off, and that you have been feeling very flat since then. Medication certainly can have a big impact on our emotions and it is pretty common to experience numbing. At least that has been my own experience. These are also very tricky dates with a lot of pressure and changes in routine combined with you being sick very recently, do you wonder if the recent emotional numbing may be a combination of a few factors? I think it is a good idea to consult with your doctor if you still experience this in the next few days, to put your mind at ease. So lovely to hear from you again, though wishing the circumstances were better. Take really good care,

Maria

[The_Wes_Anderson_Fan Volunteer]

Hello NicJK

Happy Boxing Day!

I had psychosis at age 20 and 37 and I am now 58, so some time ago.

However, I was treated with anti-psychotic medication each time. My personal experience was that it definitely numbed my emotions and I felt flat and lethargic. I always have mania during my episodes, so the sedation seems to help get me back on track.

Both times my personality and emotions have fully returned but it maybe takes up to 6 months or a year to feel 100% myself.

For me, it is part of the healing process to combat my psychosis and mania.

Good luck, thanks for reaching out here.

For me, patience and re-educating myself to re-engage with people and emotions has been part of my recovery.

Best wishes xx

[JosephineFay in reply to The_Wes_Anderson_Fan]

Hello I am glad to hear that you've had good experiences on antipsychotics. Can I ask what is the longest period you've been on them and what was the dose that you were on?

I've had such horrendous side effects on my antipsychotics. Some of which have been deep and unresponsive depression and chronic and enduring insomnia and heavy sedation.

I am on 4MG of Haloperidol. I started on 5mg in February and I'm on just under 4MG now. It's taken me nearly a year for me to drop and reduce by 1MG.

[Fixanothercrown93 in reply to JosephineFay]

Hi JosephineFay!

Hope you don’t mind me jumping on your answer. My OH is on antipsychotics (quietiapine not haloperidol) and still experienced some mania while taking the as prescribed dose and an unprescribed PRN self dosage too which is obviously not recommended to try and combat the mania! She had taken the PRN dose to try and combat the mania which didn’t work and unfortunately due to concerns RE an “overdose” which was coded as such as she wasn’t taking the prescribed amount they stopped her meds which was awful, she had to go cold turkey for about 6 weeks which was terrible as it was a constant manic high!

Thankfully she engaged with services and proved she would take them appropriately and since an adjustment to her dose is doing very well now, able to be a brilliant partner, mum and work full time. I think unfortunately the meds can’t always fully dampen down a manic episode, it takes a mix of both meds/therapeutic interventions (luckily she has a supportive CPN) and with an increase in her dose with restarting has managed to be quite stable with a higher dose. ❤️

Hope this helps. X

[The_Wes_Anderson_Fan Volunteer in reply to JosephineFay]

Hi Josephine I think I was on medication including anti psychotics at the beginning for 6-18 months, I can't remember exactly as it was over 20 years ago. I am not on any medication now.

I am not typical as many people with bipolar function by taking medication all the time.

Keep talking to your prescriber as medication can take fine tuning until it's right for you. It sounds like you've had a really tough time. I hope you can explain how you are feeling to your medical professionals and that they can help you. Xx

[JosephineFay in reply to The_Wes_Anderson_Fan]

I also meant to ask are you on medicines now and are you able to work and hold down a job?

[The_Wes_Anderson_Fan Volunteer in reply to JosephineFay]

Hi Josephine I have been very lucky. I had psychosis at 20 and I was off work a year, then returned to work.

I had post partum psychosis at age 37 and returned to work after 7 months.

I am unusual as I don't take medication once I am fully recovered. Most people with a bipolar diagnosis stay on medication indefinitely.

I have had full employment with the exception of the above times. Each time I returned to work, I was lucky to have kind colleagues as I was still in recovery - lethargic, lacking emotion, confidence etc. Which I had to relearn.

I think everyone on the forum have different experiences but many hold down successful jobs whilst on medication.

Good luck with everything. I follow a lot of the self care techniques mentioned by others on this forum to keep myself well. It is important to take medication if it is prescribed for you. X

[JosephineFay in reply to The_Wes_Anderson_Fan]

I have left a series of jobs once it became common knowledge that I had an illness. I felt stigma and left some excellent jobs but part of that might have been some paranoia from the withdrawal from my medication. I'm so glad you are OK off meds and that you've had sympathy at work and been able to do this. I have an 8 year gap in my work history. I have experienced street homelessness and lost my home when I was ill. My husband didn't feel he could have me at home and didn't realise I had no where to go. So my life has been pretty horrendous for 20 years.

[The_Wes_Anderson_Fan Volunteer in reply to JosephineFay]

It does sound like you have had a very tough time. I am so sad to hear how little support you have had. I hope you have somewhere to live at the moment.I have had 2 employers where I worked and returned after illness and they were supportive.

I have had about 5 jobs and sadly I keep my condition secret because of the stigma. Not ideal, maybe one day I will champion it. A good employer should be receptive to supporting you, legally they are meant to, as we know.

Many women remain on medication all the time, it can be a positive thing, especially if paranoia creeps back.

I really wish you the best for finding some stability in your life. I realise that I have been very fortunate in my experience.

All the best. Good to hear from you. Keep me posted if you want to x

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Hi NicJK

Sorry to hear you haven't had the best Christmas. Vomitting bugs are horrible at the best of times, without worrying about missing medication etc. How are you feeling now? I hope the numbing feelings subside, and that your mood will start to lift. Christmas can be quite an intense time too with a lot of expectations, it can be hard.

Write here whenever is helpful, take care,

Ellie

[Survivedwithcolor]

I’m now off antipsychotics, which I took for 20 years. I still take a mood stabilizer (Lamotrigine) and an antidepressant (Bupropion.)

My experience over the years has been that it’s better not to repeat a dose after you take one, even if you are sick afterward. I’ve had far worse effects from taking things twice than just waiting until my next regular dose. In most cases I took the pills twice accidentally, or missed them accidentally.

[NicJK in reply to Survivedwithcolor]

Did you become emotionally numb when you accidentally took double your dose? If so, how long did it take for you to feel better?

[Survivedwithcolor]

To tell you the truth, I do not remember that from taking pills twice, but I didn’t ever take Olanzapine. Symptoms I remember getting from double doses are body tremors, heart racing and very high blood pressure to the point I worried I’d have a stroke and went to the ER once. Recovery probably depends on the half life of the drug. I usually felt better within 12-24 hours.

In the 20 years I was on antipsychotics, I do remember a couple of the meds (not Olanzapine) did give me a very flat affect. I was completely unable to feel emotion of any kind. I didn’t cry, I didn’t laugh. I felt numb, like you describe. As far as I know that is a typical side effect for some of those medications. Did you have that symptom before this episode?