Olazapine dose increase?

[Zebrawhite]

I'm now on 5mg of Olazapine and haven't noticed any side effects yet. I can walk normally again and don't get restlessness like on abilfy. I still can't sleep at night without sleeping tablets though and am feeling like the psychotic thoughts are on my mind more. I have a review this afternoon and I'm not sure of Inshould asleep for an increase in dose. Is 10mg pof Olazapine a lot? Did anyone notice a difference between these dosages? Please help!

[Jenny_at_APP Partner]

Hi ZebraWhite,

It's really good to hear that you've not noticed any side effects on Olanzapine yet and the ones you were experiencing on Abilify seem to have resolved.

I'm not sure what the normal step increase would be on Olanzapine but I would definitely mention in your review this afternoon that you're not able to sleep without sleeping tablets and that the psychotic thoughts seem to be on your mind more. See what they say - it might be that they'll want you to stay on 5mg a little longer and see, or they might suggest a dose increase - I don't know if that would be to 10mg or somewhere in between.

It can take time on any medication to find the right balance, so I'd be guided by the professionals and it will probably be helpful to keep a note of your mood while they continue to review things, to help guide them in return.

Best wishes,

Jenny x

[SaffFree Volunteer]

HiZebrawhite it’s good you are getting on well with Olanzapine. I was on 10mg initially last August when I had PP, and that kicked in within a week to calm my symptoms. It made me quite sleepy when I took it at night, so helped sleep wise. Hopefully you had a good chat with your doctor and decided what to do. I did a gradually tapering down, so didn’t notice a huge difference, and allowed 2 weeks before going down in dose again. I would think they might suggest a gradual increase rather than 5mg straight to 10mg. As always with medication, you have to be careful and go slow, and listen to what professionals say. Good luck, I hope you find something that works well for you, and you are able to get better rest at night.