Olanzapine and hunger

[Zebrawhite]

Does anyone else feel constantly hungry taking Olanzapine? I do, and also feel like my stomach is a bottomless pit as I don't feel bloated or full not matter how much I eat. I also don't feel hunger in my stomach, so I don't get stomach rumbles on an empty tummy, I just seem to feel like my brain is telling me I'm hungry all the time.

[Rachel_at_APP Partner APP]

Hello Zebrawhite,

I’m sorry you’re finding that perhaps you’re more hungry on Olanzapine. I don’t have experience of that medication specifically I’m afraid. But I do know the feeling of wanting and feeling like I needed to eat loads when I was getting better. Like you describe my brain telling me I was hungry even if I felt full.

I wonder whether your doctor might have suggestions of foods you could try that would help you feel fuller for longer if you’re worried or finding it difficult to manage this symptom. Maybe they could also suggest distractions? If you’re not feeling like you’re hungry but seem to suggest your brain thinks you are.

The NHS website does suggest that people can experience an increase in appetite on Olanzapine. The website suggests the following:

“try to eat a healthy, balanced diet without increasing your portion sizes. Do not snack on foods that contain a lot of calories, such as crisps, cakes, biscuits and sweets. If you feel hungry between meals, eat fruit and vegetables and low-calorie foods.”

Take care, Rachel x

nhs.uk/medicines/olanzapine....

[Carmen25]

hi Zebrawhite

I took rispiradone and was later changed to aripriprazole. Neither of these had an impact on my appetite.

A friend is currently on olanzapine and it has a massive impact on her appetite. She is very hungry all the time. She does try to eat fruit and healthy snacks but unfortunately they don’t really satisfy her appetite in the way less healthy things do (pizza, crisps etc). When she isn’t on olanzapine she has a reasonable balanced diet so it does seem that the meds not only increase her appetite but also the food that she finds satisfying

If your doctor would agree, it might be worth trying a different medication which has less impact on appetite?

with best wishes

[Zebrawhite in reply to Carmen25]

Thank you Carmen. How did you find risperidone? I tried aripiprazole but had to switch because I had bad side effects. Risperidone is an option I can take, but I don't know whether to try it.

[Carmen25 in reply to Zebrawhite]

I found Risperidone very tolerable but I had to change because of the impact on my prolactin levels. It doesn’t have this adverse effect on everyone so may be worth trying

[Zebrawhite in reply to Carmen25]

I feel very much like your friend does. No amount of fruit and veg seem to do the trick, I'm craving carbs and sweet things. I have the option of switching to risperidone so I might explore that. Just difficult to know whether a change of medication will be better or worse.

[Survivedwithcolor]

Extreme hunger is the number one side effect I had from the antipsychotic medications, and eventually led to gaining about 45 kg. I felt hungry nearly all the time and would even get up in the middle of the night to eat. Nothing I did seemed to make a difference, and I was most attracted to carbohydrates and sugar. I tried pretty much all of the available medications and they all had this effect on me to some extent. There were a couple that I stayed stable on, one is aripriprazole, and the other one I think is unavailable to you in the UK.

Unfortunately I was never able to stop the hunger until I stopped taking the medications altogether. The good news is that I have lost much of the weight I gained, though not without some work. Eating more protein in every meal will help you feel full longer, but much of the problem may be your brain and not your stomach as you mentioned. In the US, people are now able to get weight loss medications that work by controlling hunger. They are commonly also prescribed for diabetes. If that’s a choice for you there, you might talk to your doctor.

[Zebrawhite in reply to Survivedwithcolor]

Thank you for your reply. Can I ask if you could feel that your stomach was full? I never feel a full or bloated stomach now. Heartburn in the evenings is the only signal of eating more than I need.

[Survivedwithcolor]

Yes that was the thing, I never felt full. I could just eat and eat, and I wanted to eat all the time. If I didn’t eat, I felt frantic for food. I read that the medication dampens the hormone called ghrelin, which is what allows you to feel full. It sure did that for me. I think Olanzapine is one of the ones for which that’s a very frequent side effect, actually.