Olanzapine withdrawl

[johnl]

Hi I have taken olanzapine for a few years and my doctor is discontinuing olanzapine I am not sure why. I was wondering if anyone has stopped taking olanzapine how long the withdrawl symptoms will last. I have not been sleeping for days now the withdrawl symptoms are aweful.

[AJ]

Hi johnl and welcome to the forums. I would encourage you to ask your doctor why they are discontinuing the olanzapine. There are a lot of variables for discontinuing any drug. The type of drug, dosage and the length of time on a particular drug all play a role. Also has or will any other drugs be added or used in its place?

Sometimes drugs need to be abruptly discontinued, more often the not they can be tapered, so the process is more gradual. It can also give another drug time to start working if that's the scenario.

You may want to consider talking with your pharmacist. They know what conditions you are being treated for, and will have your medication history on their records. They can help you with the Olanzapine discontinuation.

I would strongly recommend a trip back to the doctor. They need to know how you're doing and discuss with you, the next step for addressing the withdrawal.

[uni]

Hi johnl, good to hear from you. I don't know much about olanzapine, but I do understand how icky withdrawal can be, having gone through it with other meds.I think AJ has made some good suggestions, particularly the idea of consulting a pharmacist and checking in with your doctor. I hope your symptoms calm down soon. I also hope you can get some sleep. I find lack of sleep makes everything more difficult.