Zyprexa and other pharma drugs really cause harm? *TW

Hi Im new here, but have been reading the posts here for some time.

I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder about 10 years ago. I was put on 10 mg of zyprexa and alpralozam. At first I noticed a calming effect. But I noticed that my paranoia was still there, only it was muffled. Then in 2009 I was also put on Prozac. So at that time I was taking Zyprexa and Prozac. And it made me stay with a woman I should have not stayed with for almost 2 years. It made me not give a crap about the problems we were having. So finally we broke up and I moved to Spain, where my father is from. I continued the Zyprexa but not the Prozac. Then I found different articles around the web, describing how horrible zyprexa is and what it does to your brain, such as shrinking the brains basul ganglia.

I stopped taking zyprexa then, this was around 2010 and started doing so by reducing the amount of dosage every month. And even like that once I was totally out of it. I went through hell for over a month, I think the withdrawal is worse then any opiate withdrawl for example. Insomnia where I would be up for days and to be able to even sleep even if it were only a few hours I had to pump myself full of alpralozam. I was also reading about conspiracys and stuff and that made it even worst. I was a paranoid hell and would not go out of the house. I spent around 4 months in the house. Till one day I had a fight with my father and got violent with him. Around a week later my family secretly plotted against me and had the police come take me to the hospital, where they then put me in psych ward for over a month. Once I got out they had me on 20 mg a day of zyprexa, so double dose and valium. Now I was a walking zombie, I had slurred speech and couldn't articulate words. It was horrible. After being realeased from the hospital, I came back to the US. 3 months after returning I attempted suicide by ingesting two whole bottles of alpralozam that I had left over. I ended up in the hospital where they gave me charcoal to absorb the drug in my stomach. I spend about a week in a hospital bed and could hardly walk.

We then went back to my old shrink, and since at the time we couldn't afford the zyprexa anymore, she decided to put me on Haloperidol. I noticed it was different then zyprexa in fact Ill say I don't think it was nearly as bad. I was quite happy on it. But then I started reading about it as well and how its an old antipsychotic that in long term use has very nasty side effects. So I quit the haloperidol and to my surprise had practically no withdrawl signs. I spent about 6 months med free and felt alive again. Then during the end of this period I lost my job and started flippling out. Delusions of persecution all over again. My mother insisted I go to the shrink again but I refused to go there and be put on these friggen meds again. I wanted it all too end. One day I found a bottle of methadone in the house that was for my mothers ex who used it for cancer pain and is no longer with us.

Well as you are expecting I tried to kill myself with a whole bottle of methadone. I couldn't stand it no more, I was stuck in my house again, and even hearing people talk about me and how they are going to get me. So I swallowed the whole bottle. Only to wake up 3 hours later, and find vomit on the floor next to my bed. My mother called the ambulance and the cops came and they baker acted me. This time in the US. I spend almost two weeks in the psych ward and I had never been so scared in my life. They gave me prolixin which I think is the worst drug even worst then zyprexa. I would start trembling and having seizures with prolixin. A feeling of wanting to crawl out of my skin. FInally I got put on disability and now Medicaid pays for everything. Im back on zyprexa for almost a whole year now, also taking Lorazepam. But I have gained weight significantly, and also notice the lack of pleasure in anything I do, as well as having suicidal thoughts again. I don't know what to do. I want to stop taking it but Im afraid of the withdrawal and sequcential delusions that I might have again.

What would you all suggest as an alternative?

P0ci wrote:But I have gained weight significantly, and also notice the lack of pleasure in anything I do,

Stimulants (Dexadrine / Adderal IR) might give you some "good time" daily if you need to take anti psychotics for what ever reason.

What I mean by good time is just having a few hours every day feeling motivated and quite frankly "high".

P0ci wrote: I spent about 6 months med free and felt alive again.

That might be better, I really don't like doing the doctor thing on here. I try to stick to human rights and informed consent issues.

Nah I don't really like any stimulants. They tend to make me paranoid. Even if I drink too much coffee this happens.

Wow... You had it pretty rough and I'm sorry to hear that. Have you tried Invega Sustenna? It gave me severe anhedonia, but in terms of helping with positive symptoms like delusions and paranoia it really works. It is taken once a month. I have to warn you about the anhedonia though, it's really extreme. At least for my case anyway.

Good luck and I hope you find what works best for you.

Narshe81 wrote:Wow... You had it pretty rough and I'm sorry to hear that. Have you tried Invega Sustenna? It gave me severe anhedonia, but in terms of helping with positive symptoms like delusions and paranoia it really works. It is taken once a month. I have to warn you about the anhedonia though, it's really extreme. At least for my case anyway.

Good luck and I hope you find what works best for you.

Thx for the advice but I don't want more anhedonia. And as far as the paranoias and delusions, some of them are truthfull, just no one believes me. Im used to it by now.

ive been on zyprexa for the better part of 3 years i believe. ive never had a good experience with these drugs. anti-psychotics are among the worst poisons id ever imagine having in my body. i chose this one because it made me feel less horrible than the rest.

hope for the best for you my friend.

pilgrim14 wrote:ive been on zyprexa for the better part of 3 years i believe. ive never had a good experience with these drugs. anti-psychotics are among the worst poisons id ever imagine having in my body. i chose this one because it made me feel less horrible than the rest.

hope for the best for you my friend.

Yes there are worst then Zyprexa, such as Prolixin, it was unbearable for the 2 weeks that I took it and then had to be put back on Zyprexa.

But like I said, I spent 6 months med free a few years ago and Im going to do it again. Im not gonna continue to take this poison. Im currently lowering my dose every month slowy so I don't go through withdrawal hell, or better yet lets get real and give it the correct name, cold turkey. Its even worse then an opiate cold turkey

A Psychiatrist put me on 10mg Neulactil in January 2000 for Paranoia and Psychosis induced by heavy Alcohol and Drug use. His initial Prescription was wrong, and after the prescribing Pharmacist told me that he would not give me the drug the Psychiatrist had prescribed (Pimozide) because it was risky, he contacted the treating Psychiatrist and obtained another Prescription for Neulactil, which I took every night before bedtime for 2 Months suffering no apparent side effects other than feeling 'blunted' in emotional output. After 2 Months the Psychiatrist told me during a consultation that he believed I would benefit from a "stronger Drug" called Zyprexa and that "it would suit me" (his words). I took Zyprexa without researching it's potential side effect profile and for 3 Months slept well and had no problems tolerating the Drug, even feeling so calm that I actually 'liked the feeling induced by it'!! Then came the problems after 3 Months of being on it. First sign of any side effects was a mild fever that lasted for 3 days and came on while my Psychiatrist was on a Holiday break, so I went back on Neulactil until he came back in case the aches and sweats were a sign of trouble with the Zyprexa. When he heard of my concern he shrugged it off and told me not to worry, just go back on to taking the Zyprexa 10mg as normal. I did this, however within 2 weeks of doing so I noticed that I was waking earlier and earlier in the morning which eventually became such a problem that I suffered anxiety as I slept barely 2 Hours a night from then on in, persisting this way for over 5 Years during which I noticed a very odd thing in that though my sleep was disrupted to the point of receiving only 20 Hours a Week of rest I felt bright, alert, and almost too good to be normal despite the lack of rest. The Psychiatrist did mention that I "might have a touch of mania" so prescribed me Sodium Valproate 1000mg for a Week to see if this would make any difference, which it didn't, in fact doing nothing noticeable at all. After taking me off this Drug he introduced another older Drug known as Largactil (Thorazine) for the intractible Insomnia, initially 200mg a night along with the 10mg Zyprexa. This new Drug literally drugged me so heavily that I could not get out of bed for hours in the daytime and felt very lethargic, it was terrible. The Insomnia improved under the sedation of Largactil for some 3 Months before slowly tapering back to where it was before taking the Drug, so the Psychiatrist 'bumped up' the dosage regime to 400mg initially, then to 600mg and even a huge 800mg to see if this would work against the sleeplessness, which unfortunately it didn't, in fact I had virtually no drug effect whatsoever from those 2 Drugs in combination and became very worried. Then I started drinking heavily to counter the Insomnia, and though this worked for maybe a few weeks even the Alcohol stopped getting me intoxicated, along with no drug effects from Marijuana or Codeine either!!!! I took those drugs, the 10mg Zyprexa along with 600mg Largactil then drank up to 2 Flagons (4 litres) of Moselle on top and noticed virtually no intoxicating effect whatsoever, and no sleep effect either, very, very strange and extremely distressing as even to my limited Medical Education (none at all) I thought that if these drugs would not work on me what would happen should I need sedating or Anaesthetizing in a Hospital setting? During the treatment period of some 6 Years, this Psychiatrist did not once order any Blood Tests to check for Blood anomalies induced by the heavy Drug use, and even when told by my Parents about the heavy drinking on top of the Drugs he only cautioned me once about taking the drugs with alcohol and never seemed any more concerned from then on in. Eventually I weened myself off the Largactil with great difficulty as the lack of sleep (7-10 hours a week) felt awful but I still could not work out why I never once felt fatigued. Another 3 Years after this I finally got off the Zyprexa too, but weening myself off this drug was a nightmare to say the least as the Sympathetic Nervous System overactivity was terribly debilitating for weeks on end before finally subsiding. I sweated, trembled, suffered crippling anxiety, and could barely sleep during the withdrawal period, and at once thought that I would surely die before this would subside. After 6 Months off those drugs (Zyprexa and Largactil) I noticed that I could once again become intoxicated by smoking Marijuana (though I shouldn't have risked this for obvious reasons) so was hopeful that all was slowly returning to normal in my CNS. When I drank Alcohol though I noticed absolutely no effects despite drinking sometimes huge quantities of the stuff, even up to 19 litres of 6%ABV Beer + 4 Bottles of Wine??? Go figure, it didn't even make me euphoric after all that, just felt dry and horrible next day but no vomiting. I have now withdrawn all Drug use and do not drink anyhting with Alcohol in it so have no idea if my CNS has regained that function (if you like to term it that), but it still worries me greatly that in a Hospital setting that the treating Doctors may find sedating or Anaesthetizing me a problem, as Alcohol works along very simialr pathways in the Brain to those Drugs. I blame the Zyprexa for the bizarre side effect profile as the onset of those problems coincided with the mild fever I suffered during the 3 days over a Holiday period in Xmas/New Year 2002, and at that time I was only smoking Marijuana and drinking Alcohol recreationally in moderate amounts, not the massive quantities I later started consuming (more in the hope that I might get intoxicated - worry) to counter Insomnia even though it did not work. I complained to the SA Medical Tribunal about the Psychiatrists lack of insight into my side effects and lack of concern in Blood Testing, to which they told me that "he gave them a totally innapropriate answer" to their line of questioning, and he promptly contacted me at my 'home' no less to explain his stance (highly unethical and illegal). I reported him again and heard no more for 2 years from him. Of course I sought treatment elsewhere in that time, and was given a reasonably clean bill of health both physically and mentally, though I still do suffer extreme shyness and anxiety in public places. This Psychiatrist contacted my new treating Doctor and advised him (without examination mind you) to prescribe me Quetiapine, a drug that previously he had given me and caused me severe constipation to the point of no bowel movements for near 8 days! My Doctor ignored this request and mentioned to me that he has examined me over a long period of time and noticed a definite improvement in my mental status and that I am doing well in studies at University so my mental accuity is good. Why would a Psychiatrist I have not been examined by for over 2 Years, and without consent from me advise another Doctor to put me on a Drug that he should have known has caused me distress before???

Mulligan wrote:A Psychiatrist put me on 10mg Neulactil in January 2000 for Paranoia and Psychosis induced by heavy Alcohol and Drug use. His initial Prescription was wrong, and after the prescribing Pharmacist told me that he would not give me the drug the Psychiatrist had prescribed (Pimozide) because it was risky, he contacted the treating Psychiatrist and obtained another Prescription for Neulactil, which I took every night before bedtime for 2 Months suffering no apparent side effects other than feeling 'blunted' in emotional output. After 2 Months the Psychiatrist told me during a consultation that he believed I would benefit from a "stronger Drug" called Zyprexa and that "it would suit me" (his words). I took Zyprexa without researching it's potential side effect profile and for 3 Months slept well and had no problems tolerating the Drug, even feeling so calm that I actually 'liked the feeling induced by it'!! Then came the problems after 3 Months of being on it. First sign of any side effects was a mild fever that lasted for 3 days and came on while my Psychiatrist was on a Holiday break, so I went back on Neulactil until he came back in case the aches and sweats were a sign of trouble with the Zyprexa. When he heard of my concern he shrugged it off and told me not to worry, just go back on to taking the Zyprexa 10mg as normal. I did this, however within 2 weeks of doing so I noticed that I was waking earlier and earlier in the morning which eventually became such a problem that I suffered anxiety as I slept barely 2 Hours a night from then on in, persisting this way for over 5 Years during which I noticed a very odd thing in that though my sleep was disrupted to the point of receiving only 20 Hours a Week of rest I felt bright, alert, and almost too good to be normal despite the lack of rest. The Psychiatrist did mention that I "might have a touch of mania" so prescribed me Sodium Valproate 1000mg for a Week to see if this would make any difference, which it didn't, in fact doing nothing noticeable at all. After taking me off this Drug he introduced another older Drug known as Largactil (Thorazine) for the intractible Insomnia, initially 200mg a night along with the 10mg Zyprexa. This new Drug literally drugged me so heavily that I could not get out of bed for hours in the daytime and felt very lethargic, it was terrible. The Insomnia improved under the sedation of Largactil for some 3 Months before slowly tapering back to where it was before taking the Drug, so the Psychiatrist 'bumped up' the dosage regime to 400mg initially, then to 600mg and even a huge 800mg to see if this would work against the sleeplessness, which unfortunately it didn't, in fact I had virtually no drug effect whatsoever from those 2 Drugs in combination and became very worried. Then I started drinking heavily to counter the Insomnia, and though this worked for maybe a few weeks even the Alcohol stopped getting me intoxicated, along with no drug effects from Marijuana or Codeine either!!!! I took those drugs, the 10mg Zyprexa along with 600mg Largactil then drank up to 2 Flagons (4 litres) of Moselle on top and noticed virtually no intoxicating effect whatsoever, and no sleep effect either, very, very strange and extremely distressing as even to my limited Medical Education (none at all) I thought that if these drugs would not work on me what would happen should I need sedating or Anaesthetizing in a Hospital setting? During the treatment period of some 6 Years, this Psychiatrist did not once order any Blood Tests to check for Blood anomalies induced by the heavy Drug use, and even when told by my Parents about the heavy drinking on top of the Drugs he only cautioned me once about taking the drugs with alcohol and never seemed any more concerned from then on in. Eventually I weened myself off the Largactil with great difficulty as the lack of sleep (7-10 hours a week) felt awful but I still could not work out why I never once felt fatigued. Another 3 Years after this I finally got off the Zyprexa too, but weening myself off this drug was a nightmare to say the least as the Sympathetic Nervous System overactivity was terribly debilitating for weeks on end before finally subsiding. I sweated, trembled, suffered crippling anxiety, and could barely sleep during the withdrawal period, and at once thought that I would surely die before this would subside. After 6 Months off those drugs (Zyprexa and Largactil) I noticed that I could once again become intoxicated by smoking Marijuana (though I shouldn't have risked this for obvious reasons) so was hopeful that all was slowly returning to normal in my CNS. When I drank Alcohol though I noticed absolutely no effects despite drinking sometimes huge quantities of the stuff, even up to 19 litres of 6%ABV Beer + 4 Bottles of Wine??? Go figure, it didn't even make me euphoric after all that, just felt dry and horrible next day but no vomiting. I have now withdrawn all Drug use and do not drink anyhting with Alcohol in it so have no idea if my CNS has regained that function (if you like to term it that), but it still worries me greatly that in a Hospital setting that the treating Doctors may find sedating or Anaesthetizing me a problem, as Alcohol works along very simialr pathways in the Brain to those Drugs. I blame the Zyprexa for the bizarre side effect profile as the onset of those problems coincided with the mild fever I suffered during the 3 days over a Holiday period in Xmas/New Year 2002, and at that time I was only smoking Marijuana and drinking Alcohol recreationally in moderate amounts, not the massive quantities I later started consuming (more in the hope that I might get intoxicated - worry) to counter Insomnia even though it did not work. I complained to the SA Medical Tribunal about the Psychiatrists lack of insight into my side effects and lack of concern in Blood Testing, to which they told me that "he gave them a totally innapropriate answer" to their line of questioning, and he promptly contacted me at my 'home' no less to explain his stance (highly unethical and illegal). I reported him again and heard no more for 2 years from him. Of course I sought treatment elsewhere in that time, and was given a reasonably clean bill of health both physically and mentally, though I still do suffer extreme shyness and anxiety in public places. This Psychiatrist contacted my new treating Doctor and advised him (without examination mind you) to prescribe me Quetiapine, a drug that previously he had given me and caused me severe constipation to the point of no bowel movements for near 8 days! My Doctor ignored this request and mentioned to me that he has examined me over a long period of time and noticed a definite improvement in my mental status and that I am doing well in studies at University so my mental accuity is good. Why would a Psychiatrist I have not been examined by for over 2 Years, and without consent from me advise another Doctor to put me on a Drug that he should have known has caused me distress before???

Yes that doctor of yours does not seem to follow procedure correctly. When you take Zyprexa after a few month they are supposed to send you for blood tests specifically to measure your blood sugar level since Zyprexa is known to cause diabetes.