Bloomseine

[bloomseine]

Hello,

I was prescribed olanzapine 10mg three years ago for postnatal psychosis. I have experienced side effects from this so they kept me on it sometimes upping my dose. I was also put on sertraline two years ago. I am now on 10.7mg of Olanzapine and 100mg of sertraline.I plan to lower my olanzapine 5% every two weeks until I get to a lower dose of 2.5mg then I will lower my sertraline before coming fully off the olanzapine. I have not yet discussed this with my doctor I will  ask him to prescribe me a lower dose every three months when I see him as he does not agree with me coming off of it completely.

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs. I'm glad you found us before you started tapering.  You will be able to minimize or avoid withdrawal if you taper according to our protocol.  

 

Can you please give us specific information in your signature about your drug history for all drugs and supplements you are on and have been on, especially for the past 18-24 months?  It would be especially helpful to have the details of your drugs in a concise vertical list (no symptoms), only specific dates, include the day (as best you can say for example early March if you don't recall the day), drug names, and dosages of each medication decrease or increase.  Here is an example: 

 

March 12, ’22: Lexapro 5 mg, Xanax 0.5 mg, Trazodone 50 mg

March 29, ’22: Lexapro 4 mg, Xanax 0.5 mg, Trazodone 50 mg

April 17, ’22:  Lexapro 3.8 mg, Xanax 0.5 mg, Trazodone 50 mg

May 19, ’22:  Lexapro 3.8 mg, Xanax 0.5 mg, Trazodone 25 mg

 

Please read the link below for instructions.  This will allow us to give you the best guidance.  

 

How to List Your Drug History in Your Signature

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we generally taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the reduction becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering Sertraline

 

Tips for Tapering Olanzapine

 

If you are on multiple drugs, this link will help you determine which drug to taper off of first.  We generally suggest people taper off their activating drug first, which in your case is the sertraline.  This will help buffer some of the withdrawal symptoms, which often include insomnia, anxiety, agitations, restlessness, etc.  

 

Which Drug to Taper First

 

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

 

I've given you quite a bit of information here.  Please read through it, and mull it over, and we will take it from there.  Let us know if you have any questions, and let us know how you are doing. 

Edited January 30, 2023 by getofflex

[bloomseine]

Hello,

Ive been trying to get a hold of my medical history to do a signature but it's really hard to get anyone to give it to me. I will post an update anyway. I have been discharged from the community adult mental health team which is good as I don't have to worry about talking to a psychiatric and mental health nurses anymore but Im a little nervous about talking to my gp to get a lower dose. Im angry with the mental health team as whenever I wanted to lower the medication they would either deter me or the psychiatric would be off sick this has led me to stay on  a high dose of olanzapine for more then 3 years. They should have reviewed me and seen that I was stable and talk about reducing but I had no help what so ever. I have come to understand the harm these drugs are doing to me and Im no longer blaming myself for any side effects Im having.  I have no energy and I am wanting to nap all the time I find it hard to engage in conversation and when Im working my eyes keep closing as if I want to sleep, every now and again I get all weird I can't explain it but it's really scary, Im also now 33 years old and my fertility won't last forever so I want off these drugs as soon as possible so I can have the family Ive always wanted. I am going to reduce my olanzapine first even though it's not recommended as I think it's causing me the most problems I will reduce till 2.5mg then lower the sertraline. Im hoping this will take a maximum of 4 years. Im really happy to have found this forum as I get so stressed and worried thinking about it all I feel this is a positive place and I have somewhere to document my journey.

Thank you!

[getofflex]

I can understand your frustration with the mental health system.  Most of us here have felt lots of anger and frustration with it as well, and rightfully so.  And yes, thee symptoms are scary.  

 

Many of us go ahead and taper off our medications, even without the support of our mental health care professionals.  That's fine if you want to reduce the olanzapine first, since you are having trouble with energy and sleepiness.  You can even taper partly off olanzapine, then pause that taper and do some tapering off sertraline for a while.  

 

We look forward to seeing your drug signature.  We will need that in order to help you taper off your drugs. 

[bloomseine]

Hi,

I have written my signature I did not write my tapering doses as that would be too long I will add every time I go down by 2.5mg.Is this ok? 

[FireflyFyte]

Am glad that you are approaching your Olanzapine taper in a slow and steady taper of 5% every two weeks. Sadly, it's a powerful drug and can be difficult to discontinue so going slowly is really the only route, in my opinion.

[bloomseine]

Im hoping going slow will work for me. I hope I can be a success story as there is not much out there for olanzapine.

 

 

[getofflex]

On 4/4/2023 at 11:24 AM, bloomseine said:

will add every time I go down by 2.5mg.Is this ok? 

2.5 mg of what?

 

Please also specify which drug you’re talking about in that last line of your drug signature when you say tapering 5% every other week.

Edited April 5, 2023 by getofflex

[bloomseine]

Hi,

I was pulled aside by my supervisor today because someone told her they saw me keep closing my eyes looking like I was  going fall asleep, this has been happening for a year now I knew I would get caught eventually.I get the feeling I have to close my eyes I don't fall asleep I just close them then open them.I sleep well as night I don't know why this is happening I'm scared to drive and I have no motivation to do anything as I'm always closing my eyes. It is really affecting me. I'm hoping it will go away as I lower olanzapine.

[getofflex]

I asked you some clarifying questions in my prior post.  Perhaps you missed them?  

 

 

[FireflyFyte]

18 hours ago, bloomseine said:

Im hoping going slow will work for me. I hope I can be a success story as there is not much out there for olanzapine.

 

I recommend reading hayduke's thread for an Olanzapine success story.

 

I am tapering by 5% every two weeks, currently down to 1.93mg and haven't experienced any noticeable withdrawals to date thanks to a slow taper.

[bloomseine]

25 minutes ago, getofflex said:

I asked you some clarifying questions in my prior post.  Perhaps you missed them?  

 

 

I will update my signature when I decrease each time by 2.5mg of olanzapine

[Altostrata]

Hello, @bloomseine How much olanzapine are you taking now? What times o'clock do you take your drugs, with their dosages?

 

Does olanzapine make you sleepy?

 

How are you measuring your olanzapine doses?

 

How has your symptom pattern changed since the beginning of January?

[bloomseine]

Im taking Olanzapine and Sertraline at 10pm Im on 8.3mg of Olanzapine and 100mg of sertraline I take that dose.

Olanzapine makes me feel sleepy sometimes I can't keep my eyes open during the day it is messing with my work, I have not felt any improvements.People are telling me I can go down faster at a higher dose like 10mg to 7,5mg to 5mg then do the slow tapering from 5mg, Im not sure Im scared to try it that way.

 

[bloomseine]

I've changed my diet from fear of high  blood sugar, and also reading that nutrition is important to limit withdrawal. I watched a video on YouTube where a psychiatric talked  about the keto diet and it's positive affect on mental health. I was getting these weird episodes where I felt really strange it is hard to describe but they are happening less since I changed my diet. It is not the keto diet that I'm doing but I have cut out sugar except for fruit and freshly pressed fruit juice and cut out grains and potatoes and legumes, I eat meat twice a day and eat fat like butter and olive oil with every meal, I still eat dairy.I have added liver and raw milk kefir to my diet. I did buy cod liver oil but it was quite expensive so I buy instead organic beef liver from a farm.This has given me confidence in thinking I'm giving my body the chance it has to recover.I can't wait to be off this medication so I can have a normal diet and also eat grapefruit again.

[Altostrata]

4 hours ago, bloomseine said:

Olanzapine and Sertraline at 10pm

 

Why do you take these 2 drugs together at 10 p.m.? For what purpose were you prescribed olanzapine?

[bloomseine]

I was prescribed Olanzapine for postnatal psychosis initially, now its for depressive psychosis as I told them I was getting intrusive thoughts and felt not myself so they referred me to a psychiatric who diagnosed me as having depressive psychosis even though I didn't have psychosis at the time, I think they were worried because I had already had postnatal psychosis. To be honest I don't understand their reasoning. I was given olanzapine to take at night and they didn't tell me when to take the sertraline so I just took it at the same time I told them and they said it was fine.

[Altostrata]

Quote

July 2022 Sertraline 0mg CT, Olanzapine 10mg

 

What happened after you went off sertraline in July 2022?

 

Did you ever take sertraline by itself, or earlier in the day apart from olanzapine?

 

Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

[bloomseine]

Nothing happened when I came off sertraline I don't think, I didn't tell anyone I came off it. I was having these weird episodes (hard to describe) I think I had them before stopping taking sertraline, I told the team about them they thought my psychosis was coming back and I was depressed and they put me on sertraline 200mg then I felt really bad like suicidal so they upped my olanzapine. I still felt bad and told them I was no longer on sertraline before so they lowered the sertraline to 100mg. I've never taken sertraline by itself. I think I will switch it to taking it in the morning. 

[Altostrata]

15 hours ago, bloomseine said:

I was having these weird episodes (hard to describe) I think I had them before stopping taking sertraline

 

What were those weird episodes? Did you ever skip a dose or take it off-schedule?

 

You may feel weird if you change your sertraline dose by 12 hours at once. Suggest you move it earlier by an hour each day. Let us know how you're doing.

 

On 4/8/2023 at 3:53 PM, Altostrata said:

Please put ALL your drugs in this Interactions Checker and post the report or a link to it in this topic.

 

[bloomseine]

Ok I will try and move taking sertraline earlier in the evening, I already skipped it in the evening and took it this morning but will take it tonight again. I have not skipped or taken a dose at a different time.The episodes are hard to explain it's sort of like my thinking changes my brain becomes fuzzy and I start thinking strange thoughts I can't control with a sense of doom, some of the thoughts are slightly paranoid it is like I've turned into someone else and see life differently and the people around me are strangers.I can't explain it really. I don't loose myself completely and turn into another person just that I think the world perceives me as another person. I feel like a void in my head then I feel aware of my physical feelings, I might be feeling my breathing more or a tightness in my chest and my thoughts become magnified and I wonder what's wrong with me.it's really troubling and so hard to explain. It happens mostly when I'm outside or with friends and family.

 

 

Using OLANZapine together with sertraline can increase the risk of an irregular heart rhythm that may be serious and potentially life-threatening, although it is a relatively rare side effect. You may be more susceptible if you have a heart condition called congenital long QT syndrome, other cardiac diseases, conduction abnormalities, or electrolyte disturbances (for example, magnesium or potassium loss due to severe or prolonged diarrhea or vomiting). Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. Your doctor may already be aware of the risks, but has determined that this is the best course of treatment for you and has taken appropriate precautions and is monitoring you closely for any potential complications. You should seek immediate medical attention if you develop sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, shortness of breath, or heart palpitations during treatment with these medications, whether together or alone. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

[Altostrata]

Since you already changed your dosing schedule, please stick with sertraline in the morning.

 

The weird episodes you describe sound like the symptoms that you might get from drug changes or skipping doses. I see you have drug changes almost monthly since April 2020. This alone can cause weird symptoms. Have you skipped any doses of anything since April 2020?

 

As you can see, taking olanzapine and sertraline at the same time can cause odd symptoms as well.

 

 

[bloomseine]

Oh I just took it this evening again, I hope I don't feel weird tomorrow, I will carry on taking it in the evening now taking it back one hour at a time. I am going to tell my supervisor tomorrow I am on medication and that is why I am sleepy at work. I have never skipped a dose maybe it could be from a pandemic vaxx injury because it was around that time.

[Altostrata]

Good idea to explain the sleepiness to your supervisor. You might add you are taking steps to adjust the drug dose.

 

We have seen a reaction to an antibiotic or other drug can cause significant symptoms.

[bloomseine]

Had another one of those weird episode last night made me feel really deflated once it was over. When I come out of it I get the most horrible thoughts of worse case scenarios I think of the worse possible crimes and think I might end up doing them. I feel so confused as to why these episodes keep happening to me and I try to make sense out of them but the only reasoning I get is that I'm going mental. I'm worried that I will end up telling a health professional and them put my medication up or someone will take my daughter away.It is so hard to explain what is going on people think my psychosis is coming back, which is what they thought when I told them about them in the past. It has nothing to do with psychosis. 

I want to speak to my doctor about my diagnosis they have diagnosed me with a history of depressive psychosis but I have only had psychosis once which was postnatal psychosis. Having a diagnosis of depressive psychosis means I would be advised to stay on the medication for the rest of my life to stop any psychosis to come again. But having a diagnosis of postnatal psychosis would mean that the health professionals would get of my back as postnatal psychosis doesn't come back unless maybe if I have another child. So I want to talk to my doctor about this. The reason why I got the diagnosis of depressive psychosis is because I was experiencing side effects of the drugs such as intrusive thoughts and tiredness and these episodes. I expressed my concerns to the doctor who basically didn't listen to me and just thought my psychosis was coming back.He was basically uneducated on postnatal psychosis. 

I don't know how I should approach my doctor about this. It feels comforting to let a doctor diagnose you and give you medicine I think it is quite hard to try and figure things out yourself. Im not very good at speaking affirmatively and confidently, the doctor would probably try and prescribe me another medication and say I seemed agitated. I hate how they analyse you instead of helping. I will try and talk to the doctor when I will ask them to reduce my dose to 7.5mg which will be in two weeks.   

[bloomseine]

I am going to ask my doctor if he can test me for diabetes as olanzapine can induce it, I get the feeling of extreme thirst so I am a little worried.

[bloomseine]

I am going to switch to liquid taper. I need to do part liquid part dry taper to begin with to get use to liquid. I am not sure how to calculate that. I'm switching to liquid as my scale sometimes jumps 0.01 to 0.03 and I know further down the line this will matter, I have read on another persons intro page on hear that advice being given. This website has been really helpful. If any one has any tips on how to switch that would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Altostrata]

On 4/12/2023 at 3:12 PM, bloomseine said:

Had another one of those weird episode last night

 

Please describe the episode.

 

You have made drug changes almost monthly for years. What is your daily drug schedule? How long have you been consistently taking your drugs on this schedule?

[bloomseine]

Thanks for asking Altostrata, I cannot really describe it, it's not physical like a panic attack it's more to do with my thinking changing,I really don't know how to describe it it's something that Ive ever experienced before two years ago, it is unpleasant. I'm not hallucinating or hearing voices or anything to do with psychosis and Im not having anxiety or panic and I'm not feeling out of my body it just kind of feels like I'm no longer in the world that Im use to and my thoughts are attacking themselves like if I have a thought I question it, it's like my personality has disappeared and all that is left is insecurities. I have been having them less since I changed my diet but Im always worried about when they will happen again. I try to make sense out of them, after they happen I feel like my life is going to change for the worse. I find it hard to keep composer and smile and chitchat or play with my daughter when I have them. It is ok when I am at home because I can find a manual task to do and get my mind of it a little I do worry about what my husband must think, when I am out or on transport I worry about people looking at me. I'm sorry I'm not clear I can't think of a point in my life where I have experienced something similar, maybe psychosis is similar but when I have had drug induced psychosis I didn't know I was in psychosis . where else this Im aware of what is happening but it is out of my control, it feels like everything that made me happy goes away and I then question if I was ever happy in the first place. I am just hoping it is a side effect of the drug that when I come off olanzapine my dopamine receptors will open and they will stop, or at least I will not dwell on them as much. 

 

I told my supervisor I was on medication she said she will tell HR she said I should have told them when I started the job. I hope they don't say I am unfit to work. I need the money to pay for higher quality food to help me heal and to not stress so much.

 

Work is hard for me I feel so tired all the time. I don't think I could find another job, this one is a manual job at a factory so I don't have to put too much effort in it. Sometimes I feel like all I do is want to go to bed, at work I don't really speak to anyone and my voice is very quite when I do, I feel so awkward I don't feel like my lively old self. I enjoy coming home from work I feel I have a little bit more energy in the evening and I can watch Netflix or youtube and see my daughter, Im lucky I have my three year old. Most of the time she makes me happy except when I have the episodes then I can't seem to play with her or anything. 

 

My daily schedule is olanzapine and sertraline at 10pm. The mental health team kept changing my medication because I was complaining about low mood and these episodes, I no longer speak with them since the last time they reduced from 12.5 to 10mg so for a few months. I really don't know what is causing them maybe it is nothing major to worry about and it is something to do with dopamine or my gut. 

 

Thanks for reading 

 

     

[bloomseine]

So sad I lost my job today. I think it is because of how the medication is affecting my energy. They said it was because I was too unskilled and they couldn't find work for me as work was low but I have been trained and was working fine for a year there so I think it was because I am too tired. 

[bloomseine]

I have started a liquid taper.I did 1/4 liquid and 3/4 solid will do that for a week then go to 1/2 liquid next week and so on. 

[Faure]

Dear @bloomseine, I am so very sorry to read that you have lost your job and that you are suffering in so many ways because of these medications. I wish you all the best with your switch to liquid and hope your taper is going smoothly. 

[bloomseine]

Thank you @Faure my husband is on mirtazapine and is tapering also. I am in charge of his taper giving him his dose and changing it when he tells me how he is doing. I know it would be better if he did it himself but he feels he is out of his depth. He is on liquid Mirtazapine and is going to taper 10% every 30days, I will listen to him and see how he goes with that.I have a feeling he will be sensitive as he gets really bad man flu, he is often on the phone with the doctor with his various ailments. He is getting use to the  liquid just now. Me and him are doing this together. Hopefully we won't get withdrawal at the same time then no one can cook or look after our daughter. I am looking for part time work as it is too full on for me otherwise.  

[Altostrata]

I am sorry you lost your job. You are taking a drug cocktail that might slow anyone down.

 

On 4/20/2023 at 10:37 PM, bloomseine said:

I have started a liquid taper.I did 1/4 liquid and 3/4 solid will do that for a week then go to 1/2 liquid next week and so on. 

 

You do not have to convert all of it to liquid form. Suggest you convert half your dose to liquid, then taper from the liquid portion.

[Faure]

Your husband might find the BrassMonkey slide easier. I am having great success with it. WD has been mild and short lived. 

[bloomseine]

8 hours ago, Altostrata said:

I am sorry you lost your job. You are taking a drug cocktail that might slow anyone down.

 

 

You do not have to convert all of it to liquid form. Suggest you convert half your dose to liquid, then taper from the liquid portion.

I understand but it is hard to get an accurate reading on my scale when I want to half the pill. I'm not sure how I can do the maths of tapering half the dose. How would it work?