Posted by JohnL on February 4, 2001, at 5:53:30
In reply to Zyprexa for bipolars, posted by sunbaby82 on February 4, 2001, at 1:15:56
> I have done lithium and depokote and nothing happened. My doc has me on zyprexa and it is expensive. I guess what I'm interested in learning about is what was your experience with this drug. Any tips would be helpful too for I am diagnosed bipolar and have been battling this thing for over 20 years. Thanks all.
Hi,
Personally I think Zyprexa is an awesome medicine. Clinical trials are showing it to be effective with a wide spectrum of psychiatric illnesses. It has been officially approved for bipolar as well.In browsing through all the clinical trials it seemed to me that the best results were achieved when Zyprexa was combined with another med, usually Prozac or another SSRI. Something else I noticed is that when it was combined with an SSRI it usually brought quick relief, usually within one week.
I think there are many people who are treatment resistant or who only have a partial response that could benefit from Zyprexa. Unfortunately it's not usually one of the first choices, but I think it should be higher up on the priority list.
In my own experience I felt substantial improvement of my longstanding dysthymia in the first week. I break a 10mg tab into three pieces and take one piece each evening. It doesn't help me fall asleep as well as I would like, but once I am asleep I sleep very good. The hangover effect in the morning is minimal when compared to other things I've tried like Remeron, Serzone, benzos, or tricyclics. The overall effect is that it brightens my mood, provides a sense of calmness yet at the same time makes me feel alert, active, and motivated. Of course, I do take other drugs with it, but I can tell what Zyprexa's contribution is. At this point in time I really like Zyprexa and think it should be one of the top psychiatric medicines available today.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:53270
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010131/msgs/53279.html