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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 15:41:05
It's too bad these pharmaceutical companies do not realize that many people out there may benefit from much lower doses of their drugs than what they make available. I just decided to take 3 mg of Zyprexa in my old prescription of Symbyax(I'm currently taking 20 mg of Prozac but no Zyprexa) and it pretty much took the life out of me and made me more depressed than I already am. It took care of the agitation I was experiencing, but I felt like it gave me a frontal lobotomy. I really think I might benefit from taking a 1 mg dose 3 or 4 days a week or as needed, but unfortunately there is no way to take 1 mg of Zyprexa. Unless, there is some liquid version of the drug that I don't know about. Zyprexa in the doses that it is available, even the 2.5 mg dose, is simply too invasive for me and probably many others. I also makes it a little too easy for me to sleep, especially sleep in. I've been kind of enjoying my waking up around 9 o'clock every day even if I only get 6 hours of sleep. With Zyprexa, this never would have been possible.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on August 15, 2010, at 16:17:49
In reply to Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 15:41:05
All of the atypical antipsychotics were originally introduced for the treatment of schizophrenia. The range of available tablet strengths reflects the doses used in psychosis. Low strength Zyprexa tablets would be particularly useful for non-psychotic conditions, and for tapering.
Rather than chopping up tablets, perhaps you could try a 'milder' drug for your agitation. How about promethazine, 12.5mg to 25mg in the evening?
Posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 18:43:12
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by ed_uk2010 on August 15, 2010, at 16:17:49
> All of the atypical antipsychotics were originally introduced for the treatment of schizophrenia. The range of available tablet strengths reflects the doses used in psychosis. Low strength Zyprexa tablets would be particularly useful for non-psychotic conditions, and for tapering.
>
> Rather than chopping up tablets, perhaps you could try a 'milder' drug for your agitation. How about promethazine, 12.5mg to 25mg in the evening?
>Yeah I was thinking about the reason why Zyprexa was made in the first place. Promethazine is a great idea for my more agitated nights, thanks.
If the herbs and supplements I have been experimenting with lately continue to make me feel well, and well enough to start getting really good workouts like I used to, I may not need anything extra for agitation. I am also using Ashwagandha in at night in hopes that it helps. It worked pretty good last night.
Thanks again, Ed
Morgan
Posted by ed_uk2010 on August 16, 2010, at 16:02:57
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 18:43:12
>Promethazine is a great idea for my more agitated nights, thanks.
I thought of promethazine because it is a sedative antihistamine and weak dopamine antagonist. Promethazine is a phenothiazine derivative, like the early antipsychotics, but it's much weaker as a dopamine antagonist.
>If the herbs and supplements I have been experimenting with lately continue to make me feel well, and well enough to start getting really good workouts like I used to, I may not need anything extra for agitation.
Best of luck - and I hope you don't need the promethazine.
Posted by morgan miller on August 16, 2010, at 20:37:58
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by ed_uk2010 on August 16, 2010, at 16:02:57
Thanks Ed
Morgan
Posted by bleauberry on August 17, 2010, at 17:34:34
In reply to Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 15:41:05
You can custom size dose just about any med except time release meds. Zyprexa is pretty easy. The pesky outer coating is kind of a nuisance. But you can crush the pill with the side of a wide butter knife and then make custom sized piles of powder to load into empty gel caps, or just stir up in juice and drink. The piles are never exactly accurate but the eye is pretty close. 5mg divided into 4 equal piles of powder would be 1.25mg per pile. 5 piles would be 1mg each, and so on.
Since I am very sensitive methods like this are fairly common for me. It was also extremely helpful when weaning off zyprexa after being on it for 8 years. Those last few milligrams had to be reduced by 1/10th mg increments to keep things smooth and manageable.
Posted by morgan miller on August 17, 2010, at 20:39:27
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by bleauberry on August 17, 2010, at 17:34:34
Thanks for the suggestion BB. I'm hoping my recent use of herbs and mushrooms is going to help me stay off zyprexa completely.
Morgan
Posted by Maxime on August 17, 2010, at 21:05:16
In reply to Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by morgan miller on August 15, 2010, at 15:41:05
I remember when I wouldn't take Zyprexa because of weight gain and lactating. My pdoc said I could take 2 mg every other day or even less if I wanted. I didn't want to try it ... but maybe I should have.
Posted by morgan miller on August 17, 2010, at 21:27:21
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose! » morgan miller, posted by Maxime on August 17, 2010, at 21:05:16
> I remember when I wouldn't take Zyprexa because of weight gain and lactating. My pdoc said I could take 2 mg every other day or even less if I wanted. I didn't want to try it ... but maybe I should have.
Yeah, if things get bad enough, I will definitely give 2.5 mg every other day a go. Thing is, Zyprexa makes it too easy for me to sleep in. And, I seem to ruminate and obsess about negative things more on Zyprexa. At leas that's what it has done to me the last few times I took it. That's why I would love to see what a 1 mg dose would do. I like BB's crushing pill plan, but I read somewhere that Olanzapine oxidizes and loses it's potency after exposure to are, hence the coating. Maybe putting the crushed powdered Zyprexa in a zip lock bag would help. Sheesh, what a pain in the arsh. I'm already feeling slightly burdened by taking all the supplements in my regimen, let alone crushing pills and separating the powder in half then putting in a zip lock bag. Goooood tiiimes...
Posted by Zyprexa on August 19, 2010, at 22:36:25
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by morgan miller on August 17, 2010, at 21:27:21
I would cut the pills with a knife or rubber walled pill spliter. Its easyer to do and easyer to eye. Just be extra carefull how you cut the pill so it does not move to one side or the other.
Posted by morgan miller on August 19, 2010, at 23:59:41
In reply to Re: Zyprexa-Need a REALLY low dose!, posted by Zyprexa on August 19, 2010, at 22:36:25
> I would cut the pills with a knife or rubber walled pill spliter. Its easyer to do and easyer to eye. Just be extra carefull how you cut the pill so it does not move to one side or the other.
I hate cutting these pills with their convex rounded shape. It's as if they didn't want you to cut them up. I know they were just trying to make them easy to swallow. I will avoid zyprexa for as long as I can. I'm doing fine now with prozac and lithium. I will be splitting up Zyprexa into very small doses if I feel super agitated and unstable, just for acute treatment.
Thanks all for the suggestions.
This is the end of the thread.
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