What is OLANZAPINE for and what side effects does it have?

Psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or schizoaffective disorder, among others, are severe psychological disorders that produce altered perceptions, false ideas about reality, hallucinations and delusions. As we can suppose, the fact of suffering from these disorders can hinder the development of a normal and functional life, but, currently, there are different therapies to treat them. Psychological treatment, in combination with pharmacological treatment, has proven to be effective in controlling or avoiding the appearance of new episodes. Specifically, for drug treatment, olanzapine is used, an atypical antipsychotic used to combat the symptoms of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. In this Psychology-Online article, we will solve what is olanzapine for and what side effects does this drug have.

Index

1. What is olanzapine?
2. Trade name of olanzapine
3. How does olanzapine work?
4. What is olanzapine for?
5. What are the side effects of olanzapine?

The olanzapine belongs to the family of atypical antipsychotics, the so-called “new” antipsychotics, which are used to treat various mental disorders and symptoms, in addition to psychoses. The route of administration of this drug is, normally, by orally in form of tablets, although it can be administered by parenteral route through a injection applied exclusively by professionals in the medical field. It should be noted that olanzapine is not a definitive antidote for people who suffer from a mental disorder, but rather serves as an aid to control and avoid the different symptoms.

It is marketed mainly under the name of Zyprexa, in form of tablets or injectable. There are also other generic drugs with different names, such as the following:

• Arenbil flas
• Arenbil
• Zapris
• Zolafren flas
• Zolafren
• Zypadhera

These present the same qualitative and quantitative composition in active principles and the same pharmaceutical form.

Olanzapine works blocking the effect of different receptors located in the brain, such as receptors for serotonin and of the dopamine.

The dopamine, specifically, it is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for transmitting nerve impulses between brain cells, therefore that, if an excess of this substance is produced, the receptors are overstimulated, which may affect the behavior of the person. This drug helps normalize brain activity, therefore, reducing the symptoms of these diseases.

How long does olanzapine take to work? Olanzapine has a fast sedative component, so you will feel its effects after the first shot. In patients with positive symptoms, such as delusions and hallucinations, its effect may take several days. While in patients with negative symptoms, such as isolation and affective flattening, the effects of olanzapine can take several weeks.

Olanzapine is used primarily for treat and maintain improvement in schizophrenia symptoms in adults. The schizophrenia it is a severe mental disorder, characterized by suffering from a disorganization of thought, speech, loss of interest in life, distrust, hallucinations and delusions.

It is also used for treat and prevent the recurrence of manic episodes in patients with bipolar disorder, a disease that causes alterations in the mood of the person, experiencing alternating episodes of depression and excessive euphoria.

In addition to being used for these diseases, it can also be used together with another drug, fluoxetine (Prozac), for treat depressive episodes in adults and adolescents over 13 years of age.

The doses of olanzapine, always under the criteria of a doctor, will vary depending on the disease, the symptoms and the characteristics of each patient. Is olanzapine good for sleep? It is important to emphasize that olanzapine is not a drug that is recommended to treat patients with insomnia problems, although there are doctors who prescribe it for the drowsiness it causes, this should not be the main treatment for problems related to the sleep.

According to various investigations, olanzapine is one of the antipsychotics that produces more side effects. Here are some of its most common effects:

• Weight gain (in 90% of patients who take it, but when stopping treatment, considerable weight loss can be observed).
• Increase in blood and urine sugar levels.
• Drowsiness and sedation
• Increased appetite
• Dizziness
• Constipation.
• Dry mouth
• Fluid retention that causes swelling in the hands, ankles, or feet.
• Sexual dysfunctions.

If taking this drug causes more dangerous symptoms such as fever, swollen glands, pain and muscle weakness, bruises and rashes, do not hesitate to contact your doctor to make decisions timely.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is olanzapine for and what side effects does it have, we recommend that you enter our category of Psychopharmaceuticals.

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• Flores-Rojas, L. and González-Zúñiga, L. (2019). Metabolic Side Effects of Second Generation Antipsychotics. Internal Medicine of Mexico, 35(5), 721-731.
• Mestrovic, T. (2018). News Medical Life Sciences.