Zyprexa + Abilify?

[elvira]

Hi all!
I have a question. I take 2,5 mg of zyprexa/olanzapin every night for anxiety/sleep. It’s A second generation antipsychotic. Could I still benefit from trying low dose Abilify...?

I was thinking of quitting zyprexa but i can’t sleep without it, i’m mad at my doctor for putting me on it tbh.

 

[jaybee00]

Probably better to seek medical advice from the physician who prescribed you the zyprexa. That’s why you pay him/her.

This is the second time you’ve asked this same question here……

 

[ljimbo423]

Hi all!
I have a question. I take 2,5 mg of zyprexa/olanzapin every night for anxiety/sleep. It’s A second generation antipsychotic. Could I still benefit from trying low dose Abilify...?

I was thinking of quitting zyprexa but i can’t sleep without it, i’m mad at my doctor for putting me on it tbh.

I don't have any experience with these meds but hopefully somebody else here does.

 

[elvira]

Probably better to seek medical advice from the physician who prescribed you the zyprexa. That’s why you pay him/her.

This is the second time you’ve asked this same question here……

But no one had any advice i’ll ask my doctor ofc but she’s no use regarding me

 

[jaybee00]

No one wants to give you advice because they don’t want to be responsible if you add Abilify and develop Tardive dyskinesia, etc. Print out the Stanford study and give it to your physician….

 

[elvira]

No one wants to give you advice because they don’t want to be responsible if you add Abilify and develop Tardive dyskinesia, etc. Print out the Stanford study and give it to your physician….

I don’t want advice on If i should start Abilify, only if there is a chance it could still work for me... from people who know how they affect dopamine receptors etc. (i’m on low dose zyprexa and not sensitive to medications + have a good psychitrist so i’m not worried of any bad effects, just if it’s Any use to even try).

 

[Judee]

Perhaps ask your pharmacist. I usually find they are much better versed about whether one medication can be used with another or whether one will cancel the other out.

Hope this helps.

 

[heapsreal]

I don’t want advice on If i should start Abilify, only if there is a chance it could still work for me... from people who know how they affect dopamine receptors etc. (i’m on low dose zyprexa and not sensitive to medications + have a good psychitrist so i’m not worried of any bad effects, just if it’s Any use to even try).

Totally understandable as many cfsers reacting weirdly to psych meds. My thoughts are possibly changing over to a sedating antidepressant to help with sleep like trazodone or low dose doxepin and they seem to be well tolerated by many cfsers.

 

[Crux]

I just looked up abilify and eek.
https://www.drugs.com/monograph/aripiprazole.html

Haven't tried it, but did try low dose zyprexa 17 or so years ago for insomnia.
It didn't work and I packed on 8 lbs. in a week when I was working an extremely physical job. I mean.

It's possible that low electrolytes may be causing the anxiety and insomnia. You probably are
familiar with magnesium, it works for many people.

Potassium and mostly, Calcium has been the best anxiolytic and sleep inducing substance I've tried.

It's been better than benzos. and Ambien.

Hope I'm not out of place here.

 

[elvira]

Totally understandable as many cfsers reacting weirdly to psych meds. My thoughts are possibly changing over to a sedating antidepressant to help with sleep like trazodone or low dose doxepin and they seem to be well tolerated by many cfsers.

That’s a good advice. I thought about that too, i tried to quit zyprexa but i guess i’m dependent on them so my sleep issues are worse than before i was put on them So to switch for something else and then try Abilify, i’ll ask my psychiatrist next time. Thanks!

 

[elvira]

I just looked up abilify and eek.
https://www.drugs.com/monograph/aripiprazole.html

Haven't tried it, but did try low dose zyprexa 17 or so years ago for insomnia.
It didn't work and I packed on 8 lbs. in a week when I was working an extremely physical job. I mean.

It's possible that low electrolytes may be causing the anxiety and insomnia. You probably are
familiar with magnesium, it works for many people.

Potassium and mostly, Calcium has been the best anxiolytic and sleep inducing substance I've tried.

It's been better than benzos. and Ambien.

Hope I'm not out of place here.

Thank you for your thoughts! Yes i’m on low dose too of zyprexa and it has worked really well for my sleep, but i’m eager to try Abilify haha.

Wow! I take magnesium and was actually about to order potassium since my blood tests are low. I’ll add calcium too. Do you take them at night?

 

[GreenEdge]

To help you quit zyprexa, maybe try a Medical Cannabis doctor.

In the beginning I didn't have a sleep problem, but my doctor suggested I try herbal remedies like Valerian to improve sleep quality. It helped a little and when it became less effective over time I tried others and eventually I needed prescription medication to help me sleep. When that stopped working I switched to another and so on. I wish I'd never started this journey into sleep medications.

Recently after about a year of averaging only 2 hours/night sleep, I needed something new. I asked my doctor for a referral to a Medical Cannabis doctor. The first few weeks I got no sleep at all but I still found Cannabis oil to be more effective than the other medications I had been taking, so almost immediately I stopped all other medications (Mirtazipine, Lyrica, Baclofen). Three months later my sleep is now averaging 4 hours/night and (I believe) is continuing to improve gradually and I'm off those other medications I had previously been dependent on and unable to quit.

 

[elvira]

To help you quit zyprexa, maybe try a Medical Cannabis doctor.

In the beginning I didn't have a sleep problem, but my doctor suggested I try herbal remedies like Valerian to improve sleep quality. It helped a little and when it became less effective over time I tried others and eventually I needed prescription medication to help me sleep. When that stopped working I switched to another and so on. I wish I'd never started this journey into sleep medications.

Recently after about a year of averaging only 2 hours/night sleep, I needed something new. I asked my doctor for a referral to a Medical Cannabis doctor. The first few weeks I got no sleep at all but I still found Cannabis oil to be more effective than the other medications I had been taking, so almost immediately I stopped all other medications (Mirtazipine, Lyrica, Baclofen). Three months later my sleep is now averaging 4 hours/night and (I believe) is continuing to improve gradually and I'm off those other medications I had previously been dependent on and unable to quit.

Yes it does such to be down this rabbit hole.. i had such good sleep before i started with cymbalta, and then was added more meds to help with that side effect

 

[Crux]

Thank you for your thoughts! Yes i’m on low dose too of zyprexa and it has worked really well for my sleep, but i’m eager to try Abilify haha.

Wow! I take magnesium and was actually about to order potassium since my blood tests are low. I’ll add calcium too. Do you take them at night?

I take potassium gluconate powder by mixing it in water and drinking throughout the day. If I drink too much at night, I pee too much.

I'm still trying to work out a routine with the calcium chelate. ( Source Naturals calcium chelate )
Usually I take a 200 mg. tablet with meals, but also between. It doesn't cause side effects.
Of course, don't take too much. The RDA, 1000-1200 mg. seems like a lot , but it looks like I need that much, food and supps., for now.

Sometimes I take calcium at night, if I'm anxious.

 

[Crux]

BTW. I just read that calcium is needed to activate T cells. Surprising that it's involved with immunity.

 

[heapsreal]

That’s a good advice. I thought about that too, i tried to quit zyprexa but i guess i’m dependent on them so my sleep issues are worse than before i was put on them So to switch for something else and then try Abilify, i’ll ask my psychiatrist next time. Thanks!

Im not sure if we become dependent on meds for sleep but more we are dependent on the sleep. Theres theories and research showing our hpa axis is dysfunctional, so if we never took anything for sleep our sleep may be worse. The meds just help to trigger the off button that is stuck ON with many of us.

 

[elvira]

Im not sure if we become dependent on meds for sleep but more we are dependent on the sleep. Theres theories and research showing our hpa axis is dysfunctional, so if we never took anything for sleep our sleep may be worse. The meds just help to trigger the off button that is stuck ON with many of us.

That makes a lot of sense. I feel like my nervous system is always ”on”. Lot of inner stress and anxiety.... hard to relax. Everything just feels so out of balance in the ME-body

 

[xebex]

antipsychotics lower dopamine so does Abilify at normal doses but at low doses it raises it. The Zyprexa would likely cancel out any benefit of the Abilify. I would suggest weaning off the Zyprexa, and finding something else for sleep, once you're clear of that drug you could try abilify - you may find though that Abilify messes with your sleep.

 

[elvira]

antipsychotics lower dopamine so does Abilify at normal doses but at low doses it raises it. The Zyprexa would likely cancel out any benefit of the Abilify. I would suggest weaning off the Zyprexa, and finding something else for sleep, once you're clear of that drug you could try abilify - you may find though that Abilify messes with your sleep.

That’s what i thought. Thank you for the advice!

 

[DogLover]

@elvira
Sorry to hear about your anxiety. I know how painful that is. I too went through crippling bouts of it in 2018 and 19. I got the most help through an elimination diet. I quit eating everything except meat, veggies, seeds & nuts and slowly tested items for years. I found the worst offender to be gluten. I also get symptoms with eggs and dairy.
At first I dismissed diet as it seemed like hippie talk, but today I am able to function and before I could not. The tricky thing is that if I consume gluten or to a lesser degree eggs, it sometimes takes two, three or four days before symptoms appear. Nobody during a panic attack thinks about what they ate four days ago, which makes the link hard to put together.
I still have bouts of anxiety here and there, but I’m able to struggle through it without spinning out of control.
Other things I’ve tried are herbals to combat sibo and candida. They seem to help, but sometimes it’s hard to tell.
Hope you find relief!