What Is ZYPREXA® (olanzapine)?

ZYPREXA is a brand name for a prescription medicine that is approved by the FDA for treating the symptoms of schizophrenia, acute mixed or manic episodes of bipolar I disorder and for maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder.

Important Safety Information

Facts About ZYPREXA
ZYPREXA has been prescribed to nearly 24 million people in 84 countries since its approval in 1996

ZYPREXA was the first of a newer generation of antipsychotic medications (called atypical antipsychotics) approved for the long-term treatment of schizophrenia

ZYPREXA was the first atypical antipsychotic approved for the treatment of acute bipolar mania

ZYPREXA has benefits in controlling positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions) and negative symptoms (apathy, social withdrawal) of schizophrenia

ZYPREXA is easy to use — it can be taken once a day, with or without food

How ZYPREXA® (olanzapine) Works

ZYPREXA is a kind of medication known as an atypical antipsychotic. It belongs to a larger category of medications that affect the mind, called psychotropics. Antipsychotic medicines are psychotropic medications that treat the symptoms of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. They may also be prescribed to treat acute mixed or manic episodes of bipolar disorder.
Antipsychotic Medicines

Antipsychotic medicines are believed to work by balancing the chemicals naturally found in the brain.

Antipsychotic medicines can be used to treat the symptoms of psychosis in schizophrenia, such as hallucinations and delusions, and may improve symptoms, such as fears and voices.

Antipsychotic medicines are also prescribed to treat acute mixed or manic episodes of bipolar disorder. They may improve such symptoms as sleep disturbances, irritability, racing thoughts, and anxiety. Some antipsychotic medications are also prescribed to help control ongoing symptoms.

When you start taking ZYPREXA, keep in mind that it can take several weeks before you notice a difference in the way you feel. The time it takes to experience the full effects of ZYPREXA may vary from person to person, depending on individual symptoms and the dosage prescribed.

It is important to take ZYPREXA the way your doctor has recommended — the right dose, at the same time, every day.

Managing Side Effects

Like any medicine, ZYPREXA may have some side effects. Medicines affect people in different ways. You may experience some of the side effects listed here.
The most common side effects of ZYPREXA are:
Drowsiness
Feeling more hungry than usual
Gaining weight
Dizziness
Dry mouth
Constipation
Upset stomach
Feeling weak
Restlessness
Tremors (shakes)

These side effects generally do not bother people enough to cause them to stop taking ZYPREXA. This is not a complete list of possible side effects. For a more complete list, read the important safety information. If you have questions, be sure to ask your doctor for more information. If you think you may be experiencing side effects, talk with your healthcare provider.

Dosing

Schizophrenia
Usual Dose — Oral olanzapine should be administered on a once-a-day schedule without regard to meals, generally beginning with 5 to 10 mg initially, with a target dose of 10 mg/day within several days. Further dosage adjustments, if indicated, should generally occur at intervals of not less than 1 week, since steady state for olanzapine would not be achieved for approximately 1 week in the typical patient. When dosage adjustments are necessary, dose increments/decrements of 5 mg QD are recommended.

Bipolar Disorder
Usual Monotherapy Dose — Oral olanzapine should be administered on a once-a-day schedule without regard to meals, generally beginning with 10 or 15 mg. Dosage adjustments, if indicated, should generally occur at intervals of not less than 24 hours, reflecting the procedures in the placebo-controlled trials. When dosage adjustments are necessary, dose increments/decrements of 5 mg QD are recommended.

Special Populations — The recommended starting dose is 5 mg in patients who are debilitated, who have a predisposition to hypotensive reactions, who otherwise exhibit a combination of factors that may result in slower metabolism of olanzapine (eg, nonsmoking female patients ≥65 years of age), or who may be more pharmacodynamically sensitive to olanzapine. When indicated, dose escalation should be performed with caution in these patients.

Getting the Most From ZYPREXA® (olanzapine)

Unlike aspirin for a headache or medicine to relieve a cough, you probably can’t feel how ZYPREXA is helping relieve your symptoms. Keep in mind that it can take several weeks before you notice a difference in the way you feel. The time it takes to experience the full effects of ZYPREXA may vary from person to person, depending on individual symptoms and the dosage prescribed.
Create a Routine

It is important to take ZYPREXA the way your doctor has recommended — the right dose, at the same time, every day. Here are a few ways you can help yourself take ZYPREXA properly every day:
Take your medicine on a schedule that’s linked with certain activities you do every day (such as brushing your teeth, taking your vitamins, or eating breakfast or dinner. Or, set your medicine on the nightstand next to your bed or next to your favorite mug on the kitchen counter)

Organize your pills in a pill counter to keep track of the doses you’ve taken

Use a calendar to keep track of the doses you’ve taken

Ask your doctor if your medicine schedule can be changed so that you take fewer doses each day

Source: http://www.zyprexa.com/about_zyprexa.jsp

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• Antipsychotic Drugs (0)

Antipsychotics can be classified by their structure but can also be distinguished by their pharmacology, their action at receptors, and by their clinical properties. Typical (also called conventional) antipsychotics act primarily at dopamine receptors. Atypical antipsychotics act on other receptors as well as dopamine, and are less likely than typical antipsychotics to cause movement disorders as a side effect. The following are atypical antipsychotics are licensed in the UK: amisulpiride (brand name Solian), aripiprazole (Abilify), clozapine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal) and zotepine (Zoleptil).

As with all effective medicines antipsychotics can produce side effect in some individuals. The most common side effects include movement disorders that may resemble Parkinson’s disease (referred to as extrapyramidal effects, anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth, feelings of dizziness or light headedness, constipation and blurred vision (so called as they are due to the action of these drugs on cholinergic receptors in the brain and body) and weight gain.

It is important to appreciate that this is not a comprehensive list of the possible side effects of antipsychotics. Full guidance on prescribing and use, including possible side effects, of antipsychotics is provided in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for health professionals and the patient information leaflet (PIL) that should accompany the medicine.

More recently concerns have arisen that patients receiving risperidone and olanzapine in dementia were at an increased risk of stroke compared with patients receiving placebo (dummy pill) and that the balance of risks and benefits was considered to be unfavourable in the dementia population. Atypical antipsychotics are not authorised for the treatment of dementia related psychosis and/or behaviour disturbances. Prescribers were informed of this risk and advised to review the treatment of all patients receiving atypical antipsychotics in dementia as the risk of stroke for other atypical antipsychotics could not be excluded:
Source: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Generalsafetyinformationandadvice/Product-specificinformationandadvice/Antipsychoticdrugs/index.htm

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