| My wife (who has schizoaffective disorder) was on Zyprexa for quite awhile and was living a perfectly normal life. About 3 months ago her doctor switched all of her meds at once. She went from Zyprexa and Depakote to Abilify and Gabatril. Within one month she had deteriorated to the point that she had to be hospitalized. She was in for 24 days, with no improvement, even though the doctor kept upping the dosage. She was eventually released in worse condition that when she was admitted, and I and our two children have been living a nightmare ever since. She suffers from auditory, visual, and occasionally tactile hallucinations. She also has some very disturbing delusions. We have had to lock up everything in our home which might be dangerous. I don't know how long it takes a doctor to accept the fact that some medicines do not work for some people. People who are so worried about weight gain should be thankful that is their biggest concern, as for me and my children we would like to have this precious sweet woman back regardless of her weight. I have been taking care of my wife when her disease flared up for 20 years. Under the new HIPPA laws, that ability was taken away from me this last round of hospitalization. A spouse no longer has a right to know what is being done to or given thier spouse. Had I any say, she would already be back on Zyprexa. All I can say is, try it. If it hasn't made SIGNIFICANT improvements in one month, DEMAND your doctor switch you to something different. Yes, sleep disturbances are common. Yes, continued hallucinations and delusions continue. Also, there simply isn't any evidence that this drug doesn't cause long term severe problems. It was rushed through the approval process by it's lobbying supporters without any studies of long term usage, or even effects manifesting later from short term usage. If I had my way, this drug would be pulled from the market. Next step for us is to find a doctor that isn't working for the drug company. |