September 17, 2002

• Went to the pdoc today. He upped my dosage of Zyprexa to 20mgs daily and added Klonipin to the mixture of Neurontin, Buspar, Zyprexa and Lamictal.

  
  

  This is my second week on Lamictal and the dose increased from 50mg in the morning to 50mg in the morning and another 50mg in the afternoon. It takes five weeks to get up to the max dosage, which is where I am headed, slowly, but surely because that is part of the treatment plan.

  
  

  Anyway, I found this article to be pretty interesting and thought I would share it this evening:

  
  

  The following article can be found at:HealthyPlace.com Bipolar Disorder, Manic-Depression Community
  
  Studies Indicate Zyprexa Better Than Lithium in Controlling Mania

  
  

  Data from a yearlong study of Eli Lilly & Co.'s Zyprexa indicated the drug was more helpful than lithium in helping patients with bipolar disorder remain in remission and in preventing relapse into mania.

  
  

  In a press release Monday, the drug company said the study showed that patients taking Zyprexa relapsed into mania only half as often as those taking lithium, the standard of care for stabilizing mood in bipolar disorder.

  
  

  In addition, significantly more Zyprexa-treated patients completed the study and significantly fewer were hospitalized, Lilly said.

  
  

  The two drugs were comparable in preventing relapse into depression.

  
  

  Zyprexa is currently indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia, short-term treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder and for long-term therapy and maintenance of treatment response of schizophrenia.

  
  

  The most common side effect of Zyprexa is drowsiness, with dizziness, weight gain, constipation, restlessness and postural hypotension also commonly occurring.

  • 9:20 pm
  • 1 Comment