Olanzapine is classified as a thienobenzodiazepine used to treat certain mental disorders. Olanzapine is the brand name for a medication approved for the treatment of schizophrenia, for maintenance of treatment response in schizophrenia, and for treatment of acute mania associated with bipolar I disorder in patients displaying a manic or mixed episode. The scientific name for Olanzapine is olanzapine.
Olanzapine belongs to a large category of medication that affect the mind, called psychotropics. Antipsychotic medicines are psychotropic medications that treat the symptoms of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Olanzapine is a newer kind of antipsychotic medication known as an atypical antipsychotic.
Olanzapine is believed to work by balancing the chemicals naturally found in the brain. Olanzapine may help relieve your symptoms so you feel better. As your symptoms improve, you will be better able to start getting your life back on track.
Olanzapine is available as tablets that can be taken once a day, in strengths including 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and 20 mg. Olanzapine is easily tolerated for most people, and can be taken with or without meals. No routine blood monitoring is required.
Olanzapine and BIPOLAR MANIA
Bipolar mania is part of a disorder called bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder. This is a medical condition characterized by dramatic swings in mood. While everyone experiences changes in mood as part of everyday life, people who suffer from bipolar disorder have mood swings that may be so severe that they interfere with the ability to function normally at work, at school, and in relationships with family and friends.
These mood swings may cause a person to sometimes feel unusually "high" (the manic phase of the illness) and at other times very "low" (the depressive phase of the illness). Some people may experience only a few mood swings, separated by long periods of normal mood, while others have rapid and severe mood swings that occur frequently.
During the manic phase of the disorder, people may experience feelings of euphoria, extreme optimism, and inflated self-esteem. Other common symptoms include rapid speech, racing thoughts, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and increased energy or activity. During manic episodes, people may do things that they later feel were mistakes-such as going on spending sprees, taking unnecessary risks, or rushing into big decisions.
During the depressive phase of the illness, a person may have feelings of sadness, anxiety, guilt, or hopelessness. It is common to experience changes in eating and sleeping patterns or to lose interest in activities that one normally enjoys. Some people may even find themselves thinking about suicide. It is possible to experience symptoms of both the manic phase (irritable, argumentative) and depressive phase (hopeless and sad) at the same time. This is known as mixed mania.
Although most people with manic-depressive disorder spend considerable periods of time in a relatively normal mood, some individuals switch quickly between mania and depression-a less common condition known as rapid cycling. In addition, some people may experience some psychotic symptoms, such as paranoia or the belief that they have special powers.
Bipolar disorder is a persistent or chronic (long-lasting) medical condition, just as diabetes and high blood pressure are. Bipolar disorder is not the result of a character flaw or something the person did, and having it is not a sign of personal weakness or a lack of willpower.
Symptoms commonly associated with schizophrenia include: 1. Positive Symptoms- Delusions (belief in ideas that are obviously false), Hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that do not exist), Disorganized thinking (unclear or confused thoughts), Agitation (nervousness) and 2. Negative Symptoms- Lack of drive or initiative (daily activities cannot be accomplished (e.g., bathing), Social withdrawal (isolate oneself from friends, family, and the public), Apathy (lack of feeling or emotion), Emotional unresponsiveness (has no feeling towards anything, the person would not cry if sad, show anger if mad, or smile/laugh when happy), Anhedonia (diminished ability to experience pleasure).