Drowsiness olanzapine

Quetiapine (Seroquel). Another atypical antipsychotic, quetiapine has also been approved by the FDA for the treatment of acute mania. It is usually administered twice daily at doses of 150-750mg/day. Like its counterparts, quetiapine is a well-tolerated medication. Its common side effects are drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. It causes less weight gain than olanzapine or clozapine but more than ziprasidone or aripiprazole. Quetiapine also does not cause agranulocytosis nor does it increase the risk of seizures. It can occasionally cause mild changes in liver function tests, but these usually return to normal even if the patient continues taking quetiapine. 

The efficacy of olanzapine monotherapy for the acute hypomania or mania has also been studied in a consecutive series of 15 patients entering an open, uncontrolled, 8-week trial of olanzapine monotherapy (40). Most of the patients had significant reductions in mania rating and more limited improvement in depression rating, but more reported adverse events, consistent with other studies The most commonly reported adverse effects were moderate to severe dry mouth (80%), weight gain (77%), mild dizziness (60%), edema (53%), mild to moderate drowsiness (53%), and constipation (47%). 

Postural hypotension and possibly drowsiness may be increased when alcohol is given with olanzapine. 

The manufacturer says that patients taking olanzapine have shown an increased heart rate and accentuated postural hypotension when given a single-dose of alcohol. In a study, 9 of 11 subj ects experienced orthostatic hypotension when they drank alcohol one hour after taking olanzapine 10 mg7 No pharmacokinetic interaction has been seen. " In practical terms this means that patients should be warned of the risk of faintness and dizziness if they stand up quickly. The manufacturers also say that drowsiness is a common adverse effect of olanzapine, and they warn about taking other products that can cause CNS depression, including alcohol. The US manufacturer says that patients should not drink alcohol with olanzapine because of the potential drowsiness that would result. 

Intramuscular lorazepam 2 mg, given 1 hour after intramuscular olanzapine 5 mg increased the drowsiness seen with either drug alone. The pharmacokinetics of both drugs were not affected. One case report de-... 

In a prospective open trial in 40 boys with autism (mean age 12 years) who took olanzapine (mean dose 7.5, range 5-10 mg/ day) for 13 weeks, there were significant improvements in scores on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist scale [84 ]. Extrapyrami-dal symptoms and dyskinetic symptoms did not change from baseline to end-point. There were no significant increases in hepatic enzymes or any serum chemistry. There were transient mUd adverse reactions such as drowsiness and sedation, when treatment was begun (13% of patients). Mean body weight was 52.5 kg before treatment and 52.8 kg after treatment. 

A 19-year-old man with a depressive disorder, taking olanzapine, lorazepam, and aripipra-zole, took an intentional overdose of40-45 tablets of dapsone 100 mg (a total of 4—4.5 g). He became drowsy but was conscious and responded to oral commands. There were signs of cyanosis and sinus tachycardia. The serum methemoglobin concentration was increased at... 

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