1 hour ago, Brainpuzzler41 said:

Doctor suggested adding Seroquel and I was so tempted but have resisted because meds are what got me in this mess.

Hey. Yes more meds will likely only make you worse. They aren’t the answer I’m afraid. 

13 hours ago, Brainpuzzler41 said:

I get this. I haven’t slept since September when my Zoloft adverse reaction began. Can off it and insomnia is still here. Sleeping 2-3 hours with Lunesta and .5 mg Ativan. Doctor suggested adding Seroquel and I was so tempted but have resisted because meds are what got me in this mess. I am also scared I would respond paradoxically to the Seroquel. The last few days I have been in a wave and realized I was taking eye drops that I’m pretty sure I’m reacting too! 
 

Glad to see you are having some success getting of the Olanzapine. 

 

Isn't that wild what can cause reactions?! Who would think eye drops. 

 

Yes, I've gone from 7.5mg to 2.5mg of the Olan and got through that pretty much "ok." The drop from 7.5 to 5 was awful, but then nothing happened when I dropped from 5 to 2.5. Start my hyperbolic taper from 2.5 in a couple weeks. 

 

That's really good you didn't add another med! It's a game of subtraction. Really happy that you resisted that! If my insomnia returns during my taper, I'll just have to deal with it. Joy. 😏 The only thing that scares me is my insomnia was so bad before going into the facility that one night it felt like my brain was spasming, and I had very scary uncontrollable thoughts about ending it all. But I don't *think* it will get to that point again because it's not the same med situation I was in back then (benzo WD, stimulating AD added, boatloads of hydroxyzine that now I realize was having a paradoxical effect, etc.) Gotta keep reminding myself it's just me, the Olanzapine, and run-of-the-mill WD insomnia.

 

Sorry, my response to you kinda morphed into some venting, haha!

6 hours ago, DesertDrive said:

Isn't that wild what can cause reactions?! Who would think eye drops. 

 

Yes, I've gone from 7.5mg to 2.5mg of the Olan and got through that pretty much "ok." The drop from 7.5 to 5 was awful, but then nothing happened when I dropped from 5 to 2.5. Start my hyperbolic taper from 2.5 in a couple weeks. 

 

That's really good you didn't add another med! It's a game of subtraction. Really happy that you resisted that! If my insomnia returns during my taper, I'll just have to deal with it. Joy. 😏 The only thing that scares me is my insomnia was so bad before going into the facility that one night it felt like my brain was spasming, and I had very scary uncontrollable thoughts about ending it all. But I don't *think* it will get to that point again because it's not the same med situation I was in back then (benzo WD, stimulating AD added, boatloads of hydroxyzine that now I realize was having a paradoxical effect, etc.) Gotta keep reminding myself it's just me, the Olanzapine, and run-of-the-mill WD insomnia.

 

I hope the hyperbolic taper goes smoothly. We will all be here for encouragement. 
Unfortunately when I was having the adverse reaction to sertraline, it caused such panic, akathisia, etc. that my psych added .5 mg Ativan and 2 mg Lunesta. I had total insomnia and was about to peel my skin off so I took it. My judgement was so off at the time. Now I am trying to stabilize from the AD WD so that I can taper off of those. I want to do it now, but taper doc says no way since my CNS is so destabilized and still struggling with such depression, anhedonia, anxiety. We all have such a long road, don’t we? Thank goodness for forums and people like you. 
 

42 minutes ago, Brainpuzzler41 said:

I hope the hyperbolic taper goes smoothly. We will all be here for encouragement. 
Unfortunately when I was having the adverse reaction to sertraline, it caused such panic, akathisia, etc. that my psych added .5 mg Ativan and 2 mg Lunesta. I had total insomnia and was about to peel my skin off so I took it. My judgement was so off at the time. Now I am trying to stabilize from the AD WD so that I can taper off of those. I want to do it now, but taper doc says no way since my CNS is so destabilized and still struggling with such depression, anhedonia, anxiety. We all have such a long road, don’t we? Thank goodness for forums and people like you. 
 

Hi @Brainpuzzler41

 

who is your doctor he sounds amazing.

Wish mine was like that she doesn’t have a clue! 

4 hours ago, Richie said:

who is your doctor

I am using Dr Jennifer Giordano from True You Psychiatry. Not sure if we are allowed to name doctors, so admin can delete if not allowed. 

18 hours ago, Brainpuzzler41 said:

My judgement was so off at the time.

 

Oh my gosh, do I feel this to my bones. My judgement being off is what got me into all of this mess. Now that I realize how much of a hole adding meds put me in - I have to commit to not adding anything else. That's a scary thought, but it helps to read success stories of people dealing with raw insomnia & it getting better with time. Insomnia is just such a trigger for me now. But I have to remember I went 37 years without using meds for sleep. I used to be the sleeping & napping QUEEN! My brain knows how to sleep. It's just gotta learn how to do it on its own again (another scary thought). I feel so bad for it, though, for the position I've put it in. 

 

A long road indeed - but we will ALL get there! Eventually, we will. Thankful for this forum & you as well. 

On 2/15/2026 at 9:29 AM, DesertDrive said:

Now that I realize how much of a hole adding meds put me in - I have to commit to not adding anything else.

I feel the same way but when things get dark my resolve is weaker. I also have family who can’t stand to see me struggling so I feel like they wish I would just do a quick fix! We are raised to think that doctors hold all the answers. 

Well, got my bloodwork back. A1C is in normal and healthy range, although it did creep up a bit. I'm so relieved I'm still well within normal range, but I don't like that it's creeped up a bit. However, given what Olanzapine can do, I'll take this win for what it's worth.

 

Hopefully this will hold throughout my long taper, and I will come out the other side the same place I entered: normal & healthy!

On 2/19/2026 at 4:07 PM, DesertDrive said:

Well, got my bloodwork back. A1C is in normal and healthy range, although it did creep up a bit. I'm so relieved I'm still well within normal range, but I don't like that it's creeped up a bit. However, given what Olanzapine can do, I'll take this win for what it's worth.

 

Hopefully this will hold throughout my long taper, and I will come out the other side the same place I entered: normal & healthy!

That’s wonderful news! That’s a good feeling to have. Keep

us posted on the taper. I will be hoping for a smooth and uneventful transition for you. 😊

Thank you so much @Brainpuzzler41!

Will do. ☺️

Well, tonight's the night. Tonight is the beginning of my taper. 

 

How do y'all deal with nerves about cutting? I suppose it will possibly get less anxiety-inducing in time, and I want to put in effort to NOT overthink this. It's just scary knowingly putting in less of the med and then just waiting to see what happens & how WD symptoms manifest. 

 

The goal and hope is that tapering hyperbolically makes WD symptoms manageable. But dang, I've really enjoyed being stable & I've really enjoyed my sleep, and it is making me a little nervous & sad that I will be de-stabilizing my nervous system repeatedly for as long as this taper lasts (& then possibly after if I go through an acute phase once I jump off). 

 

Ugh! Thanks for letting me vent. I really want to not give this more power over me than I should. 

Just take it slow...find your sweet spot...try not to stress. Stress multiples it so much for me. Thousands have done this before you...they are just ordinary people like us...if they can do it, so can you. One day at a time. ❤️🙏

7 hours ago, LostinCanada said:

Just take it slow...find your sweet spot...try not to stress. Stress multiples it so much for me. Thousands have done this before you...they are just ordinary people like us...if they can do it, so can you. One day at a time. ❤️🙏

 

Ah, I love that reminder. So many ordinary people have done this before me, and they did it & made it through. Thank you, @LostinCanada. Very helpful!💚

16 hours ago, DesertDrive said:

Well, tonight's the night. Tonight is the beginning of my taper. 

 

How do y'all deal with nerves about cutting? I suppose it will possibly get less anxiety-inducing in time, and I want to put in effort to NOT overthink this. It's just scary knowingly putting in less of the med and then just waiting to see what happens & how WD symptoms manifest. 

 

The goal and hope is that tapering hyperbolically makes WD symptoms manageable. But dang, I've really enjoyed being stable & I've really enjoyed my sleep, and it is making me a little nervous & sad that I will be de-stabilizing my nervous system repeatedly for as long as this taper lasts (& then possibly after if I go through an acute phase once I jump off). 

 

Ugh! Thanks for letting me vent. I really want to not give this more power over me than I should. 

Good luck with the drop. I know it can be scary but you will be fine! Just take it day by day step by step. Thinking of you. 🙂 

On 3/2/2026 at 3:09 AM, Chippy said:

Good luck with the drop. I know it can be scary but you will be fine! Just take it day by day step by step. Thinking of you. 🙂 

 

Thank you, @Chippy! Really appreciate your support.

Hi DesertDrive - how much sleep per night would you say you get on average?

Hi @N2deep - sorry, I didn't get a notification of your post!

 

I am sleeping maybe 8-10 hours right now. I dropped to 2.3mg on March 1 and haven't noticed any WD symptoms (yet!). How has your taper been? How has sleep been for you throughout? I know my good sleep won't last forever. There's got to be a threshold I'm going to cross where sleep becomes an issue. Nerve-wracking not knowing which drop that will be. 

Great! From your earlier statements it sounded to me like you were getting much less sleep. I generally hold if I start consistently getting less than say, 6 1/2 hours ... that's just me (I naturally sleep 8-10 hours as well). IMO, one absolutely does hit specific dose thresholds where you might hit a minor snag but you just hold for a little bit and then it's back to smooth-going for another while. I wouldn't assume that you're going to have significant sleep issues while tapering, as long as you don't push it - as you're starting from solid stability, from the sounds of it. I did not start from stability. As can be seen in my signature, that immediate 75% cut that the doctor told me to do gave me protracted withdrawal that persisted for a long time - about 2 years I'd say. Most all the issues I had while tapering, including sleep problems, I believe, can be attributed to that ... and pushing it sometimes when I should have held. So in your case I really wouldn't spend any time worrying about it. The main thing is just making sure one's dose measurement system is squared away. On these forums we seem to always just assume people's system and math is correct, when I've seen enough times with my own eyes that it ain't. The main problem being we don't all use the same or any kind of universally applied system, everyone just does their own thing, so just be mindful of that and you'll be good.

Thank you so much for your words of encouragement & reassurance, @N2deep, and for sharing your experience! I really appreciate it, and I will definitely heed your advice. 

 

And yea, the only thing that worries me is my scale. I bought a nice, expensive, sensitive one. It requires more frequent calibration than I'd like. I will weigh for a few minutes, then all of a sudden it's not settling & going back to zero. I calibrate in the beginning, each time it doesn't go back to zero, then at the end after all my pills are done & re-weigh my pills. Hopefully this is enough prudence on my part! 

 

It looks like you're done or should be done with your taper soon? I bet you're so happy! 🤩 How was life while tapering? Did it still carry on or did you feel stuck? I'm trying for this to be in the background of my life as much as possible, though I know that's not always something I will be able to control.

1 hour ago, DesertDrive said:

bought a nice, expensive, sensitive one

Which one did you get? I am wondering if it is faulty? Is it on a level surface, away from a window, fan, heat source?

How was your current drop? Any issues,,?

❤️🙏

I just wanted to pop in and leave some encouragement.

I tapered from 2.5mg of Olanzapine and jumped off, succesfully, at 0.2mg in May of last year. My main recommendations are to remember that 'slow and steady' wins the race in tapering and to listen to your body. I dropped 5% every two weeks, with a few holds here and there, and had minimale withdrawal symptoms that did not really interfere with my day-to-day life.

I also experienced A LOT of anxiety about starting my taper so in my opinion, it is normal, but I did notice that it decreased as I learned how I reacted to drops.

Best of luck on your journey! You got this 💪

On 3/19/2026 at 11:08 AM, LostinCanada said:

Which one did you get? I am wondering if it is faulty? Is it on a level surface, away from a window, fan, heat source?

How was your current drop? Any issues,,?

❤️🙏

 

U.S. Solid 0.1mg Analytical Balance, 100g x 0.1mg, 0.0001g Lab Science Electronic Balance, Electromagnetic Transducer

 

I got it off Amazon based on a recommendation from someone in my benzo FB group who uses it. The frequent calibration issue only came up last week. It's on a sturdy desk - although I did put it on a stand. However, I have a level on the stand and it shows it's perfectly level. The bubble indicator on the scale is as close to dead center as I can get it. It's not near a window. There is a vent in the ceiling almost directly above it, but I close it when weighing. I certainly hope it's not faulty! I can't afford another one. 😞 Today is cutting day, so we shall see how it behaves today!

 

Current drop has been mostly ok. Headache, mild anxiety & a bit low appetite a couple days, sleep disturbances a couple nights. 

Edited March 21Mar 21 by DesertDrive

On 3/19/2026 at 12:37 PM, FireflyFyte said:

I just wanted to pop in and leave some encouragement.

I tapered from 2.5mg of Olanzapine and jumped off, succesfully, at 0.2mg in May of last year. My main recommendations are to remember that 'slow and steady' wins the race in tapering and to listen to your body. I dropped 5% every two weeks, with a few holds here and there, and had minimale withdrawal symptoms that did not really interfere with my day-to-day life.

I also experienced A LOT of anxiety about starting my taper so in my opinion, it is normal, but I did notice that it decreased as I learned how I reacted to drops.

Best of luck on your journey! You got this 💪

 

Thank you SO much! This is great to hear the WD was minimal and did not interfere with life. I keep hearing the same thing from everyone: slow & steady. Slow is smooth & smooth is fast. ☺️

 

I know you were just popping by, but do you mind if I ask how long your taper took in all? Did you have lack of motivation on this med? If so, did that improve while tapering? I've gained 25 lbs and have little to no desire to do much, so hoping as the months go by that I see improvement in that area.

 

So frustrated with my scale this week. A woman on one of my Olanzapine FB groups had a successful taper and said that she gave herself a range to aim for instead of the specific weight, since it can be hard to shave to the exact weight. 

 

This week I weighed and re-weighed and re-weighed and re-weighed (calibrating before each time) and got slightly different readings. On the last run, most were at .111g, the weight I need. But past weighings gave me .112 or .110. Tried the inexpensive jewelry scale and got weights between .110 and .113, but I don't know how reliable those weights are because with that scale it never settles on one number.

 

Should I stress out too much about this difference? Maybe I'm getting too into my head or nit-picky. The last 3 weeks I re-weighed once and then turned the scale off. I wouldn't let myself spiral. Not sure what changed this week. This is only my 4th time doing this. It didn't give me this much trouble the first 3 times. And to think I have years of this to go. My stars...

I would call the manufacturer/seller and let them know you are getting inaccurate readings and see if they replace it....it shouldn't be this hard.

I calibrate once...do my weighing...if I were you, if you hit the weight you need, accept it and move on. But definitely call the seller.

This scale has worked well for many of us ..

A&D EJ-54D2 Dual Range - 22g x 0.0002g / 52g x 0.001g Compact Balance

 

A&D Weighing Portable Balance, 22/52 g x 0.0002/0.001 g – MSE Supplies LLC https://share.google/ETmwiQ7z3JZUnswDT

 

 

Hopefully you get your $$$ back or they replace yours.