Olanzapine Alcohol Interaction

Olanzapine Alcohol

Olanzapine is the generic name given to a family of drugs known as atypical antipsychotic medication and is thought tow work by changing the action of certain chemicals in the brain.

It is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression) in adults and children over 13 years.

It is sometimes used with other antipsychotic medications or depressants.

It is suggested no alcohol not even moderate drinking while using this drug as the drug’s effectiveness may be decreased and the side effects may be increased.

At this time the medical community defines moderate consumption of alcohol as no more than two drinks per day and no more than 14 drinks per week. If anything more than that it is considered an unhealthy dependency on alcohol that may have adverse social, family and health consequences.

If a person drinks only once or twice a week but drinks on the same days each week and more than two drinks this is considered as an alcohol dependency.

If a person binge drinks at any time during the week this is also considered as alcoholism.

Some consider alcoholism as a disease while others consider it an addiction which is the result of personal choice and character fault. This school of thought blames the alcoholism on life style choices.

Personally I consider alcoholism a genetic tendency as I have seen families of alcoholics even when they live far apart. These unfortunate people are probably dependent on alcohol from the first drink.

When alcohol interacts with prescription or over the counter drugs it usually results in negative health effects most especially liver damage as the main organ affected.

Before using this drug advise your doctor if you are allergic to any other drug or substance, if you are using dietary or herbal supplements, are pregnant, plan to be or are breastfeeding, have liver disease, heart disease, high or low blood pressure, low white blood cell counts, high cholesterol or triglycerides, history of heart failure, heart attack, stroke, history of breast cancer, seizures or epilepsy, diabetes, enlarged prostate, difficult urination, bowel problems or narrow angle glaucoma.

Side Effects

Less serious side effects are weight gain, increased appetite, headache, dizzy, drowsy, tired, restless, memory problems, stomach pain, constipation, loss of bladder control, back pain, pain in arms or legs, numb, tingly, breast swelling or discharge or women missing menstrual periods. If these occur call your physician for advice.

Serious side effects are severe allergic reactions such as hives difficult breathing, tight chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips or tongue, stiff muscles, high fever, tremors, sweating, confusion, fast uneven heartbeats, slow heart rate, feeling faint, twitching or uncontrolled movements of eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms and legs, trouble speaking or swallowing, dry mouth, thirst, feeling hot with no sweating, less or no urination, high blood sugar symptoms such as, increased thirst, loss of appetite, fruity breath, increased urination, drowsy, dry skin, nausea vomiting, suddenly numb or weak,, confused, vision, speech or balance problems, fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in mouth or throat, swelling in hands or feet, changes in personality, unusual thoughts or behaviour, hallucinations, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay coloured stools or jaundice.If these occur get emergency medical help.

This site serves as an information source only and does not dispense medical advice or any other kind of advice. If you are seeking medical advice you are advised to consult your own physician.

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