Olanzapine is a medicine that helps to manage symptoms of mental health conditions such as:
- seeing, hearing, feeling or believing things that others do not, feeling unusually suspicious or having muddled thoughts (schizophrenia)
- feeling agitated or hyperactive, very excited, elated, or impulsive (mania symptoms of bipolar disorder)
If you have bipolar disorder, olanzapine can also stop your mania symptoms coming back.
It's an antipsychotic medicine that works by affecting chemicals in your brain such as dopamine and serotonin. It does not cure your condition, but it can help with your symptoms.
Olanzapine is only available on prescription.
It comes as tablets, including tablets that dissolve in your mouth (orodispersible tablets), and an injection.
Key facts
- Olanzapine does not work straight away. It may take several days, or even weeks, for some of your symptoms to start improving.
- Soon after you first start taking olanzapine, before your other symptoms improve, it may make you feel more relaxed and calm.
- Common side effects include feeling sleepy, feeling dizzy, and constipation.
- It's important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel better, unless your doctor asks you to stop.
- It's best not to drink alcohol when you first start taking olanzapine, until you see how the medicine makes you feel. Drinking alcohol with olanzapine can make you feel sleepy or unsteady, and can make your symptoms worse.