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What Causes Numbness And Tingling Feeling In Head After Taking Zyprexa?

Posted on Mon, 27 Apr 2015

Question: Hi
I was psychologically sick for few months due to anxiety and in a state of extreme fear and hospitalized for a week. I was not drinking any coffee (I used to drink coffee every day) when I was sick. Lucky enough I found the right medicine (zyprexa) and recovered. However, I start to feel numbness and tingling in my head for 4 months after I start to drink a cup of coffee everyday for 3 weeks. It has been very annoying and I wonder if it is the side effect of zyprexa? why it happened? and should I taper off the medicine? Please advise. It looks like the numbness will never goes away to me.

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
numbness and tingling can be a side effect of zyprexa.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to HCM.

I can understand your concerns.

Zyprexa (olanzapine) can cause numbness and tingling (though not very common), mostly when taken for more then 3-6 months.

But let me ask you a few questions:

Do you have any history of high blood pressure? Even if not, just get your blood pressure checked. High blood pressure could be a possible reason for this. Zyprexa can precipitate high BP.

Do you have history of diabetes? Zyprexa can cause raised blood sugars. Get your sugar levels checked.

It is recommended to get your BP, weight, BMI and blood sugar levels checked every 3 months with zyprexa. These factors can cause numbness and tingling.

Another possibility is return of your anxiety symptoms.

What dose are you taking? and for how long?
Dose tapering should be considered cautiously keeping in mind the risk of relapse of symptoms.

Kindly revert back with these details so that I can guide you better.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Take care.
Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (8 minutes later)

I am on 5mg of zyprexa for 1 year since I hospitalized. I am mentally fine with no anxiety now, so may be tapering off is possible?

also I do have high blood pressure before now is under control

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (20 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
drug can be gradually tapered.

Detailed Answer:
Welcome again.

Since you are symptomatically well, dose tapering can be considered.

5mg zyprexa can be reduced to 2.5mg for one week and can then be stopped.
Do discuss this with your treating doctor.

You are hypertensive with well-controlled BP now. I would suggest frequent BP checks if you feel numbness and tingling even after stopping zyprexa.

Hope this helps.

Feel free to discuss further.

Kindly close the discussion if you have no more queries and give your valuable feedback.

I wish you good health.
Thanks.

Dr. Shubham Mehta, MD (Psychiatry).

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (3 days later)

also, except numbness and tingling, I also have some burning and painful sensation in my head in the evening (in the morning after one night good sleep I usually do I have such sensation). I am worried this may be caused by some inflammation of my nerve. on the day when I was going to the hospital I was extremely anxious; all my nerve in my head fired up and I felt my back was burning. Do you think my assumption make any logical sense? Please advise. As I said before, I did not not start to have these sensation until I drank coffee ( I think It irritated my nerve). When I was discharged from the hospital, I was fine with no compliant for a few months. thanks
Amy

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Coffee (caffeine) can cause such symptoms.

Detailed Answer:
Hi again.
Dear XXXXXXX

I do not think the anxiety which you experienced has caused some 'inflammation of nerves in head'. This does not sounds biologically valid to me.

However, in your case case I can think of two common reasons for these sensations;

1. Return of anxiety symptoms. Anxiety has a whole spectrum of symptoms which includes dizziness, palpitations, shortness of breath, muscle tension, fatigue, numbness, tingling, burning sensation, headache etc. A person can experience any number of these symptoms.

2. Coffee can act both ways, it can relieve such symptoms and can also cause such symptoms. It can also precipitate anxiety.

If possible, cut down on your coffee intake.

You can take OTC drugs like ibuprofen which act as anti-inflammatory and analgesic. This should help you.

Hope you find my suggestions helpful.

further queries are most welcome.

Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Shubham Mehta (1 hour later)

I do not drink coffee any more for a few months. The symptoms did not go away. May be ibuprofen can help I will talk to my treating doctor and see what she thinks too. thanks
Asmy

Answered by Dr. Shubham Mehta (13 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Ibuprofen should help.

Detailed Answer:
Yeah, most probably ibuprofen should help.

Your treating doctor's advice is also necessary.

Hope I have answered your queries satisfactorily

Kindly close the discussion if you have no more queries and give your valuable feedback.

Take care.
Thanks.

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar