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Schizophrenic, Takes Zyprexa Daily And Sleeping Pill. Has Muscle Weakness, Difficulty Walking. Reason ?
My brother has schizophrenia and takes Zyprexa daily along with a sleeping pill each night. Lately, he has been complaining of muscle weakness and difficulty walking quickly. He alos has several beers per day and smokes heavily. We are tyring to advise him of a healthier lifestyle and wonder if the combination of all of the above maybe the reason for his state of health.
Mon, 22 Jul 2013
Hi, as correctly thought it is the effect of the alcohol and smoking. The malnutrition due to the above also may be the cause. The disease also may cause the feeling of the disease. So i advise you to consult the doctor treating him for change of the dose of the drugs of the medicines. Thank you.
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Hi. Can you tell which sleeping pill your brother is taking & how many times in a day? generally commonly prescribed sleeping pills of the benzodiazepine class & alcohol (beer in this case) tends to have additive effects & can cause imbalance, dizziness. Secondly chronic alcohol intake along with general apathy due to schizophrenia per se cause a disregard towards nutrition & health. Hence it is wise to stop alcohol & preferably sleeping pills also & consult your doctor for further management. Regards
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Hi
Zyprexa is olanzapine, which is a second generation antipsychotic. It is a first-line drug treatment for schizophrenia. However, it has several side effects, and one of them is extra-pyramidal symptoms, which might lead to rigidity, tremors and clumsiness in movements. The combination of tremors and rigidity might result in difficulty in walking quickly. Olanzapine also causes sedation, and this might add to this and cause weakness.
Now alcohol here is 'supra-additive' and is a risk factor independently. Co-morbidities of substance abuse with schizophrenia are common, and needs to be addressed separately. If the informal advices do not work, consult the treating psychiatrist. There are methods like MET and RPT, which will help him get off alcohol and smoke. Also if the side effects of olanzapine are playing any role in this, they need to be taken care of as well.
Hope this helps
Regards
Dr A Rao Kavoor
Zyprexa is olanzapine, which is a second generation antipsychotic. It is a first-line drug treatment for schizophrenia. However, it has several side effects, and one of them is extra-pyramidal symptoms, which might lead to rigidity, tremors and clumsiness in movements. The combination of tremors and rigidity might result in difficulty in walking quickly. Olanzapine also causes sedation, and this might add to this and cause weakness.
Now alcohol here is 'supra-additive' and is a risk factor independently. Co-morbidities of substance abuse with schizophrenia are common, and needs to be addressed separately. If the informal advices do not work, consult the treating psychiatrist. There are methods like MET and RPT, which will help him get off alcohol and smoke. Also if the side effects of olanzapine are playing any role in this, they need to be taken care of as well.
Hope this helps
Regards
Dr A Rao Kavoor
I find this answer helpful
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