Generic Olanzapine

Common use

Olanzapine is an antipsychotic of the thienobenzodiazepine class. It is used to treat to treat schizophrenia, affective disorders (treatment of exacerbations, supportive and long-term preventive therapy), and acute manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder, mixed episodes in bipolar affective disorder with or without psychotic symptoms, with or without quick change of phases.



Dosage and direction

Take this medication orally with or without a meal with a full glass of water once daily. To treat schizophrenia take 5-10 mg a day. The dose may be increased by your doctor on 4-5th day of treatment up to 15?20 mg a day. In the patients with acute manic episodes the recommended initial dose is 5?20 mg a day. The initial dose for the elderly, the patients with severe kidney failure or moderate liver failure the initial dose is 5 mg a day.



Precautions

Inform your doctor if you have kidney or liver failure, benign hypertrophy of the prostate, convulsions in history, Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, eosinophilia, myeloproliferative diseases, paralytic ileus, angle-closured glaucoma, take the drugs which prolong the QT interval (especially in eldery), dehydration, hypovolemia (decreased blood volume), myocardial infarction, a heart disease in history, breast cancer, and also if you are pregnant. In the adolescents under 18 years of age safety of Olanzapine has not been studied. Liver tests should be done on a regular basis. Monitoring of the patients who are prone to suicide should be exercised. This medication may affect your ability to high concentration of attention so be especially careful while driving, operating machinery or doing any other hazardous activities. Avoid drinking alcohol. If you experience fever, muscle tension, akinesia (loss of normal motor function), tachycardia, and your blood tests show increased creatine and leukocytosis, treatment with Olanzapine should be discontinued. This medication may cause hyperglycemia (drowsiness, increased urination, nausea, increased thirst, loss of appetite, vomiting, dry skin, and dry mouth). It may take about four weeks till your symptoms improve. Do not stop taking the medication without permission of your doctor.



Contraindications

This medication cannot be used in the patients with hypersensitivity to its components and breastfeeding women.



Side effects

The most frequent side effects which may occur are constipatio, nakathisia (an inability to sit still), drowsiness, dizziness, insomnia, dry mouth, tremor, orthostatic hypotension, and weight gain. More severe adverse reactions include extrapyramidal effects (involuntary motions of the eyes, neck, head, arms, body) and tardive dyskinesia (involuntary movements of the jaw, mouth, tongue, or eyelids). This medication may increase blood sugar.



Drug interaction

Carbamazepine (Tegretol) can reduce blood Olanzapine blood levels. Omeprazole (Prilosec), rifampin and smoking also decrease blood concentrations of Olanzapine. Ciprofloxacin (Cipro), erythromycin, fluvoxamine (Luvox), diltiazem (Dilacor, Cardizem, Tiazac) on the contrarily may increase its blood levels. Diazepam (Valium) and other related benzodiazepines and alcohol can worsen the orthostatic hypotension caused by olanzapine. Olanzapine increases effects of anticholinergetic drugs, decreases effects of Levodopa and other antagonists of dopamine receptors.



Missed dose

If you forgot to take your dose in time, please do it as soon as you remember. But do not take if it is too late or time for your next dose is in a short while. Do not take double doses of this medication or extra doses of it. Take your usually dose next day in the same regularly time.



Overdose

Symptoms of overdose are: agitation, aggression, drowsiness, confusion, slurred speech, increased heart rate, trouble breathing, jerky or uncontrolled muscle movements, or fainting.



Storage

Store at room temperature between 20-25 C (68-77 F). Store away from moisture, heat, and sunlight. It is not recommended to store in a bathroom and places available for children.



Disclaimer

We provide only general information about medications which does not cover all directions, possible drug integrations, or precautions. Information at the site cannot be used for self-treatment and self-diagnosis. Any specific instructions for a particular patient should be agreed with your health care adviser or doctor in charge of the case. We disclaim reliability of this information and mistakes it could contain. We are not responsible for any direct, indirect, special or other indirect damage as a result of any use of the information on this site and also for consequences of self-treatment.

Clinical Verification

Last Clinically Updated: August 15, 2026

Written By

Dr. Elena Vance, PharmD

Clinical Specialist in Neuropharmacology

Fact Checked By

Marcus Thorne, MS

Biomedical Data & FDA Label Verification

Medically Reviewed By

Dr. Arthur Campbell, MD

Board-Certified Psychiatrist (ABPN)