It is recommended in combination with fluoxetine as a first-line therapy for acute bipolar depression, and as a second-line treatment by itself for the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder.The Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments recommends olanzapine as a first-line maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder and the combination of olanzapine with fluoxetine as second-line treatment for bipolar depression.A review on the efficacy of olanzapine as maintenance therapy in patients with bipolar disorder was published by Dando & Tohen in 2006. A 2014 meta-analysis concluded that olanzapine with fluoxetine was the most effective among nine treatments for bipolar depression included in the analysis. Other uses
Olanzapine may be useful in promoting weight gain in underweight adult outpatients with anorexia nervosa. However, no improvement of psychological symptoms was noted.Olanzapine has been shown to be helpful in addressing a range of anxiety and depressive symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders, and has since been used in the treatment of a range of mood and anxiety disorders. Olanzapine is no less effective than lithium or valproate and more effective than placebo in treating bipolar disorder. It has also been used for Tourette syndrome and stuttering.Olanzapine has been studied for the treatment of hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, and repetitive behaviors in autism.Olanzapine is frequently prescribed off-label for the treatment of insomnia, including difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, even though such use is not recommended. The daytime sedation experienced with olanzapine is generally comparable to quetiapine and lurasidone, which is a frequent complaint in clinical trials.
Long-term treatment—in combination with fluoxetine—of resistant depression (March 2009)
Oral formulation: acute and maintenance treatment of schizophrenia in adults, acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (monotherapy and in combination with lithium or sodium valproate)
Intramuscular formulation: acute agitation associated with schizophrenia and bipolar I mania in adults
Oral formulation combined with fluoxetine: treatment of acute depressive episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults, or treatment of acute, resistant depression in adults
Treatment of the manifestations of psychotic disorders (September 1996 – March 2000).Short-term treatment of acute manic episodes associated with bipolar I disorder (March 2000)
Short-term treatment of schizophrenia instead of the management of the manifestations of psychotic disorders (March 2000)
Maintaining treatment response in schizophrenic patients who had been stable for about eight weeks and were then followed for a period of up to eight months (November 2000)The drug became generic in 2011. Sales of Zyprexa in 2008 were $2.2 billion in the US and $4.7 billion worldwide. Controversy and litigation
Eli Lilly has faced many lawsuits from people who claimed they developed diabetes or other diseases after taking Zyprexa, as well as by various governmental entities, insurance companies, and others.