An Introduction to Olanzapine Dosing
The dose of
olanzapine (
Zyprexa®) your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
- The medical condition being treated
- Your age
- The severity of your condition
- Other medical conditions you may have
- Other medications you may be currently taking.
As always, do not adjust your olanzapine dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
Olanzapine Dosing for Schizophrenia
The recommended starting olanzapine dose for treating
schizophrenia is olanzapine 5 mg to 10 mg once daily. If you start at less than olanzapine 10 mg daily, your healthcare provider may increase the dose of olanzapine to 10 mg within the first few days.
After that, your healthcare provider may choose to increase the olanzapine dosage further if symptoms continue or decrease the dose if side effects occur. The maximum dose for olanzapine is 20 mg per day.
Olanzapine Dosing for Bipolar Disorder
The recommended starting olanzapine dose for
bipolar disorder is olanzapine 10 mg to 15 mg once daily. If
bipolar disorder symptoms continue after several weeks, your healthcare provider may increase the olanzapine dosage.
Once your
bipolar symptoms are improved, your healthcare provider may choose to stop the olanzapine or keep you on olanzapine at doses of olanzapine 5 mg to 20 mg per day. The maximum dose for olanzapine is 20 mg per day.