Zyprexa - The Drug, The Threats, And Your Legal Rights!

WHAT IS ZYPREXA? Over and over again Pharmaceutical companies have tried to provide remedies for the myriad diseases troubling mankind. Much has been done in the area of physiological diseases but the greater progression would in the area of mental illnesses. Eli Lilly and Company's Zyprexa is one drug that has achieved a lot of publicity and usage in recent times due to its potent. This brand name drug is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar and other mild psychiatric illnesses. Zyprexa is a psychotropic medication, which means its use has an effect on the mind. It is basically used in the treatment of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia which we mentioned above. The drug produces a balancing or neutralizing effect on the mind. It merely restores or realigns the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for achieving a balanced mind. These chemicals are naturally produced in your brain and the drug merely puts them back on track if you had a disturbance. There are special chemicals in your brain which helps you to move information from one cell to another. When these get out of balance, routine messages such as thought and feeling can become impaired. SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR DISORDER Since the drug is mainly used to treat incidences of Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it is important to know what these diseases are in depth. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric condition characterised by a persistent, mental illness that affects the individual's thinking , perception of reality, behavior and emotion . Actually the word takes its origins from the Greek words, schizo which means to divide and phrenos which stands for the mind. So Schizophrenia effectively means a divided mind or a disorganised personality. The symptoms of these diseases are varied but the principal ones are the individual's inability to distinguish between internal and external experiences. Victims experience hallucinations, incoherence in thought and lack of motivation. Schizophrenia affects the way your brain processes information. Some of the effects of this situation are slow processing of information, reaching invalid conclusions, severe agitation and hostility. Bipolar disorder is a depressive disease that impairs one's mood, energy and general body function. The effects are disturbed relationship, lack of motivation and general apathy. Bipolar disorder is basically erratic mood. You see, everybody can have ups and downs in the mood in the course of everyday living but if these fluctuations in mood become so persistent and chronic that they interfere with you ability to perform your role effectively in society, at home, in relationships, at work or in school, then you have bipolar disorder. Sometimes these moods can make a person feel highly elated at one point during which the victim demonstrates exaggerated self esteem or optimism. During highly depressive moods, there can be extreme sadness, guilt or hopelessness. During this mood, the victim can even contemplate suicide. The interval for these fluctuations can be regular, irregular or short or long cycles. One may experience these irregularities in mood once a month or twice a week. Both diseases can be caused by environmental or genetic factors. SOME FACTS ABOUT ZYPREXA Now let's get back to some facts about Zyprexa. To date, over 16 million people have used this drug. It was the first atypical antipsychotic drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of acute bipolar mania. Zyprexa effectively controls hallucinations and delusions, and thus reverses the negative social effects of Bipolar disorder such as social withdrawal and apathy. FORMS OF ZYPREXA Zyprexa comes in flavors. There is the tablet form which is taken once in a day and available in dosages of 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg and 20 mg. There is also the Zyprexa Intramuscular which is used to control aggressive behavior in persons with bipolar mania. Zyprexa Intramuscular is in the form of injection and therefore acts faster than the pill type. THE SIDE EFFECTS OF ZYPREXA Just like any drug, Zyprexa comes with side effects. The most widely reported side effect is drowsiness. Others include dry mouth, dizziness, and general body weakness. Some users report of constipation, stomach ache and mild trembling while others gain weight after taking Zyprexa for some time. Another side effect is seizures. Users may also develop Tardive Dyskinesia which is characterized by involuntary, dyskinetic movements which may be irreversible because there is no known cue for this disease. Zyprexa can bring about the onset of hypertension which may not be good news for people with high blood pressure Prolonged usage of this drug can result in sleepiness, unexplained drowsiness and impaired judgment. The side effects have been well documented by several authorities including El Lily itself which issued a public notice which appears in part below: