Zyprexa Information

  There have been over 380 reports of side effects and adverse
reactions, mainly diabetes, made to the FDA by patients taking
Zyprexa. Zyprexa is known as an atypical antipsychotic
medication. The FDA approved Zyprexa, manufactured by Eli Lilly,
in 1996. Its generic name is olanzapine. According to Eli Lilly,
Zyprexa was the first atypical antipsychotic medication to be
approved for short-term treatment of bipolar disorder and
schizophrenia. Since then, Zyprexa has been prescribed to more
than 12 million people worldwide.

    However, some patients developed diabetes or pancreatitis
after taking Zyprexa. In addition, some people have suffered
hyperglycemia, diabetes-induced heart attacks, and ketoacidosis
after taking Zyprexa. In November 2001, the Journal of the
American Medical Association, the FDA's Center for Drug
Evaluation, and a Duke University Medical Center physician first
reported a possible link between Zyprexa and hyperglycemia in
adolescents.

    The researchers at Duke and JAMA found metabolic
abnormalities, including mild blood sugar problems, and more
seriously, diabetic ketoacidosis in patients prescribed Zyprexa
(olanzapine). Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious health
condition in which a person experiences a sharp rise in blood
glucose level combined with an acute lack of insulin. Symptoms
include stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. DKA can lead to
coma and death. The researchers advised that the use of
Zyprexa does not necessarily cause diabetes, but that the
potential for such adverse effects related to Zyprexa use exists.

    By 2003, the FDA had identified at least 384 reports of
diabetes linked to Zyprexa, with most cases appearing within six
months of starting Zyprexa treatment. Although no official link has
been made between pancreatitis and Zyprexa, occurrences of
pancreatitis in Zyprexa users resulted in 22 deaths. In 2003, the
FDA ordered Eli Lilly to change the Zyprexa label, warning
patients of the dire complications.