Zyprexa Dosage

by on June 28, 2012

Each patient is given a unique Zyprexa dosage based on several factors that include your age, the drug formulation, the medical condition being treated, other medications you currently take, and overall health history.

Below is the usual Zyprexa dosage for specific health conditions. Your healthcare provider may give you a totally different dose depending on your needs. As with any other medication, do not adjust your dose unless instructed by your healthcare provider.

Treatment of Schizophrenia

For adults: The recommended initial dose of oral Zyprexa is 5 mg to 10 mg taken once a day. If the starting dose is lower than 10 mg per day, it may be increased to the target dose of 10 mg within the first few days.

For adolescents (13 to 17 years of age): The recommended initial dose of oral Zyprexa is 2.5 to 5 mg taken once a day, with a target daily dose of 10 mg. Sometimes higher doses of Zyprexa in adolescents may be necessary.

Depending on the patient’s response to the treatment, the healthcare provider may either increase or decrease the daily dose. However, the daily dose should not exceed 20 mg.

Treatment of Bipolar Mania or Mixed Episodes

The recommended initial dose of oral Zyprexa is 10 mg to 15 mg taken once a day. If the symptoms persist several weeks after the treatment, the daily dose may be increased.

If used together with other antidepressant drugs such as lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid) or valproate medications (Depakene, Depakote), the recommended initial dose of Zyprexa is usually 10 mg taken once a day.

Treatment of Bipolar Depression or Treatment-Resistant Depression

Zyprexa is often used in combination with fluoxetine (Prozac) to treat depression related to bipolar disorder or treatment-resistant depression (depression that does not respond to two different antidepressants from different classes).

When used with fluoxetine (Prozac), the recommended starting dose for Zyprexa is 5 mg per day.  The dose of each medication may be adjusted depending on the patient’s response to therapy.

Dosage for Injectable Forms of Zyprexa

Immediate-release Zyprexa injection is given to patients exhibiting agitation due to bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. The usual dose ranges from 2.5 to 10 mg injected into a muscle as needed to manage agitation, with a maximum daily dose of 30 mg.

Extended-release Zyprexa injection (e.g. Zyprexa Relprevv) is often used for patients with schizophrenia. The starting dose is usually calculated based on the patient’s current oral dosage of Zyprexa (usually users of Zyprexa Relprevv are switching from oral Zyprexa).

The recommended dose for extended-release Zyprexa injection ranges from 150 to 300 mg administered every two weeks. Each dose is injected into the muscle, specifically the gluteal muscle.

Since Zyprexa Relprevv is associated with serious adverse effects (such as coma or delirium) shortly after receiving the medication, patients are advised to stay at the healthcare facility for at least three hours after each dose.