Experience in the use of olanzapine in an inpatient ward – clinical cases Case report

Abstract

Treating both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder require chronic drug therapy that must be chosen after careful consideration of the gains and losses associated with it. Hence, the process of the drug selection must take into account both the profile of patient’s symptoms and his coexisting diseases as well as the patient’s tolerance of earlier therapies.

Olanzapine reduces positive symptoms of psychosis and enables stabilization in terms of affective episodes via blocking dopaminergic receptors. An important problem related to olanzapine therapy is its negative effect on the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. For this reason, appropriate information for the patient and implementation of appropriate prophylaxis, including monitoring of metabolic parameters, are recommended. Despite the risk of metabolic complications in some patients, olanzapine remains at the forefront of antipsychotic drugs, due to the good balance of benefits and losses associated with pharmacotherapy. In this paper, we present two clinical cases of patients who have been treated with olanzapine for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.