What Is Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Used For?

What is olanzapine and fluoxetine used for? The combination medication is approved to treat depression that is associated with bipolar disorder in adults. It is also prescribed for treatment-resistant depression. A healthcare provider can also recommend it for certain "off-label" uses. In these cases, olanzapine and fluoxetine is used to treat depression that is not associated with bipolar disorder.

Olanzapine and Fluoxetine (Symbyax)

What Is Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Used For? -- An Overview

Olanzapine and fluoxetine (Symbyax^®) is a prescription medication that is used to treat the following conditions:

Depression associated with bipolar disorder (bipolar depression)
Treatment-resistant depression (depression that has not responded to treatment with at least two different antidepressants.

It is a combination of two different medications: olanzapine (Zyprexa^®) and fluoxetine (Prozac^®).

Olanzapine and Fluoxetine for Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as

manic depression, is a serious brain disease that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. Currently, it is thought that bipolar disorder may be at least partially genetic (see Bipolar Causes).

Bipolar disorder is different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through -- the symptoms of bipolar disorder are more severe. Episodes of mania and depression typically recur throughout the affected person's lifespan. Between episodes, most people with bipolar disorder are free of symptoms (see Bipolar Disorder Symptoms). Effective bipolar disorder treatment usually involves a combination of psychotherapy (see Bipolar Psychosocial Treatments) and bipolar medications.

Olanzapine and fluoxetine is approved for the treatment of bipolar depression, but not for other episodes of bipolar disorder (such as mixed or manic episodes).

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