Patient/caregiver was educated on the side effects of using Olanzapine as follows:
Cardiovascular side-effects
- Olanzapine carries the risk of elevating cholesterol levels. Individuals with history of hyperlipidemia, plaque formation, and myocardial infarction, must be cautious with intake of olanzapine, with regular labs drawn for evaluation of blood lipid levels. Individuals can present with compromised exercise tolerance, increasing shortness of breath, and episodes of chest pain.
- Olanzapine also may aggravate some underlying cardiac arrhythmias leading to severe debility and death.
Hematologic side-effects
- Olanzapine carries significant risk of suppressing production of white blood cells from the bone marrow and lead to agranulocytosis. Reduced white blood cell count can contribute to lowered immunity, thus resulting in frequent fever, chills, sore throat, and risk for frequent infections.
