Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Olanzapine for Injection (Hikma Canada)
What is Olanzapine for Injection used for?
Olanzapine for Injection is used in adults with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, and bipolar mania to:
- quickly control agitation
How does Olanzapine for Injection work?
Olanzapine for Injection is an antipsychotic medicine. It helps control certain natural chemicals in the brain. This will help control agitation in adults with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, and bipolar mania.
What are the ingredients in Olanzapine for Injection?
Medicinal ingredient: olanzapine (as olanzapine tartrate).
Non-medicinal ingredients: lactose monohydrate and tartaric acid. Hydrochloric acid and/or sodium hydroxide may have been added during manufacturing to adjust pH.
Olanzapine for Injection comes in the following dosage forms:
Olanzapine for Injection: single use vial containing 10 mg olanzapine (as olanzapine tartrate).
Do not use Olanzapine for Injection if:
- you are allergic to olanzapine or any of the ingredients in Olanzapine for Injection
To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take Olanzapine for Injection. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
- are breast feeding or plan on breast feeding
- have had an allergic reaction to any medicine which you have taken previously to treat your current condition
- have diabetes or a family history of diabetes
- have a history of any problems with the way your heart beats or have any heart problems
- have a history of stroke or high blood pressure
- are dehydrated or have low body fluids
- have risk factors for developing blood clots such as: a family history of blood clots, age over 65, smoking, obesity, recent major surgery (such as hip or knee replacement), immobility due to air travel or other reason, or take oral birth control.
Serious Warnings and Precautions
Higher Death Rate in Elderly Patients with Dementia:
- Olanzapine for Injection is not for use in elderly patients with dementia.
- Elderly patients with dementia have a higher death rate when taking Olanzapine for Injection and other medicines. Most deaths are caused by serious heart problems, stroke or infections.
Tell your healthcare professional right away if you have sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arms, or legs, and speech or vision problems.
- are a smoker
- have ever had blackouts or seizures
drink alcoholic beverages or use drugs
- exercise vigorously or work in hot or sunny places
- have a history of liver problems, hepatitis, or yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
- have a history of kidney problems
- have prostate or bladder problems
- have intestinal or bowel problems (paralytic ileus)
- have raised pressure within the eye (glaucoma)
- suffer from lactose intolerance because Olanzapine for Injection contains lactose
- cannot take phenylalanine because Olanzapine for Injection contains aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.
- have breast cancer.
- Have pituitary tumours.
- have or have a history of sleep apnea.
- are 65 years or older.
Other warnings you should know about:
Falls: Olanzapine for Injection may cause tiredness, low blood pressure and unstable muscle coordination. This may lead to falls and injuries.
Hyperprolactinemia: Olanzapine for Injection may cause higher levels of prolactin. You may be at higher risk of breaking a bone if you have high levels of prolactin and a condition called hypogonadism.
Hypotension (low blood pressure): Olanzapine for Injection may cause low blood pressure or fainting. Your healthcare professional will monitor your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing during and after treatment. You may feel dizzy or drowsy after injection. You should lay down after injection until your healthcare professional checks your blood pressure and breathing.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and newborns:
- If you plan to get pregnant, tell your healthcare professional. Your healthcare professional will decide if you should take Olanzapine for Injection.
- If you get pregnant during treatment, tell your healthcare professional immediately. Your healthcare professional will decide if you should continue to take Olanzapine for Injection.
If you take Olanzapine for Injection during pregnancy your baby might have the following:
- difficulty breathing, are overly sleepy, have muscle stiffness, or floppy muscles (like a rag doll), are shaking, or are having difficulty feeding.
Tell your healthcare professional if your newborn baby has these symptoms. Seek emergency hospital care right away if the symptoms are serious. The symptoms may resolve on their own.
Check-ups and monitoring:
You will have regular visits with your healthcare professional, before, during and at the end of your treatment. They will:
- Check that your heart is working properly.
- Do blood tests to check your blood sugar levels, blood fat levels, blood and liver health.
- Monitor your blood pressure and heart rate.
- Check your body weight.
Driving and using machines: Olanzapine for Injection may cause sleepiness and dizziness. Before you do tasks which may require special attention, wait until you know how you respond to Olanzapine for Injection.
Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements or alternative medicines.
The following may interact with Olanzapine for Injection:
- Medicines used to treat anxiety or to help you sleep, like benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam
- Medicines used to treat depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder like fluvoxamine
- Medicines used to treat high blood pressure such as metoprolol
- Medicines used to treat stomach problems like omeprazole
- Medicines typically used to treat epilepsy (seizures) such as carbamazepine
- Medicines used to treat fungal infections like ketoconazole
- Medicines used to treat bacterial infections like ciprofloxacin
- Medicines used to treat symptoms in Parkinson's disease like pramipexole or levodopa
- Activated charcoal
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking
How to take Olanzapine for Injection:
- Olanzapine for Injection will be given to you by a healthcare professional in a healthcare setting.
- It will be given to you intramuscularly, by an injection directly into your deep muscle (IM).
Usual dose:
Olanzapine for Injection (adults):
- Your healthcare professional will decide on the best dose for you based on your general condition and needs.
- Your healthcare professional will monitor your health. They may interrupt, reduce, increase or stop your dose. This may occur based on your current health, if you take certain other medications or if you have certain side effects.
- Your healthcare professional may also decide to give you other medications depending on your condition and needs.
Overdose:
If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much Olanzapine for Injection, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, regional poison control centre or Health Canada’s toll-free number, 1-844 POISON-X (1-844-764-7669) immediately, even if there are no signs or symptoms.
Missed Dose:
If you miss an appointment, talk to your healthcare professional immediately.
What are possible side effects from using Olanzapine for Injection:
These are not all the possible side effects you may have when taking Olanzapine for Injection. If you experience any side effects not listed here, tell your healthcare professional.
- drowsiness
- weight gain
- dizziness
- anxiety, hostility
- increased appetite
- fluid retention
- constipation
- dry mouth
- a feeling of restlessness (akathisia)
- decreased blood pressure upon rising from a lying or sitting position
- increased salivation (salivary hypersecretion)
SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
| SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Symptom / effect | Talk to your healthcare professional | Stop taking drug and get immediate medical help | |
| Symptom / effect | Talk to your healthcare professional | Stop taking drug and get immediate medical help | |
| Only if severe | In all cases | ||
| Only if severe | In all cases | ||
| COMMON | |||
| Bradycardia (slow heartbeat) | ✓ | ||
| Constipation (new or worsening) | ✓ | ||
| Hypotension (low blood pressure): dizziness, fainting, light-headedness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, fatigue (may occur when you go from lying or sitting to standing up) | ✓ | ||
| Tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat): dizziness, light headedness, shortness of breath, racing heart | ✓ | ||
| RARE | |||
| Hyperglycaemia, Glycosuria (high sugar in blood or urine): Extreme thirst, increased urination, dry mouth, tiredness, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, increased hunger | ✓ | ||
| Liver problems: fever, yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, weakness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, itching, light coloured stool, trouble thinking clearly | ✓ | ||
| Low white blood cell count: infection, such as cold, flu-like symptoms, fever, sore throat, as well as weakness or general feeling of unwellness | ✓ | ||
Seizures: loss of consciousness with uncontrollable shaking (“fit”) | ✓ | ||
| VERY RARE | |||
| Allergic reactions: skin rash, hives, swelling, difficulty breathing | ✓ | ||
| Blood clots: swelling, pain and redness in an arm or leg that can be warm to touch, sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing and heart palpitations | ✓ | ||
| Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS, a nervous system disorder): High fever, muscle rigidity, rapid heartbeat, profuse sweating, irregular pulse | ✓ | ||
| Pancreatitis (pancreas inflammation): severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting | ✓ | ||
| Priapism: long-lasting (greater than 4 hours in duration) and painful erection of the penis | ✓ | ||
| Serious skin reactions: (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms [DRESS]): skin rash or redness developing | ✓ | ||
| into widespread rash with blisters and peeling skin, swollen lymph nodes and fever. | |||
| Sudden cardiac death (SCD, heart failure): chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, fast heartbeats | ✓ | ||
| Cerebrovascular adverse events (disturbance of blood flow to the brain), including stroke: Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arms, or legs, and speech or vision problems | ✓ | ||
| Tardive dyskinesia: Muscle twitching or abnormal movements of the face or tongue | ✓ | ||
| Thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets): bruise easily, excessive bleeding | ✓ | ||
| Rhabdomyolysis (skeletal muscle break down): Very dark (“tea coloured”) urine, muscle tenderness and/or aching | ✓ | ||
| UNKNOWN | |||
| Hyponatremia (low level of sodium in the blood): lethargy, confusion, muscular twitching, achy, stiff or uncoordinated muscles, seizures, coma | ✓ | ||
| SIADH—syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion: concentrated urine (dark in colour), feel or are sick, have muscle cramps, confusion and fits (seizures) which may be due to inappropriate secretion of ADH (antidiuretic hormone). | ✓ | ||
If you have a troublesome symptom or side effect that is not listed here or becomes bad enough to interfere with your daily activities, tell your healthcare professional.
Storage:
Your healthcare professional will store Olanzapine for Injection.
- Store Olanzapine for Injection (unconstituted) in original package at 15°C-30°C.
- Reconstituted Olanzapine for Injection may be stored at 20°C-25°C for up to 1 hour if needed.
- Any unused portion of the reconstituted Olanzapine for Injection should be thrown away.
- Keep out of reach and sight
If you want more information about Olanzapine for Injection:
- Talk to your healthcare professional
- Find the full product monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes this Patient Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada Drug Product Database website: (https://www.canada.ca/en/health- canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html); the manufacturer’s website (http://www.hikma.com/en-ca/overview/); or by calling 1-800-656-0793.
Last revised: MAY 29, 2026
Reporting Side Effects
You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:
- Visiting the Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting (canada.ca/drug-device-reporting) for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax; or
- Calling toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.
NOTE: Contact your healthcare professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.