Olanzapine
Brand names: Zyprexa, Zyprexa Zydis, Olanzapine, Olanzapine Odt
Part of: Antipsychotics
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 3,354,605
- Medicare drug cost
- $95.4M
- Average cost per prescription
- $28.44
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 65,445
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated: As oral formulation for the: • Treatment of schizophrenia. Adults: Efficacy was established in three clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia: two 6-week trials and one maintenance trial. Adolescents (ages 13 to 17): Efficacy was established in one 6week trial in patients with schizophrenia. The increased potential (in adolescents compared with adults) for weight gain and dyslipidemia may lead clinicians to consider prescribing other drugs first in adolescents. • Acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder. Adults: Efficacy was established in three clinical trials in patients with manic or mixed episodes of bipolar I disorder: two 3- to 4-week trials and one maintenance trial. Adolescents (ages 13 to 17): Efficacy was established in one 3-week trial in patients with manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. The increased potential (in adolescents compared with adults) for weight gain and dyslipidemia may lead clinicians to consider prescribing other drugs first in adolescents. Medication therapy for pediatric patients with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder should be undertaken only after a thorough diagnostic evaluation and with careful consideration of the potential risks.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated July 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Observational studies suggest that, similar to atypical antipsychotic drugs, treatment with…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Psychiatry 30.2%
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 23.0%
- Nurse Practitioners 12.3%
- Internal Medicine 10.5%
- Family Medicine 10.2%
- Physician Assistants 4.5%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.8%
- Hematology & Oncology 1.6%
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 1.4%
- Neurology 0.7%
- General Practice 0.7%
- Medical Oncology 0.5%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 11% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Montana +27%
- Wisconsin +21%
- Arizona +20%
- Washington +20%
- Illinois +20%
- North Dakota (smallest change) −13%
- District of Columbia (smallest change) −13%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 3 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | white round tablet, 6 mm | C4 |
| 5 mg | white round tablet, 8 mm | C5 |
| 7.5 mg | white round tablet, 9 mm | C6 |
| 10 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm | C7 |
| 15 mg | white oval tablet, 11 mm | C8 |
| 20 mg | white oval tablet, 11 mm | C19 |
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm | R 15 0167 |
| 20 mg | white oval tablet, 15 mm | R 20 0168 |
H2-Pharma LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | LILLY 4112 |
| 5 mg | white round tablet, 8 mm | LILLY 4115 |
| 5 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 5 |
| 7.5 mg | white round tablet, 9 mm | LILLY 4116 |
| 10 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm | LILLY 4117 |
| 10 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 10 |
| 15 mg | blue oval tablet, 12 mm | LILLY 4415 |
| 15 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 15 |
| 20 mg | pink oval tablet, 13 mm | LILLY 4420 |
| 20 mg | yellow round tablet, 9 mm | 20 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $69 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Eli Lilly and Company $69
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
3 recalls since 2020
- Aug 2026 · Macleods Pharmaceuticals Limited · Class III
Failed Impurities/Degradation Specifications:Organic and unspecified impurities above specification. - Nov 2024 · Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd · Class II
Failed Impurities/Degradation Specifications - Feb 2022 · Macleods Pharma Usa Inc · Class II
cGmp Deviations
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.