How long do the side effects of seroquel xr usually take to wear off?

I've recently been diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder and ocd/anxiety. Originally my psychiatrist prescribed 5mg of abilify and ambien (to help w/ the insomnia) but I had a horrible reaction to the abilify and ended up in the hospital (vomiting, jitters, horrible stomach pain, and wasn't able to sleep even with the sleeping medication) this lasted for about a week until they finally switched my medication to seroquel xr 50mg and klonopin .5mg for my anxiety. The first night I took the seroquel xr I became very tired w/ in 2 hours. My mind went completely blank and I could hardly even stand up to walk to my bedroom. The second night it only took about an hour before the drowsiness kicked in and my husband informed me the next morning that I had woken, sat up for a few seconds, looked at him then the tv (in a confused manner) then went right back to sleep (when he told me this I had no recolection of what I had done), on the third night it hit me in about the same time, but this time when I went to lay down I felt like the entire room was spinning and I felt like I was going to get sick. My mind begins to go blank, my vision starts to become blurry, and I can feel my entire body shut down. I took it a little later last night then usual (about 20 minutes before I usually go to bed) and I was out within 5 minutes. I was just wondering if it is normal for this medication to affect my system so quickly? I work at a vet's office and I normally wake up between 4:30 and 5 am. When I first wake up I feel completely hung over, or in other words...like I've been hit by a bus. It takes longer for me to get ready in the morning (I'm normally up as soon as my alarm goes off, showered and ready to go w/ in an hour) and I now find myself struggling to stay awake and having to constantly drink coffee just to remain functional in the morning. I've almost fallen a few times while attempting to shower, and I've been bumping into open doors, cabinets, etc. I'm scared to drive to work (which is only a 5 minute drive) b/c my vision isn't completely in focus yet. And my memory seems to fade in and out. My mind used to be filled with racing thoughts (which is common in bipolar patients) but now I find it hard to focus on anything in general (my mind seems to be empty). I've become very forgetful and feel a little detached from the world. I've had no other side effects, my anger and mania seem to be completely under control. I'm more relaxed and possitive these days and I've only been on the medication for 4 days. My only concern is that I have a very demanding job that I MUST be constantly on guard and fully functional. Has anyone else ever had these problems with this medication, and if so how long did it take before your body was used to it? Or is this going to be an on going problem with this medication?

Thank you for your reply. I'm very new to this and honestly have NO idea what's going on. Every time I talk to my therapist it goes right over my head! I think eventually I'll get the hang of the routine and hopefully find the right combo of medications. So far the seroquel xr has been absolutely fabulous in the sense that I no longer have terrible out breaks of anger and mania. It gives me a bit of a dry mouth and I def. feel sedated for long periods of time but other then that I LOVE this medication. My anxiety pills help me to relax as well which is also a plus. I've also discovered that aroma therapy helps very well w/ bipolar. Lavender is a God send for me, I recently went to a local drug store and bought some airwicks, and believe me the calming scent will help put you in a wonderful mood. Also aveeno stress relief body wash does wonders as well. Just pour a small amount into a bath when you feel you may become depressed and try breating in slowly through your nose while saying "p-e-e-a-a-c-c-e" to yourself then breathing out through your mouth saying "c-a-a-l-l-m" I've done alot of research on bipolar disorder and self relaxation techniques are susposed to be our best friend. Yoga is terrific as well. If You're anything like myself you prob just want to feel is good as possible and quickly. The problem w/ medications is it may take awhile to find the correct combinations so in the mean time I would highly recommend looking into aroma therapy and chromo therapy (color therapy). Stress relief hot teas, chamomile tea, and sleepy time tea w/ valerian(helps w/ insomnia) are always good too!!!! Thanks again for welcoming me to the forum! I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's advice and expierences! Hopefully I helped a few people out myself!