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Another drug question...anyone with experience with Seroquel?

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Bipolar Disorder
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Posted 11/13/2007 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
My friend has recently started taking Seroquel to treat his bp and was doing very well on lower doses with gradual increases at multiple times during the day for about two weeks. Now he is taking 300 mg extended release at night for about one week and he is really struggling with fatigue. By the way, he is also on 75 mg of effexor.

He is having trouble focusing and is so tired and just generally crabby. it seems to definitely be helping with the manic symptoms and the compulsive symptoms, he is just very sleepy and can be quick tempered. he recognized the crabbiness and often apologizes for his mood. He isn't drinking, it's helping alot with the racing thoughts......but the side effects are terrible....

Sound familiar to anyone? Does this go away? How long until the body adjusts? Or is this not normal?

Again...any stories or experiences are greatly appreciated. I know everyone reacts differently to different meds, but hearing other's stories helps alot.

He has his first day at his Outpatient program tomorrow (after his two weeks of partial hospitalization)....I am so proud of him, and I know he is battling through it, so I am just looking for some words of encouragement for him.

Thanks, as usual, for the support, care, and concern!

Posted 11/14/2007 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
My side effects with seroquel were awful.
Originally I used 25-50mg if I was manic and needed to, at night, to knock me out and get me out of the mania.
Then I upped it to 25mg every night to help me sleep and an extra 25mg if manic.
Then over the summer holidays we changed my mood stabiliser to seroquel. Dropped the epilim completely as it was making me gain weight massively, and I went on a high dosage of seroquel instead.
I turned into a zombie.
I couldn't feel anything at all.
I was really sleepy too.
It was the point where I realised I couldn't 'feel' that I loved my boyfriend that I said no more.
Back onto the epilim and I'm fine again. I just use the seroquel when I'm manic again now and because I don't use it regularly it knocks me out for the night and I sleep and the mania goes.

Nicola
Posted 11/14/2007 8:17 PM (GMT 0)
well my experiance with is goodand bad.ive taken it since last december.orignaly ass a mood stabilzer to go with my others.i started on 400mg but since ive read about the side effects 2 serois ones i reduced.i no lo0ngr take it as a mood stabilzer just a sleeping tablet.i only take 25mg.much to my docs dissaproval.yes it does a great job in the sleeping department but it makes me very tired and weak.not to bad now.i would loveto stay on it forevre because how good it is as a sleeping tablet.i cannot sleep well without it.but the side effects are not worth it.id rather have problems sleeping than devolping some of te side effects. 
Posted 11/14/2007 8:19 PM (GMT 0)
I was on Seroquel couple years ago and unfortunely I cannot remember the side effects, why I was on them, and why I went off them. I think I was substituting my pills, if no klonopin more seroquel (i would procrastinate picking up my refills), and one day driving to work I felt like I was on illegal drugs. Completely loopy and out of it. My b/f had to go pick up klonopin per my dr to bring me back down (so to speak)....maybe that's why she took me off of it.

If I remember I'll ask her today.

I remember 1 night that I didn't have my klonopin so I took a 100mg of seroquel to sleep...it was thee best nights sleep in a long time.

I forgot to add, I don't have bipolar....at least I don't think so.

Posted 11/15/2007 4:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Casem

I have posted about Seroquel briefly before but am happy to share my experiences again.

My hubbie has had a very bad year with BP and had spent a lot of time not sleeping - days on end.

His pysch finally prescribed Seroquel to help with this and the anxiety and I have to say out of all of the different meds he has tried in the past 2 years (at least 8) this has been by far the most effective.

He takes 2 every night about half an hour before bed and has so far in the past few months had a good nights sleep each time. It is also the first med he has taken where he has woken up feeling fine the next day and not groggy or 'out of it' as he has done with other medication. He has missed the odd night not taken it and has not been able to sleep on those nights.

I did initially freak out about the side effects at first (I went to look on their website) but then I thought my hubbie was in a much worse place not sleeping, so well worth the risk in our situation, also he is taking a very low dose which minimises any side effects (he hasn't had any yet).

So all good things from me.

Honey Bee
Posted 11/15/2007 11:59 AM (GMT 0)
One thing to remember about the side effects is that some of them go away in a week or two. Give it a little while to give it a chance, and if it doesn't improve, talk to the doc.
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