Question About Seroquel Xr, For Anxiety, Not For Insomnia

[trying2movefwd]

She wanted to try mood stabilizer because my body has been resistant to every antidepressant i have tried and i have tried A LOT. Also to help with sleep, Trazadone didn't work too well.

 

[trying2movefwd]

She wanted to try mood stabilizer because my body has been resistant to every antidepressant i h...

I also have recurrent severe major depression.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@trying2movefwd, it depends on first if its XR (extended release - I found much easier to start) or immediate release which has a generic quetiapine so XR would just say seroquel xr as it doesnt have a generic.

And it depends on why you want it. Sleep and night stuff or daytime anxiety and extremes of moods.

For me, the immediate release at its lowest mg of 25mg felt like i had just downed a gallon of vodka inside of 10 mins. The XR i did take 3 weeks off of work but it was easier to get used to and made me sleep for a few days and the remainder made me feel a bit 'high-ish' and tired getting less and less as time went on.

It depresses mood a bit but for me thats good as it gives me a bit more middle ground and takes me supet inense of all moods and levels them to closer to normal. Not normal but closer.

Its given to me for borderline personality disorder but in its low doses like this its approved for many reasons. Abilfy is its cousin as also being an anti-psycotic.

Anyway, I advise the XR for daytime mood stabilty. Just what id advise but im not a Dr so id def ask your Dr.

 

[sedna]

I was given seraquel for extreme insomnia and ptsd about 6 years ago. At the time I was going as long as 72 hours without sleep, and was becoming psychotic just from that. But also had intense personal drama I was dealing with. I have no idea what dosage anymore, but I dont think I would have survived without it for a while. I'm not bipolar, it was just from extreme insomnia. I wouldnt let anyone hospitalize me because I had no insurance.

I just remember that it worked, but also made me very drugged. It also gave me bad blood sugar issues and I put on a lot of weight. I craved sugar all of the time. I would pass out, literally, at night after eating a box of donuts.Years later my kids told me that they hated when I took those because I sounded crazy at bedtime and slept like I was dead.

Thats really negative I'm sorry, but sometimes others experiences help you look out for things.

About a year later I switched to Zyprexa, which is the same class of drug and it was amazing for me, I was very very happy on that. So maybe if seroquel doesnt work you might ask about that one. Not on any of that stuff anymore, sometimes you just need it in a bad spell and its not a permanent situation.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@coco9, remember that im not taking it for sleep, I have something for sleep already, im prescribed it for anxiety as to better manage it then xanax can. It doesnt make me sleepy anymore and i honestly dont know im taking it. Remember im on XR (extended release) and not the immediate release, quetiapine.

This morning i just took two 50mg to add to last night's two. Im tired but thats because i woke up early two days in a row to go to a Dr (today my therapist) before work.

I am gaining weight pretty fast. I do get cravings for something sweet more than I used to. For like the first time ever i want to go on a diet.

For me, seroquel will be a long term medication as it has built up in my system and i wouldnt want to stop and start it, its not how XR works. There may be a day where i dont need it but it is something you have to keep taking for the legenth of time you need to be on it.

 

[sedna]

@coco9, remember that im not taking it for sleep, I have something for sle...

I realized that I forgot to mention that the reason I had such horrible insomnia was constant severe panic attacks...I was tired so I left out the main point.:rolleyes:
If it doesnt make you feel drugged then its a great help with anxiety. Also, since Im thinking faster now that its not 2:00 am , I should have said that the weight gain is partially due to a slowed metabolism on it, but mostly because of the intense carb and sugar cravings.I remember being warned that some people get diabetes on those types of meds. The gain can be controlled by basically eating like a diabetic...minimal sugar /low carb etc.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@coco9, its ok. For insomnia you were likely on the immediate release, generic name quetiapine. Im not. Im on the extended release so i dont get any drugged up tired feeling now that my body is used to it. Other than my anxiety and really all emotions leveling out a little bit more (i still have anxiety and all other emotions in extreme intense forms, just not as much), i dont know im taking it at all.

It is making me gain weight and ive always had a sugar craving but i can say its worse but other than that, no side effects at all. But as you can see from the beginning of this thread (and my diary at the same time) it took a bit to get used to it and some "cheering on" from everyone. But i got there! ;)

 

[sedna]

@coco9, its ok. For insomnia you were likely on the immediate release, ge...

Good. I think the extended release thing must make quite a difference!.....I used to wake like i'd been in a coma with powdered donut smeared all over my face.:depressed:
I'm really glad thats working for you.....and glad you're getting that ultrasound on your liver. If somethings wrong there, thats the kind of thing you want get on top of right away.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I think the extended release thing must make quite a difference!.....I used to wake like i'd been in a coma with powdered donut smeared all over my face.

:roflmao:

Yeah, it absoultely does. I have a bottle of quetiapine with only 2 missing and the remainder is at the very bottom of my safe. That shit, even at 25mg, is insane!

The XR really helps. Its releasing over 24hrs and not all at once and was just a mega ton easier to get used to. There was no way i was even going to waste the PTO on quetiapine. I went back to the psychiatrist and said that she could have that shit back and I wanted the XR.

Was a bit of a struggle with insurence but they got prior authorization pretty fast and well, here we are a few months later.

Im so glad i stuck with it as its helping so much. Im cutting my xanax back on my own. I was going to ask her to write me .5mg xanax instead of 1mg but because of my mom and the insanity that has brought, my anxiety is on the rise so now with the 200mg seroquel XR, I can find a good balance before i cut down on it.

Today was my first increase in the morning. Im doing it slowly moving the dose to the AM and so before it was 100mg PM and 50mg AM, last night i did 100mg and this morning 100mg. Not too much different if any. So tonight im taking 50mg and tomorrow morning 150mg and we'll see. Likely will for friday too and Sat & sunbeing my two days off i'll take the full 200mg in the AM.

See thats another difference in the two. I can take the XR in the day time.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

I went back and forth on this for a while but decided to take 4 of the 50mg, two at night and two in the day (was already taking one in the day) and holy f*cking shut does that extra one really f*cking matter! I was suprised. The first day i didnt feel that much different, a lot better anxiety control but other than that it wasnt really causing anything, so much so that i was considering going up to 3 in the day the next day and didnt even decide against that until later that night and im f*cking glad i didnt. Yesterday (Thurs being that its a bit past midnight), i thought i was going insane at the end of the night as my monitor screen started to look like moving jello (yeah, nuts) and then today i struggled to stay away and im still on 100mg in the day, forget about 200. So today, i said f*ck it, i still have like 15 or so 50mg tablets left, i threw them in my safe and took out the 200mg tablet to take at night until im used to them and then i will try to slowly over like 5 days or something get used to them in the day.

f*cking A man! More so as taking 100mg at night and 50mg in the day, i had nothing like this. Had no clue adding just one more 50mg in the day would do anything like that!

 

[sedna]

I went back and forth on this for a while but decided to take 4 of the 50mg, two at night and...

First I want to thank you for yanking my head out of my own issues for a sec.

Now, do you see what I mean about wanting to watch the nickelodeon channel and eat donuts ???
Whats off is your pancreas really, and your blood sugar because of it. My doctor didnt make how clear strict diet management is on a high does of that is important.
Basically you need to pretend you're diabetic and it will work great. If you dont its like a crapshoot about when you'll feel like you're suddenly on heroin.

Tell you're doctor exactly that, and that you're friends doctor told you so, so they dont dismiss it as patient googling.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

If you dont its like a crapshoot about when you'll feel like you're suddenly on heroin.

Shit! Didnt think 50mg of extended release would matter. It didnt the first day cause i just remembered that the first day i did 3 at night and 1 in the day.

What sucks is i just switched to the next mg up so i cant take four 50mg but rather one 200mg. I just have some 50mg left or none of this would matter any.

Most take it at night but id like to take it in the day to effect me more in the day but it is built up so its not mattering too much. It may be too much in the day.

The sugar thing, i need to take my blood sugar, im insulin resistent (cells dont asorb it as well) due to PCOS. But its been on the much lower side but still need to take it more often.

I dont know, me and diets dont get along. Lol.