Question About Seroquel Xr, For Anxiety, Not For Insomnia

[lostforgottensoul]

So for those that dont know, Ive been prescribed (and just started to take last Friday) Seroquel XR 50 mg. I hear everywhere that people have been prescribed it for insomnia; but that's not why I was priscribed it and dont need it, fully, for sleep. I see it is helping sleep but if it doesnt help anxiety in the day then its not worth taking.

I am seeing that, a few days in, my anxiety in the day is just as bad and thats why it was prescribed to me. To lower the ever increasing anxiety and level the extreme emotions out. It almost feels like my anxiety is worse. Taking it, so far, only at night as it does make me sleep.

Any input that if it doesnt seem to help the anxiety and level off my emotions, if i can stay awake and function in the day should i keep taking it and maybe go up in MG or should I flush it?

I hate to not give a medication a fair shake but i also dont want to take it if its not doing anything. Same thing happened to abilify and so far, other than the seroquel, the only med im on for mental reasons in xanax. I havent taken the xanax yet as i want to know if the seroquel by itself is lowering it and its not seeming to.

Thoughts? What would you do? Im only a few days into it but ending this week off of work, I want to know if its worth keeping on taking and try to increase it or if its even worth it and if i should just flush it.

ETA: Yep, Im the guinea pig of mental medications and so far, the only one i kept taking is Xanax...none of the rest helped.

I guess im wanting to hear from folks thats prescribed it for something else than insomnia as, when i spoke to people about it months before, thats the only reason folks seem to be on it and its not why im prescribed it. I have BPD, GAD; very high anxiety that seems to be increasing all the time and i was told that it would help to level off my emotions, give me some more middle ground instead of only the extremes and lower the anxiety and i suppose its dishearting when its not seeming to at all.

I already know, at least now, that i cant take it in the day.

 

[Ed Norton]

I don't like seroquel for sleep or anxiety but a low dose like that should be ok..just my opinion. ..saphris 5mgs sublingual is a better choice imo

This is ALL my opinion

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@Ed Norton i can totally see it prescribed for sleep, Im sleeping like a rock. But, i already have something for sleep and though im not seeming to wake up from nightmares at the moment, let alone remember anything i dream, if it doesnt help the anxiety and extremes of emotions...the entire reason i was prescribed it, is it even worth trying to go up in MG?

Oh and to add, after insurence, its $100...that a month and it only help me sleep, i dont think its worth it.

But then i think that maybe if i go up in MG?

Unsure and its def early. First day i could hold my head up in the day time lol, but its only a few days in so maybe it will help moreso toward the end of the week.

 

[Ed Norton]

'Too powerful and not a light meds..I like trazodone for sleep but I don't think psychiatrists prescribing seroquel for off label stuff as bad after a while physicians just 'like' stuff and they won't explain why

I tell people what I would like to see them take and they'll ask 'why?' And I say cuz I like you on that...if a certain things requires a long physiological explanation even tho I know the answer I say 'nobody knows' when I finally get thru licensing school and if an annoying patient comes in with too many self diagnoses before I do my assessment I'll say 'you are not a doctor; I am the doctor'


Experience + burnout= slight asshole doctor :)

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@Ed Norton except im a patient that hates hates hates pills so i do my homework, for this I did months of research and asking people that were on it and then specifically was told that it was just approved for BPD and why by my therapist (LMHC, cant prescribe) so went to my psychritrist asking for it but advised exactly why, exactly what i was looking for and we had a long conversation, twice actually cause she gave me the IR first which was insanity and i wasnt wasting PTO on that.

Anyway, Im not an "easy" patient, and my psychytrist seems almost frustrtrated that i wont stay on an anti-depressent, or Abilify...if it doesnt work then why take it?

So i dont take anything because the Dr "likes" it or "likes it for me". Im a massive research and massive asking around before being prescribed it, patient.

Its not for sleep so not going to ask for another med that helps sleep. Its for anxiety & extreme emotions in waking hrs.

 

[Ed Norton]

I always had an good intuition about seroquel for BPD...I wanna do ER so I'll approach different people and cases differently. ..I don't mind clients doing research at all..but those were just examples for my asshole physician side....I wouldn't be that way with everyone. ...updose seroquel very slowly...it's cardioactive and makes you fat

 

[joeylittle]

Im the guinea pig of mental medications and so far, the only one i kept taking is Xanax...none of the rest helped.

May I ask, what are the other ones you've tried?

50mg/day is incredibly low for seroquel xr, so I'm also wondering if your prescriber had an idea about titrating you up...Also, you have to give that one a full week before you will start to notice any daytime effects.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

updose seroquel very slowly

Thats what im wondering if I should bother doing.

I suppose its early to be wanting to chuck it but 3 days in and as soon as i wake up, no coffee, i cant breathe due to anxiety...thats not helping. And $100 a month, i need a good reason to keep going after this week...or this prrscription if i can work come a week from today.

I am a hard patient when it comes to pills. I hate them and they need to show me good reason to keep going on them. Ive chucked, literally flushed, at least 8 different medications for mental reasons. Only kept one.

She gave me 60 because she said if it doesnt help the anxiety to take one in the day time. At least at the moment thats not gonna happen. So just the view i have of it right now, its not a good view.

I suppose its early to feel discouraged but being the first day i can stay awake and felt massive anxiety, more than i would without anything, thats what discouraged me.

 

[Ed Norton]

Like JL said give it a week or so then updose if needed by 25 mgs; I think it comes in 25 too...work with this doctor she seems good

 

[lostforgottensoul]

May I ask, what are the other ones you've tried?

Oh gosh, I wouldnt be able to remember them all.

Id say almost all anti-depressent on the market. Closest to this was Abilify (it also being an anti psycotic) and i couldnt stay awake after a month and other than putting me to sleep, it wasnt doing anything.

Ive been on and off Lexapro at least 10 times as it was the only anti depressant that i could handle and went up to (i think it was 20 mg) before i decided it was doing nothing. Thats when she added Abilify.

Since Abilify, I havent wanted to take anything and been shying away from anything other than xanax.

50mg/day is incredibly low for seroquel xr, so I'm also wondering if your prescriber had an idea about titrating you up..

The lowest actually and yes, that was by design. I already have exhaustion as a mental physical symptom, on pain meds as well so that always has to be taken in, and it seems a low tolerance for mental meds (in my opinion) as they all seem to do nothing but make me sleep. I wanted to start low and tier up. And i know its early to be discouraged (early in what i am taking and early as in lowest dose). I guess it being $100 a month, not seeming to do much on this mg, i wanted to know if people have taken it for something else but insomnia and if it helped any...is it worth the money and the time to tier up? I know everyone is different so its hard to answer that but just a few saying yep, it helped this or that in waking hrs, that would help.

So I suppose thats where im at. Im only 3 days in (started last Thurs night) so i got another 7 days before i have to be back at work, not giving up on it yet. Just wanted some input.

 

[lostforgottensoul]

@Ed Norton 50mg is the lowest dose for XR; for IR there is a 25 mg and a generic.

 

[Ed Norton]

Try it and survey the situation pay close attention to any improvements or worsening. .report those..if you get stuck try updose...if you really don't like it then try something else ..just allow her to be the doctor but that doesn't preclude you taking an active role in your treatment and focusing on you symptoms....I am a very good compliant patient. .except with smoking :(











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