Anyone Using Seroquel?

[BrotatoSalad]

My psychiatrist started me on Seroquel after the slew of SSRIs, tricyclics, and even Risperdal had no effect on me, as well as the weeks of different sleep medications. I have done some googling of Seroquel for PTSD and of the few articles that pop up, most are terrifying stories of vets dying while on it. I am taking 25-50mg daily at bedtime. I actually sleep through the night, though my nightmares are not improved and I generally wake up agitated, but well rested (does that make sense?). I also have read much about Seroquel causing weight gain, either by appetite increase or by slowing the patient's metabolism. I have a history of EDNOS, and I remind myself that I'm on a pretty low dose, but I worry.

If anyone else has been on Seroquel or is on Seroquel, please share your experiences, good and bad, with me, as I'm still pretty nervous about this new regiment. :eek:

Thanks!

B

 

[James B.]

Hello Brotato, I was on Seroquel XR 50 mg @ night for several months and really liked it. A little morning grogginess, no big deal. I took it primarily for anxiety. It helped me get a foot hold and manage my anxiety better. Once my anxiety was down, getting off that low dose didn't seem like a big deal at all. I have been off it for a few weeks now, and it's going well. Good luck.

 

[TLight]

I've been on Seroquel for almost two years now. I take 75 mg a night. It is literally the only med that has had a positive affect on me and I've taken dozens! In two years, I've gained about 11 pounds. I exercise daily and eat whatever I want, but try to make it fairly healthy. I'm hoping I won't keep gaining, as it's the only thing that's helped, but the literature and my psyche doc says people will normally gain only 7% of their original body weight, so I'm about right on, although it seems like a lot for a 'skinny' person. I was a bit too skinny though.

Don't be too scared from those articles. I read them too. They were also taking pain meds I believe. So be very careful if you have to do that. Every once in awhile I take a half a vicodin for serious fibromyalgia pain and I'm scared too. So just be aware.

This drug made such a huge difference for me. I slept, I wasn't shrouded in a darkness that threatened to suffocate the life out of me for the first time in my entire life. Give it a try.

 

[BrotatoSalad]

Thank you both, I feel a bit calmer :)

 

[Deleted member 1859]

I take 100mg of Seroquel at night and now I sleep all night and wake rested. However I have put on weight and I have had gastric banding. I am also on Mirtazepine and Efexor and Ativan and I am the most stable I have been in 2 years. I have a dog and I walk her daily so the weight gain is frustrating. But I like having some sense of brain competence back. I can say my weight gain is due to heavy duty medication, but as long as I walk and am getting fitter I just have to accept it.

 

[seraphimfelldown]

I'm on Seroquel 300mg at night. Its a life saver for me. Almost completely removed most of my PTSD symptoms.

The way the Dr and I found out what dose I needed was to get a sample pack of the short acting 50mg and take them when I got over aroused or anxious. 50mg helped a little but 300mg is the dose for me. No more screaming and hiding cos my phone beeped with a text message. I'm sleeping at night, in the dark which is something I've never been able to do. My husband is hugely grateful lol.

I take pain medicine too. Strong stuff. The Dr said that its okay as long as I stick with the dosages exactly. Some of the vets that died were on multiple medications including benzodiazepenes etc etc. When you look into the whole story these people were taking up to 1200mg a day plus large amounts of pain medicine and large amount of Valium etc. If you smoke too, its depressing your respiratory system too much. Like with Heath Ledger really.

Take Care of Yourself,
Sera

 

[Lucycat]

Hi, I am on Seroquel too. 25 mg in the morning and 50mg at night. I have found it very helpful. I did try to stop the morning one, but quickly went back on it. I am hoping to be off it completely by the end of the year, which will be a year since I started.

 

[Nishkaa]

I'm also on Seroquel 25-50mgs at night. I have found the sedative effects to be effective at reducing hyperarousal symptoms, at least in the way of interrupting them. What happened to me is I'd go through flashbacks, and then more nightmares at night and it was hell. I usually take a 25 for bedtime, sometimes I increase to 50mgs if my symptoms have gotten worse.

The weight gain, I can live with and I know it can be controlled with better food choices and more exercise. The 50s for me are still difficult to adjust to most of the time, they make me quite over-tired, but sometimes that extra rest is really restorative and what I need. It's not as bad in weight gain for me as the Zyprexa was, and the Seroquel seems to be a better match for my hyperarousal symptoms, flashbacks, and nightmares.

I read too on the cases affecting the Vets as well, I'm not too sure about what's going on there.

From Vets I have known, during this transition thing happening with the VA, where they started to stop giving out the clonazepams (which I also know from experience, were great for flashbacks-- easy relief and not overly-sedating at all), I don't know if the rise in suicide was linked to change in medications? I know a few Veterans who were really angry about this. The Clonazepams were also helpful because they are muscle relaxants, and some of the Vets I've known have had serious other physical injuries as well. In Canada too, doctors are more reluctant now to prescribe Clonazepams, because of their addictive qualities, and tolerance-building (requiring heavier doses to produce the same effects).

I haven't noticed any increases in suicidal thoughts on the Seroquel, but I've had a lot of experience with dealing with those and know to call a crisis line if I feel I am really in trouble. Those symptoms, I guess overtime and in successfully handling them (staying alive! ;-) ) it has much less power over me now.

 

[TLight]

The articles I read about the Vets said they died in their sleep. From what I remember, they didn't presume they were suicides or intentional overdoses.

Don't mean to scare anyone.

 

[snugglepuss]

I realize this thread is dead, but in case anyone else reads this later, I thought I'd share my experience with it.

I have been using Seroquel, in addition to Effexor, Trazadone, and in the past 2 years have also added Wellbutrin. The Seroquel was PRN (take as needed) for about a year and a half, and I was using it daily, taking about 200+mg/day. It helped me in terms of my self injury, but didn't completely stop me. Oh yeah, the psychiatrist had me on Topiramate too because I have a history of disordered eating (both binge eating and restricting) and was really worried about weight gain.

I stopped taking the Topiramate about 2 years ago. I was repeatedly and publicly ridiculed at the rehab place I stayed at for 6 months (the staff there believed in using strictly the Narcotic's Anonymous Steps to deal with everything in life).

My energy has been incredibly low for the past 3 years. I have talked with my gp and my psych and my therapist about my concerns with how the Seroquel effected binge eating, and the advice that I got was the Seroquel was more beneficial in keeping me safe and easing my anxiety than it was harmful in regards to food and weight (my therapist was a little more cognizant of how it was affecting me).

Well, I went to the gp two weeks ago cuz I have not been feeling right, and told him I wanted blood work done.

Low and behold, my blood work came back that I am diabetic, my triglycerides are increased, as are my AST liver enzymes.

My psychiatrist acknowledged my email that I freaked out in that yes, Seroquel can cause diabetes. WTF??? And now the doctors are telling me that I "have to lose weight and get more active". Ummmm...have you not been listening to me for the past few years when I expressed my concerns around this, and now you are expecting me to fight yet another uphill battle while continuing to take the Seroquel because you don't want to prescribe me anything else for the panic and anxiety and self injury. Seroquel effects the blood sugar in a major way, and you are telling me to lose weight, and I am telling you I really need help.

Phew. Sorry for the ramble here. I haven't talked with anyone about this yet, and I am beyond frustrated, scared, and angry.

The Reader's Digest version of this is that Seroquel can have some really serious side effects. It does really help when it comes to major anxiety. If you choose to go on it, PLEASE make sure your doctors are more responsible than mine, and request regular blood work check ups to monitor your blood sugar and your liver.