# SEROQUEL Quetiapine Fumarate)



## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Hey so what is everyone who has heard of or taken these dreaded pills, opinions and experiences with them?

The doc gave them to me twice, once in 2006 and i felt like i was stoned and that was just on one 25mg tablet per night
they knocked me out til next tuesday lol and the cravings
Do not take them if you are trying to keep fit, lose weight or just maintain a healthy BMI

the weight gain is chronic, the worst i have ever experienced

then to try to get me off my zopiclone addiction, which are sedatives for sleep, they combined Quetiapine with zop and i went up to 100mg to sleep since i have chronic insomnia, and man they helped me sleep and stopped the anxiety but i could not wake up and i was eating, while half asleep.

seriously i could go through an entire bag of chips, a whole pizza and a packet of biscuits and i do not even EAT cookies and stuff like that (Biscuits and cookies) but there i was stuffing my face and gulping down soft drink by the bottle:afr:sus

is anyone is on them and is not putting on weight or sleeping til next tuesday then thats cool but for me they were awful awful awful


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

I havn't tried it, but it reminds me alot of how I respond to mirtazapine (makes me sleepy and groggy alot of the time and constantly hungry.) 

Is the insomnia natural or brought on by meds effexor etc?


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## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

I used seroquel for insomnia for years. The side effects aren't worth it. I'm switching back to ambien and dealing with the headaches it gives me. It is highly sedating which is why I used it as an insomnia med. I would not suggest going over 100mg unless you have some great need. I know noone that can take the 200mg the doctors suggest as the average dose and many get benefits from 50mg so you don't have to go up to the dose that causes the problems. I was ok for years on 50-75mg and then tried 150mg and gained 50lbs. My doctor was so concerned she ran all sorts of blood tests to check for "fallout". Seroquel can do some serious damage to your body. At low doses it is safe enough in my opinion for the benefits particularly if nothing else works well. However if you aren't getting benefits and there might be something else that works I never ever suggest getting up to much less surpassing the 200mg dose. That's the established average dose for some reason no doctor can explain and again I know noone that can tolerate that dose. You'll be out cold most of the day, in a drugged stupor the rest, and probably suffering physical damage.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

I hate it. Highly antihistaminergic, which accounts for the intense sleepiness and grogginess of the drug. The overeating is bad but I find Remeron hard to... that drug will have you still eating even when you feel you're about to burst.

Aside from that, antipsychotics to me are like a chemical lobotomy. If there's one thing people know me for, they'll usually mention my intelligence and wit (apologies if this post is riddled with errors, I'm on a high dose of both zopiclone and hydromorphone, and can barely manage to keep myself in the waking world long enough to write this answer). The antipsychotics make me feel so cognitively slow that my eventual goal of going back to university seems impossible if I were to have continued using them. I argued on a lot of points with her, but ultimately I had to explain to my pdoc how the use of antipsychotics is totally incompatible with my life goals, and are therefore more DETRIMENTAL than helpful to me.

They also pretty much obliterate any emotion you'd normally be feeling. Now, I know I feel sad, guilty, hopeless, helpless, and worthless the vast majority of the time but after my experience with antipsychotics I can only say I'd rather be able to feel that emotional pain than feel nothing at all.

Some people swear by their effectiveness, but they are undoubtedly being overprescribed as a less addicting alternative to benzos, as well as the go-to drug when patients aren't responding to the first few trials of treatment. If ever there were a class of drugs that could be called "EVIL", there's no question in my mind that antipsychotics fit the bill. They strip of much that makes up your humanity, and replaces it with apathy and complancenc. Oh, not to mention the potential for PERMANENT movement disorders and, in the case of seroquel and zyprexa in particular, there's been a highly demonstrated link between the use of these drugs and the development of diabetes. 

Very few times I have said this... but never again will I do these drugs, ever.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

I would google this article:

Documents on Seroquel show drugmaker knew of risks

I dont know the truth in it tough, but i wouldnt take it if its benefits are minimal...


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

Arisa1536 said:


> Hey so what is everyone who has heard of or taken these dreaded pills, opinions and experiences with them?
> 
> The doc gave them to me twice, once in 2006 and i felt like i was stoned and that was just on one 25mg tablet per night
> they knocked me out til next tuesday lol and the cravings
> ...


SSeroquel = complete crap. made me incredibly stupid, i didnt care about the passage of time. i just ate, slept, and watched life pass me by, and oh i forgot, i ate some more! and i ate. whenever i took it t night (25 mg) the next morning i would have this horrible hangover...impossible to describe, but i always thought my brain was destroying itsefl from the inside or something like that. Seroqeul is great for sleep....but in terms of SA, it did nothing. it made my depression worse....only good thing, is it decreased my agitation/akathisia that i always have....so i could just sit still.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> SSeroquel = complete crap. made me incredibly stupid, i didnt care about the passage of time. i just ate, slept, and watched life pass me by, and oh i forgot, i ate some more! and i ate. whenever i took it t night (25 mg) the next morning i would have this horrible hangover...impossible to describe, but i always thought my brain was destroying itsefl from the inside or something like that. Seroqeul is great for sleep....but in terms of SA, it did nothing. it made my depression worse....only good thing, is it decreased my agitation/akathisia that i always have....so i could just sit still.


It's weird but that could pretty much word-for-word describe my experience with mirtazapine lol.


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## jakeforpresident (Sep 27, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> It's weird but that could pretty much word-for-word describe my experience with mirtazapine lol.


CRAp. I just got some Remeron prescribed.I had no idea it was on the same level as antipsychotics.

Seroquel is good for schizophrenics or particularly annoying manic-depressives but not for anyone else.

I took Risperdal when I was feeling great and they calmed me down and made me think clearer. But when I took Abilify it just made me feel like not talking and not doing much of anything.

You have to be really hyper in order to benefit from these drugs. period.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

jakeforpresident said:


> CRAp. I just got some Remeron prescribed.I had no idea it was on the same level as antipsychotics.
> 
> Seroquel is good for schizophrenics or particularly annoying manic-depressives but not for anyone else.
> 
> ...


Remeron isn't really on the same level of antipsychotics. It doesn't turn you into a complete idiot (to the same degree, anyways.)

Even when my stomach is about to rupture from too much food intake though, Remeron makes me STILL feel hungry. It's kind of torture in a way, and practically guaranteed to make you put on weight... something that probably undermine the confidence that SA'ers are trying to achieve. I can't speak for anyone else, but the strong antihistamine action they share with those particular antipsychotics make me groggy and pretty much guarantee I oversleep to like 12+ hours. That antihistaminergic action, i've come to learn, is responsible for many of the qualitative similarities between the drugs, which I had always complained to my pdoc felt exactly like being conked out on benadryl.

Some people prefer the utter removal of emotion that antipsychotics cause, but in my opinion that's a bit dehumanizing and I'd even go as far as saying barbaric.


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## TheDaffodil (Jun 20, 2009)

I took it at night. Started on 25mg and moved up to 50mg. So much sleep. ^__^ I never really had problems with it till after I was off of medication for a while. I was advised to continue to take it only if my anxiety was particularly high. One day I did and I practically passed out at school with made me afraid. We were doing our senior award ceremony and I had to sit on the stage. Before we got to the stage I had to sit down at a table because I felt so weak. Everyone was all concerned and I was afraid that if I couldn't go on it'd be embarrassing...so anyway I'd never take it during the day. Ever.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

thanks guys, it seems this dreaded drug has the same effect on most of us
and jim, i have not heard of this mirtazapine but since its not an antipsycotic like Serequoel perhaps its not as bad

i think its rather offensive they give people with anxiety disorder an anti psycotic, or bipolar med, thats not what we have, i am not manic depressive or psychotic LOL but the doc said it combats the benzo dependancies, well i would rather have them, as they do not give me hunger pangs, sleepiness, dreary hallucinations and headaches from hell, infact the zopiclone i am on (15mg) does wonders and gets rid of the head ache:yes


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

I wish my doc would give me zopiclone *sighs*.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> I wish my doc would give me zopiclone *sighs*.


It's been a lifesaver but it doesn't do anything for MY headaches lol

I keep forgetting to ask my pdoc, but I think I'm going to see if I can switch back to temazepam which I took for a while about a year ago. It's about the same in terms of efficacy IMO, and also gives me better quality sleep like the zopiclone does. The main difference is that now that I'm on Disability and have drug insurance, temazepam is covered while for some reason zopiclone isn't... which is silly because doctors are more likely to be comfortable with zopiclone than with an actual benzo... I think mine will be too =/


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

meyaj said:


> It's been a lifesaver but it doesn't do anything for MY headaches lol
> 
> I keep forgetting to ask my pdoc, but I think I'm going to see if I can switch back to temazepam which I took for a while about a year ago. It's about the same in terms of efficacy IMO, and also gives me better quality sleep like the zopiclone does. The main difference is that now that I'm on Disability and have drug insurance, temazepam is covered while for some reason zopiclone isn't... which is silly because doctors are more likely to be comfortable with zopiclone than with an actual benzo... I think mine will be too =/


Yeah my pdoc didn't want to give it to me because of supposed abuse potential, but considering I've been a chronic insomniac for years which has had many detrimental effects on my life, I'd much prefer a lifelong drug addiction to a sleep medication that actually works, than the alternatives, i've been on mirtazapine for the past 6 months, and I feel it just completly kills any motivation or soul that's in me, I don't think I can stand antihistamines anymore, and antipsychotics sound even worse.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> Yeah my pdoc didn't want to give it to me because of supposed abuse potential, but considering I've been a chronic insomniac for years which has had many detrimental effects on my life, I'd much prefer a lifelong drug addiction to a sleep medication that actually works, than the alternatives, i've been on mirtazapine for the past 6 months, and I feel it just completly kills any motivation or soul that's in me, I don't think I can stand antihistamines anymore, and antipsychotics sound even worse.


Yeah, an erratic sleep schedule can definitely make me feel like I'm absolutely losing it.

Now I'm up with the rest of the family (less isolated), and my memories are happening in discrete days. Before the sleep meds, I'd have a bit of Tuesday mixed in with Monday, with some memories from a dream thrown in for good measure. I don't know if I'm explaining it well enough, but when that kind of **** happens I really feel like I'm going insane.

Temazepam/zopiclone have been the most useful meds I've tried so far... they actually accomplish something WITHOUT making everything else worse. Doctors need to start realizing that drug dependencies CAN be justified if the tradeoff lets you gain some functionality in your life. Dependency does suck, and that path should be avoided if possible, but if the end result is improving the life of the patient, they shouldn't make their patients suffer for the sake of their own distorted values.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

meyaj said:


> Doctors need to start realizing that drug dependencies CAN be justified if the tradeoff lets you gain some functionality in your life. Dependency does suck, and that path should be avoided if possible, but if the end result is improving the life of the patient, they shouldn't make their patients suffer for the sake of their own distorted values.


Agreed.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> I wish my doc would give me zopiclone *sighs*.


its a shame the doc wont
they are a god send, seriously

ALTHOUGH
research has proved that they can be (in some people) twice as addictive as your average benzo, since they are hypnotic sedatives, they work rather fast and you find yourself feeling so rested and good when you take them, the desire for daytime relief comes and you could end up on three to four per day including two at night, like i did

with me they gave me creative energy to write, and i love writing my books and they helped but all those nasty irrational thoughts in to perspective

However when u do not take them, the side effects are bad, the withdrawals are not good, you know? trembling, headaches and depressive crying

but jim, clonazepam is a better more smarter choice 
even though in my perfect world i would be on both (well i still have some left so i am on both )


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

I AM on both zopiclone and clonazepam and it works well.

Clonazepam during the day, zopiclone at night.

I've been taking 15mg (7.5 for a while in the middle) for over half a year now, and have occasionally skipped a dose due to utter exhaustion, and haven't really had much in the way of withdrawals, even when I don't take the klonopin either.

At first, well before I started taking the clonazepam, I took the zopiclone during the day a few times for the anxiety relief. When I realized one day that it had given me amnesia of the ENTIRE DAY before, I stopped taking them. My parents thought I was going nuts. The few people I've shared the zopiclone with a handful of times have also noticed how amnesic the drug is (or rather, other people do - it's usually not overtly obvious but when people start bringing up stuff that happened and you repeatedly swear to god you weren't there, it clicks in eventually.. Definitely not good for taking during the day.

Clonazepam, on the other hand, is the least sleep-inducing benzo I've tried (the others being lorazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, and temazepam). Although it actually made me a bit fatigued - not sleepy, though - at 0.5mg, whereas at 2mg it's almost like it's giving me MORE energy. I don't know how broadly this can be applied, but in my experience, clonazepam is a lousy sleep med and is unlikely to really help someone with serious sleep problems.


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## Polar (Dec 16, 2006)

I take them at night (50mg) and they help me sleep. I haven't noticed any weight gain even though I've been taking them for 2 years or so (probably due to my high metabolism). They have a prominent effect and you know they work. But yeah, you're right about the cravings, even though they have a strong sedative effect, sometimes I feel so hungry I can't sleep until I've gotten out of bed and binged whatever food I can find.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Polar said:


> I take them at night (50mg) and they help me sleep. I haven't noticed any weight gain even though I've been taking them for 2 years or so (probably due to my high metabolism). They have a prominent effect and you know they work. But yeah, you're right about the cravings, even though they have a strong sedative effect, sometimes I feel so hungry I can't sleep until I've gotten out of bed and binged whatever food I can find.


Do they not make you groggy at all? That was one of the worst things for me.

Any antihistaminergic sleep aid (ie Seroquel, Zyprexa, Remeron, Trazodone, Benadryl, etc) leaves me feeling groggy and hungover the next day. Very different from the GABAergic sleep aids I've tried (benzos, zopiclone), which, if anything, make me feel more rested and alert the next day than ever before.

The antihistaminergic drugs also affect me very strongly with an intense body load and other perceived effects. Very uncomfortable for me, which makes it harder for me to sleep, despite the fact that they make you very, very, tired.

It makes me overeat too, but even if it didn't, the drugs are almost counterproductive for me. I *much* prefer the comfortability and subtlety of the benzos/z-drugs, and have been able to do it for about 8 months or so now without any noticeable increase in tolerance or need to escalate the dose.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> SSeroquel = complete crap. made me incredibly stupid, i didnt care about the passage of time. i just ate, slept, and watched life pass me by, and oh i forgot, i ate some more! and i ate. whenever i took it t night (25 mg) the next morning i would have this horrible hangover...impossible to describe, but i always thought my brain was destroying itsefl from the inside or something like that. Seroqeul is great for sleep....but in terms of SA, it did nothing. it made my depression worse....only good thing, is it decreased my agitation/akathisia that i always have....so i could just sit still.


:boogie haha i love this post, yes they are complete crap and the docs and psychiatrists seem to want to ram them down peoples throats
"do you want me to have a weight problem?" "or sleep like a log forever?"
if so then prescribe me Quetaipine doc i mean seriously its like they are okay with those awful side effects when surely a benzo is less harmful on the body

For one i have not known anyone get FAT and eat and eat and eat while on Benzodiazepine medication nor have i witnessed anyone black out and sleep for ten years lol i mean sure they are sedating but they dont cause those zombie like effects and antipsychotics are so 1954 i mean thats what they gave patients in those awful mental institutions fifty odd years ago and they wandered around like they had already undergone a lobotomy, common at the time though i guess
:sus:sus


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## jaekae (Jul 28, 2010)

I just got prescribed these, only taken them for a few days. Doctor wouldn't let me have valium anymore, so mean, they were helping heaps too. These seroquel have made me feel loopy and crap. Felt major tired, couldn't even keep my eyes open then slept for 10 hours, normally I'd be lucky to sleep for like 4 hours straight. Then I woke up and was so hungry I skoffed down nearly all of my friends pizza, and normally I only eat like one meal every second day or so. Then at night I had one seroquel and got heaps hungry and ate a whopper and a chicken burger and large fries and a choclate sundae, felt dizzy and when I moved my head my mind took a second or so to catch up with what was happening. Then I got heaps tired again and slept from 9pm through to 10pm the next night. I haven't taken one for day time yet cause I don't know how I am meant to go anywhere when I feel like I'm gonna fall asleep or eat the entire town. I have really bad anxiety, is this drug even to help with that? I am hating life right now cause I can't get valium. I'm pretty sure the doctor gave me seroquel because he thinks I have a a benzo dependence, but what about my anxiety? couldn't he try and help me with that too! so dizzy and depressed right now, yeah cheers doc!


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

How are the temazapam working? 
The weight gain is just one of the bad side effects from seroquel, for me the sleep paralysis was also so bad i would hallucinate about waking up but would not be able to wake up. :blank The haldol was the same, but worse in the sense that through the day it made me feel restless, agitated and like my skin was crawling, it was horrific:um

all antipsychotics are lethal IMO and Meyaj is right, compared to benzodiazepine medications they completely suck and have too many side effects that are negative and despite what the doctor told me antipsychotics can also be "addictive" i know he tells me time and time again that all benzodiazepines and Z drugs are but antipsychotics are habit forming and coming off of them is bad because your body is still used to them.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

This article sums up off-label seroquel use pretty well; http://www.marylandinjurylawyerblog.com/2008/01/seroquel_lawsuits_the_problem.html


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

jim_morrison said:


> This article sums up off-label seroquel use pretty well; http://www.marylandinjurylawyerblog.com/2008/01/seroquel_lawsuits_the_problem.html


I found this part especially interesting, given that i have been put on two out of these three medications, more than once they have tried to put me back on one of them :afr:afr


.marylandinjurylawyerblog.com/2008/01/seroquel_lawsuits_the_problem.html said:


> Seroquel is third on the hit parade - two other atypicals, Risperdal and Zyprexa sell a great deal more than Seroquel. The sales reps for the companies that sell Seroquel, Risperdal, and Zyprexa are pretty good at their jobs and they know how to push these drugs on doctors who they well know are not treating bipolar or schizophrenic patients.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I prefer Zyprexa over Seroquel.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Dr House said:


> I prefer Zyprexa over Seroquel.


That's like saying you prefer horse **** over cow ****. They are both so absolutely horrible that discussing any preference between them seems like a complete joke. Although Zyprexa has considerably more evidence for a causal link with Diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and is presumably worse.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Meyaj what would you say was the best benzodiazepine you took? for long term positive yet minimal side effects? i see you have tried a few and i was wandering what you think is best if or when tapering down, for me it was blindly obvious that lorazepam was not helpful as it was so addictive and worked really fast but it left the body way quicker than the klonopin does but going almost three weeks without it has not been so rough since i have had the 2MG of klonopin/clonazepam at hand


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Arisa1536 said:


> Meyaj what would you say was the best benzodiazepine you took? for long term positive yet minimal side effects? i see you have tried a few and i was wandering what you think is best if or when tapering down, for me it was blindly obvious that lorazepam was not helpful as it was so addictive and worked really fast but it left the body way quicker than the klonopin does but going almost three weeks without it has not been so rough since i have had the 2MG of klonopin/clonazepam at hand


It really depends on what you need it for. Do you need like all-day effects for more generalized anxiety, something shorter-lasting for specific anxieties, panic attacks, for sleep, or what?

If I remember correctly, you have issues with most if not all of these things, but it's good to focus on the worst things because literally being under the effect of benzos 24/7, without any break during the day (or night, whatever) is a great way to get hooked quickly and powerfully, as even if you're under the effects for 16 hours a day, that still leaves 8 hours for dependence and tolerance to partially reverse.

I deal with "all of the above" and I think that what I do is pretty good for my circumstances. Zopiclone* at night (temazepam is also an excellent alternative, but I seem to remember you have problems with it), and clonazepam during the day when I'm going out (which admittedly isn't all that often) or otherwise feel like I need it. But I end up with a prescription that is good for 15 doses every 30 days, so if I spread them out I end up with half the days, being on a benzo for roughly 18 hours, and the other half being on a benzo for just 8 (just the zopiclone) which averages out to about 15 hours a day, with 9 off. More realistically though, I don't even take all of the clonazepam OR zopiclone, and when I do, the clonazepam is in higher doses (but the zopiclone remains the same), so it actually works out to FAR less often. In fact, since I've been on an MAOI (helps with anxiety) and an opioid (MIGHT help with anxiety... definitely helps with sleep :lol), I might use some form of benzo a handful of times out of the month.

And maybe I should add that right now, instead of using zopiclone for sleep (when I need to), I have been using midazolam, which is probably my favorite hypnotic. Unfortunately, it is most likely unavailable in NZ in pill form, as it is strictly available as an injectable in most developed countries, usually the most popular sedative used in surgery by far (though don't misunderstand: it works alongside an anesthetic, as like all benzos it is NOT an anesthetic.) So if it's available in pill form, which I highly doubt, then go for it, but since it works so well in injectable form, with easily the best effects when used in this way, the pills are very often crushed up by drug abusers and injected, which is why it's banned in the vast majority of developed countries.

Your situation is probably very different. Maybe you're out of the house and in social situations a heck of a lot more than I am. Maybe you just feel like you can't cope without it most of your waking life, I don't know, but if that's the case you should really weigh it against the disadvantages of becoming dependent (which, as somebody who's dealt with dependency, can testify that it's WAY worse than people who have not been through it imagine), although that's not to say that there aren't cases where the upside outweighs the downside.

But yeah, different benzos are better suited to different purposes, so it really depends on what your main purpose(s) for taking them is, and to a smaller extent, and for a more specific answer, when and how you intend to use them.
______________________________

*I'm aware zopiclone isn't _technically_ a benzo, but for all functional purposes it might as well be, and is more or less just as interchangeable (in terms of things like cross-tolerance) as any two benzos would be. So if benzos are being specifically discussed for functional reasons (as opposed to structural, which is generally limited to very advanced discussion), zopiclone can be mentioned as any benzo might, as far as I'm concerned.


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## thewall (Feb 1, 2009)

My mom started taking seroquel two years ago. The way you guys describe it is exactly how she is. All she does is sleep and eat. She'll be trying to do something, like just watching tv, but can't keep her eyes open. It's quite disturbing to witness. I know that her fitness and mental state have been damaged by it and I've tried to talk to her several times about it, but she won't heed my advice. It seems as though her addiction has switched from cocaine to antipsychotic drugs. :blank


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Thanks for the info meyaj, yes i would take midazalam but its not available here in pill form like you said, its only used as a pre med before surgery or to calm a vicious panic attack in the doctors surgery or in hospital via intravenous.
although knowing me i would get hooked and yes i was looking for something that would last all day to take anxiety terrors away and help me sleep at night without being scared to death of things going bump in the night so to speak and being able to wake up normally without grogginess. Since i have tapered down to 3.5mg of zopiclone and am on clonidine i will give that a try because the addiction was ruining my life and it made me less social, not that i am out everyday, i mean yeah i talk to people and catch up with friends once in a blue moon literally as they are all busy with there "perfect" lives. 

The doctors here are under scrutiny for prescribing benzodiazepine medication and Z drugs like zopiclone and zolpiderm due to the addictive personalities in people often prescribed it and its soothing euphoric effects that make you want more.

Its awful coming off pills like klonopin as my system has grown used to them but thats just the way it is.

Its good you can take these pills and find them useful, as i was taking zopiclone through the day as well which did not help me at all and was stupid i now know. 

Thewall, its better your mother is off the cocaine but the antipsychotics are strong and dangerous when taken in high doses, the side effects are similar the world over and i hate them to bits, especially seroquel.
Maybe she can go on something sedating without the groggy antipsychotic side effects but she would need to discuss that with her doctor


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

meyaj said:


> That's like saying you prefer horse **** over cow ****. They are both so absolutely horrible that discussing any preference between them seems like a complete joke. Although Zyprexa has considerably more evidence for a causal link with Diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and is presumably worse.


Zyprexa is one of the best drugs I've ever taken. It helps my appetite and anorexia problems, I went from 108 lbs 5'10" to 158 lbs same height. It may be ****ty to you but its not to me. And no it doesnt help my SA nor depression.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Dr House said:


> Zyprexa is one of the best drugs I've ever taken. It helps my appetite and anorexia problems, I went from 108 lbs 5'10" to 158 lbs same height. It may be ****ty to you but its not to me. And no it doesnt help my SA nor depression.


Wow thats good that the drug has helped you with your anorexia 
Anything sounds better than seroquel :afr oh and haldol, thats just evil


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Dr House said:


> Zyprexa is one of the best drugs I've ever taken. It helps my appetite and anorexia problems, I went from 108 lbs 5'10" to 158 lbs same height. It may be ****ty to you but its not to me. And no it doesnt help my SA nor depression.


Fair enough. There are obviously people for whom the tradeoff is worth it. I just feel that it should be an absolute last resort, and seriously I'd sooner undergo ECT than be on Zyprexa long-term.

I just hope for your sake you tried all the safer options first. Even if you don't mind the psychological effects, the potential to cause metabolic syndrome, and diabetes especially is nothing to play around with. Not to mention the risk of movement disorders which, granted, is lower than a lot of other antipsychotics, but still present nonetheless.

But again, as long as you tried other options first, the tradeoff might be worth it in your case, especially when it comes to your physical health, at a very unhealthy 108lbs. Anorexia is very serious.


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## Lumpycampbell (May 16, 2011)

*Help*

I have been on Seroquel 150mg 4 times a day for a total of 600mg a day. I have gained 17 kilos in just over two months with the pounds piling on everyday. After I take it i am SO HUNGRY. Once i ate myself sick and had to go to the emergency room as the cramps and pains in my stomach were so bad. It wasnt in my head I was STARVING and felt like I hadnt eaten in years. 
I went to see my doc about this and he took one look at me and said STOP IT NOW. So for the last 3 days i have come off cold turkey as directed with nothing to replace it. 
I feel awful. Sweating then freezing. Sick to my stomach, pins and needles everywhere even my lips! Shaking and feeling like I had 10 straight coffees. I cant sit down and and thank god for my sleeping pill or i would be twitching in my bed all night. 
I know this medicine works for some people but for me it just didnt and i reacted badly to it.
Has anyone else had to come off straight away for a reaction from such a high dose. 
I was put on this medication for dissociation disorder and extreme anxiety while in hospital. I had a bit of a mental implosion and landed myself in the priory here in the UK for SEVEN Weeks. So I am sure at the time it was the best thing for me. 
Can anyone give me any hints or tell me what you did to help the withdraw symptoms? they say they are rare but I can tell you they are awful..

kindest regards
Kris


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Lumpycampbell said:


> I have been on Seroquel 150mg 4 times a day for a total of 600mg a day.
> I went to see my doc about this and he took one look at me and said STOP IT NOW. So for the last 3 days i have come off cold turkey as directed with nothing to replace it.
> I feel awful. Sweating then freezing. Sick to my stomach, pins and needles everywhere even my lips! Shaking and feeling like I had 10 straight coffees. I cant sit down and and thank god for my sleeping pill or i would be twitching in my bed all night.
> I know this medicine works for some people but for me it just didnt and i reacted badly to it.
> Has anyone else had to come off straight away for a reaction from such a high dose.


Since Seroquel functions partly as an anti-hypertensive drug, a guess is that sudden withdrawal could be a bad idea similarly to how sudden withdrawal from daily use of a beta blocker or clonidine would be ie; rebound hypertension.

Suddenly dropping from 600 mg/day to 0 mg seems way too fast IMO, a gradual reduction would seem more advisable, maybe talk to your doctor and tell them about your withdrawal symptoms.



> The British National Formulary recommends a gradual withdrawal when discontinuing anti-psychotic treatment to avoid acute withdrawal syndrome or rapid relapse.[20] Due to compensatory changes at dopamine, serotonin, adrenergic and histamine receptor sites in the central nervous system, withdrawal symptoms can occur during abrupt or over-rapid reduction in dosage. Withdrawal symptoms reported to occur after discontinuation of quetiapine include nausea, emesis, lightheadedness, diaphoresis, dyskinesia, orthostasis, tachycardia, nervousness, dizziness, headache, excessive non-stop crying, and anxiety.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Seroquel XR for the win
Normal seroquel will just knock you out and make you feel groggy the next day 
The XR version will help you sleep without the knock out and no grogginess the next day.
It's great if your AD is giving you insomnia


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## lionheart (Jun 16, 2010)

hmm still have some 25 mg''s seroquel left, dont use it, dont like it, too exausted day after, gives the munchies 1 hour after taking it, good for sleep


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## losinghope (Mar 29, 2011)

Seroquel is so bad!

I find it so addictive cause it slows my mind down. And i like the way the turn off my brain a little bit too much.

But i have gained so much weight on them, constant hunger, drugging you out so bad that there is no energy.

I have been on these pills for almost 5 years now. And i want to get off of them! But i don't have a physiciotrist and to do so you need one and it has been so hard. Oh and did i mention i devoloped type 2 diabetes from taking these pills too? 

I want to sue the doctor who put me on these...


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## lionheart (Jun 16, 2010)

losinghope said:


> Seroquel is so bad!
> 
> I find it so addictive cause it slows my mind down. And i like the way the turn off my brain a little bit too much.
> 
> ...


did you develop diabetes due to the overeating and weightgain?
what foods did you eat, sugars..?

or you get diabetes directly from the seroquel?


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## Bacon (Jul 4, 2010)

I Take seroquel it makes me dopey and i dont really care about stuff. seroquel XR 150 makes me sleepy sedated and i dont get mad as easily.


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## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

"I'm still waiting for the magazine ad:

"Seroquel... For When You Don't Know What The F*** Is Going On""

Quoted from http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=44.
LoL


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Bacon said:


> I Take seroquel it makes me dopey and i dont really care about stuff. seroquel XR 150 makes me sleepy sedated and i dont get mad as easily.


Why dont you take Seroquel XR at night ?


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## urbanspaceman (Sep 18, 2011)

Any success with Seroquel ? After years of struggling with depression and extreme anxiety I have started this medication...50mg a day this week to 100 mg a day next week.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

urbanspaceman said:


> Any success with Seroquel ? After years of struggling with depression and extreme anxiety I have started this medication...50mg a day this week to 100 mg a day next week.


I took it for ages but mainly just to sleep 
Did nothing for depression or anxiety


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## urbanspaceman (Sep 18, 2011)

yes it certainly helps sleep....well I'll see how it goes....


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## urbanspaceman (Sep 18, 2011)

I can't see this one working for me - No improvement on the anxiety or depression.


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## Xande (Jul 18, 2011)

urbanspaceman said:


> I can't see this one working for me - No improvement on the anxiety or depression.


Yup I didn't notice too much improvement on my anxiety and depression, but I was just prescribed it to sleep mainly. It did help when I was very anxious though and I took it by calming me down a bit (sedating), but then it proceeded to knock me out haha.


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