Global Patient Feedback for Seroquel (Quetiapine) ( Post a comment )

Comments, Questions, and Answers
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Question/Comment:

I take Seroquel 200mg at night to help with sleep. It works fine for me. I sleep great and wake up without feeling drowsy at all. I've been taking it for about a year now.

50 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

Seroquel works so well for those with insomnia/anxiety that either does not respond to benzos (i.e. Restoril) and/or hypnotics (i.e. Ambien). I take it for the same reasons- have been for about two years- and am so much better w/out the benzos (and I won't take hypnotics). It definitely works for certain people, esp. those who wish not to develop a masive dependence on benzos and/or barbiturates and/or hypnotics. I concur entirely with above testimonial, and encourage those who have struggled with sleep for far too long to consult with their doctors and see if a SMALL dosage of Seroquel at night ONLY is indicated. Ask your doctor- seriously, it changed my life. No more ativan or xanax or valium or ambien or restoril, etc. Much much better.
Caveat: unless you have prescription insurance, it is very very expensive for a one month scrip. As in over $350.00. Worth it for sleep- for day time management of various conditions, I don't know.
Good answer, above, and good luck to all sleepless peeps- lady j

32 year old Female

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I have been taking Seroquel 75mg at night for sleep for at least 5 years now. I love it. I have chronic, severe insomnia but don't do well with ambien or benzos. Those drugs drugged me but didn't help me get any therapeutic, nourishing sleep. Seroquel doesn't feel like a drug to me, it feels subtle, and like it is somehow decreasing the amplitude of my brain waves so that I can shut down for a reasonable number of hours. Ambien/Ativan gave me more like a synthetic sleep of poor quality and short duration that left me feeling unhealthy during my waking hours. In times of extreme stress they actually made my sleep worse.
I have run across one primary care doctor who was uncomfortable prescribing Seroquel, despite my established history of doing well on it. He made me go to a psychiatrist for the script; she had no problem giving it to me. Does anyone know of any studies evaluating effects of long term use of low dose Seroquel?

Question/Comment:

I am diagnosed with bi-polar, anxiety disorder, i have also bulimia, and anorexia . Right now I am on serequel, 200mg in morning and 600 mg at night. I' also take lithium and busbar. I have been taking the serequel for some time now and I am starting not to be able to sleep at night , where in the beginning , I was getting a good night sleep .Does your body build a tolerance to this drug?

41 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

Yes, your body does develop a tolerance under your pre-exisitng conditions. Try to reduce, is my advice- I take Seroquel @ 150 mgs a night for insomnia per many of the same conditions (no eating disorders, but the panic/depression, yes). I find it works much more effectively when one can tritate down in increments- but yes, again, tolerance builds. The less you can take that is effective, the much much better. Good luck-
lady j

32 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

I have been a severe insomniac my entire life to the point of driving me crazy. Jan of 2007 after suicide attempt (10% chance of living but pulled through) these are my Meds I take, Seroquel 600, Wellbutrin 450, Cymbalta 60-120, Topamax 100, Lamictal 200, Xanax up to 2 mg as needed.

My life suprisingly enough was well enough no xanax for over a year but I, thank god, have not built any tolerance for my dosage at all. My other meds are taken in the morning except the Topamax which is well known for enhancing the effects of other meds, for migraines, weight loss, alchohol cessation, reduces appearances of scars etc....... I brought info to my doctor and this is probably why I have not built up any tolerances. When I am very med resistant.

Hope you get it back I have heard that if it is taken during the day you learn to fight it and this could also be another way it's effectiveness is reduced.

39 year old Female

Question/Comment:

my wife is taking 900 mg at night every night and is slowly deteriorating. She has COPD, RA, and she is Bi-Polar and paranoid shizophrenic. I am at my wits end. She also takes clonapin, neurontin, lexapro, darvocette, lortabs, verapamil, lasix, spriva and klor con. Is my doctor nuts or am I just overly concerned?

57 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

personally I think your dr is nuts!!!

31 year old Male

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

i think most docs will give you whatever you tell them you want. remember what they are doing is called, "practicing". They don't have any more of a clue as to what you need than a man in the moon. People tell their docs whatever they want, so they can get whatever they want.

Answer/Reply:

YOU DESPERATELY NEED A NEW DR.. SHE IS WAY OVERMEDICATED

DR. K

39 year old Female

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

HER DOC. IS NUTS !!!!!!!! I am outraged at this. That this still goes on. I've been where she is. Please, get her help, soon. And, as a "gift" to yourself, for you too. God be with you & yours.

Answer/Reply:

I concur- that dosage is WAY too high- I'm amazed she's cogent at all. Reduce as much as possible- and yes, a new Doc is probably in order, too. My 82 yr old paranoid grandma takes a grand total of 600 mgs throughout the day and night, and she's a mess- can't imagine how much worse it gets at those levels. Good luck!
-lady j

32 year old Female

Question/Comment:

I have been taking seroquel for over 2years,and i take 200mg before bed and i get the sleep i need.sometimes it takes a little while to get to sleep ,but once im asleep ,im asleep...and i wake up fine and ready to start my day..

44 year old Female

Question/Comment:

If I want to fast-not take in food during sunlight hours-, how will Seroguel interact with me. Especially with the side effect of increased hunger associated with this drug?

18 year old Male

Question/Comment:

I am a recovering addict and I find that Seroquel keeps me at level attitude, NO HIGHS AND LOWS.....I take Seroquel in the evening before bed and I feel great the next day.....i started out on 25mgs a nite and then went to 50mgs....I have been on 50mgs for about a year and have NO need to increase this.....It defionitly works for mood swings! I give it a THUMBS UP!

58 year old Female

Question/Comment:

My doctor has me on this so I can sleep I only take 25mg but some days I can not wake up I am tired and can not function the next day. So I try to take it every other day, this worked for a little while but I started to loose my concentration at work, not remembering my daily routine at work, when I have been doing it for over 4 years.


43 year olds

44 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

you should get your doctor to put you on something else if all you want it for is to sleep. I take 100mg in the morning and 300mg at night . I suffer from extreme PTSD . This med helps keep me calm and allows me to sleep at night sometimes but not all the time. If you just want sleep find something else or find a different doctor.

39 year old Female

Question/Comment:

I am a 57-yr old MALE Vietnam Veteran whose PTSD, vivid nightmares and insomnia are well-controlled with QUETIAPINE. There has been some weight gain on this medication, but I think it is more due to inactivity than anything else. I have to boot myself up and get out more often and engage in physical activity on a more regular basis. All in all, the negatives are outweighed by the positives of this medication.

59 year old Male

Question/Comment:

Ive recently thought about switching from seroquel to lithium because of the worsening of my bi-polar disordar with stuttering attacks.do you think this is the right direction to be heading?

26 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

I believe your doctor has the answer for you. I strongly suggest you ask about the side effects of taking lithium. I have friends who are taking lithium for treating bi-polar started 8 years ago. Her doctor told her ahead of time that if she decided to take or she needed to take lithium, she will stick w/ the pill the rest of her life, plus other side effects. My friend agreed after listening to all the pros and cons from her doctor. And of course, she was getting serious at the moment. Recently, a doctor told me that there is another type of medication to treat bi-polar. It's a combination of 2 medications: Zyprexa and 1 other drug. You should ask your doctor.

35 year old Female

Question/Comment:

Ive experienced some memory loss from the prior day.Is this common for other users?

26 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

yes it is common

17 year old Male

Question/Comment:

I take seroquel and love it. It helps with my bipolar and sleeplessness.This drug like all others is not for everyone and trust me let your doc know if you have probs. I love waking up and feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day!

27 year old Female

Question/Comment:

I just wanted to ad after several years (at least 5) of use for insomnia, I started getting lightheaaded spells. It got ot the point where I was lightheaded all day. I was averaging 200250 mg at bedtime. I have lowered my dose to 25 and i am now rarley gettign these spells. Now when i take even 100mg for sleep I am sick the rest of the day.

34 year old Female

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

does seroquil make a person sick all day with side effects like dizziness drowsiness and bad mingraine headaches

Question/Comment:

Seroquel was perscribed to me as a sleeping pill.

52 year old Female

Question/Comment:

Does seroquel have any effect on the eyes? I heard somewhere that it does.

54 year old Female

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

Seroquel has a warning regarding its potential to cause cataracts with long-term use. At this time there is limited information to support a direct association between Seroquel and cataracts. However, because the risk is not completely ruled out, many people will routinely have eye exams to monitor for cataracts.

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

I am 54, have been taking seroquel for 8 years, sometimes up to 400 mg, and I have catarcts in both my eyes.

Question/Comment:

My son is nine years old and been taking Seroquel for about a year now and has not gain weight and it seems to put him in a bad mood sometimes.But it does help him sleep.He has ADHA and ODD.Is this a side effect with the rotton mood.

10 year old Male

Answer/Reply:

My daughter is 8 and on Seroquel for sleeping. She also has ADHD. I'm not sure about the mood thing, but she has had the same problem. I thought it was from the ADHD medications. I am beginning to wonder though, because they have switched and her moods have not changed. If you find out, I would appreciate it if you let me know. Thanks

30 year old Female

Answer/Reply:

I do not believe that the moods are from the Seroquel I have Bi-Polar, border-line Schizophrenia, and ADHD. I have been taking Seroquel for 3 years now 800mg a day and i haven't had bad mood caused by this medicine. ODD is a new found term for Bi-Polar 2. Does your son take depression meds? You can Email me at Smsleader@gmail.com if you would like me to explain.

17 year old Male

Question/Comment:

I am not too crazy about this medication but I have to take it. Makes me feel like I am drugged. Very hard to get up in the morning.

I take Seroquel along with Lithium for bipolar I.

42 year old Female

iGuard.org Answer/Reply:

You don't have to take anything you are a 40 year old woman you can switch to a different doctor who listens to you. You could go to a nutritionist/psychologist who can work with you also. Trust your own body and how you feel. Just because you suffer from bipolar does not mean you do not know how this medicine makes you feel. There are lawsuits against this drug because of the diabetes it is causing.

Question/Comment:

works good

64 year old Male

Question/Comment:

Be careful when starting therapy for the first several days (don't drive or perform any actions requiring you to be alert)

52 year old Male

Question/Comment:

Pay attention to build up effects and get off of it as soon as you safely can unless you don't have problems with it as I do.

36 year old Male

Question/Comment:

start slowly with 25mg for a week and then up to 50mg etc. Taking too much at first might make people want to get off of it and not give it a chance to work

54 year old Female

Question/Comment:

Take as directed and take at the same time every day.

35 year old Female

Question/Comment:

When noticing problems with behavior explosions, talk to doctor about discontinuing medication.

15 year old Male

Question/Comment:

Make sure to exercise to your daily plan so you don't gain weight. Just a little will help.

46 year old Female

Question/Comment:

Follow your regimen rigorously -- taking your meds the same time each day helpsso that you can see if there any serious side effects.

79 year old Female

Question/Comment:

start on a low dosage, and take it at night

47 year old Female

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