Seroquel regular release was the first antipsychotic I ever took. During my first hospitalization, about 50 mg was added to 1200 mg of Lithium ER. I needed the Seroquel to help me sleep because I wasn't on Lithium ER alone. I recall it helping me sleep a bit, but it didn't sedate me during the day, at all, and I had even been taking a benzo on top of that because of alcohol detox.

I think my Seroquel dose went up and up. I forget to what dose and I forget what happened and why I was eventually taken off. However, sometime later down the line, I was put on again when manic. I do recall times when it overly sedated me, but again, not always. I then recall being taken off yet again. Then...

I was very unwell with a manic episode w/mixed features. I did something very dangerous with alcohol and old Seroquel pills. I ended up in the hospital via ambulance and then forced to drink a charcoal drink. And would you believe what the psychiatrist prescribed for me in the hospital? Seroquel! I remember being on a fairly high dose. At one point I took 800 mg, split between morning and evening. In the beginning, it didn't sedate me, but then as my mood shifted, it did and my dose went down and down. Eventually I was taken off of Seroquel again.

Some time later, I was put on Seroquel XR. This thread is not about the extended release version, but I can say that I prefer the extended release. This is a novice description, but I like how it has what I feel is a shorter "peak" to it's sedation. However, the effects are longer-lasting than the regular, so I only need to take Seroquel XR at night (not twice per day). It still helps me get to sleep, but is "kinder and gentler" for me. It still took a bit of an adjustment. I have to take Seroquel XR early in the evening (no later than 8 pm) to get to sleep at a reasonable time. Taking it earlier also helps me wake up at 6:30 am without a "Seroquel XR" hangover. Nowadays, Seroquel XR doesn't oversedate me unless I take it too late or deliberately sleep too little. Sometimes it's not even sedating enough. For those times, my psychiatrist gives me a supple of 25 mg and 50 mg Seroquel regular release pills as "prns". When I'm too agitated or getting manic, I can take the Seroquel prn. It usually helps. In those cases, it doesn't sedate me when taken during the day. It just gives me a more level mood or "Smooth Jazz". At night, a prn added to my usual Seroquel XR can assist with sleep when insomnia increases.