[tnlibrarian]

I went to see my psych doc today and she wasn't entirely happy with my progress over the past month. She said I'm defiently not as manic as I was but that she can tell I'm still on edge. I have to agree with her analysis. She didn't want to up the Lamictal anymore--I'm on 300 mg--and considered changing me to another mood stablizier. Since I've been seeing and hearing things she decided to try me on seroquel. My understanding is that it is an atypical antipsychotic so it makes sense.

My big concerns are the possiblity of weight gain and what she described as a numbing effect, partially because I'm taking it with Lamictal. Have any of you avoided weight gain on Seroquel? And have any of you run into problems with a numbing effect? I'm starting it tonight. She has me starting at 25 mg and told me to increase the dosage each week until I feel like it's working for me. She said I can go as high as four pills per day but that if I get that high to call her. I'm pretty nervous about this--I've never been on any kind of antipsychotic before.

[pgrundy]

I've been on Seroquel timed release since last January--so, a year. I have not gained weight and it has been a very helpful med for me. I sleep well for the first time in years. Currently I'm on 100 mg about three hours before bedtime.

At first Seroquel didn't just numb me out, it put me into some kind of semi-walking coma. I mean, wow. I felt totally zonked. But that wears off in a few days. So don't freak out if it knocks you over at first. It WILL go away, and after that, it helps.

A lot of folks here have had problems with it though, so my experience isn't the only one. Still, for me, it's been a godsend. Good luck!

[tnlibrarian]

I went out on the web and looked Seroquel up. I noticed a number of people said they actually lost weight on the drug and attributed it to taking it in combination with Wellbutrin. I'm taking 100 mg extended release Wellbutrin (she switched me back to extended today, thank God) so I'm hoping that will curb any issues with increase in appetite. With exceptions of Prozac and Depo-Provera (otherwise known as the drug from hell) I've never had issues with weight gain, even when taking meds known for it, including birth control. Hopefully with diet and exercise it won't be an issue.

Well, I'm currently taking the XR version of Seroquel (350mg) but my experience is that it was quite easy to deal with the weight gain issue. My appetite did increase at first, but I fought it and ate a normal amount of food. The appetite side effect went away fast for me. I think if you eat a healthy amount of food and exercise on a regular basis, weight gain shouldn't be an issue. I'm not a professional though, by any means, so don't quote me on that!

My biggest side effect on Seroquel XR was the increased tiredness. At my highest dose (600mg), I was sleeping between 14-16 hours a day. Now on my current dosage, I sleep 9-11 hours a day, usually 9. This medication helps me with anxiety, mostly, but also helps me to get a good night's sleep. I also imagine that it helps prevent any psychotic symptoms that could occur.

Another annoying side effect I had in the beginning was Restless Leg Syndrome...fortunately it only lasted a couple of weeks. It was SO annoying though!

Overall, this med has been very helpful for me. I hope it's helpful for you too.

[~Christina]

I loved Seroquel XR I was able to sleep and my mind was clearer and i felt alot calmer ,,but my body didnt .. I developed Metaboilc syndrome.. I gained 40 lbs and it wasnt from overeating.. It also increased my blood sugar levels ..
Hopefully you will have all good results from the medication.

Good Luck !

[interested2012]

Seroquel has been great for me. I gained 10 pounds once I went up to 300mg and couldn't take it off until I lowered the dose. Sadly, the lower dose didn't work and I took a nose dive.

I do feel some dulling but it's so much better than the alternative....

[xp1155]

Seroquel didn't cause any weight gain for me. I was a bit more hungry at first, but I was craving vegetables for some reason. Seroquel is one of the few medications I've been on that I would be fine with trying again.

[Resident Bipolar]

I'm currently on 600mg a day of Seroquel (Quitiapine) - very close to the maximum legal dose here in the UK. Because of the very high dose I have to go for regular liver function tests and echo-cardiograms (an ultrasound of the heart, essentially).

For me, Seroquel is the best tablet I have ever tried. It has really stabilized my mood and also the highest dose at night (400mg) helps me to sleep without waking up in the night and suffering from psychosis. As for weight gain I haven't had an issue there...in fact I am currently eating well and losing weight healthily without exercising anymore than just going out for a few hours a day with mates around town.

Drowsiness is an issue at first...but unlike medications in the same group (such as Risperidone and Quitiapine) this wears off rather quickly.

All in all it's a really good medication to try.

Apologies for the post, was done quickly as I was checking in before bed and noticed the thread at the last minute.

RB ♥

[mgran]

I'm on seroquel XR and lamactil. I recently saw the doctor about the weight gain, against which I've been fighting a losing battle, and he's suggested that we split the dose to once in morning, once at night, so I don't get the painful hunger spikes concentrated at bed time. I've been waiting since April to see a psychiatric doctor to talk about my meds... there's a chance I've developed metabolic syndrome.

[Tosspot]

Nope I got fat. And fast. Looking back, its becuase I got "the munchies" before bed. Same as after smoking pot. Just don't give in to the hunger spikes... go to bed instead, or drink water, or eat celery sticks.. best of luck!

[mgran]

I think it's the hunger spikes too cause the weight gain. Sometimes I get so hungry it hurts. It's not so bad since the dose has been split though, and I've actually lost a bit of weight ... about four or five pounds. But I've been cooking very healthy as well, all vegan, with loads and loads of fresh veggies to bulk it out. Yesterday was lentil soup, I cheated and used some frozen tarka dahl. Mixed it in with a tin of coconut, then added finely chopped onions, tomatoes and pepper, coriander to finish. Okay, the coconut milk was a bit fatty, but wow, the soup was tasty, and a really beautiful colour. My son had it with plenty of boiled potatoes mixed through.

You have to plan for the munchies I think... sweetcorn on the cob can help, it's so difficult to eat, and by the time you've finished the hunger pangs are often gone. Bread and potatoes and pasta are not good though.

[tnlibrarian]

So far no problems with munchies but I am really, really groggy in the mornings since I started taking it. I'm on 25 mg and was supposed to up it to 50 mg last night but I'm waiting until Friday night. I have to get my oldest to school by 7:45 and I'm afraid I'll sleep through the alarm. My husband said he was very surprised by how well I did yesterday despite only getting 2 hours of sleep the night before. He attributed it to the Seroquel. However, I got 4 hours of sleep last night and the bipolar is pretty bad today. I'm cycling like crazy and just had to take an Ativan. My psych doctor said the Seroquel will hopefully keep me from hallucinating and hopefully control everything better. We'll see, although I tend to think if I'm not getting much in the way of sleep it's not going to matter what I'm on. I'm going to rapid cycle and will have to keep the Ativan around to help me keep things under control on those days.

[AniManiac]

Originally Posted by tnlibrarian

So far no problems with munchies but I am really, really groggy in the mornings since I started taking it. I'm on 25 mg and was supposed to up it to 50 mg last night but I'm waiting until Friday night. I have to get my oldest to school by 7:45 and I'm afraid I'll sleep through the alarm. My husband said he was very surprised by how well I did yesterday despite only getting 2 hours of sleep the night before. He attributed it to the Seroquel. However, I got 4 hours of sleep last night and the bipolar is pretty bad today. I'm cycling like crazy and just had to take an Ativan. My psych doctor said the Seroquel will hopefully keep me from hallucinating and hopefully control everything better. We'll see, although I tend to think if I'm not getting much in the way of sleep it's not going to matter what I'm on. I'm going to rapid cycle and will have to keep the Ativan around to help me keep things under control on those days.

It may still reduce the severity with the rapid cycling when you get to the "right" dose - here's hoping, anyway! Plus you've figured out what you need to do to cope in the meantime when you can't get much sleep. That's worth a pat on the back in itself!

Hope things continue to improve...

[tnlibrarian]

After thinking about it I'm going to up the Seroquel tonight. Even with the Ativan I feel totally on edge. My oldest has to get a cavity filled today and she panics when she just gets her teeth cleaned. She is absolutely terrified of the dentist even though she really, really likes our dentist. She grew up in India and my daughters love hearing stories about her childhood. We won't let them sedate her because both me and my mom are allergic to nitrous oxide so it's a matter of distracing her with music on my IPod and letting her watch a movie on the TV above the chair. I'm going to probably take another Ativan before I take her so I don't end up getting really irritated with her if I'm back there. My husband is going too and I'm thinking it would be better for him to be back there with her while I stay with the two youngest in the waiting room.

[mgran]

Hope your wee girl is okay at the dentist... and that you don't worry too much about her. It's an awful set of feelings, isn't it? I'm petrified at the dentist, beyond the telling of it, but my son needing work done is even worse.

Also, hope the Ativan helps... I don't actually know what it is, but while you're waiting for the Seroquel to reach a therapeutic level I hope it helps. It took about six weeks for rispiridone to hit me, then when I switched to seroquel it took me weeks again. Don't worry too much while you're waiting. YOu will get there.

[Eloise42]

Loved Seroquel, didn't have any side effects except it would sometimes elevate my heart rate for fifteen minutes after taking it. My pdoc cut it back for that reason but then my heart rate went up and hasn't gone down since. So it's something to keep an eye out for.

[Brokenwings73]

I've been on different disaster of seroquel for years. I have experienced some wt gain but very minimal. However my antidepressant and migrant med have opposite effect of wt loss so they pretty much balance out. I will say taking it causes incredible munchies I just try and avoid them. I have severe sleep issues and it's the only med that helps . I prefer the immediate release over the XR. I take 200mg and with that I usually fall asleep in half an hour. As with many meds it's FDA approved for other conditions, it is an anipsychotic but I just call it my sleeping med!