Seroquel, freaking out

I searched the threads on here because today i was prescribed Seroquel. my doctor wants to replace my Trileptal with the Seroquel. I expressed to my pdoc my concern with restlessness, which I've had with EVERY anti-psychotic I've ever been on. Anyway... I was looking up Seroquel on this forum so I could see if it helped anyone and all I found was complaints about weight gain.
Now I'm freaking out. I'm done the weight gain dance when I was on Lithium. I will NOT do it again.

Is there ANYONE who has NOT had weight gain with Seroquel? (Regular, not XR)

Please please please I am hoping that someone has not had that as a side effect. I want so bad for something to work and to not have to put aside my self image just for sanity.

Of all the meds i've gained weight on, Seroquel was the least. Then again, i lost on Lithium. (Gained the most on Zyprexa). Not the answer you want, but i didn't want to not reply.

Last year I was put on 300mg Seroquel to help balance my mood and it worked well for that but it did cause restlessness at night after I took it and it was very irritating. I was in an outpatient program at the time so I was seeing a psychiatrist once a week and he put me on 0.5mg Cogentin (benztropine mesylate) to help with the restlessness and it helped some but not enough so I was ultimately taken off Seroquel.

I did notice on Seroquel that after I took the pill I would get cravings for food which did lead to some overeating at night. For me I needed some will power to avoid eating a lot at night after taking the pill. Sometimes I would be in bed very tired and decide to get up to make some food.

When I was first put on Seroquel I was also taking 30mg Restoril (temazepam) at night to help me sleep and I continued taking it for the first few weeks of being put on Seroquel but eventually I stopped taking Restoril and Seroquel alone worked well enough for helping me sleep.

In the past I have also been prescribed 25mg Seroquel for sleep and at that dose I never had any side effects and I slept very well.

Sorry but I struggle with weight gain. There are no medications out there without side effects. But the side effects I have do not compare to the success of this drug for me. I counteract the weight gain with changing eating and activity habits and currently am losing the weight I gained. Its a slow loss but its going down. I'm not even doing anything crazy just changes that I can stick with.

I just started Seroquel, and so far so good I think. To be honest, I don't own a scale, I go by belt sizes, but I've stayed about average. My wight fluctuates a lot during the day (anywhere from 5-8 lb differences between the day (from when I did have a scale), or 3 belt notches), so either it's getting lost in there or it's not big enough to notice for me.

Put bluntly: I dont think the weight gain is very prominent.

My only other disclaimer is that I don't react "right" to meds at all. I don't get the common side effects. "The Pill" was a catalyst for my BP2 (it was already there, it just made it worse and it's never gone back down), and Seroquel keeps me up all night if I take it too late. Lamotrigine was fine, but I wasn't on it very long.

Good luck, and I hope this works for you. If weight gain does become a problem, start going to the gym, or doing a home exercise routine.

I take Seroquel right now (really low dose) and it has been weight-neutral for me. (I've been on it for over a month now) I gained 10+ lbs on Zyprexa and around ~5 when I started Lithium.

Currently trying to work out more. I don't think I will lose a significant amount of weight, but I want to be more lean than fat.

I have been on Seroquel 300mg for a while now and by drinking liquids when I feel hungry have had absolutely no weight gain and actually have had weight loss. In the past when I was on Seroquel I was on far more and did the same thing with the same results.

For me, I have discovered it is what I put in my mouth that causes the weight gian, not the meds.

I gained about five lbs. on seroquel. Not a lot, I was also on supervised eating schedules in the hospital at the time. My worst offender was Zyprexa. But then I have also been on lithium for 6 years and have gained none from that.

Antipsychotics are know to cause metabolic changes amongst other things. I have been dealing with anorexia for years, while on zyprexa I gained 20 lbs in one month. It was like I literally puffed up. As soon as I went off it, I returned to my normal weight within a few weeks. Eating habits had never changed., and I have always been fairly active.

Really the only way to tell is to try it out and see. Everyone is so different, and it could be what you having been looking for.

I had a positive experience and did not gain any weight on Seroquel. I did crave food a bit more; but I craved veggies, so I ended up eating healthier than usual. Seroquel is one of the few meds I would try again (I couldn't afford it anymore). I have problems with depression with my Trileptal.

I have been on Seroquel for about a month. The main thing i notice is that I have drowsiness that is pretty intense with each dose increase. I gained weight from my depression, not the med..since I didn't feel like doing anything. Oddly enough, I think it is actually helping with my symptoms of depression, and racing thoughts and stuff...This is the first med that has made a positive difference for me so far.

The only way to know how it will affect you or if it will help you is to let your doctor prescribe it and monitor the results. Everyone is different, and can be affected differently by a specific kind of medication, not to mention the possible interactions with other types of meds already being taken. I have have been put on more kinds of medications and combinations of medicines, including Seroquel, than I care to remember. They all have side effects, which will vary from person to person, and more often than not they are not fun. For me, taking medicine, which I really hate needing to take, is always going to be a trade off. I prioritize what is most important to me in my life, and do my best to figure out how much the medication is helping, and how much it bothers me to take it in regards to gaining weight etc. I also know that because of certain challenges that I have (and fairly safe to say most others here as well), and also the fact that I'm not perfect because I'm human, that it is a good thing to get feedback on how the medication and/or treatment is affecting the people in my life. They may not have to take medication, but they do have to live with me. After I know how that medication affects me and my relationships with others, I do the best I can to share that information with the doctor. If it significantly improves the quality of my life and my relationships that are important to me, without causing other problems I that I can't live without deciding to quit taking medicine altogether, I do my best make the best of it. Just don't forget how important it is to communicate how you feel and why about taking meds of any type to your Doctor, but without telling them how to do their job. If you don't feel like they are responsive to your needs or simply won't listen, look around for someone else with a good recommendation that treats your condition. It is a lot of work and takes time to do get it right, but it is worth it to get it right.

I have always struggled with weight, so being on seroquel hasn't been good for me...but it is about what you put into your body for food that will cause weight gain...the meds just make it more difficult for us who already have food issues. Sadly, I gained a lot of weight...but I can't say it's all the fault of Seroquel (of which I take 500mg daily)

Dear All,

I was recently prescribed Seroquel last month to deal with some depression and anxiety that I was experiencing of which the Lamitcal did not address. I am already 70 pounds over weight do to eating habits, lack of exercise, and changes in my metabolism that occurred during my late 20s; up until the age of 24, I could eat whatever I wanted, in whatever quantity that I chose, and not gain any weight; I really had it good, and looked good--to boot!

In any event, when my doctor gave me the drug, I, of course, went on the internet and goggled "weight gain and Seroquel". I freaked myself out! An overwhelming number of people responded that not only had they gained weight, but that the weight gain was exercise resistant. No amount of exercise was able to reduce the weight while on the med, for some.

Last Thursday, I brought this to my pdoc's attention and she mentioned that those stories are simply untrue. I disagreed with her. People have gained weight on Seroquel. The issue which is still out for debate is whether the weight gain is due to changes in one's metabolism or increased food intake. Keep in mind though that the internet is somewhat biased. People who gained weight tend to post and talk about it online, whereas those people who did not gain weight may tend to keep silent.

Thus, it's probably impossible to know the exact percentage of those individuals who have gained weight vs. those who have not gained weight on Seroquel. My advise would be to watch what you put in your mouth. This is a hard thing to do, as Seroquel give's you the munchies, especially at night. Secondly, you need to incorporate some sort of exercise in your routine; if you already have done so, you need to step it up.

Doing those two things should thwart any weight gain issues. Of course, if you do gain weight and continue to do so while eating right and getting proper exercise, then I would tell your pdoc and consider a different medication.

But, like someone else said on the thread, you'll never know until you try it.

Good luck

I am one of the lucky ones who haven't gained weight on Seroquel, not one single lb.

I feel like I am the only one in the world who hasn't gained any weight, but I haven't. I am wondering though if I wasn't on it, I may just look skeletal. Who knows? I have been on it for years now.

I hated the XR version because it made me numb and uncreative.

I took the Seroquel Xr and gained 40 lbs over about 5 months ) my weight gain was from metabolic sysndrome ,I have been off seroquel Xr for ehhh 2 months now I have lost some but certainly not all .. maybe plain seroquel doesnt have as big of an weight effect as the xr .. Personally I loved the results ( mental health wise ) I got but the weight gain was outragious ..Im now on " weight neutral" meds and if I dont start really losing this weight I will probably throw the biggest fit ever .. My opinion im not going to gain so much weight as I would probably develop diabetes .. I have enough health problems I wont add more just to treat bipolar.

Good Luck let us know how your doing

I gained a tremendous amount of weight in a very short time. I continued on the medication because I thought it was helping. Therefore, it was more important to continue. However, the medication is NOT helping and now I am very overweight. I am going to stop the medication of my Pdoc appointment tomorrow. I do not want to continue on any amti-psychotics.

I've been on it for around a month now and I feel like I gained a little but my husband disagrees. The main thing I do now is when I get the urge to eat is I think it through--did I just eat? When did I last eat a meal? If it seems unreasonable to eat again I find something else to do or chew some gum. I also find drinking water helps when my stomach starts growling right after eating.

To me the thing to always remember is that there are much worst things in life than gaining weight. Out of control bipolar or being dead from suicide tops the list for me. Extra weight is a very small price to pay for being well.