[Clinte89]

Well my doc gave me seroquel to help me sleep last night and I have to say I'm not impressed, I took 100m last night and it didn't help me get to bed any earlier.

So I'm gonna ask if you guys have any advice on how to get to bed at a reasonable time and maybe if taking more seroquel will work he said I could go to 200 tonight.

More of a dissappointed rant than anything but if you guys have any advice on getting to sleep that would be great.

[ellipsisdream]

I developed a consistent bedtime routine, which I think relaxes me some, and after a while your body and your mind might know it is time to go to bed.

As for the Seroquel, when I was on it, I took 150mg a half hour before bed. I also had it at a lower dose as a PRN. It could be a matter of having the dosage adjusted, or it might not be the best match for you. I found it to be an excellent drug for me, but I ended up having to eliminate it due to side effects. I miss it, as it was the first drug that slowed my racing thoughts.

I hope things get easier for you with the sleep.

[Clinte89]

Ok well I'll give the 200 a try tonight and see if that helps. Thanks for the reply. I noticed it slowed me down but not enough I'm still pretty wide open.

[TRNRMOM]

Originally Posted by Clinte89

Well my doc gave me seroquel to help me sleep last night and I have to say I'm not impressed, I took 100m last night and it didn't help me get to bed any earlier.

So I'm gonna ask if you guys have any advice on how to get to bed at a reasonable time and maybe if taking more seroquel will work he said I could go to 200 tonight.

More of a dissappointed rant than anything but if you guys have any advice on getting to sleep that would be great.

interesting how different dosages of the same med affect us. i'm female, 66 yrs. old. only this past year after being diagnosed/treated for 30+ yrs. have the repetitive thoughts interrupted any possibility of sleep...and insomnia just kills me. i get into bed an hr. before bedtime and keep the same bedtime always. started taking 5mg. melatonin which makes me a bit groggy about an hr. before bedtime. i think this helps me. 10 mg. ambien lasts about 4 hrs. per my p/doc i cut a .25mg. seroquel in half and take that and i sleep w/o the ruminating thoughts. am now trying 5 mg. valium which works wonders for me...so 1 nite i use valium, next nite 1/2 seroquel. a lot of this is trial and error but i think for me this is the combination which works..finally getting good sleep.

[Clinte89]

Glad you found a combo that works. And I'm pretty med tolerant so it usually takes alot to knock me out. But I have hope that tonight will be better. I'm taking a short nap today trying to get my clock back on track is not easy.

[Dragonfly33]

I liked Seroquel because it would knock me out. I'd have do all my stuff, take the Seroquel, then go brush my teeth and get into bed or I'd be walking and talking like I was drunk. I stopped taking it because I couldn't get up in the morning for work and I didn't have a clear head until noon.

Now that I'm not working I want it back. I have a consistent bedtime routine but when I super stressed (like now) I can lie awake in bed for hours...

[ibex]

What I learned from others and even my pdoc is that smaller dosages of seroquel will bring in the sandman. Larger doses dont seem to have that same affect. I dont understand why. I just know in my experience for sleep I was given 25mg and I was out for 16hrs. When my pdoc decided to use it for mood stabilizing I was given 200mg increments. No affect on sleep. Its a strange anoth crazy med

[Clinte89]

Hmm that's interesting you'd think higher dose better sleep but maybe not the case. Maybe he is thinking mood stabilizer with sleep helping properties.

[Clinte89]

Well I hve found this medication helps me zone out and feel nothing, and I like that feeling. Im thinking about taking half of one now to help calm me nerves. is this a bad idea?

[BlueInanna]

I don't know. But my daughter started liking her seroquel a little too much. She had the little 25mg pink pills of it. If it helps you out, it sounds like still a low dose, so safe that way. But you could end up running out early and that's no fun.

[Clinte89]

Yeah good point. But on the same side is im still feeling terrible should I take an extra zyprexa? I need to do something this is driving me crazy.

[BlueInanna]

U pick up that guitar yet?

[Clinte89]

Not yet I took a nap. Im feeling better now then I was so thats a good thing.

[Resident Bipolar]

Oh dear, Seroquel. For me it's pretty hit and miss. I started off on 25mg not just for sleep for also for mood stabilization. I got that slowly increased all the way up to 600mg, believe me that was not an experience I enjoyed! I was in hospital at the time and all I could do all day was sleep, I had no energy, and my heart was racing all the time. It's close to the maximum legal dose here in the UK, and when on that dose it is a requirement I went for regular liver toxicity checks.

Anyway. Now I'm down from the 600mg to 200mg and it helps me sleep more often than not. However I'm now on Citalopram which gives me side effects which include insomnia, so it's not doing too well at helping me at the moment. I can normally take 200mg once I am sort of tired and within a couple of hours I feel sleepy enough to close my eyes and drift off. Though I'm also on 6mg circadin (slow release melatonin) so I'm not sure I can say it's just the Seroquel that helps me.

Though some nights instead of helping me sleep it sends my heart rate through the roof, and whilst on a slightly higher dose I had heart arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat) in a few ECGs. Now I'm on a lower dose my heart rate is at most times okay, though 1 night in 20 or so I will have bad chest pains, anxiety and a very fast heart rate (in excess of 130BPM).

So do be careful when you increase your dose and only do so at the advice of your P-Doc. Good luck with the 200mg, I hope it helps you! I've found it's more effective when I'm slightly tired and I've sunk into a routine now of putting my meds and a drink next to my bed, putting something on the TV, turning the light off, taking my meds, having a final cigarette and watching TV for about an hour or so until the medication has taken effect.

RB

[Bobbarita]

I totally agree with #7 post (sorry, I don't know how to transfer the quote...). At first I was on 50mg. I would finally be awake/alert mid-afternoon. I called it my drug hangover---which it was. Now I'm on 25mg. It really knocks me out fast, compared to other meds through the years for insomnia. I sleep 7 hours solid, which for me is amazing.

[Clinte89]

I hear ya routine seems important but it seems as soon as I try to sleep in wide open at least these past two weeks and seroquel is not touching it but I do like the way it zones me out. I took it last night at about 8 and enjoyed the feeling till I went to bed at 10 and then was wide awake again. Sleep seems to not want to be my friend. Thank for the reply.

[Resident Bipolar]

Originally Posted by Clinte89

I hear ya routine seems important but it seems as soon as I try to sleep in wide open at least these past two weeks and seroquel is not touching it but I do like the way it zones me out. I took it last night at about 8 and enjoyed the feeling till I went to bed at 10 and then was wide awake again. Sleep seems to not want to be my friend. Thank for the reply.

Hmm. Even though it might still have an effect on you in the morning and you might not want that, maybe try taking the 200mg later at night? Say about 10pm? This of course subject to what your pdoc thinks. If I take mine at 8 it doesn't really help me sleep, so I think maybe if you take it later (about 10 or maybe a tad later) you might have more success?

RB.

[Clinte89]

Ok thanks ill try that, I'll report in the am as to how it went. So ill take my normal meds at my normal time and seroquel at 10. Thanks RB