[chunkydora]

Hello all,

Nice to meet you all.

I take lithium and it looks like quetiapine is likely going to be added on top of that. I'm somewhat nervous about taking an antipsychotic, given the pretty serious side effect profile and given that these drugs were originally designed to induce "an altered state of consciousness... characterized by quiescence, reduced motor activity, decreased anxiety, and indifference to the surroundings... usually the person can be aroused and can respond to commands," according to a medical dictionary.

Anyway, I was hoping that if anyone here had taken quetiapine, you could just share your general experience with me, that might help me decide if I can swallow it (literally!)

Grazzi

[sugahorse1]

Hi, I have been on his med for about 3 months. It has increased my appetite and I have put on a bit of weight.
My dose at night was a bit strong and I had to cut back as I couldn't wake up in the mornings. It has caused some tremors and shaking in my hands especially.

I like the definition you found, as I feel that for me it has leveled me out, or at least really numbed my emotions. I don't know how good this is, but for someone that really battles with depression, this is definitely a better situation to be in.

[chunkydora]

Thanks for responding. Does it slow down your thinking or make it hard to concentrate? I have enough trouble with that as it is and in a way that's almost my main concern.

[cocoabeans]

If I ever go back on medication, I want Seroquel! It increases my appetite, calms my brain so I'm not running strange thoughts around in circles or feeling like the world is closing in on me, even the pain of depression shuts off for awhile and I can sleep!

[sugahorse1]

I am on a few different meds, so I can't always pin-point which med is causing what. But I have a terrible memory. I don't concentrate that well, but my pdoc thinks I have ADHD anyway.
I like how Seroquel does slow things down. Regarding being numb - it differs from person to person what they prefer. When there's a stressful situation, I'd really rather be numb than on an emotional roller coaster.

[possum220]

It also depends on the dose you end up on. Sometimes a small dose is enough. Sometimes not.

Goodluck

Originally Posted by chunkydora

Hello all,

Nice to meet you all.

I take lithium and it looks like quetiapine is likely going to be added on top of that. I'm somewhat nervous about taking an antipsychotic, given the pretty serious side effect profile and given that these drugs were originally designed to induce "an altered state of consciousness... characterized by quiescence, reduced motor activity, decreased anxiety, and indifference to the surroundings... usually the person can be aroused and can respond to commands," according to a medical dictionary.

Anyway, I was hoping that if anyone here had taken quetiapine, you could just share your general experience with me, that might help me decide if I can swallow it (literally!)

Grazzi

I have taken quetiapinel( recently within the month) and it helped me sleep, however it diminishes sexual response and arousal. It did help me sleep seven hours as I was only able to sleep between three to five hours.Warm Thoughts.

[aquaman]

I took Seroquel for over a year. I was going through a really, really bad depressive phase and the Seroquel snapped me out of it. I felt really good and stable while I was on it. I was able to think clearly, which is rare among these types of meds.

For me, the biggest side effects were weight gain and fatigue. I stopped taking it because the fatigue was becoming too much. I'm trying lithium now. If this doesn't work I might go back on a lower dose of Seroquel to keep my mood more stable with lower fatigue.

I'd at least give it a try. Everyone responds differently to meds and it might work out really well for you. If not, you can always switch to something else.

Good luck!

[aquaman]

PS I should also add I do a lot of writing and I'm teaching myself to draw. I didn't feel like the Seroquel affected my creativity at all.

[noneedtoknow]

Been taking Seroquel for a few years now. No wieght gain. It does help me to sleep! And when I am having a bad day emotionally/mentaly, I am greatful cause it does help! The drawback for me is the sedation part. I wake up in the morning sedated sometimes for hours. But my PDoc and I are looking at why that is. Same days are fine, others, not so much. It is an individual experience. Can you just give it a "trial run" for a month to see? Good luck to you, I hope you find what you need!

[bunnifoo]

I've taken it for 7 years (approximately). It wasn't hte first AP I took, that slowed me down mentally , but then I adjusted and that went away.

I've gained weight since I've been on it - about 60 lbs or so. But it recently stopped, my pdoc said that some people gain only a certain amount, some people don't gain, and some keep gaining weight no matter what.

I take 200 mg and I recently went up to 300 and it wasn't beneficial - I gained weight quickly (about 9 lbs in 1 month) and was extremely tired and had brain fog so we quit that.

[chunkydora]

Originally Posted by sugahorse1

I am on a few different meds, so I can't always pin-point which med is causing what. But I have a terrible memory. I don't concentrate that well, but my pdoc thinks I have ADHD anyway.
I like how Seroquel does slow things down. Regarding being numb - it differs from person to person what they prefer. When there's a stressful situation, I'd really rather be numb than on an emotional roller coaster.

The ADD aspect has come up for me as well, although the emotional instability can make it very hard to tell. It seems to me like seroquel would really interfere with anything for ADD/focus - do you take anything for that, does the seroquel block it?

Apparently some people have taken antipsychotics and stimulants successfully, maybe you just have to get the dose right.

[chunkydora]

Originally Posted by sugahorse1

I am on a few different meds, so I can't always pin-point which med is causing what. But I have a terrible memory. I don't concentrate that well, but my pdoc thinks I have ADHD anyway.
I like how Seroquel does slow things down. Regarding being numb - it differs from person to person what they prefer. When there's a stressful situation, I'd really rather be numb than on an emotional roller coaster.

The ADHD thing has come up for myself as well, but it seems to me like stimulants (what they usually prescribe for that) would rather conflict with an antipsychotic. Do you take anything for attention/focus and does it work?

[sugahorse1]

I take Wellbutrin too, which is considered a stimulant. I don't take anything for my ADD anymore, because my insurance wouldn't pay for Concerta