[Wander]

For the last two weeks I have been taking 400mg of Seroquel for sleep (well it started at 200 and was bumped up). Since then I have rarely got more than 5 hours sleep, sometimes a broken 4 hours. Tonight I am being put on XR instead of instant release. Will that make a difference? Does anyone else find that Seroquel doesn't make them sleep. I recall years ago that 50mg knocked me out for 9 hours, so what's up now? Is it the hypomania?

To be honest I am happy with not sleeping much as I feel fine but nurses/pdoc think I need more sleep. So how do I get it?

Seroquel, from everything I've read, has a paradoxical effect. It is more sedating at lower doses than it is at higher doses.

My husband sleeps well on 100mg or even less of regular seroquel. They tried him on the XR version and it was too sedating, so maybe it will work for you. I think his problem was he was sedating even during the day (a problem he doesn't have with the regular version).

[wildflowerchild25]

I was a mess on 150mg of xr, but I am very sensitive to sedating meds. It's a sham bc it worked so well for my depression but I had to be up early for work and I found myself falling asleep at the wheel on the way to work and just feeling groggy and out of it until halfway through my work day.

I never tried IR though.

[Wild Coyote]

I'd tried it once, years ago and felt sedated, day and night. Had to stop taking it.

I think your current "hypomanic" state is likely making you more tolerant to the sedating side-effects?


WC

[xRavenx]

It's weird some say lower doses of Seroquel aren't as sedating, because I felt drunk when 600 mg of Seroquel would hit me, and I would stumble around. I am on 400 mg now though (as of recently). Some nights are harder than others, as far as getting to sleep. I am usually able to stay asleep on it though, which is good. I've been a little hypo since the decrease in Seroquel, but I do feel it was the best decision as far as side effects. If I get manic again, my pdoc has the idea of slightly spacing out the doses, so that it totals 600 mg each day.

XR was a little different for me. I felt sleepier during the day, and that wasn't good when it came to functioning at my job. It was a little harder getting to sleep compared to immediate release. This is just my experience, but I know people who find it "milder" compared to immediate release as far as sedation.

[Wonderfalls]

At lower doses Seroquel acts as an antihistamine, which makes you sleepy. Once you get up to, say, 200mg its antipsychotic properties kick in. It's still working as an antihistamine as well, but the antipsychotic effects can offset any sleep-inducing aspect to the drug. That's why, as lolagrace said, it can work better as or a sleep agent at lower doses. Raising the dose can make things worse.

[Wander]

Last night I had 400mg XR and slept 6.5 hours then dosed more later this morning. It seemed to help a lot more. Still feeling great but a little groggy. THink I have caught up on my sleep finally. Just hope my mood stays high. Thanks for all your input. Odd how the XR worked better. Guess it releases it over a longer period of time keeping me asleep longer.

[franz kafka]

I'm on 400mg of Seroquel XR right now and it doesn't help me sleep. 600mg didn't help either. But I've been knocked out before by 100mg. Dosing weirdness, I guess!

[Jenna120]

Seroquel knocks me cold, and if I wake up too soon I feel drunk or drugged. I can feel that my thoughts are in slow motion, I can't comprehend new information and I can only do routine tasks until about 8.5 hours after taking it.

However I was on a medicine recently, Trileptal, that was supposed to be sedating and I had a bad reaction to it. It was a very low dose yet despite being on that low dose, with the most common side effect being sedation, and on Seroquel, Lamictal and desipramine I stopped sleeping completely. First night off, I slept 12 hours. So maybe you're having a bad reaction to the Seroquel and the not sleeping is a main symptom.

[RainyDay107]

It made me sleep. I've heard of the paradoxical effect, too.

My pdoc told me that 800 mg was the minimum needed to control my mania (bipolar), while 350 mg was my dosage at the time. He mentioned the paradoxical effect. I switched to another med so I can't report any further experience.

Generally, I have found that if I am fully blown manic, a sedating AP doesn't sedate me like it normally would. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often as I need IP to get me regulated if I'm flying that "high."

[RainyDay107]

Originally Posted by Wander

Last night I had 400mg XR and slept 6.5 hours then dosed more later this morning. It seemed to help a lot more. Still feeling great but a little groggy. THink I have caught up on my sleep finally. Just hope my mood stays high. Thanks for all your input. Odd how the XR worked better. Guess it releases it over a longer period of time keeping me asleep longer.

Good to hear you're feeling better!