[ComfortablyNumb5]

I'm frustrated! Years ago I could fall asleep on 100mg. Then that had to be increased over and over and I'm now up to 450-600mg for sleep. Is that a high dose? I don't want to go up anymore because I feel like crap the next day. So what's everyone else's dose??

[Guiness187055]

When I was on Seroquel 50mg what knock me out 600 not even the least bit tired. Now I am on Zyprexa 5mg and I want to sleep 20mg and I am wide awake. These meds tend to be sedating at low dosages for me. They are activating on high dosages.

[bioChE]

Seroquel is commonly dosed up to 900mg. I've heard of 1200 and 1500, but I don't think that's very common.

[franz kafka]

I've been on all sorts of dosages, and they all cause me to oversleep. Currently at 300mg, down from 900mg a few months ago.

[Wonderfalls]

That's a very high dosage if you're using the Seroquel just for sleep. Seroquel works only as a (sleep-inducing) antihistamine at doses up to around 150mg. After that its use as an antipsychotic kicks in. The antipsychotic effects may in fact negate the sleep-inducing antihistamine effects. Doses of 450mg or even more are used to prevent manic and depressive symptoms.

[xRavenx]

For mood stabilization for acute Bipolar Type 1 episodes 400 up to 800 is the range, according to my psychiatrist....occasionally 300 mg for some, but more for BP2 hypomania/depressive prevention. AP effects start to take place at 600 mg, but sometimes less, depending on the person. Anything lower than 200 mg is typically for sleep. 450 is a moderate dose in general, but some would say it is actually less sedating than lower doses (Seroquel is weird like that). I still find it sedating though...just takes longer to get to bed.

I was on 600 mg for a while and recently lowered to 400 mg, because I was sick of feeling even more irritable and had some scary side effects, such as occasionally having problems breathing at night. 400 mg is working out better, now that the higher dose wiped out my state of "acute mania". It's a good mainenance dose. I might need to go taper up again at times, when there's signs of flare ups/onset of episodes.

I developed somewhat of a tolerance getting to sleep with Seroquel, but only in the sense that it takes longer to kick in. Once it does though, it still knocks me out. That effect will usually happen a few hours after taking it, where it used to be in a shorter time frame. I have to take it much earlier than I used to, so that I don't feel like crap and dizzy before work. I'm not feeling as much of a hangover on 400 though. 600 mg sometimes would make my blood pressure drop and difficulties driving.

[JustJace2u]

My pdoc says that anything over 800mg tends to be too much, but that there are some people who need it. I started at 100mg in March then went to 300mg last month and now I'm at 400mg. I'm hoping that I won't have to go any higher than this and that he doesn't have to add anymore meds to my cocktail. So far he's been very good about keeping the amount of meds I'm on low. The fewer the better I say.

[jacky8807]

seroquel works different for everybody. it is approved at 150mg for depression and that works for me. when I was manic of course it was much more. when I used it as maintenance I wouldn't go past 400mg because it felt like my soul was murdered. no thanks to zombieland

[*Laurie*]

I've been on higher doses of Seroquel, but right now I'm on 25mg. specifically to help my sleep. Every dose I've been on, however, helps with my sleep.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

seroquel works different for everybody. it is approved at 150mg for depression and that works for me. when I was manic of course it was much more. when I used it as maintenance I wouldn't go past 400mg because it felt like my soul was murdered. no thanks to zombieland

My soul was murdered. Hahaha you're funny

[jacky8807]

Originally Posted by Moose72

My soul was murdered. Hahaha you're funny

haha ok well I don't really know how you murder. a soul but you get where I was going lol

[bioChE]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

haha ok well I don't really know how you murder. a soul but you get where I was going lol

I definitely feel you on the murdered soul. Higher dosages of Seroquel made me so flat and lethargic that it's an apt description.

Seroquel gives me bad dreams every. single. night. I've secretly switched to diphenhydramine and will confess this unauthorized change to my pdoc at my next appointment. My pdoc has a different personality every time I see him, so I can't predict how he'll react.

[99fairies]

When I was in hospital I was put on 800mg of seroquel and I felt like a zombie but it pulled me out of a psychotic episode.

[Leia78]

I take 800mg of Seroquel XR and I'm not zombified and I don't feel flat or over medicated. It worked to take me out of a mixed episode last month and the only complaint I have is that it makes me oversleep in the morning. Otherwise, it works for me. I started on 600mg and had to go up as 600mg was not controlling the agitation I had with the mixed mania. I've had good results but I understand everyone is different when it comes to medication.

[Cheyenne_Morton]

I take 100mg of Seroquel every night . Comming down from 200ir and 300 xr, while I wasn't so stable. I find it good and bad hating the weight gain from it but it seems to keep me level

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I was on 1200 of XR for years and up to 1500 mg in the final months while we tried to get it to work just a little longer.

One trick that worked for me for years with the XR was that I took nearly all of my dose as XR and broke one tablet which made it instant release. That helped me fall asleep but then I was so knocked out in the morning compared to taking 800 mg of IR at once (I couldn't have done this; 600 was the max I could take of IR and work. I begged to go on ER as soon as it was released).

It made a difference for sure; a couple times when I was IP they didn't have XR and I was given IR. I'd go in complaining of not being able to sleep for weeks or months and then they'd give me 800-1200 IR and I was out like a light for a few nights until my body adjusted again.

[Nammu]

I was on seroquel for years but I can't say much about it cause I had a low soul sucking threshold and my memory of those years is fuzzy at best, completely blank at worse. Dose? Don't know, what I do remember is restless legs , oh painful.

[raspberrytorte]

I was on 300mg for awhile. It totally washed me out. I was tired and grumpy all of the time. I didn't laugh for months. It changed my personality. It made me gain weight, get bloated, constipation. It knocked me out at night though. No more seroquel for me!

[xRavenx]

The 400 range never gave me significant side effects. Once I hit 600 mg though, I started experiencing low blood pressure( only if I were to get out of bed too fast), and sometimes a hard time driving in the morning from the fatigue and dizziness, unless I slept at least 10 hours, increased appetite, and I would get twitchy, especially in my wrists. Some of the stronger side effects would go away after the morning time, such as the fatigue. I needed lots of coffee. It did help with racing thoughts to a degree.

Anything below 600 wasn't bad though. Now, I keep myself at 400 or during times I am not actively in a severe mixed or manic episode, I'll go down to 300 mg for as long as I can. We're always tweaking my Seroquel dose to keep up with my moods, but it's a good medication for me overall since I suffer from bad insomnia, and that almost always leads to a form of mania in me. I really don't like higher doses unless I'm in crisis and no other interventions are helping.

[BiPolarJoe]

I take 100mg at night for sleep and it works well for me...between 1-2 hours after I take it and I'll be sleeping. I have been on it for a few months and the only side affect I experience is akathesia.

[~Christina]

Most every med is just going to stop working at some point. Body chemistry adapts.

Many people have to switch up meds for something new, Often a person can go back on a old medication and it work again , some it wont.

Straight Seroquil an XR are very different animals.