[ae1987]

Hello I'm new I was just diagnosed with bipolar 1, ptsd and anxiety...My np started me on seroquel has anyone taken this? Does it eventually help with anger and anxiety? or should I possibly see if she will give me something just for anxiety?

Thanks for any advice

[Wild Coyote]

Hi and welcome to PC.

Many members use Seroquel. I can only speak from my own experience. When I had used Seroquel it did calm anxiety.

If you are not getting enough anxiety relief, please let your NP know.

I hope you find the information and the support you may be seeking.
Please do make yourself at home.

I hope you are feeling better soon!
I hope to see you around the forums.


WC

[MickeyCheeky]

Welcome

[Daonnachd]

Welcome. I hope you’re able to find all the information you want.

Welcome!

I take the extended release Seroquel (Seroquel XR) and have found that helpful for anxiety, though I do occasionally have some anxiety slip through the cracks. I think for me, it is very good at calming anger, probably because it controls the anger I'd normally experience in mood elevations. It's slightly sedating, and that helps me.

I take a somewhat moderate to large dose of the Seroquel XR at 500 mg, but I have occasionally taken small doses of regular Seroquel (25 or 50 mg) on top of my Seroquel XR. That has been quite effective at calming past agitation and developing mood elevation as an "as needed". I usually only take regular Seroquel like that in these cases, though. Though I do recall the small "extra" dose of regular Seroquel helping with anxiety, I confess that I usually take an "as needed" benzodiazepine for anxiety, especially if the anxiety is not accompanied by mood elevation. The reason is because Seroquel can make me a bit sleepy or woozy, if not elevated in mood. My benzo doesn't that much.

[Phoenix_1]

I've been on Seroquel XR 300 mg. for 15 months. I also take 2 x 50 mg quetiapine (generic Seroquel). It definitely helped with my anger issues. I almost never get angry anymore and when I do it's for 5 seconds. Then I can stop and rationalize why I'm angry, and ask myself if it will make any difference 5 years from now. Now, most of the time, I actually have the ability to choose to be angry or not.
Before Seroquel I had a lot of anger. It's been an issue my whole life. Some anger was always burning deep inside. Sometimes it was instant and I blurted it out.
I remember in March 2013 I woke up angry one Monday morning and stayed angry all day. I went to work, but I was scared to open my mouth because I had no idea what would come out. There was no rhyme or reason to my being mad. I was angry for no reason, but it was burning inside me.
I've had almost no issues with anger since I started on Seroquel.
I have a daughter who has always argued with me no matter what I said. Then I'd disagree and it would go back and forth. For 40 years. It was agonizing. I just spent Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with her and her family. She tried to suck me into an arguement several times. After a few words back and forth, I just looked at her and thought to myself that I was wasting my time and energy. I stopped talking. She didn't like that, but it suited me fine. We were arguing about the difference between cross breeding plants and GMOs. I decided it wasn't worth arguing about, so I let her have the last word. Otherwise, it would have gone on and on. That was a victory for me, despite what she thought.
To me, to have the ability to choose whether to be angry or not, even once, is a miracle.
Sorry this is so long.

[Sunflower123]

Hello. Welcome to PC.

When I took Seroquel it helped somewhat with my anxiety but I also needed a benzodiazepine on an as needed basis. My anxiety was crippling though. Yours may not be that bad so Seroquel may do the trick.

I just remember it being so sedating for me that I slept my way through a new job. I couldn’t adjust and asked for something else.

I hope Seroquel works out for you and you feel better soon.

[TheSeaCat]

Hello and welcome to PC

I take Seroquel and I love it; it helps so much with my moods and anger. I am not sure about how it works with my anxiety because I am on Buspar for my anxiety. Seroquel is also really good about knocking me out for sleep.

[Travelinglady]

Welcome to Psych Central and to the Bipolar Forum! I took Seroquel. I think my doc wanted it to keep me from getting manic and to knock me out at night. It sure helped me sleep!

[ae1987]

Thank you everyone! ...the seroquel knocked me out the first time but now I can't sleep even with taking trazadone. My anxiety is getting bad so it keeps me up I see my np tomorrow so I'm going to ask for anti anxiety or something or she needs to up the seroquel.

[BastetsMuse]

Originally Posted by ae1987

Hello I'm new I was just diagnosed with bipolar 1, ptsd and anxiety...My np started me on seroquel has anyone taken this? Does it eventually help with anger and anxiety? or should I possibly see if she will give me something just for anxiety?

Thanks for any advice

Welcome to the board, and welcome to the life of a bipolar I.

I took Seroquel and it wasn't for me -- it was like being overmedicated all of the time. However, it dealt well with the mania and anxiety, so if you can tolerate the drug you should be better.... but don't hesitate to tell your psychiatrist if you have intolerable side effects (I don't remember what mine were besides sleepiness).

[pirilin]

Everybody was new at some point. None wrong with that.
Never taken seroquel. I'm sure other members with experience will keep replying to you.
We like newbies in a way. Of course, it would have been better if we never met.
However, if lemons come from the sky, learn how to make lemonade.

Good luck. Cheers.

[ae1987]

[QUOTE=BastetsMuse;6312505]Welcome to the board, and welcome to the life of a bipolar I.

I took Seroquel and it wasn't for me -- it was like being overmedicated all of the time. However, it dealt well with the mania and anxiety, so if you can tolerate the drug you should be better.... but don't hesitate to tell your psychiatrist if you have intolerable side effects (I don't remember what mine were besides sleepiness).[/QUOTE

thank you! Its making me stay awake the first night it knocked me out but not now. I see my np today so I'm soing to say something and hope she listens.

[ae1987]

Originally Posted by pirilin

Everybody was new at some point. None wrong with that.
Never taken seroquel. I'm sure other members with experience will keep replying to you.
We like newbies in a way. Of course, it would have been better if we never met.
However, if lemons come from the sky, learn how to make lemonade.

Good luck. Cheers.

Thanks!

[Blueberrybook]

Originally Posted by ae1987

Hello I'm new I was just diagnosed with bipolar 1, ptsd and anxiety...My np started me on seroquel has anyone taken this? Does it eventually help with anger and anxiety? or should I possibly see if she will give me something just for anxiety?

Thanks for any advice

Welcome. I haven't had high dose Seroquel help with anxiety though it has helped with mania. I do fine on the regular release, but the timed dose had me zombified, tired all day. The anger, that could be part of mania or just the bipolar in general if you are mixed or something.

I've always needed something else for the panic attacks/anxiety/PTSD.

I'm on Buspar, Klonopin, and propranolol for the anxiety. But Klonopin is a controlled benzo, addictive. If you don't have to start on it, I wouldn't because as you can see from my signature, you often become used to the low dosage and the dose creeps up & up. I tried the extended release generic of Xanax, but it didn't work nearly as well as the Klonopin.

[JoeZmol]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Helpful

[ae1987]

Well she increased my seroquel, and trazadone and added atarax she doesn't like benzos so hopefully it all helps with my anxiety....Thank you everyone I appreciate the advice/whats worked for you ect

[bizi]

Vistaril (hydroxyzine) is a non-addictive antihistamine medication. This drug is used to relieve the itching caused by allergies and to control the nausea and vomiting caused by various conditions, including motion sickness. It is also used for anxiety and to treat the symptoms of alcohol detox and withdrawal.