[possum220]

Recently I was diagnosed with Diabetes. I have been taking Seroquel for about 1 year. Prior to that my blood sugar was okay but on the highish side.

I was wondering if I was to stop taking Seroquel would the Diabetes go away.

I have been googling the internet and it seems that Seroquel has been linked to Diabetes and Pancreatitis and a a few other nasties.

Any other experiences?????

I've been doing a lot of research on Seroquel lately and have seen that turn up. Has your diet changed? I was eating a lot more on Seroquel and gained quite a bit of weight, which can lead to diabetes. I stopped taking it 3 weeks ago...
You'd have to ask a doctor if your blood sugar can go back to normal - I do know people who are able to keep it in check with diet alone.

[online user]

I first was diagnosed with type II diabetes at about age 22, when I was of absolutely normal weight and getting lots of exercise and eating pretty well. The culprit that caused it? Birth control pills. Was like gestational diabetes. Got an IUD and the diabetes went away for a few years.

My depression drug, Cymbalta, can cause a rise in blood sugar. But, if you read the fine print, it's not all that significant. Since I check my blood sugar 3-5 times a day, I adjust for any increase when I calculate my insulin dose before or after each meal. It's only a few points, though, not enough to say it's giving you diabetes by itself. Exacerbating a bit, perhaps. Probably the Seroquel is the same. You might ask your doc if there is another drug you can take with less likelihood of exacerbating blood sugar levels.

You should read the detailed prescribing info on the Seroquel if you are worried about it. You will probably find that the "nasties" occurred in only a few people out of thousands tested in the trials. Those people may have had other contributing circumstances that led to their pancreatic issues.

Are you normal weight? Do you exercise? Do you eat a sensible diet with lots of fiber and few refined sugars? Being normal weight, getting regular exercise, and eating a diabetic-type diet (the best for ANYONE, really) will help you avoid diabetes or help you avoid medicating for it with pills or insulin.

It all comes down to "risk versus benefit"...do you need the Seroquel to keep you mentally healthy more than you need to worry about a 10 point rise in blood sugar? Is there an alternative medicine which will have lesser blood sugar impact but still help with your mental health issues? There are risks to the diabetes medicines too--but the risk is deemed preferable for most people than the risk of heart issues, etc.

Doctors normally monitor people on medicines which can cause adverse side effects. I go every 3 months for blood panels to check kidney and liver functions and blood sugar control. If there is a swing in my function tests (adverse), the doc will take action. I am pretty comfortable that I need all the meds I am taking. I have stopped a couple and put up with pain to keep the number of drugs down.

Hope you work out what's best for you.

[possum220]

Diabetes runs in my family. My Dad had it and my brother has it. As for exercise I am a couch potato.
My P'doc wants to take me off Seroquel but as yet I havent told my GP about it. I am kinda dont want to deal with it. I dont even know what my blood levels should be.

Just want to put my head in the sand at this point.

[splitimage]

Putting your head in the sand won't help and will only hurt you in the long run. Diabetes is nothing to mess around with.

Seroquel is an atypical antipsychotic and like all the atipical antipsychotics carries the risk of metabolic syndrom which can be a precurser to heart disease and diabetes. People taking atypicals really do need to be monitored closely.

--splitimage