Seroqual medication

I am taking seroqual asone of my meds 100mg a night, it seems to say that it is for scizo., but I have PSTD and a personality disorder.
Does anyone else take thi drug fr PSTD?

So - Seroquel™ (quetiapine) is a very "clean" drug. This means that the molecule doesn't bind to many other receptors than it is supposed to bind to. This drug mainly binds to the dopamine-D2 receptor and the serotonin-5-HT2A receptors and blocks these receptors.

Excess dopamine in the brain can cause a number of different psychiatric conditions (eg. ruminating thoughts, delusions of various kinds, psychosis, etc.) depending upon which part of the brain is producing the excess dopamine.

So, I guess what I am trying to say is the medication doesn't know what category it belongs in. The clinical trials that the makers of Seroquel, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.seroquel.com/cons_asp/index.asp>AstraZeneca™</A>, conducted to get FDA/Health Canada approval to market the drug used people who had schizophrenia.

AstraZeneca™ cannot, by law, say that their drug works for conditions other then schizophrenia. This is because AstraZeneca™ has not run clinical trials to show that Seroquel works in cases of severe depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, other anxiety disorders, OCD, and many other disorders that don't come to mind at present. The reason for AstraZeneca™ not doing clinical trial is two fold: a) the price. To jump through all the hoops, dot all the T's and cross all the I's to the satisfaction of the FDA/Health Canada (esp. Health Canada) is not cheap. Quite probably, every new drug that is released for use in the country has spent well over $100,000,000 (100 million dollars, 0.1 billion dollars) getting that drug to market.

And b): All doctors, at one time or another (I guess I shouldn't say all; there's wackos in every profession .... not that being wacko is necessarily a "bad thing") have prescribed a drug for some disorder/disease other than the disorder/disease that the drug is authorized to treat. <that last line is clear as mud, and I can't fix it> This is called "off-label" prescribing.

For example, the beta-blocker propranolol (Inderal™) officially indicated for use in hypertension, but doctors prescibe it for migraine heaches and stage fright. If some drug decreases the severity of the symptoms of some condition the docs are gonna prescribe it for that condition. Drugs used for off-label purposes haven't done the clinical trials to prove that the drug does work in this other condition.

Another for instance, Wellbutrin™ and Zyban™ are both bupropion. There is absolutely no difference between these two drugs. In Canada, the only difference is in the amount of ink that is in the name stamped onto that hard purple tablet. These two drugs are made in the same vat.

Ah, you ask why do they have different side effects profiles, aren't you? I believe that this is due to what a person expects that drug to do. It's all perception; for example Wellbutrin is an antidepressant and if one were taking for depression they would the expect the drug to bring about a remission depression depressive symptoms (a lifting of spirits, more energy, etc.). The person taking Zyban to quit smoking would focus on other cues. Side effects become more prominent if you are focusing your attention upon them. For example, I expect that when I start to take an antidepressant my depression will go away, but in reality, for the first 2 to 4 weeks I am more anxious than I was before. I was focusing on calming down but I got more anxious. A person taking Zyban may notice that their mouth is dry, but a person taking Wellbutrin might not; it's all perception.

•••Soscared•••Down•Here•••
Sorry, got carried away. As for the "antipsychotic" label on the Seroquel bottle is there because we, as humans, have to organize everything into neat little boxes, or categories because this system makes it easier for us to remember things. Categorization has it's ugly side: "discrimination". Discrimination against those who are different, those who don't conform, don't have the same religion, don't have the same skin color, don't have the same thought patterns......

Geez, I did it again! The Seroquel is a "mood modifier" (if one really needs to categorize it. Originally, it was used to treat schizophrenia, but docs serendipitously found that Seroquel (and drugs like it) help to stop ruminating thoughts, ease mania, resolve severe major depression.

Soscard, try the Seroquel, it should give you a good night's sleep. Also, talk to your doc about your concerns about the labelling of the drug; he'll probably say something similar to what I just said (without the rambling; but hey, I'm my best when I ramble.

I really do hope that this helps. - Cam

Hi so-scared,

I take Seroquel 75-100mg at night as well. It does not help a great deal with my insomnia, but it's better than nothing. I've heard where many people sleep wonderfully with it, though!!

I will also take half a pill (12.5mg) in the daytime if I'm especially anxious. It's not enough to make me tired, but just enough to help somewhat with calming me. I use it in combination with gabapentin.....although I must say that an Ativan would work so much better than the Seroquel and gabapentin combination.

How are you finding the Seroquel?

Sandy

Hi there soscared,

imo they prescribe Seroqual for anyone with severe insomnia whatever the cause

i don't take it anymore, because although it sometimes gives me a good nights sleep, i get a severe backlash effect the next day.

however I have friends who swear by it.

drugs tend to be idiosyncratic in their effects, so what works for one person, will not necessarily work for another.

The only answer to this is to try it & see if it works for you, without severe side-effects. If it gives you sleep, & you feel ok the next day, go for it.

Sleep is very important to normal functioning. My dx is DID, Anxiety Disorder, PTSD, & Depression, so you can see it is not only for schizophrenia.

I was prescribed antipsychotics for PTSD. My psychiatrist first prescribed Geodon for me after I told him my fears of leaving my home, being scared of the outdoors, and being scared of strangers. Then Geodon produced horrible adverse effects, (akathisia, tremor, tardive dyskinesia). So, the doc switched me to Seroquel. On Seroquel, I still had akathisia and tremor. Also, Seroquel made me very sleepy.

I doubt the efficacy of Seroquel. Everyone I've seen on it (while I was admitted in Psych Ward and Partial) was very sleepy and groggy all the time. What good is that?

It has a few rare, but nasty, side effects that are unlikely to affect most who take it. Tardive dyskinesia is one.

It is associated with weight gain - that is one to look out for. I gained 70 lb in 8 months on another atypical antipsychotic, risperdal - at a low dosage. In the case of Seroquel, there is actually a label warning for hyperglycemia and diabetes. i.e. it can affect the proper functioning of your pancreas.

Side effects are probably most relevent to those taking the drug as an anti-psychotic at high doses. Taking a bit to get to sleep is probably not an issue, but keep an eye open ... esp. to weight gain. You should occasionally have a fasting blood sugar done to make sure you aren't in the hyperglycemic response category. If it was me, I would want one after one month and then every three months and each time the dosage was increased. You don't wan't drug-induced diabetes.

Have to add my 2 cents worth here.....I am taking seroquel again for the PTSD that came after living through a tough trauma last year when my Mother was dying of cancer (at this exact time of year). Several years ago I had been prescribed seroquel for depression, & took it on & off....never consistant....only when I felt like I was having horrible anxiety attacks while trying to deal with the depression that just wouldn't go away. I had some left over from the prescription & when I was living through the trauma last year my pdoc tried me on just an antianxitey med which had NO effect at all. I was having a horrible time trying to deal with the police & the situation I ended up in....while staying with my Mother 24/7 in the hospital to make sure that no one would get to her to try to make sure she didn't say anything about the ID theft. She kept me awake continually trying to ease her pain & do things that the nurses were to busy for. I was getting so exhausted & was at the point I couldn't eat or drink anything & keep it down. During that time, I ended up being hospitalized for the anorexia condition I was having. On the few days I went home for my mothers funeral, I located the seroquel I had left over. It seemed to ease the insomnia caused by the horrible nightmares & flashbacks that kept haunting me so I suggested it to my pdoc & we worked on a dosage that was helpful. I started with a low dose & it just wasn't enough.....so increased it to 300/400mg at night. It really knocked me out for the sleep I needed so bad. During the day when I was experiencing the "depersonalization" symptoms, I would take a lower dose (25mg). It does ease the anxiety attacks well.

Even though it is supposed to have an effect on weight, my weight was so low & I wasn't able to get food down....so it had no effect on my weight. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how bad it would be, living through the year anniversary of it all. I have been taking the night dosage hoping that it would knock me out so well that nothing could get into my mind.....unfortunately, it isn't working well & the nightmares & flashback memories are as if I am living through it again. Because of this, my mind seems to be not allowing me to sleep even with the large dose of the seroquel. When I take it, my transition from sleep to wake everyday is when my mind takes over while in that drowsy state.

I don't like the feeling I have the next morning.....feeling dizzy & sometimes not even knowing where I am. The seroquel isn't helping as much as I had hoped right now....but I still think I am better off than I would be without it.

So the answer to your question is yes, I am taking seroquel for PTSD symptoms with some success. I hope you find that it helps too.......I do like being able to have a med knock me out so well at night.....but the next morning feelings when I need to be able to function is difficult to live with.

Debbie