Dizziness and Seroquel

Although I have been taking Seroquel for a while, I noticed that ever since I reached 600 mg, here and there I start experiencing a particular problem with dizziness. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I will wake up to use the bathroom, and my heart will race, I will stagger down the hall from the dizziness, until I get back in bed and pass out. Another scenario that happens sometimes when I get up, once again, my heart will race, and I will feel almost like I will faint. It usually won't last for long (maybe gradually improving over the span of a half hour) but this is especially troublesome if I need to drive somewhere that day.

Once when I felt that way, I happened to have a follow up with my Primary Care doctor, and I did happen to have a somewhat low blood pressure reading, so it makes me wonder if it's the Seroquel when it comes to that too. The nurse asked me if it is usually low, but it's usually more in the middle range for me.

The worst time I can recall was when I had to drive somewhere an hour and a half away. I was dizzy, and I know it wasn't smart to drive, but it was my only choice (work meeting). A woman I worked with noticed I was dizzy and gave me water. I felt faint and needed to sit down. It took a couple of hours to feel back to normal. It had been about 3 weeks since being on the higher dose that particular day.

Now, I experience the heart racing and feeling of being faint at least once per week, but luckily, only in the middle of the night lately, rather than a time where I must drive (though I do get a little woozy in the morning, not too bad lately, knock on wood). I have been on the higher dose for a while now, so I can't blame it on my body adjusting. Like I said, it only happens here and there, but it's enough where I am starting to have some concern.

Have you experienced this before? Did it go away with time? Does anything help alleviate this side effect for you?

My pdoc said that Seroquel can lower blood pressure, so that makes a lot of sense

I got dizzy and had double vision, but my pdoc told me to wait it out and that it'd go away eventually. He was right.

How recently did you up your dose? If you had it upped a while ago, then maybe you need to decrease it. If you upped it within the past 2 weeks, it might go away? That's how long mine took... but idk. Obviously you'll have to talk to your pdoc about this first.

I'm on Seroquel, 400 mg, and it makes me really dizzy too. I too especially notice it during the night if I have to get up. I already had low blood pressure before starting it, so I'm not sure how much of it is me being me, and what's the Seroquel. I frequently have postural hypotension - blood pressure drops and I get dizzy, when I stand up, so I just have to pause for a few seconds after waking up, to adjust.

If it continues, I'd discuss lowering your dose with your prescriber.

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Man 600mg Seroquel how do you live? I was on it one time for couple months and 100mg put me out, I think it is making you have those symptoms you should contact Doctor.

I'm on seroquel 800 mg. I get dizzy occasionally at night as well. What I find helpful is always having a bottle of water with me at all times. I drink about a half bottle of water before I even get up off my bed or chair. When I do that it seems like the less often I get dizzy.

The highest I've ever gone on Seroquel was 350 mg. I was so dizzy, lightheaded, slightly nauseous, faint, etc....that I dropped the dose down. Now I'm on 75 mg and planning to drop it down even more. Seroquel does help me sleep, but that's all it does, and the side effects of tiredness & dizziness are just not worth it.

That's the main reason I dropped it, again another situation where was being used for sleep not psychotropic Medication for me!!!

Thanks everyone.

In response to some of the questions that were asked here: I increased up to 600 mg maybe about 3 months ago, if I'm recalling correctly. It's been maybe 2 weeks where I am taking 800 mg. My pdoc does not plan to go any higher than that. The thing is though, going from 600-800 didn't cause any additional side effects. It felt the same. The dizziness and feeling faint all started at the 600 mg mark.

I use Seroquel as an antipsychotic and for mood stabilization, rather than just using it as a sleep aid, which is why I'm on a high dose. I do need it to help with sleep too though, so I hope these side effects become less and less. If push came to shove and these side effects do not go away, then maybe my dose will be lowered.

Then, I might be at risk for an episode though, so something else might need to be added or tweaked, and I'm tired of all these changes. It's just that I was put on a high dose when I was becoming manic again, and this is finally a dose that is working as far as mood stabilization, along with my other meds.

The suggestion about drinking water before getting up: I will definitely try that. Maybe I am getting up too fast, or I need to give myself extra time in the morning before driving. I kinda freaked out yesterday, when my leg felt paralyzed when I woke up in the middle of the night, and I was dizzy, but I also wonder if my anxiety is causing these effects to be worse.

I see my pdoc Monday, so I will speak with her further. I just read too much about medications and get nervous. The warning mentions heart arrhythmia and even death as risks.

The possible side effects and warnings that come with some of these meds seem to be a mile long - not that that diminishes the possibility of experiencing them. If you're concerned with arrhythmia, I'd bring this up with your physician.

Your on the right track some antipsychotics lower blood pressure.

I am on 500mg quetiapine. When I was first put on it, at 300mg I would wake up before work every morning with a dizzy spell and have to stand out in the cold till it passed and I had a couple cups of tea to rehydrate. You simply have to build up a tolerance, if its keeping you well, mentally. It is worth getting used to. I have fainted on certain drugs like ripseridone, smashed my chin off the kitchen work tops. And when I took on a second job I had to sit down once as I was dizzy and they thought I was pregnant lol that was the quetiapine.

Hey Laurie it's James just wanted too check see how you where doing lately? I'm good wanted too see if talked too Dr about dizziness,and heart beat yet. Hope all is good

Hi James, I'm doing pretty well, thanks. I did speak with my pdoc about the problems with Seroquel, so he's taking me off of it. I'm down to 75 mg. In my experience it's hard to get off Seroquel; the stuff is physically very addictive. So I'm going slowly.

True, that is a good way to look at it that more time needs to go by before I can fully tolerate the higher dose. It is keeping me well mentally, so I really don't want to lower my dosage yet. Eventually I will be ready to bring down the dose a little bit, but I haven't had enough time stable yet. It's the downside of finding a medication that seems to work well, but then all the other side effects we must deal with.

Today, I didn't notice any signfiicant side effects, knock on wood. It seems like it is every few days where I'll notice something that bothers me. The tremor in my hand hasn't happened this week. I'm trying to keep hydrated and not pop up so quick at my alarm so that I don't get as dizzy.

Since I have some days where I don't experience the side effects, maybe eventually I'll adjust where it is rare or no longer a problem as time goes on. I do wish the appetite increase would go away.

That tremor in your hand doesn't sound too promising I maybe missed that, that would have something to do with nervous system right?
I shouldn't advocate my approach to others really because I'm a bit of a tough cookie and a hard nut to crack.
When on clozapine I was in hospital, and had my blood pressure taken every day and still they left me on it long enough to end up in the heart ward of the hospital. So caution is needed on all these anti-psychotics.
I am such a guy who wants to avoid doctors at all costs, if you know what I mean.
Just keep an eye on things xRavenx and I hope you find the right one that works for you

Thank you. I hope so too. Luckily, I was able to get in touch with my pdoc to tell her about the hand tremor thing that happens here and there. She said we will discuss this further at my meeting with her on Monday. She said something about possibly adding on a medication to help with that, or we'll just watch to see how frequent it is happening. I did notice it has not been a problem in the last couple of days, but I don't want to jinx it, because it was happening a couple of times nearly every day.

I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. These meds are serious!

I just joined so I hope I am doing this right. I started quetiapine 25mg five days ago, I had a bad experience on an anti depressant so my doctor has recommended trying this.
I do not feel depressed, im not diagnosed with anything as yet because im still in the process of finding a psychologist.
Anyway, since taking quetiapine I am feeling very moody and have extreme dizziness during the day, im unsure if I have it at night because I take the pill before bed and it puts me to sleep.
The dizziness is very bad and worse when I look up and turn my head, it makes me feel im going to pass out. Its scaring me and affecting my day to day life. Also my heart seems to race every now and then which I haven't experienced before.
Im really scared of the dizziness!!

I was dizzy on Seroquel. Switched to Geodon and still dizzy but I'm also on multiple other meds so it could just be that.

I get dizzy on Seroquel, especially at night when i take 200 mg. Normally it's not a big deal because I sleep through it, but if I have to get up in the night for any reason, I have to be really careful standing up. It's still a bit of an issue during the day, mostly if I stand up too quickly.

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