[xRavenx]

Does anyone else feel completely dependent on Seroquel for sleep?

I feel that if I am not on it, even for one night, I am tossing, turning, sometimes hearing voices. I can't sleep at all without it. Not sure if this is healthy. It doesn't seem like it. I wish I didn't need it.

[Guiness187055]

Yes I must have it along with clonazepam for sleep or I don't sleep

[splitimage]

I seem to be able to take it or leave it for sleep. I'm on 400 mg daily, 200 mg at night, and while it definitely helps me sleep, if I forget to take it, I still sleep fine.

splitimage

[xRavenx]

I really wish I didn't have to depend on it
I wonder if it is just that the psychosis and racing thoughts are so strong, that literally something extremely sedating is needed to prevent me from ending up in the hospital. Literally, nothing else is strong enough that I've ever been on. I am on other meds in combo with it, by the way, and they are all pretty sedating...so I don't get why without Seroquel specifically, that's enough to completely de-stabilize me to a dangerous level.

[xRavenx]

Originally Posted by Guiness187055

Yes I must have it along with clonazepam for sleep or I don't sleep

I'm on clonazepam with Seroquel as well, plus Gabapentin and Lamictal. (Lithium is pending when I see my pdoc again).
The clonazepam definitely helps ease me into the effects of the Seroquel, if that makes sense, where a little sedation starts before the Seroquel really kicks in. The clonazepam definitely helps me relax at night. I used to take it PRN, but due to recent stressors and bad episode, I take it 1x per day, sometimes 2x, but I try not to, since my pdoc does not want me to take it too much.

[Guiness187055]

Originally Posted by xRavenx

I'm on clonazepam with Seroquel as well, plus Gabapentin and Lamictal. (Lithium is pending when I see my pdoc again).
The clonazepam definitely helps ease me into the effects of the Seroquel, if that makes sense, where a little sedation starts before the Seroquel really kicks in. The clonazepam definitely helps me relax at night. I used to take it PRN, but due to recent stressors and bad episode, I take it 1x per day, sometimes 2x, but I try not to, since my pdoc does not want me to take it too much.

That's exactly how I take it. I take the clonazepam first to relax me and ease me into the seroquel. I also take a beta blocker too.

[Misterpain]

First let me say i doubt your "hearing voices" as in i am a psychotic hot mess , people frequently have "hypnogagic hallucinations" either when they are approaching sleep and it scares the bejesus out of you and so much for sleeping ....or sometimes in transition phases between stages , some of the most frequently "heard" things is someone saying your name or shouting at you and its damned annoying when it happens . But it happens to millions of people everday its not personal .

[xRavenx]

Originally Posted by Misterpain

First let me say i doubt your "hearing voices" as in i am a psychotic hot mess , people frequently have "hypnogagic hallucinations" either when they are approaching sleep and it scares the bejesus out of you and so much for sleeping ....or sometimes in transition phases between stages , some of the most frequently "heard" things is someone saying your name or shouting at you and its damned annoying when it happens . But it happens to millions of people everday its not personal .

I have experience both daytime and nighttime hallucinations, though it varies. Delusions scare me during the day lately. I've read up on hallucinations related to being in that "in between" state. But I have had psychotic episodes as well, so either way, it's alarming.....scared of entering another episode with paranoia. I have been having thoughts someone is out to get me and that I am going to die, but trying to fight it. Medication might be holding me together a little bit, but there's the residual symptoms leaking underneath, which has been a "warning sign" in the past of bad things yet to come, with scarier hallucinations that are on their way. Things are starting to get more and more out of control. I don't feel right....racing thoughts during the day with depressed mood. This is some kind of mixed episode my pdoc said.

[LadyShadow]

I am on only 50mg of Seroquel and 1mg of Clonazepam which is a really low dose but I find that if I am awake or a little hypomanic they won't work in sedating me so I have to take a pill of Melatonin to get that extra kick. I know that is probably overdrugging myself but I don't want to increase any of the other meds.

I know what you mean about not wanting to depend on drugs, but if you take minimal doses and try to take care of yourself naturally (like I am with the melatonin) you can find a healthy balance with the medication in your life. Just as long as you keep the disturbing aspects of your bipolar away and stay out of the hospital, you should be okay. Nothing wrong with taking meds. I have come to accept that I have to take mine.

[TRNRMOM]

Originally Posted by LadyShadow

I am on only 50mg of Seroquel and 1mg of Clonazepam which is a really low dose but I find that if I am awake or a little hypomanic they won't work in sedating me so I have to take a pill of Melatonin to get that extra kick. I know that is probably overdrugging myself but I don't want to increase any of the other meds.

I know what you mean about not wanting to depend on drugs, but if you take minimal doses and try to take care of yoursel/2f naturally (like I am with the melatonin) you can find a healthy balance with the medication in your life. Just as long as you keep the disturbing aspects of your bipolar away and stay out of the hospital, you should be okay. Nothing wrong with taking meds. I have come to accept that I have to take mine.

i'm only hypomanic and usually 12-1/2 or 25mg. of seroquel work for sleep nightly as i have racing thoughts and i never feel tired...have recently added 5mg melatonin with seroquel; i'm 71 yrs. old female, work out hard 5 mornings a week; eat very clean; only have 1 glass of wine maybe 3 times a week but cannot stand the weight gain that i am beginning to see, even at such low dose. talked with a pharmacist today and am going to try hydroxyzine pamoate which my psych nurse prescribed several months ago and pharmacist said to take 2 25mg. hydroxyzine with the melatonin and that should put me to sleep (hydroxyzine doesn't cause weight gain)...so while i'm typing this, have any of you used hydroxyzine for sleep and does it work as well as seroquel????

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by xRavenx

Does anyone else feel completely dependent on Seroquel for sleep?


I feel that if I am not on it, even for one night, I am tossing, turning, sometimes hearing voices. I can't sleep at all without it. Not sure if this is healthy. It doesn't seem like it. I wish I didn't need it.

Absolutely and I’ve heard that is the biggest side effect of you stop it. I’ve been on it for sleep for 13 years now. It doesn’t even do anything for my moods at all but without it I cannot sleep.

[Misterpain]

Originally Posted by ComfortablyNumb5

Absolutely and I’ve heard that is the biggest side effect of you stop it. I’ve been on it for sleep for 13 years now. It doesn’t even do anything for my moods at all but without it I cannot sleep.

It may help you sleep temporarily today but it is shredding your sleep architecture, that's why the biggest and brightest organizations of sleep pathologists issued position statements demanding all physicians especially psychiatrists stop using anti psychotic drugs as first line treatment for insomnia, because APs only make the problem harder to treat or solve later. APs for insomnia is putting bands aids on gunshot wounds , they look on the surface to be better but in fact are still a threat to your health.

[-jimi-]

Offlabel use of antipsychotics is a horrible practice. And we see more and more of it. Those meds are meant for psychosis where there is a benefit of taking them compared to the risk of not taking them.

For sleep, there are other alternatives, but antipsychotics I guess are more expensive and pushed harder.

Where I live they seem to use a handful of medications when in fact another med might fit better. In the case of my country, most psych patients are treated by GP's and they are only familiar with a few meds. Oddly enough a GP here can hand out hardcore major tranquilizers like candy. As they are non addictive they are seen as non dangerous. Not the same dang thing!

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by Misterpain

It may help you sleep temporarily today but it is shredding your sleep architecture, that's why the biggest and brightest organizations of sleep pathologists issued position statements demanding all physicians especially psychiatrists stop using anti psychotic drugs as first line treatment for insomnia, because APs only make the problem harder to treat or solve later. APs for insomnia is putting bands aids on gunshot wounds , they look on the surface to be better but in fact are still a threat to your health.

I’ve been on it for 12 years and it still helps me sleep. I have no side effects including no weight gain. It does make me hungry like it does for other people. I’m on 300mg but I’ve been on as high as 600