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Seroquel, not just for sleep?


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Hello,

I've been reading some posts about Seroquel, which seem to mostly focus on its use as an alternative to a benzo to help with sleep. I saw, and felt a lot of concern, that this medicine was just as dangerous as a benzo.

 

I have treatment resistant depression (a crappy subset of major depressive disorder) and have been on just about every anti-depressant there is. I was hospitalized last year after a suicide attempt, and am now on one of the last classes of ADs that are considered effective for tx rx depression (MAOI). I've found that my current med is working OK, but because one of its major side effects is insomnia, my depression is creeping back. Because there aren't anymore medicines I can take for the depression, my last option is ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), for which there is about an 8-month waiting list where I live. So my p-doc suggested Seroquel as an adjunctive to boost the AD, and since it is sedating, it could also help with sleep as well.

 

I wondered if there was anyone that used this medicine for its intended purpose and felt they got some benefit from it, including sedation? Since it seems like another class of drug that is going to be hard to go off of, I want to be careful about starting it (I've just been taking it for a few days), but I also want to give it a chance if it could help with my depression.

 

Thanks,

Marie

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Marie,

 

I am on Seroquel but only for chronic insomnia.  It's worked well for that so far.  I've only been on it since 8/19/11.  I am on a low dose - 25 mg.

 

I don't know if it works for depression but wanted you to know it does help me sleep. 

 

I'm a little worried about being on it but feel I can't taper without sleep.

 

Pacey

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Marie,

 

I am on Seroquel but only for chronic insomnia.  It's worked well for that so far.  I've only been on it since 8/19/11.  I am on a low dose - 25 mg.

 

I don't know if it works for depression but wanted you to know it does help me sleep.  

 

I'm a little worried about being on it but feel I can't taper without sleep.

 

Pacey

 

I found seroquel to be a nightmare.

 

Kian

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i was given seroquel for sleep - i would take 1/4 of a pill and it knocked me out and i woke up really depressed and groggy.  it is a really strong medication.  it has a benzo kind of feel to  it -it seemed to me.

i relate to your story with anti-dep; been there.  i am holding on to the hope that i can  do without them and i am kind of addicted to the idea of them - esp when i am depressed like i am right now.  i am so sorry for your experience; i know how hard it is.

we are here for you :smitten:

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All the atypical antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Abilify, Seroquel, Risperdal) are very powerful and are increasingly being used at low doses for sleep, OCD, acute anxiety and at moderate doses as a mood stabilizer/antidepressant booster. 

 

From what I have heard and was told by my psych doctor, Seroquel is the most sedating of the four, The first evening I was hospitalized I mentioned my mother took it and was doing well on it.  So they asked me to try 25mg as I had not slept the entire evening before getting admitted.  They had to come into the room and wake me up the next day...That kind of scared me, plus because of my size (6'3" and 240) I did not want a med that adds more weight.  Not sure if it boost mood when paired with an MAOI.

 

 

 

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I can answer any questions bout this. Specific I guess. I was on Nardil (MAOI) and Seroquel.

 

Nardil is way powerfull it will toss you into euphoria, at least me. I would cut back on MAOI before I would battle the insomnia. Thats how I ended up on the Benzos. But I did not have Major Depression. I was just a Alcoholic and had a pdoc in her 70's. MAOIS are old drugs, and I guess she just stuck with what she thought worked.

 

It was like Cocaine in a pill to me, and even if I did not have depression it was euphoric and who wants to stop a drug that makes you feel like walking on water.

 

Only problem is it was horrific to quit..

Those who I know who have taken it said it made paxil and effexor look like a walk in the park.. But thats just what I herd, i never took an antidepresent other than that for a long period of time... But if you have treatment resistant depression, that drug will sure bring you up.. Man, i was in a solid euphoric mania for 2 years on that stuff.

 

Its one tough drug..

 

If it were me and I had to do over, i wold have lowered the dose and not taken benzos.

but hey, no one wants to be on a antipsychotic for a long period either they are real dangerous, not dependent but just plain dangerous.

 

Pluss remember!!!! Seroquel LOOSES SEDATING PROPERTIES IN TIME. So 25mgs for you now will turn into 300mgs later.

 

But mental health is impt. You have to do what you gota do to be well.

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Yea watch out for Abilify... Even my doc hates it. It is known to amp people up and cause severe Akathisia. Ya dont need that on top of MAOI or you will be running laps at 3:00am and jumping all over the place.

 

 

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Marie,

 

I just remembered you can do a Search on Seroquel to read what others in the Group have written about the med in the past.  The Search function is in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

 

You can also do a search on Seroquel in a search engine like Google.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Pacey

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Seroquel is for thought disorders, such as schizophrenia. I took a half tab for sleep. I had weird thoughts in the night when I came awake. I decided I'd rather have insomnia.

 

Sometimes I think we overlook some of the simple stuff. I find unisom helpful (I take a half very occasionally). Also an OTC herbal mixture called Alteril. Benadryl?

 

I'm sorry to hear you have that level of depression. I can't imagine.

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I took Seroquel one and only one time. It made me crawl up the walls instead of put me to sleep. It had a major paradoxal effect on me. It scared the crap out of me and I swore I would never touch it again. I have also heard that it's a pretty tough drug to come off of, and that weight gain is a huge factor. I know that for some it does help them sleep, though.
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Marie,

 

Just want to let you know that I am going off the Seroquel because it stopped working for sleep.  I was on 25mg and didn't want to up the dose because of the potential side effects.  I was only on it since 8/19/11.  So though it did help me sleep through the night it did it for only a short period.

 

I am going to try Amitriptyline which I was on years ago and it worked well. My doctor wants me to start with 25mg and add 25mg per week until I reach 100 mg. If I sleep through the night at a lower dose I can stop at that dose.

 

Amitriptyline is an old anti-depressant that I've been told they give mainly for sleep now since there are so many new ADs.  I don't know if it would help your depression or not. The only side effect I had with Amitriptyline is dry mouth and usually that was only when I was anxious.  I've read it can cause weight gain so you might be aware of that. 

 

Also, as I mentioned about Seroquel you can do a search here and on a search engine to find out more about it.

 

Pacey

 

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I've been taking the Seroquel (50 mg) for about 8 days now, but I'm feeling a little too drugged and I have some reservations about it. Since I'm still on the benzos, as I'm tapering off Lyrica, I wondered if just stopping the Seroquel at this point would be safe, or do I need to taper from it now too? The pills are so small, they are kind of hard to split. But I don't want to go into some kind of weird withdrawal on that.

 

Marie

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Marie,

 

My suggestion is your call your doctor and ask if you can just stop the Seroquel. 

 

My doctor told me I could just stop since I haven't been on it too long but meds don't effect everyone the same way so that's why I think you might want to check with your doc.

 

Also I was on a lower dose and I was prescribed something to replace the Seroquel so that might have something to do with why my doctor said it was ok to just stop.

 

I was hopeful it would work at 25 mg but it didn't and I didn't want to take a higher dose because of possible side effects so I can understand your reservations.

 

Pacey

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I wish I had a decent doctor to call. She is the one that said to just stop taking the Restoril I'd been on for several months and I wouldn't experience any problems (boy, was she wrong). I don't have much faith in her right now. I might try just taking half.

 

I feel very frustrated right now in not having good medical advice and just being put on all these medicines that I seem to be stuck on a hamster-wheel with.

 

My primary care doctor did refer me to a Pharm-D that does consults, and I'm hoping she can provide some insight into the best things to stay on, the best things to get off of, and the best ways to get off the evil drugs. In the meantime, I feel like I'm just treading water.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. I know every person's body chemistry and reactions are different. I am able to stop Baclofen, for example, without problems, but other people seem to have great difficulty stopping cold turkey.

 

Best,

Marie

 

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Marie,

 

I had the same problem finding a doctor that I could trust.  It was so frustrating.

 

I also know what you mean about being frustrated with meds.  I've tried so many meds for sleep.  I'm hopeful each time and then it doesn't work out.  Plus I worry what it's doing to my system trying all these different meds.  At least I know now no benzos.  I did have one doctor tell me he would help me find a sleep med but it wouldn't be easy and he was certainly right.

 

When will you be able to see the Pharm D?  Is the person connected with a University? I think that's a good idea. Years ago I worked at a University in a Department that trained Pharm Ds.  The Department I worked in really trained the students to be thorough.

 

Well Marie, I hope you find something to help you sleep.  It is depressing when you don't get enough sleep.  People that don't have insomnia don't seem to understand that - including doctors. 

 

Pacey

 

 

   

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Marie,

 

Wanted to let you know I couldn't c/t the Seroquel. Can't believe I could get dependent on it for sleep being on it for such a short time.  I have 25mg tablets and my husband cut them in quarters - not easy to do - and I took 1/4 at bedtime and 1/4 when I woke up in the middle of the night. Was glad I could at least take half of what I was taking.

 

I'm so tired of all these meds.

 

Do you take half as you planned and if so, how did it go?

 

Pacey

 

 

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Hi Pacey,

I did end up halving the 50 mg into a 25 mg. I need to get a pill splitter because my "halves" look like various stages of the moon! But so far, I'm not having any problems with that. My worst issues right now are centered around my Lyrica taper, I guess because the Lyrica I think is some kind of opioid relative, and the last bit is causing a lot of anxiety and nausea. I guess I'm grateful right now that I've still got the god-awful benzos since that is at least something to take the edge off. During the worst of the Lyrica taper symptoms, I was tempted to take some extra Klonopin, but I'm resisting that urge, because I know these issues will pass with time and I just need to hang in. And I don't want to start compounding any more benzo issues that I'm already hoping to nip in the bud when the time comes.

 

I was afraid that just stopping the Seroquel would cause something unpleasant to happen, which I really can't deal with at this stage. Messing around with too many drugs at a time is a bad idea. I remember one time I stopped my Lyrica and Klonopin cold turkey for two days and felt like I was going to literally tear my hair out. I've learned to do things gently now, although "gently" is a relative term, because even the slowest tapers seem to have nasty residual effects.

 

Marie

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I was at a point before where I seriously needed to rebalance.  I did not want to take seroquel, but had to do something.  I was already on Depakote and Klonopin.  I took seroquel for a week 25mg, and then ct'd it (I was worried too).  Seroquel sedated my system enough to get me back into regular sleeping again after I stopped taking it.  That being said, I still have some, and have used it sometimes to help with wd insomnia.  I've found that it is the most powerful, but my least favorite.  It's reserved only for desperation situations now.  The stuff does some really weird things to my body and can twist my mind while im sleeping.  I think it's one of those things that some people can take, but alot of people shouldn't.  It's like your brain really has to need this stuff in order for it to feel normal to take it.  I think benzos are alot safer. 
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Marie,

 

Sorry you are having some problems with the Lyrica taper but glad you didn't take extra K.  How much longer do you think you will have on the Lyrica and Seroquel?

 

I'm on too many meds now and getting frustrated.  I did drop the Seroquel down to .6 mg last night but didn't sleep as well but think it was because of a post that worried me more than not having the med in my system.

 

Pacey

 

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elliptical,

 

Glad the Seroquel worked for you in just a week.  It stopped working for me in about a month. I didn't mind though because I was a little uncomfortable with it.

 

Have you taken it once in a while for sleep and not had any problem with that?

 

Pacey

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Yes, I've found it effective to take here and there for sleep.  It definitely will work that way for most people, but I've usually found that there is some side effect.  I don't like taking it, it doesn't feel right when I do, but it is stronger than anything else I've tried and if I feel it necessary I would take it.  I prefer smaller doses of diphenhydramine, doesn't do anything weird to my mind.  Secondly small doses of trazodone.  I'm a couple weeks out from my klonopin taper and recently been getting good sleep with 1.5mg melatonin and calcium/magnesium. 
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elliptical,

 

I just started taking magnesium last night.  Someone on another post recommended it.

 

Can you take the trazodone every once in a while or do you have to take it consistently?

 

Pacey

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I have been taking one Benadryl and just stopped taking my Zyrtec at night for allergies. Two Benadryl gives me RLS but I've had luck with one tablet. Sometimes it helps sometimes it doesn't. Trazadone worked for me at one time but then it stopped working. I wonder now if it would work again. I'm scared to try anything, even OTC meds because I seem to get weird paradoxal effects to drugs now. Seroquel made me extremely anxious instead of sleepy. I remember how hopeless I felt when that didn't work for me because it was supposed to work for everyone for sleep. My psych doctor fired me after I told him I didn't sleep on it because he said he didn't believe I took it. He said if I couldn't sleep on Seroquel then he couldn't help me :( That's when my distrust of doctors began I guess.

 

I hope everyone sleeps well tonight!

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