Experiences - Seroquel (Quetiapine) - Place SWiY Experiences Here

[Nagognog2]

Very well said, dwilkes. I hope people understand that no one has called for banning this drug - just banning doctors from regarding it as candy and handing out willy-nilly as has happened with Prozac et al.

What I like about geniuses who use words like 'psycho' and 'schizo' to attack people afflicted with mental-illness is they almost always misspell such - badly. Just like those who use the N-word often forget one of the 'G's' in it.

[Bio-Cellular Enigma]

SWIM recently read the Wikipedia article on Seroquel, which states there have been cases of abuse reported in medical literature (sometimes by insufflating crushed tablets). It's really bizarre, because Seroquel is an anti-drug in a way. Antagonizes dopamine, serotonin, histamine, a1 and a2 adrenergic receptors. Subjectively this should feel very nasty, like becoming a zombie. Perhaps this so-called abuse was really to come down from stimulants or something? It might be effective for that.P.S. sorry about edits and/or text running together, SWIM is going through a proxy server and it's not getting along with this forum software. Working on it...

[dwilkes7]

Just one other thing I forgot to mention is that the vivid, mostly frightning, dreams never go away while on this drug. My wife said to me that I "twitch" and flail my arms and legs during REM sleep, so it can make you "active" to different degrees. My wife is a nurse, so she knows how to recognize REM and what comes with it. The thing that scares me most is I am doing all these movements, but I am not aware of it. I have not sleepwalked yet, but when I was 6 years old, I sleepwalked almost every night.

So all in all, I still have a hard time seeing this drug as a "recreational" drug. It is hell to get used to the higher doses, but it is light years ahead of the hell of a suicidal depression.

[Micklemouse]

Originally Posted by dwilkes7

It is hell to get used to the higher doses, but it is light years ahead of the hell of a suicidal depression.

Interesting to see this. Whilst as I think I mentioned before Quetiapine is something of a joke amongst many psyche nurses, A Certain Mouse has seen it do wonders, again at low doses, for agitated & psychotic depressions, & has been shown in studies to have significantly greater than placebo effect on depressive symptoms in patients with Manic Depression, being granted it's license for this treatment in 2006 (USA). Quetiapine has a high affinity for serotonin receptors which may go a long way to explaining this.

http://bipolar.about.com/cs/genmeds/...ueldepress.htm

[dwilkes7]

[quote=Micklemouse;259294]Interesting to see this. Whilst as I think I mentioned before Quetiapine is something of a joke amongst many psyche nurses


Why do psyche nurses think this drug is a joke?

[chrono420]

Swim has never taken these for fun, swim was perscrbed them for anxiety along with zoloft, swim liked the feeling at first but long time use is bad in swims opinion, swim is off them now and has never taken one since. There are a lot better types of pills out there that will fuck swim up just as good with way less worry of addiction, or side effects.

[Bio-Cellular Enigma]

SWIM works for a pharmaceutical company (not AstraZeneca), and has reviewed cases of Seroquel when used as a sleep medication in low doses (12.5 to 50 mg) in comparison to others.

The two main problems reported seem to be (A) xerostomia (dry mouth) keeping people awake until the drug wears off; there are potential ways around this, such as a small piece of sour candy, but SWIM does not know what the choking risk would be from this. (B) SWIM has also read reports of hangover-like effects the next day, which probably depend on time elapsed between dosing and getting out of bed next day.

Bottom line, SWIM believes that with few exceptions traditional sedative-hypnotic options (Ambien, Lunesta, et al.) should be tried before anyone asks their doctor for a Seroquel script. However, it should be reasonably safe in low doses as an occasional sleep aid.

P.S. SWIM has also looked into Trazodone and feels it to be less effective and probably less safe than Seroquel, not to mention generally overprescribed off-label as a sleep aid. Unless it's a case of insomnia with comorbid depression, it should probably be the last choice on the list.

[dwilkes7]

Bio-Cellular Enigma, Your statement about Trazodone is spot on!

While I was hospitalized for depression, I was taking Seroquel. I was having a terrible time with sleep(agitated depression). After several nights of pacing the halls most of the night, the doctor prescribed the Trazodone. I absolutly hate Trazodone, I got to sleep fairly rapidly, but the combination of the two drugs made it impossible to even wake up for bodily functions, if you know what I mean. Since that time I refused the Trazodone so the doctor prescribed Ambian, which worked perfectly and had no hangover the next day.

[tayo]

SWIM took 1000mg at once, while getting ready for bed and amnesia of actually getting into bed slept a good 12 hours and didnt wake during the night or get much done the next day.

Seroquel will also overcome any Dopamine or Serotonin agonist, meaning it will knock out people on cocaine, methamphetamines, mdma, psychedellics, etc. 100mg will definitely do the trick for whatever amount the person overdosed is on.... but 25mg is usually sufficient in most cases for psychedellics.

[Micklemouse]

Because for it's original stated purpose (i.e. the management of acute psychosis) it aint worth the sugar it's bound with.

It certainly has a place in the treatment of depression with psychotic features, as a sleep aid, & possibly even for short term management of anxiety. But for the treatment of full-on schizophrenia? Forget it, except in perhaps the mildest of cases. This has been A Certain Mouse's experience of this drug over several years working in acute psychiatry, & in his experience it is rarely if ever prescribed, in his locale at any rate.

[Binzkin]

The first time SWIM got stepped up the 250mg at night (*
50mg and 50mg then 250mg at night. SWIM found that once the Seroquel kicked in he found himeself caught between moving shadows, flashing lights, and constant voices while trying to sleep. These side affects seem to have gone away after a month or so, but swim just wonders if any ofther people have had this same experience, if you have, please share.

[dwilkes7]

Binzkin, I can't say that I have had the exact symptoms you describe, but when they first put me on it for bipolar depression, I did feel very detached from the world around me. It was like wondering if you were sleeping and this was a dream or you were awake and unable to respond to your surroundings. After 3 to 4 weeks, that feeling went away. I can say that it has helped me to stay stable more than depakote.

[Nagognog2]

Pardon my writing style, but I am foaming at the mouth with anger from seroquel. Allow me to explain.

A friend of mine took his dose of quietapine (seroquel) as ORDERED by his scumsucking shrink. The dose was 900mg - accompanied with threats of institutionalization if he doesn't. This is the same friend I got off the crap some time ago. And he had to drive the following day. Not far - maybe an hour. Doctor didn't mention driving the next day would be about the most bone-headed manuveur in the histrory books.

The first casualty was a parked car, Caved in nicely. Second was the entire length of a guard-rail going over a bridge. Gosh - that was fun. Off-roading off the highway was an enchancting sporting event. Along with nearly going bowling for pedestrians. Can you you hear my voice rise from where you are?

I finally got the victim to pull (almost) into a rest area for coffee (free coffee in Vermont in rest areas - homosexuality optional out back). But the coffee didn't phase the 900mg of seroquel, and the car went rolling out of control around the parking-lot. Narrowly missing various obstacles. Finally the vehicle rolled to a stop - bouncing off a curb. Two state-troopers took up positions on either side of us and ordered the drive/victim to step out. The other other one started asking me questions.

In my best political Impeach Bush shirt, black field-jacket, and cowbow hat with a very impolite button directed at the White House - I explained it wasn't alcohol they were seeing the results of. They were seeing the results of a crackpot psychiatrist medicating someone needlessly using threats and duress. I let slip that I had an extensive background in neuropharmacology and they this shit was pure poison.

They handcuffed my friend after he failed every field-sobriety test in the book - and drove him to the hospital to get his situation straightened out. And radioed a tow-truck to return the rental-car to it's grave.. They never searched the car. That could have have taken up another hour of explanations. Though no arrests were in the forcast.

As soon as I got in my door, the phone was ringing. It was one of the state-troopers. He wondered if I'd be willing to take custody of my friend. I said what the fuck - okay. And he drove him over to my digs. They didn't know if they had to press charges or not. This may well blow up into one smash-hit of a court-case

Thanks seroquel. May the CEO's of the drug company behind this shit get shoved in the blender with it and ground into tablets.

The Vermont cops deserve medals for their actions and attitudes.

[dwilkes7]

Nag, What a crappy situation that put you and your friend in. If he was not instructed by the doctor or pharmacist that there is a pretty nasty hangover from 700 mg and up, sounds like malpractice to me!!

This experienc brought up another concern of mine. I have a neurologic condition called Ataxia. That is a loss of ballance and coordination bad enough to not be able to pass the drunk test. Because of the drugs I take I can't drink any alcohol, but if they did a tox screen a couple of my meds would come back positive. I'm thinking of asking the neurologist for a letter about my illness but I doubt it would do any good since they have no way to verify it.

Anyway, I hope that doc gets it good! I don't know about where you are but in california the doctor can't threaten you with involuntary unless you sign a release for him to do that.

[Nagognog2]

His shrink, state- appointed, is in Massachusetts. They they can do anythink they want. Their last offer is to have him shanked and killed if he doesn't do as they say.

War is declared. I'm trying to move him up here - where the laws are similar to California.

[Alfa]

900 mg of Quetiapine and no explanation that he should not drive? The shrink should be institutionalized, cause the maximum dose for Quetiapine is 750 mg. Sounds to me like the paperwork can be used to dent the good doctor's rep or worse/better.

[tayo]

Swim did some tests, swim tried 1000mg (10x100mg) pills at night before going to bed, he just fell asleep didn't move positions all night and woke up a little groggy. He would say it was 10x as easy to fall asleep as 100mg of seroquel, but 100mg is by far easy enough to fall asleep on.

[Nagognog2]

Lucky you. People could have been killed. This is law-suit land. There will be no rest for this "doctor", even from seroquel, until he's broke and his medical license has been ripped into pieces. I will have the Vermont State Troopers enjoin in same. You don't fuck with my friends.

[Krisco]

Seroquel is an extremely reliable off label sleeping pill. It should only be used if nothing else (non-addictive) works.

[Practical_Toker]

shit, i loved these things for a while, recommended em to all my friends. if i missed a dose i'd give the pill to someone so they could enjoy it. actually i'd break it in half because i had a real high dosage. i got all the way up to 300mg. a night but it didn't really seem to help the depression the next day anymore. (although it gets you loaded when you take it, pop one, smoke a bowl, it's the shit) plus the sedation was a little much, forcing me to get off the computer and go to bed even if i didn't feel like it. and give me restless leg syndrome. and i never really dreamt either, the few times i did i remember feeling incredible drugged and slow in my dreamstate.
all in all i think it's awesome, for a while, but when you got problems with your head that need fixing and it aint working it's time to move on.

[badgirlzrule]

I was prescribed seroquel for anxiety and the one night I actually took 2 tablets in case of one (accident really). It was bad! I could not fall asleep, had this strange switch in my legs and feet and it was a all round bad experience. I stopped taking them a week later, but I still have supplies for another 3 weeks. Cannot see what the the fun is in taht. Does someone know a trick I am unfamiliar with?

[dwilkes7]

While I take Seroquel every night for stabilizing my Bipolar moods, I would absolutly warn everyone who is taking Seroquel for a "high" that there are far better and less expensive ways to get a better high without the nightmare like effects.

If you are taking it because of insomnia or anxiety etc..., make sure your someplace that you can sleep without being disturbed, or you have a dedicated driver. While this drug can take the anxiety down a few notches and help with sleep, I can think of safer and better OTC drugs that I take when I get anxiety attacks or for sleep.

For sleep, I would take Benedryl until I found the dose that helps the best for making me very sleepy.

As an antianxiety agent, there are far more and far better substances to do that trick. For me, I always keep some Kratom around just for this. In fact, sometimes I use just the Kratom for both problems. I have found it to be very useful for me and many more friends with these problems. These problems, especially anxiety can exert such stress that tons' of people find themselves in the ER. Running to the ER just shows how nasty these symptoms are.

Learn about any substance you put in your body before you know the downside of that particular substance by accident. Just because a Doctor prescribes a drug, doesn't mean it's safe or will even take care of your particular symptoms.

Be careful, be safe.

[doggy_hat]

Seroquel is pointless to take recreationally. All it does to SWIM is make him pass out and stay asleep for long periods of time. One time he was awaken while asleep and SWIM just mumbled stumbled around and fell back asleep on the floor.

[psychvirgelia]

I can't believe how the posters on this site make fun of an extremely useful drug for an extremely awful medical condition (primarily schizophrenia). I have been prescirbed twice seroquel and personally did not "enjoy" it. Its off-label for insomnia, ocd, and other conditions. I ask all the posters on this site to try empathizing and if at all possible sympathizing with those who are medically prescirbed this drug. It's not a good sign when one recieves this drug! R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Reputation Comments on this post:

Absolutely!

[bloot]

Drug: Seroquel ( Quetiapine )
Dose: Doesn't remember but is currently on 400mg
Setting: Late at night, sitting on the couch, alone

SWIM chewed the amount of the drug which was in the form of a tablet. Within about fifteen minutes an immense amount of sedation was pushed onto SWIM, but for some reason was not enough to make him fall asleep. Instead it just made him zone out. SWIM was zoning out looking at his big toe and the wooden chest right in front of it. As SWIM concentrated on his toe it started to look as if small amount of smoke were rising from his toe. SWIM sat and watched for about ten minutes before just about passing out. SWIM got up and went downstairs and laid in his bed and fell asleep. When he first started taking the drug, it was kind of fun. But no real recreational value that he saw in it. Good for a comedown off of a stimulant, or curing racing thoughts.