Drug Ratings for SEROQUELAverage Rating: 3.0 (1295 Ratings)
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Results are sorted by Date Rating Was Added from oldest to most recent Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 |
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR SEROQUEL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
  | F M | | | | |||
| 5 | Insomia | 100 mg at bedtime. The first week drowsy the first few hours of the morning. | Now, after 3 months...I sleep soundly 7-8 hours a night, wake up with an abundance of energy and no weight gain...actually, a weight loss due to increased cardio daily. | F | 45 | 3 months | 11/6/2007 | 4 | bipolar, ocd, anxiety | sleepiness, dizziness | I take 25 mg in the morning, which is enough to take the edge off my anxiety without making me groggy. At night I take 50 mg to let me sleep. I naturally sleep too long when I'm in a depressive state, and of course it doesn't help with that. Overall, I'd say it's worth it. They put me on 300 mg first, which I couldn't tolerate at all. Once we lowered the dosage, my side affects went away. | F | 23 | 2.5 years | 11/8/2007 | 4 | bipolar type II | Very drowsy at first, could only take it max 1 hour before bedtime, hard to get up in the morning, minor weight gain. | This drug ended my sleeping problems that I was having: disturbed dreams, frequent waking, trouble falling asleep. Also it helped tremendously with my near constant hypomania. However, I began going to work over an hour later than I did before - I just couldn't get up. Started going to bed at 10 pm regularly just to be able to function in the AM. Just stopped taking Seroquel (100 to 150 mg per night) and can't sleep, crazy dreams and nightmares, wake up every two hours, withdrawl is not pleasant. | F | 33 | 3 years | 11/10/2007 | 3 | Bi Polar | Weight Gain -30 lbs in 6 yrs. After meds kick in, I was unable to drive or even communicate - slurred speech. It really PUTS ME TO SLEEP but I can't wake up even if there is a fire. Sleep 10-12 hours. Got Diabettes and now Kidney problems | I just want to share with those who are taking seroquel to monitor your blood sugar. I got diabettes 1 yr after taking seroquel. my psychiatrist just stopped seroquel as it may "cause" diabettes is some ppl and also kidney problems, which I am getting now. I thought I hv found the MIRACLE SLEEP DRUG but it is making my life miserable now. My hands and feet are numb most of the time - diabettes neurophaty BUT my diabettes has been under control most of the time - sugar level about 115-133 most of the time. So, please check your A1c (blood test)frequently. I am kinda too late to help. Don't get to my point. I hv lost more that 25 lbs after stopping seroquel. | F | 36 | 5 days | 11/13/2007 | 1 | depression, anxiety, BPD | Weight gain(15lbs in 2 months), sleepiness, bad dreams, lack of focus, crying more than ever and anger, actually bouts of extreme rage! I was sad before, but reasonable in dealing with other people, now....and I still have periods where I would like to hurt myself. | total lack of interest in sex, increase anxiety, sore breasts, sore tongue...I feel that Seroquel has contributed to making my symptoms (and spelling) worse than ever///I am afraid to stop and afraid to continue. | F | 46 | 2 months | 11/18/2007 | 4 | GAD, OCD & Depression | Fatigue, hunger, twitching, chest pain, acid reflux | If you can tolerate the numerous side effects, Seroquel is a potent anti-anxiety treatment, adjunct with other antidepressants and sleeping pill. Effective if you have severe anxiety disorders, treatment resistant depression and chronic insomnia. | M | 36 | 3 years | 11/20/2007 | 4 | bipolar | WEIGHT GAIN! I get incredible munchies after I take this medication. My husband finds me in the kitchen at 11:00 pm eating all of his cookies. I've gained 15 lbs in a year. | I have slept really well. They prescribed me this in the hospital where I was being treated for major depression/bipolar. I haven't slept this well in years. I don't have to get up at a set time each morning so I don't know if it would affect me if I worked. I am also taking lamictal, geodon, and lorazapam. I tried all kinds of drugs before and this combination seems to work for me. I've have had "small" manias and a little depression but nothing as serious as when I went into the hospital. Because this combination seems to work for me I'm reluctant to try something else because of the weight gain. My psychiatrist and I have been trying to find the right combination for years since various drugs either stopped working or made me a zombie and increased the mania and depression. I'd never go back on depakote again. | F | 36 | 1 years | 11/21/2007 | 4 | Racing thoughts/Insomnia | WEIGHT GAIN!!! I gained twenty pounds in a year due to eating cookies from the munchies this med produces! Drowsiness through the next day. | I wish I had known about the weight gain side effect. I have been craving a LOT more sugar since I've been on seroquel. I only take 12.5mg a night, but the risk of diabetes from seroquel still worries me. my new doctor told me i shouldnt be on it because I dont have bipolar, and instead to try ambien. i remember trying it before and felt dizzy and cried, so i want to stick with seroquel. maybe only every other night or so, to see if the weight can be lost! | F | 27 | 1.5 years | 11/21/2007 | 1 | in hospital a dr. ordered it | sleepwalking, delusions, crying fits, weight gain, could not think rationally | I have had depression for many years (controlled with Zoloft). When my father was dying I became very agitated and depressed and decided I needed hospitalization to get me through it. I went in to an unlocked ward and that night they gave me a big dose of Seroquel (a drug I had never heard of) so I would sleep. The next day I was acting strange (I don't even remember it), so I was taken to a locked ward and the dosage of Seroquel was tripled. Soon I was basically screaming and delusional in the locked ward. My husband would visit me and kept telling the doctors I was getting worse by the day. I can't even remember seeing him at these times, all I remember is constantly waking up after having run into a wall or some other obstacle and not knowing how I got there--must have been sleepwalking a lot. Finally I got a patient's advocate to get the doctor to stop giving me Seroquel, this was probably 7 or 8 days into my stay, but I'm not sure when the drug was discontinued. My husband | F | 46 | 8 days | 11/21/2007 | 4 | Sleep disturbances | I only like this stuff for sleep. It helps for that then completely wears off by the time it's time to get up. Taking this stuff during waking hours is not advisable due to a drunk like affect. | If you want to read about my paranoid induced condition, I'm at -----http://www.myspace.com/quantafamily3----- where you can read about my condition in the Interest Section. Be advised, this is a high-speed internet load & takes about 4 minutes with a 1.5 Mbps connection. My page also loads correctly with Firefox or Netscape. | M | 37 | 6 months | 11/22/2007 | 2 | anxiety and insomnia | weight gain of 50+ pounds, severe dependency, apathy, decreased sex drive, zombie throughout the day, irritability | I am warning anyone out there that once you get on Seroquil, you are selling your soul! I have withdrawn from MANY drugs, and this one BY FAR has the most dependency of anything that I've ever taken! If you want ANY quality of life at all, run in the other direction...anything is better than being dependent on Seroquil! I am currently decreasing the dose on my own until I am off of this drug....I want my life back! I was prescribed 600 mg at night, and looking back on my history with this drug, I have noticed that EVERYTHING I hate about my life was a direct result of the side effects that I have from Seroquil! Sure, you may feel better after 7 days, even 7 months, but take it from me, the long-term effects are not worth it...and I pray they are REVERSIBLE! | F | 35 | 2 years | 11/26/2007 | 3 | bipolar disorder | Gained 25 pounds in 4 months. - Slept great - leg pains - rls | F | 42 | 3 months | 11/28/2007 | 2 | Biopolar I Disorder | Major weight gain, no energy, lost two jobs because it affected my concentration. | This medication does work, but was making me a zombie. Prescribed 800mg then doc decreased to 300mg. I discontued and no side affects so far. Decided to stick with taking Albilify which has minimal side effects and no weight gain yet! | M | 42 | 6 months | 11/28/2007 | 2 | bipolar 2, anxiety | zombie-like at times, increased need and duration of sleep | I didn't take this long enough to probably give much of a testimony, however the first couple of days I took it helped me sleep and I woke up feeling rested. After about a week it didn't knock me out I would still be up later than I wanted to but then I would sleep in too late and be really out of it and anti-social. | F | 27 | 2 weeks | 11/28/2007 | 4 | jerking movement off my jaw, drowsiness | this stuff cured my drug induced psychosis, but i wonder if ill ever be able to live without this stuff. Its a pain to get off these types of psychiatric drugs. | M | 27 | 6 years | 11/29/2007 | 3 | Bipolar 2 | REALLY hard to wake up in the morning, drowsiness throughout the day, extreme hunger, extreme thirst, weight gain, spacing out, cognitive difficulties - hard to focus, find the right word, do basic math, etc. | Initially this drug was prescribed at 100 mg because I was having difficulty sleeping after my doctor took me off klonopin. At first, seroquel was a dream - I slept better than I had in years. But I started having trouble with mania (that had been controlled with lithium and a low dose of lamictal), so my doctor increased my dosage up to 300 mg. Seroquel does control the mania, but the cost has become too much for me to deal with (see side effects listed). I've gone up and down on my doses trying to find a happy medium because I've been afraid to try some of the other drugs like Abilify, Topomax, and Geodon because of the potential side effects I've read about with those. However, it's time to throw in the towel. I can't take it anymore. My doctor and I have discussed other options and we're going to try something new when I go to my next appointment. | F | 36 | 2 years | 12/1/2007 | 1 | Depression racing/suicidal thoughts | Extreme hunger, spacing out, severe sweating problems, decreased interest in things i used to find fun, suicidal thoughts, low confidence level | My doctor had me take Seroquel without explaining to me the possible side effects. After taking Seroquel, I began to feel very alone, and did not want to participate with other people, keeping all my feelings inside, causing me to have increased suicidal thoughts. My sweating problem causes me to become self-conscience and I never want to go out in public because it was embarrasing. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND FINDING OUT ALL THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS BEFORE TAKING SEROQUEL. | M | 17 | 3 years | 12/1/2007 | 5 | bipolar, schizoeffective, anxiety | Weight gain,increased heartbeat @ 1st,over heating/profuse sweating during summer,crazy dreams | I have been on seroquel starting @100mg each day to 400mg for about 2 years now,100mg morning and noon and 200mg at night. At first i was very tired throughout the day but after 2 weeks i felt completely fine, better than ever. The 40lb weight gain was on on big deal but i am lazy and dont work out. I am changing clinics and not had enough seroquel at times none @ times for 2 month. I have not been able to function without the seroquel, maybe dependant but it makes me feel "normal" i dont want to imagine my life without a med like this. | F | 24 | 2 years | 12/5/2007 | 2 | sleep issues | Excema break-outs on my scalp worsened and began on my face (not cool); nightmares, tiredness in the day, forgetfulness and an inability to think properly (not good when trying to write papers for school); MUCH worsened parathesias in my left arm (already had these infrequently due to ulnar nerve damage; now they are much worse and my entire arm is constantly "buzzing"); think it is preventing weight loss; crazy-ass nightmares - vivid and disturbing | 25 mg/night; I am going off of it, I've only been on about 2-3 weeks, switching back to melatonin; my Dr. gave me this to help me sleep, but after just a few weeks the side effects are just way too crappy - it does help me sleep, but I have a horrid time getting up and feel totally out-of-it and dull; plus the nightmares are just creepy; I am really not liking the excema that has broken out of my FACE - I am sure this drug is great for some PPL, but it definitely does not agree with me | F | 36 | 20 days | 12/6/2007 | 1 | Bipolar Disorder/Paranoia | This is one of many addictive drugs that are in circulation today with which the effects are completely counterproductive to the problem that you would be attempting to solve by prescribing them. NEVER let anyone tell you that being bipolar is a disorder because it is a GIFT. Mediocre minds work on a scale of good and bad, great minds work on a scale of great and horrible. However difficult this may be for some of you to understand I promise that for every time you feel negative there will be an equal and opposing feeling of positivity if you would just be patient. The purpose of these drugs is not to help you, more so to trap you. In my opinion taking this medecine is just as, if not more damaging to a persons mentality than getting heroin off some street corner, it offers a short term escape route but in the long term it knocks you off track. | I assure you that through a careful recognition of the root of your problems, exercise, healthy diet, vitamin B12, and eliminating from your life people like your psychiatrist will provide for a much more suitable and tolerable approach to a solution. Seroquel much like heroin will only make you even more miserable in the long term and thats if its side effects dont kill you first. DO NOT USE THIS DRUG FOR BIPOLAR. | M | 19 | 2 days | 12/9/2007 | 1 | Bipolar Disorder/ acute psychosis | I experienced about 20 different side effects in the brief time I took this medication. The worst were probably abnormal facial muscle spasms, dizziness/vertigo, confusion, migraines, and feeling really spacey and out of it. | I wouldn't recommend this drug to anyone. It made me feel like crap all day and eventually knocked me out at the end of it. I didn't give it time to control my mania or psychotic symptoms because of the amount of harm that I felt it was causing to my body. | M | 19 | 4 days | 12/9/2007 | 5 | depression,aniexty | eating in middle of night, gained 15 pounds in 2months | My doctor gave me this for depression and anxiety.I take every night at 10 pm .At first it made me slurr my speach the first night but got really good sleep and my dosage was 100mg.Now my doctor has me taking 400mg every night sllep good and in the morning no hang over and my mood has changed ,I'm happy more days then i can count I'm no longer depressed everyday and grumpy.I still have my days but not as often.Until I found this web site I had no idea other had gained weight from this.I had no idea others had been gaining weight from this pill.I started taking this I was 112 now I'm alomst 125lbs to me thats alot a weight I cant fit into my clothes !!!! I wake up sometimes not remembering and I'll eat and drink a soda then go back to bed I used not ever drink sodas now at night I crave SUGAR!!!! | F | 30 | 5 days | 12/12/2007 | 4 | bipolar 1 mania | Gained 30 pounds in seven months.....enough weight gain that I am going off this drug even though it works. Cravings at night, especially after taking 400 mg dose. 200 in morning. | very happy, but now unhappy about body image! Boyfriend has started hiding food from me. | F | 40 | 7 months | 12/19/2007 | 3 | Psychotic behavior/depression | Very tired, sleep well, Weight gain. Have been on it for almost 8 years and haven't had consistent behavior. gone from "normal" to suicidal to depressed/psychotic in a matter of months. | F | 29 | 8 years | 12/26/2007 | 5 | Bi-Polar II; obsessive thoughts | Slight weight gain. Occasional drowsiness in afternoon. Nothing too serious. | After everything else failed, only Seroquel solved my problem. Zyprexa and Risperdal wore off after several weeks. I'm on 600mg temporarily, will soon go down to 300 or so. Without Seroquel, I'd be far worse off. | M | 35 | 15 months | 12/29/2007 | 5 | Severe insomnia | A little foggy headed when I first get up in the morning | I tried everything to help me sleep: Ambien CR, Tylenol PM, Lunesta, Rozerum, nothing helped. Sure, I could go to sleep but within a few hours, I'd be wide awake with my mind racing. This made functioning during the day impossible. I take 12.5 mg Seroquel within an hour of going to bed and it helps me sleep for 7-8 hours. I'd be lost without it. I can't imagine taking a strong dose though - | F | 47 | 1 years | 12/30/2007 | 3 | Anxiety and Mania | Increased Hunger, no libido, muscle weakness, brain fog and apathy | Other then the side effects it helped the mania, per say, but instead of feeling at a normal level I felt apathetic. For anxiety it helped 100% | M | 17 | 3 days | 1/3/2008 | 1 | Depression | Slurred speech, drunk feeling, made me feel like I was spinning, made me scared, therefore more anxious so did not help with sleep. This drug terrified me!! | I took 25 mg of this last night, which I believe is the lowest dose you can take. I have never felt so weird in my life. Now it is almost 12 hours later, and I am finally feeling normal. Scary drug--please find another option. | F | 37 | 1 days | 1/4/2008 | 1 | inappropriate bipolar diagnosis | severe constipation, jittery feeling, very dry eyes and mouth/throat | I was prescribed 600 mg per day just because of one manic session - which is way too much esp. considering my weight, 100 lbs. I have never had a problem with constipation, but it was so severe it took a lot to get back on track. Be careful about taking this medication especially if you already are susceptible to sinus or eye problems (my eyes still seem effected). Also, it is bad for anyone with restless leg syndrome or other preexisting conditions. It did help me sleep but that is all, otherwise it made me feel jittery and unstable. | F | 52 | 45 days | 1/4/2008 | 4 | depression/insomnia | 200mg turned me into a zombie. Could barely walk to bed. Found that 50mg worked good. Takes me a long time to wake up in the morning. Only taking it because Ambien no longer worked for me. | Guess this drug affects people differently. My wife was taking 200mg and had no trouble getting up and going to work. I wouldn't be able to function in the morning on that dose. | M | 66 | 5 days | 1/6/2008 | 4 | insomnia | Unable to walk, talk, or move, but I did sleep for 14 hours straight. | M | 21 | 6 months | 1/11/2008 | 5 | Bipolar II | This drug SAVED my life, despite the 15 lbs I put on, I feel like I have never felt before. | I have been on many antipsychotics before, and the side effects were brutal, but with Seroquel @ 300 mg I don't have ANY side effects, I take it @ 9pm, around 11pm I start feeling groggy by 3am i'm fine, up at 7am and feeling wonderful, the only thing is my appetite, I was allways thin, not so much anymore, but I was never so happy in my life, and so at peace, like I'm now. | F | 28 | 4 months | 1/12/2008 | 4 | psychosis, insomnia | i've had the side effects since i first took them. i've been on 300mgs for six years and for me positive benefits far outweighed the negative ones. twitching, jerking slurred speech, totally unable to get out of bed, sugar cravings at night like you wouldn't believe ( i've woken in the night dribbling melted chocolate)electric shocks that can make me drop my coffee. annoying but bearable. | what i'm concerned about is the possibility that seroquel has harmed my daughter. i took the seroquel throughout my pregnancy and i take my full dose all at night, the leg twitching drives me nuts if i take it in the day.when my daughter was born (12 days early by elective cs)she would not feed properly, never more than a ml of milk at a time, she cried constantly developing into an excruciating screams at 3days old. she seemed to be in so much pain, croup and digestion medicines fom the doctor did nothing for her then at about a week old she started to feed properly and got better. could that be withdrawal? the other problem she has is that she doesn't sleep. she is now three and can still be up for 4 or 5 hours a night. she has only slept through the night a handful of times. i've tried all the sleep tactics that have been invented, nothing works. my doctor took pity when she was 2 1/2 and prescribed sedatives. a two week course turned into three months and still she didn't 'learn' t | F | 36 | 6 years | 1/12/2008 | 1 | Depression | Gained 12lbs in one month. Extreme hunger and thirst. Extremely hard to wake up in the morning, and very sleepy throughout the day. Tendency to nod off at my desk. Erratic sleep: I can sleep 15+ hours on this medication one night, and the next sleep three hours and be wide awake at 3 in the morning like I am right now. Tossing and turning all night, waking up with heart racing. General confusion and in a constant state of being out of it. Feeling very hot and sweaty. Lately I sleep with just a sheet and the window wide open (mind you that it's 10 degrees outside). | F | 25 | 33 days | 1/13/2008 | 3 | schitzoaffective disorder/insomnia | Fluttered heart beat, inability to walk, extreme dizziness, difficulty swallowing, 15 pound weight gain, severely anxious, trouble speaking and thinking clearly, very vivid nightmares | Although there are sometimes terrible side effects when I take it at night, i would never get off of it because it's the only thing that will put me to sleep at night since I have racing thoughts due to bipolar disorder. Definitely an excellent drug for insomnia but just like any drug there also can be some pretty serious side effects. | F | 20 | 5 months | 1/14/2008 | 3 | ocd | drowsiness and insomnia at the same time, severe restless leg syndrome | took only one dose in my life, which was larger than what the doctor prescribed. first effect noticed was an euphoric calm-like feeling after which a state of intense drowsiness followed, also accompanied by insomnia and restless leg syndrome. it was a horrible state as i couldn't do anything because of the drowsiness but couldn't sleep either. | M | 19 | | 1/16/2008 | 4 | bipolar, anxiety, insomnia | restless leg | This drug has helped tremendously with my panic attacks and depression. I am sleeping through the night consistently. 100 mg a day don't help me sleep as heavily as I'd like, but 200 mg increases the restless leg problem which lasts about an hour before falling asleep. I have not experienced any noticeable weight gain. I have not had as much help with my anxiety and depression as I have had with Seroquel. I couldn't imagine taking more than 200 mg a day, though.. | F | 32 | 6 months | 1/17/2008 | 1 | Secondary insomnia | VERY drowsy in the am. After 1 month, dose increased from 50 mg to 100 mg. Now I feel like a zombie. I am going to stop taking it. VERY scary dreams - Freddy Kruger type dreams where u are in a dreamlike state and wake up trying to talk/scream. Sugar cravings, eating in middle of night (which I have NEVER done). | My doc prescribed this for "secondary" insomnia. He says if you find your thoughts racing at night, this drug will shut off your thinking. I feel like I am losing my mind now, harder to fall asleep now, afraid of falling asleep. I don't get it, I have always been "pretty together" as a person. I feel crazy now. I am going to stop this insane junk. | F | 49 | 2 months | 1/18/2008 | 4 | anxiety,insomnia | 58 | 6 days | 1/19/2008 | 1 | bi-polar | Weight gain. | We thought Seroquel was working a little for our daughter (now 11, she started at 9). But when it seemed to be working less well, the dosage would be increased. Finally, after maxing out on the dosage, we came to the realization that this drug was a disaster. We think all it was doing was making her tired. So the combination of the rage of bipolar disorder and tiredness was making her even worse. We dropped it and tried Risperdal, which was her wonder drug. Without Risperdal she was heading toward institutionalization. | F | 11 | 18 months | 1/19/2008 | 5 | bi polor and to help me sleep | it just makes u really tired and hungry i would fall asleep with food in my mouth | F | 23 | 2 years | 1/20/2008 | 4 | Bipolar I | Very groggy in the morning and find it hard to get up early. Also, if I am forced to wake up too early, I have "waking dreams" with Seroquel...kind of like hallucinations, but more like a dream (except I know I am awake and what I am seeing is not real). I don't dare drive before 10 am. | I take this drug 25mg in the morning and 50 mg at night along with 125mg Lamictal. I used to only be on the Lamictal and became suicidal. In the hospital they added Seroquel to my regimine, and two nights later I woke up laughing in my sleep; the improvement in my mood was incredible in both its degree and its rapidity. Mild weight gain has been an issue, but I now just avoid sugar and simple carbs and exercise more. | F | 40 | 1 years | 1/20/2008 | 4 | Anxiety & Depression | Sleepiness and dry mouth (but both really did stop after 2 weeks). Awesome sleep continued after the sleepiness stopped. | Antidepressants or benzos work by "compensating" (for depression or anxiety or mania). Seroquel works by "normalizing." So at a low dose it works for insomnia and at a high dose, it works for schizophrenia. For me, Seroquel really helped stop suicidal thinking. Since it's great for PTSD, it got me to finally acknowledge and deal with having been an abused child. I never realized how much supressed memories were messing me up every day. I have to credit Seroquel(100mg 2x/day) for giving me the strength to deal with this -- something that years of SSRIs couldn't do. After being on Seroquel for 6 months, I downgraded to benzos for a year and then to nothing. Hopefully I'll continue to stay well. The two biggest problems with Seroquel (my opinion) are: 1) It "turns off" your ability to feel hungry or full, which means that you overeat -- and gain 30 pounds in the process. If you know this -- and can measure portions instead of trusting your | F | 40 | 6 months | 1/20/2008 | 1 | depresssion sleep problems | Dry Dry Dry mouth chest pain strange feeling slept 10 hours woke up felt drunk and tried I felt like I was on fire | This is the worst medicine I have ever taken. It gave me the sickest horrible nightmares And I dream the same nightmare twice. I couldn't wait until this garbage was out of my system. This drug is Creepy.... Do not take this stuff.... | F | 46 | 1 days | 1/20/2008 | 3 | DID, PTSD, depresssion, insomnia | I gained over 40 pounds on this medication. I have been gaining weight with several anti psychotics for a while. I went from 110 to 230 pounds, then I finally went from 230 to 165 and then my new psychiatrist started me on Seroquel, very slowly. I then gradually went up to 195 and I can not lose it no matter what I try. My Psychiatrist reduced my dose from 800mg to 600 mg at bedtime. I do crave sweet foods late at night. | I hate the weight gain but it helps me sleep when I don't take it I just don't sleep at all and become paranoid and suffer horrible child sexual abuse flashbacks. There has got to be a better way to help with PTSD effects rather than a drug that causes horrible weight gain. I used to be an active anorexic and was very thin and this just makes everything so much worse with body image. | F | 38 | 2 years | 1/21/2008 | 3 | bipolar, obsessive thoughts | weight gain, weight gain, weight GAIN. 40 lbs in 12 mos- and subseqeunt depression because of it! Blurred Vision, dopey "out of it", thinking slowed way down, no mojo, sleeping more, wake up in a fog, DEPENDENCY. | How do I describe how seroquel has been both my wonder drug & worst enemy? This was the 1st med prescribed after a yr of rapid cycling mania/depression & the inability to sleep due to racing/obsessive thoughts. The 1st night I took this pill, 25 mg which still knocks me out after a yr I thought I died & went to heaven. Sure I nearly fell into my plate head 1st at the dinner table & my speech was that of a drunk, but SLEEP- precious sleep! This med quells mania & knocks you out cold. Sadly, this med also made me an insatiable cookie monster. Shortly after ingestion, I am literally 'driven' to seek & devour any sweet & cakey thing in my path before rolling over & falling asleep with nuts & chocolate packed in my teeth. This pill has also given me cavities. I have, on occasion woken up @ mid-night & eaten 2 heaping bowls of sugary cereal like a starving, rabid animal & then topped that off w/ a snack cake chaser before tossing my exhausted bloat | F | 29 | 1 years | 1/22/2008 | 5 | Bipolar, anxiety | sleepiness & weight gain | I was taking this several years ago and gained 60 pounds. that was the main vain reason i quit using it. i did lose the weight, though my severe level of anxiety and quick witted anger has taken control of my life. i now take seroquel again 400mg daily along with 3 tranquilizers a day (lorazepam). As i told my doc... living in my brain was like pure hell on a daily basis. At this point, I welcome the lethargic afternoon naps and the dyslexic typing, thank goodness for spellcheck and a very understand loving family. I've already noticed the weight gain again... shooot. but days of normalcy outweigh the extra pants size or two... hell... maybe i'll go up a cup size! lol | F | 38 | 1 months | 1/24/2008 | 2 | Insomnia - (am also Bipolar) | Very dry mouth, very dry, sore eyes, bad taste in mouth, drowsiness, constipation, hang-over effect, mind fuzziness. | I'm very worried about taking this medication after reading the comments here. I for sure do not want more weight gain and these awful side effects. But can anyone tell me what has worked better for insomnia due to anxiety? I took 100 mg of the Seroquel the first night - was way too hung over next day, then 35-50 mg the next 3 nights - 1 of those nights did not sleep well at all. Last night was better but today am quite groggy. I also take Lamotrigne 200 mg and Lithium 900 mg/day. If anyone has gone off the Seroquel, can you write about your experience, and what if anything did you take instead? | F | 54 | 4 days | 1/26/2008 | 4 | OCD/GAD/Chronic Insomnia/Bi Polar | Negatives: Carb craving/weight gain; restless legs syndrome; lack of drive; reduced libido; stuffy nose; reduced after several weeks of treatment. Positives: mood stabilized, anxiety greatly reduced without the use of Benzos, anger control, no nightmares, better quality of sleep, greatly reduced OCD/repetitive thoughts. | I have been on Seroquel XR 400mg for about two weeks now and all of the above negative side effects have increased. I will be titrating myself back down to 300mg XR this week since the side effects were less intense with the same degree of positives (the RLS and lack of sex drive in particular). Definitely give this drug time to work, as the side effects do lessen over time after the first few weeks of treatment or dosage change. The weight gain is a problem, but drink a lot of water and excercise regularly and you can at least stop the weight gain. The XR does not give you as large of a rush when you first take it at night, works throughout the day to help with your disorders, and I recommend it over taking multiple doses throughout the day to avoid the up and down feeling. I definitely feel the benfits heavily outweigh the side effects once you are accustomed to how the medication affects you. Everyone around me has noticed how my behavior has greatly improved and I feel human | M | 33 | 3 months | 1/28/2008 | 2 | Bipolar Disorder | Nighmares; Erratic, painful, heavy periods; spaced out, hard to concentrate at work; sleeping a lot but tired all day; no sex drive | F | 39 | 6 months | 1/29/2008 | 4 | Chronic, life-long insomnia | I have not experienced the typical side-effects of weight gain or the other effects I've read about. I began with 50 mg dose at night, but I was sleeping 10-12 hours, so I cut the pills in half (12.5 mg) and that did the trick. I thought I had found the "Holy Grail" of sleep aids, since nothing had ever worked before. However, after about six months, the effects seemed to wane slightly. A couple of months ago, I began to have intermitten full-on panic attacks. At first, I thought it was stress from the holidays. But the panic attics continued and grew worse in January, and I began sleeping less. | I'm beginning to fear that my body is becoming immune to the drug, and that the effects are changing from a positive sleep aid to a negative anxiety inducer. I mean, even trivial things were starting to just FREAK ME OUT, such as the thought of needing to affix the 2008 stickers to my automobile license plates or refilling my pets' food bowls. I tried going off it a couple of nights, but I flat-out could NOT sleep. I'm giving it a few more days, and then I'm calling the sleep clinic and asking to try something new. I would love to hear from anyone else who has experienced these symptoms. | M | 45 | 9 months | 1/30/2008 | 1 | Severe Depression and Anxiety | MAJOR WEIGHT GAIN. I wasn't overweight when I started taking Seroquel, and never had been, but it put 100 POUNDS on me within 12-18 months! I'm not kidding. | The 100 pound weight gain from Seroquel has been devastating to me. I want to hide in my house so that people won't see me. It has caused me to have GERD (gastro-esophogeal reflux disease) where I've had to have two operations where they've put a camera and a scope down my throat. Acid reflux was causing erosions in my esophagus (all because of the weight gain due to the Seroquel). And then I developed severe sleep apnea, once again due to the horrific weight gain due to the Seroquel. I had two polysomnographies and I would stop breathing 1,000 times a night. I now have to breathe with a CPAP machine forcing air down my airway at night so that I don't stop breathing or have a heart attack. I can barely move now-- getting up and down from bed or a chair and even walking a few steps is very difficult. I can't clip my own toenails or shave my legs or put on my shoes because of the terrible weight gain due to the Seroquel. I live in fear of developing heart disease and diabetes. | F | 41 | 2 years | 1/31/2008 | 1 | Anxiety | Very lethargic, cannot function at all, indigestion, uncontrolable movements, if I would close my eyes, I would start 'soaring', blurred vision, fast heartbeat, stomach upsets | On the second day of taking it, I had an indigestion in the morning and stomach upsets. I was very lethargic and I would not recommend to begin a treatment with seroquel if you have work the next day. | M | 22 | 4 days | 2/1/2008 | 4 | bi-polar/ phychosis | weight gain due to cravings already described, really vivid nightmares,does knock me out pretty quickly. | I was first diagnosed as bi-polare 16 yrs ago and have been on about every med you can think of. I'm currently taking depakot,sero,klonopin,and,invega. My symptoms have been pretty severe through the years ie, several hospitalizations a number of mania induced legal problems that sort of thing. I think that this med is very powerful effective for me but you should way this against the severity of your own symptoms.I can't see this as being the answer to insomnia, depresion,anxiety It just seems like overkill. | M | 32 | 3 months | 2/4/2008 | 4 | to correct a tic I developed | worst side effect is difficulty in waking up in the morning. Also, I perspire in my feet and groin. | Big upside is worth low downside, for me. | M | 55 | 4 months | 2/5/2008 | 1 | Bi-polar II | DON'T TAKE!!! Anger, agitation, 2-3 hour crying spells like I've never had before. You will turn into someone else. Not cool. | Seroquel made me psychotic (ironically), and that's on the lowest dose! Please hear me out as I have a MA in Psych. and I am like you, off the bell-curve with supposed "Bipolar II". I've given this drug 3 chances the last 6 mo., & have not been able to take it. After drowsiness wears off, agitated in bed, angry, have 2-3 hour crying spells, and this last time at 3:30 a.m., had to get out of bed and hit my pillow against the wall because of anger and agitation. This is not like me!! My Bi-polar symptoms are quite different than this. I have never done this before and it happens when I take seroquel. People, please be careful! Be yourselves without taking drugs. Just because we don't conform to the norm in society doesn't mean we are not healthy or that we need fixed. There are no medical tests to prove "mental disorder". Be your creative unique selves w/out thinking you need to be a 9-5 M-F person. I'm done with pcyhiatric meds. Interesting how anti-depressant | F | 33 | 1 weeks | 2/5/2008 | 5 | INSOMNIA | ALITTLE FOGGY IN THE AM BUT NOT TO BAD WORE OFF WITH BREAKFAST AND A CUP OF COFFEE. | I ONLY TOOK 12.5 MG AND THIS STUFF REALLY WORKS!!! I HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO SLEEP FROM AMBIEN, LUNESTA, XANAX, LIBRIUM AND NOTHING EVER KEPT ME ASLEEP!!! THIS DRUG MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT MEDICATION FOR ME!!! MEDICATION WORKS DIFFERENTLY FOR EVERYBODY ...IT MAY BE WHATS RIGHT FOR YOU!!! | F | 33 | 3 months | 2/8/2008 | 4 | Anxiety; Depression; Mood Swings | Drowsiness; dizziness | Love the drug; it has made me feel like a normal person again. I take Prozac as well as Seroquel in order to subside some of the violent mood swings one may experience as a side-effect of fluoxetine. Great medication; recomend it highly. | M | 25 | 2 months | 2/9/2008 | 1 | insomnia | I took it before bedtime and had extreme restlessness and couldn't lay still, was extremely hungry and had to get up to eat, and it took longer to get to sleep than usual. I eventually did get to sleep and woke up groggy. I reduced the dose and had less extreme side effects but it still made my insomnia worse | M | 40 | 12 days | 2/10/2008 | 1 | bi polar/ insomnia problems | The very first night I took this it immediately knocked me out. The next morning I literally could not lift my head off of my pillow and I was drooling. I could not get out of the bed to go to the bathroom until noon and then everything was slow. I spent 2 days in the bed behind one of these dangerous little pills. | I think this medicine could be very dangerous and when I told mey doctor how this medicine had me " paralyzed" she said she had never heard of anyone having this experience before. | F | 28 | 1 days | 2/11/2008 |