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Seroquel (Quetiapine) - Reviews, Ratings, Comments by Patients

 
 



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Below are Seroquel (Quetiapine) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 32 ratings/reviews, Seroquel has an overall score of 6. The effectiveness score is 7.69 and the side effect score is 5.69. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence.
 

Seroquel review by 55 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Insomnia
Dosage & duration:   25 mg. at bedtime taken once a day for the period of a few years
Other conditions:   migraines
Other drugs taken:   Gabapentin, Zoplicline, Actonel, Maxalt
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Was able to sleep for seven hours at night without waking up.
Side effects:   Bit of drowsiness in morning.
Comments:   I get depression quite badly and one of the precursers to that is usualy a period of severe insomnia, over days or weeks. Taking the Seroquel helps to ensure I have enough sleep so that depression doesn't often become a big problem. I know it's prescribed as anti-psychotic, but for me it's the effect ot drowsiness that my doctor desired, as I have no psychoses.

 

Seroquel review by 38 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   bipolar disorder
Dosage & duration:   100 mg taken daily for the period of still taking it
Other conditions:   OCD
Other drugs taken:   Xanax, Wellbutrin, Lexepro
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Mood was more stable. Better quality of sleep.
Side effects:   For the first few days of the use of Seroquel I had very bad nightmares. My nighmares felt so real that I almost stopped taking the medication. After about two day the nightmare just turned into very vivid dreams... sometimes very pleasant dreams. Seroquel also makes me urinate more often so I drink more water to stay hydrated.
Comments:   I was diagnosed with PTSD after several negative incidents happened in my life. There was a point when I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. The doctor started me on Seroquel... a very high dose at first, 300mg. Later when I found out about some of it's very negative side effects such as TD, I started taking only 100mg a night. And soon I will try to lower that dosage.

 

Seroquel review by 39 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Anxiety
Dosage & duration:   12.5 mg taken 1 per day for the period of 3 weeks
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   Lamictal
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Helped relieve anxiety
Side effects:   Dizziness, moodiness, anger and agitation
Comments:   At first the medication seemed to work wonders in a very short period of time (a few days). After about a week I began to get extremely moody - crying a lot, getting very angry and agitated. It appeared that once the medication started building up in my system the side effects became worse and worse. It was not worth it and I quit the medication within a few weeks.

 

Seroquel review by 40 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Sleeplessness and restless mind at night
Dosage & duration:   40 milligrams (dosage frequency: daily, right before bed) for the period of 3 weeks
Other conditions:   depression
Other drugs taken:   Prozac
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Calmed racing mind (caused by stress and depression) and allowed a restful night's sleep. Cleared the mind completely, did not dream at night, and did not wake during the night.
Side effects:   Difficulty waking up. Grogginess during the entire morning. Inability to clearly focus throughout the day, due to the grogginess. Increased frequency of migraines, in a person already subject to migraines.
Comments:   Prescribed to be taken nightly as needed. Originally prescribed 20 mg, increasing to 40 mg, and potentially increasing to 60 mg if needed for a 135 lb woman. Intended to be taken for a few months, but due to grogginess and difficulty focusing, stopped using it after 3 weeks.

 

Seroquel review by 45 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   schizo-affective disorder
Dosage & duration:   200mg taken once daily at bedtime for the period of 2 yrs
Other conditions:   high cholesterol
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   A very good nights sleep is one of the benefits, found out that the sedative effects are actually increased in the lower doses. I lowered my dosage and live the sound sleep. it knocked out my delusions and hallucinations, hopefully for good.
Side effects:   weight gain is the worst side effect, but a small price to pay for sanity.
Comments:   I actually ended up with motion disorders from all the other meds, the worst one being parkinsons for over a year. I had to take parkinsons drugs. It was so scary drooling all the time and looking stone faced, no expression. I dont feel any signs of this with the seroquel.

 

Seroquel review by 27 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Ineffective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar disorder, hypomania.
Dosage & duration:   100 mg taken 1 for the period of 5 days
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   Lithium Carbonate, Zetran,
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   None. I only took them for a couple of days, but had to stop because of the side-effects.
Side effects:   The biggest side-effect was that it made me experience shock-waves through my head and sometimes even my body, just like if someone would have turned on and off a lamp very quickly. That side-effect ended the same time I stopped taking Seroquel. The other one was that everything started to smell and taste very bad. Itīs hard to explain exactly how, but it was a mix of vodka and mould. After I stopped taking the medication it took 2 weeks for the taste/smell-problem to disapear.
Comments:   I was prescribed with Seroquel after I was released from hospital after a period of deep depression to help me to sleep better and stop me from becoming hypomanic.

 

Seroquel review by 19 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar Disorder
Dosage & duration:   100 mg taken daily - bedtime for the period of 2 months - continuing
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   Lamictal
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I was plagued with sleeplessness, and the seroquel worked wonders for that. I've noticed a decrease in the speed of my thoughts and can concentrate much better than before.
Side effects:   I find it gives me pretty severe tremors in my hands. It doesn't happen as often as it used to, but when it does it's almost a minute before it stops. Also I get extemely vivid dreams, usually about mundane things. Some light headedness and dizziness still occurs, but the instances are few and far between now.
Comments:   Was hospitalized for two weeks after a suicide attempt. Was treated in hospital and released after properly medicated and was of sound mind.

 

Seroquel review by 20 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Insomnia, Bipolar
Dosage & duration:   200mg taken daily for the period of Still taking it
Other conditions:   Depression
Other drugs taken:   Cipralex
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Calmed Anxiety - Was having 4-6 anxiety attacks daily. Helped to stabilize my mood. Slept at least 7 hours - Initially was started on sleeping pills. Would wake up around 5 times a night. With the Seroquel I only wake up a couple times a night.
Side effects:   First day I took off from work. Felt as if I was trapped in someone elses body. Driving wasnt a good decision either. Left me drowsy for the first week. **Now its a God send. I dont feel any side effects!!
Comments:   Start at 50mg for two nights. Then increased to 100mg. Two weeks later increased to 200mg.

 

Seroquel review by 21 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar Disorder
Dosage & duration:   300mg taken at bedtime for the period of currently taking medication
Other conditions:   Insomnia, General Anxiety Disorder, Hypertension, Hypermania
Other drugs taken:   Atenolol, Lamictal, Lithium Carbonate, Alprazolam, HTP, St. John's Wort
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   decreases episodes of mania, and provides a full nights sleep.
Side effects:   sedation, difficulty waking up in the morning due to sedation side effects (increased drowsiness), tachycardia.
Comments:   Started at 50mg on day1, 100mg at day2, 200mg at day3, and finalizing prescription as ordered at 300mg on day4; with 300mg every night at bedtime.

 

Seroquel review by 22 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   PTSD, Bi-polar, anxiety
Dosage & duration:   300mg taken daily for the period of 8months
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I feel more level, able to think and concentrate, less stressed and not bothered about anything.
Side effects:   Seroquel hangover/comedown. Everyday I feel I am sweating all these nasty chemicals out of my skin, I feel weak, fatigued, numb and motionless, I am not climbing the walls of my room anymore, instead I sleep 20hours at a time and when i wake i want to eat everything in my house and go back to sleep. I cant function normally, yes i can be out in society and safe as it takes away my urges, but i feel emotionally numb, i can't cry and at night my legs twitch untill i pass out. Yes i am not trying kill myself, but am i really living like this?
Comments:   I started off on 25mg daily, mosved up to 150mg night and 100mg morning and now i am on 300mg of the XR Seroquel.

 

Seroquel review by 26 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Ineffective
Side effects:   Extremely Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   anxiety
Dosage & duration:   200mg taken once daily for the period of three months
Other conditions:   low level depression
Other drugs taken:   Cymbalta, Lamictal
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   None.
Side effects:   Seroquel caused severe paranoia in larger doses, severe tiredness in lower (25 50 and 100mg)doses. Paranoia was so severe, any simple noise caused erratic heart rate and rapid breathing. Drug also caused an inability to move, as if being restrained or weighed down in larger doses. After two years of not taking the drug, and only a week at the highest dosage, there are still problems with low lying feelings of paranoia. Ex; being afraid to go outside at night or be near a window at night or anywhere alone during the day when that was never a problem before the medication.
Comments:   25mg once at bedtime to start first week, then 50, 75, 100, 150, then 200mg final dosage after weekly increase. Tiredness was suppose to subside in increased dosages, which really I feel it was so highly increased that it had a reverse affect and made it impossible to sleep or move or even hear a pin drop without thinking it was the front glass door being broken into.

 

Seroquel review by 31 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   bipolar I
Dosage & duration:   100mg taken once daily and as needed for the period of 2 yrs, still on it
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   lithium, paxil
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The benefits were numerous, I don't have panic attcks for the first time in 20 yrs, and if I do, they are less than 20 seconds. I haven't had a mixed state or very rapid cycling since getting on it 2 years ago. These symptoms continued to get more severe until I got on this drug. Every episode was worse and lasted longer. This drug gave me my life back. I lost my job(s) and wound up in psychiatric inpatient care. But I have become steadily better since first taking the drug. I have to admit, to get to the point I'm at now took 2 years, but it's better then I was, and it's better than not getting better at all. The longer I'm on Seroquel, the better I feel. Also, I am able to sleep because of Seroquel. At the worst when I went into the hospital I couldn't sleep at all which was making my episode even worse. Sleeping drugs and benzodiazepines such as valium that were given to me made me feel horrible, very tired the next day, and even made me panic. Anticonvulsants and even other psychotics gave me panic attacks, made me antsy or made me so tired I couldn't even function in day to day life. Seroquel doesn't make me real tired, but it has made a sleep schedule possible again. I also don't feel too tired in the morning.
Side effects:   There are side effects of course, as there are with any drug. I have a little more stomach troubles than what I started with but that could be due to the Lithium. I have also had about 20 pounds of weight gain. Before the seroquel I was thin with a high metabolism. My weight is steady now, but at 20 lbs higher than it used to be. I tried losing the weight but it has been impossible to get it off. The drug doesn't make me groggy but I know some people on it that it just knocks out.
Comments:   I have been on and off lithium and paxil for years. I tried zyprexa, depakote Triliptal and Lamictal, but these made meunfunctionally tired or I had severe reactions to them. I have a problem where drugs create severe reactions and sensitivity in me so dr.s give small amounts of several rather than a mega dose of one. I tried Risperdal but it gave me severe panic attacks and restlessness. I started out with an antipsychotic and lithium at the hospital to bring the mania and mixed states down. Later I switched to seroquel and Paxil was added to help with my anxiety and depression. I was on Seroquel at a lower dose than most 200mg to start, 900mg lithium (anymore than that makes me very sick even though the blood tests show it's within normal limits)and Paxil at 25mg. Now 2 years later, as I am not in a severe episode I can get by on half the Paxil, 50 mg Seroquel and the lowest Lithium possible to keep it in treatment range. I raise the doses if I have to (with permission of the Nurse practitioner)and I take 25-50mg Seroquel as needed throughout the day if I need to for anxiety, although I don't need to very often. The combination of seroquel, Paxil and lithium works best together for me.

 

Seroquel review by 36 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Anxiety/mild PTSD
Dosage & duration:   25 mg/day taken once at night for the period of 3 weeks-current
Other conditions:   depressive episodes
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Stopped the constant racing thoughts at night. Finally could get some decent sleep. Before I'd lay in bed for hours on end thinking and thinking over and over until I was nuts. Now am able to sleep an entire night through with less paranoia to boot...
Side effects:   grogginess in the AM, definitely. Have to take some kind of caffeine pill to get going otherwise, I am a zombie. I have a job where I have to be 100% focused all day, and it's difficult getting out of the morning fog sometimes.
Comments:   I know there are issues with weight gain. Because of the sedative effects, this makes natural sense. I would advise people to try to incorporate as much exercise in their daily lives as possible to combat the weight gain. Also, if you typically take the drug at night, as I do, try not to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime. This is hard, but I have learned it is a small sacrifice so I feel more mentally stable.

 

Seroquel review by 37 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   sleep aid
Dosage & duration:   100mg taken 1x a day for the period of 2 mo
Other conditions:   anxiety
Other drugs taken:   paxil
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   This drug knocked me out i did not wake during the night nor did I remember any dreams. It was difficult to get up in the morning.. This drug is an effective sleep aid but with recent concerns i think there are better choices...
Side effects:   The worst side effect was that I gained weight at an alarming rate, almost like I had diabetes. Also the drug made me feel zombie like and flat....I think this too strong a choice as a sleep aid and there are better choices.
Comments:   Doctor perscribed this with paxil for and anxiety disorder. This was meant to help me sleep which it did and it REALLY knocks you out...do not take this drug and drive you will feel like a zombie...

 

Seroquel review by 38 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   bipolar mania
Dosage & duration:   50 mg taken as needed for the period of 2 years
Other conditions:   bipolar depression, anxiety
Other drugs taken:   lamictal
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I am using this on an as needed basis. I only take it a couple times a month, which is why 50mg still works for me. I may have to go to 100mg though. If I have been up for 20-25 hours straight and if I am still "bouncing off the walls" (manic), then this is great stuff to have. For as needed manic episodes and severe insomnia--this is great stuff.
Side effects:   Biggest problem is the LONG half-half. After sleeping for over 10 hours, I spend the next 6 hours after I wake up foggy-headed and VERY lethargic. After this I usually feel good again.
Comments:   I mainly suffer from severe depression and anxiety but after a couple weeks of this I sometimes suffer from 2 or 3 days of mania.

 

Seroquel review by 45 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Marginally Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar
Dosage & duration:   25 - 200 mg taken daily for the period of 3 months
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   lithium, tegretol
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I slept wonderfully well.
Side effects:   Staggering and running into objects in the house when I got up, wanting to sleep 18 hours a day, weight gain of 30 lbs in the short time I took it confusion, clouded thinking, forgetfullnes which increased the longer I was on the medication. The confusion, being in a daze part was the worst. I couldn't remember where my Doctor's office was located and I live in a small town and less that two miles from his office. My thinking cleared up as soon as I stopped taking the Seroquel. This was an awful medication for me.
Comments:   I took 200 mg at night at first. This was then decreased to 25 mg at night to help me sleep.

 

Seroquel review by care giver of 58 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Marginally Effective
Side effects:   Extremely Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   insomnia
Dosage & duration:   200mg taken at bedtime for the period of 4 months
Other conditions:   heart disease, depression, copd
Other drugs taken:   lopressor, ntg, renexa, lipitor, isosorbide, coreg, norvasc, ranintidine, welbutrin, plavix, asa
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   As a caregiver, I did not see any benefits, the patient continued to have problems with insomnia
Side effects:   The side effects of this medication in combination with the patient's medical condition and current medications were tremendous and in my opinion contributed to the patient's death. The patient started having delusions as well as other bizarre behavior and the family could not convince the patient otherwise. The patient was also on renexa which is known to be a strong inhibitor and I believe caused the seroquel to attain toxic blood levels. The family tried to contact the psychiatrist to discuss the problems but before this occurred, the patient went into v-fib miles from a hospital. It was more than 20 minutes before the life saving crew arrived at the scene and even longer before the patient arrived to the ER for treatment. The patient was pronounced dead on the scene.
Comments:   The patient was referred to the psychiatrist by his cardiologist secondary to depression and increasing insomnia. The patient had been on welbutrin for years for depression and smoking cessation. The psychiatrist kept the patient on welbutrin and added xanax for anxiety and seroquel for sleep at bedtime. Slowly the family started noticing strange behavior, delusions, and almost dementia type characteristics in the patient that occured over a 4 month period and began to get more severe. The family attempted to talk about the changes with the patient but as true delusional behavior dictates, the patient was unable to see any of the changes. The forgetfulness, clumsiness, and personality changes such as irritability increased. The family attempted to contact the psychiatrist but in interim, the patient died of a cardiac arrest. Even after talking to the psychiatrist after the patient's death, the psychiatrist denied that seroquel had any affect on the situation. The family and myself as the primary caretaker believe that seroquel was directly responsible for the patient's death. We do not plan to seek legal retribution but hope that anyone that reads this will be more cautious about prescribing seroquel in someone that already has cardiac problems and to please be careful about it's possible interactions with other medications!

 

Seroquel review by 21 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   No Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, GAD
Dosage & duration:   25mg taken nightly for the period of 2 months so far
Other conditions:   Just those listed
Other drugs taken:   Zoloft
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The greatest drug i have ever taken. I'm no longer on edge all the time - only thing that has calmed me down without making me a zombie. My anxiety has lessened tremendously. I have had no negative side-effects, it's fantastic!
Side effects:   None i have noticed other than drowsiness, which is why i take it before bed.
Comments:   25 mg of seroquel paired with 200 mg zoloft has helped significantly in treating my anxiety diesorders.

 

Seroquel review by 50 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Ineffective
Side effects:   Extremely Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   depression not resolved with antidepressant drugs
Dosage & duration:   50mg,100mg, 200mg taken daily for the period of several months
Other conditions:   PKD, HTN, GERDS, PTSD, anxiety, insomnia, Hx of migraines
Other drugs taken:   an antidepressant, zoloft was one tried, Lisinopril, zantac, xanax, then ativan,
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I can not say I can recall any positive benefits.
Side effects:   memory loss and auditory & visual hallucinations even at a dose of 50mg -200mg
Comments:   I am a 49 1/2 single women who prior to taking an antipsychotic criminal record was clear except for a rare speeding ticket. I also am a professional. I now have a record for criminal retail theft that was reduced to a misdemeanor. I tried abilify next, almost a year later & had the same side effect-memory loss & retail theft. All my life I have been a law abiding citizen with no criminal record until I tried 2 different antipsychotic medications & both caused me memory loss & had a effect on my reasoning. Yes, abilify made my feel real good, but it caused me to enter into a type 2 bipolar manic phase. I am now charged again with retail theft. I feel stongly that the antipsychotics cause these severe memory loss & lack of judgment for actions being commited. I am now 50 years old & can't get a job due to my criminal record.

 

Seroquel review by 28 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   borderline personality disorder
Dosage & duration:   400mg nightly taken daily before bed for the period of several years
Other conditions:   arthritis, PCOS
Other drugs taken:   effexor, lithium
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   i could sleep eventually due to long term insomnia. slow my thoughts down for the first 2 years.
Side effects:   for the first couple years on 600mg it would totally knock me out and i liked it because i was exuasted and it slowed down my thoughts. but after that it began to have an adverse effect where once it kicked in i would have a mild to moderate anxiety attack, then i would have to eat to ease the anxiety as it would make me very hungry, then i could finally sleep. but not well and very disturbed and interupted. exessive binge eating and sleep walking. blocked nose, and fearful of thoughts. wanted to get off for the past few years.
Comments:   it was a catch 22 where i would feel extremely anxious ans hungry when i would have my dose. but if i didn't id feel even worse where i couldn't sleep and feel extremely aggitated and distressed. i recently come off of it which involved an admission to a psyc ward and was weened off in ten days which was way to quick. it was horrible but iv been mentally much better for the past 3 years and i was sick of all the side effects. getting off it after all these years was very hard and im currently taking diazapam temporarily until the withdrawls ease. my goal is to have natural sleeps. its very hard to get off, but now i feel that i am well enough it will be very worth the result. i needed it at the time i was prescibed it but hated taking it the whole time. it is a very strong drug and should be used with much caution.

 

Seroquel review by 52 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar/raciness/insomnia
Dosage & duration:   600mg taken nightly for the period of 2 years
Other conditions:   reflux disease
Other drugs taken:   beta blocker, Prilosec
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   better sleep, less raciness
Side effects:   tired during the day. wetting my pants at night. weakness during day
Comments:   started at around 300mg and went up to 900mg but that was too much. Then moved to 600mg and doing fine.. I think a person needs to find the minum dose that works to avoid side effects. I am told that many people need high doses in the 600 to 800mg range to get results..

 

Seroquel review by 20 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar II
Dosage & duration:   200-400 mg. taken every night for the period of from age 15 to present
Other conditions:   Anxiety, eating disorder
Other drugs taken:   Lamictal, Wellbutron (Prozac at one point)
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Seroquel is the first medication that really seemed to work for me. I have taken it along with several different combinations of meds, but the Seroquel has remained in my regimen for the past 5 years. I play with the dosage and make my own changes (25 mgs at a time) based on how I'm doing, so I've taken between 200 and 400 mgs at any given time. The effects I attribute to the Seroquel include lessening of depression, anxiety and aggression.
Side effects:   Dry mouth, vivid dreams (I remember most of my dreams from the past 5 years), extreme lethargy (the Wellbutron helps counteract that)
Comments:   I currently take 200 mgs at night before bed along with 200 mgs of Lamictal and Wellbutron. No therapy anymore.

 

Seroquel review by 16 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar Disorder
Dosage & duration:   75mg but gradually increasing taken once a day for the period of 1 year onwards
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   Lexapro
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Manic episodes have been minimised! Although having to increase my dosage gradually to get rid of the highs altogether. Also puts me to sleep, whereas I used to be awake most nights from mania.
Side effects:   After an hour of taking Seroquel, if it hasn't knocked me out, my legs become numb and tingly (which causes a lot of discomfort, sometimes painful) and I have difficulty staying awake. If I don't take it early in the night, I will sleep through most of the next day, even through alarms.
Comments:   mood stabiliser

 

Seroquel review by 44 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   sleeplessness - depression
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken once per day for the period of continual
Other conditions:   fatigue
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   One of the side effects of Seroquel is sleepiness. Depression and fatique were a result of lack of deep sleep. Seroquel allowed the patient to obtain deep (REM) sleep allowing for a rejuvinated physical state that, in turn, lifted the mood and outlook of the patient.
Side effects:   Headache and drowsiness during the day were the number one and two side effects. The drowsiness was kept in check by adjusting the doseage downward.
Comments:   Started with 25 mg, moved up to 50 mg and then to 100 mg per day. Found it best to move back to 50 mg to avoid side effects. Note: Seroquel is usually used as an antipsychotic medication and/or used for manic depression. It was used in this case to 1) help with a sleep disorder that 2) led to depression.

 

Seroquel review by 20 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Ineffective
Side effects:   Extremely Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar disorder
Dosage & duration:   200mg taken 2 times per day for the period of 1 yr
Other conditions:   n/a
Other drugs taken:   Depakote and risperdol
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Well, in a technical sense it helped with the bipolar disorder, but the side effects were terrible enough that I could not continue with the medication.
Side effects:   While taking this med, along with the others listed, I couldn't think inside of my own head. During the time I took this medication, I had no emotional reations to anything, even things that I should have. I felt like a zombie the whole time. I've been off the medication for a few years now, but from that period of time, I only have 2 memories.
Comments:   I took 200 mg of seroqeul in the morning and before bed; 1000 mg of depakote morning, afternoon, and night, and 10mg risperdol morning, afternoon, and night. Most of the side effects are probably becuase I should never have been taking that many medications at once and the ammount of them, but that is how they were prescribed to me.

 

Seroquel review by 48 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   insomnia
Dosage & duration:   200 mg night taken daily for the period of two years
Other conditions:   depression
Other drugs taken:   prozac, wellbutrin
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   After suffering for years from insomnia and becoming addicted to Ambien, I was finally able to sleep and there was no worry about the side effects such as addiction.
Side effects:   I gained weight, had to take liver function tests as it's a toxic drug Also, my teeth were chipping and my doctor thought it may have been from the drug
Comments:   I took 200 mg a night for a couple years but after awhile my doctor was worried it was becoming toxic so she took me off it.

 

Seroquel review by 20 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bipolar Disorder / Insomnia
Dosage & duration:   300 mg at night taken daily for the period of 1 1/2 years
Other conditions:   Anxiety, Depression
Other drugs taken:   Hydroxyzine, Omeprazole (totally unrelated)
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Initially I was prescribed it to knock me the hell out after 4 days of beautifully manic insomnia. Then after the mixed episode ended they spiked the dose over the course of a few months to 300, where it sits. The effects, compared to when I was in the episode I'm very stable. Occasional bouts of mild, often topical depression, but otherwise okay. As for insomnia, it's gotten to the point where I'm almost dependent on it to sleep. Considering beforehand, even while not in a noted phase I would have serious problems sleeping, this is a welcome effect.
Side effects:   I'm very slow to get going in the morning. I often hit my snooze alarm 10-12 times (only 5 minutes a piece), but that could also stem from setting my alarm 3 hours before I have to be anywhere. The worst problem of it all is that it stuffs up my sinuses to the point where I can't breathe through them when getting to sleep. Combine that with dry mouth and you get some very uncomfortable nights. I've found that keeping a supply of corn chips and water next to my bed counteracts the dry mouth until I go unconscious and stop caring. Also, something which I'm not sure if I can blame the seroquel for; I sometimes get very mild but discomforting pains just under my left collarbone. Not like heart-chest pain (from what I'd imagine it's like), but a different pain. Hopefully my heart doesn't explode randomly.
Comments:   Dec 08- Zoloft, sparked a 3 week long mixed phase with psychotic features. 4 days into it I was prescribed 25 mg seroquel. Jan 09-April 09, Increasing doses of Seroquel, up to 300. Also Wellbutrin, starting at 50 and eventually reaching 300. The wellbutrin made me considerably more depressed than I was before, and I stopped taking it. Since then it's been the seroquel, and I've been mostly stable since.

 

Seroquel review by 43 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   bipolar
Dosage & duration:   50 mg taken 1x day for the period of 8 years
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   wellbutrin
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Seroquel provides a good night sleep, which is very important for mood stabilization. It also helps to calm, and smooth over the rough spots of daily living, while not robbing you of your personality, ie, you still feel like yourself, just calmer.
Side effects:   slight weight gain, and a bit(not too much) sleepier.
Comments:   Seroquel at night for sleep and mood stabilization

 

Seroquel review by 36 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Insomnia
Dosage & duration:   100 mg taken 1 for the period of 6 yrs
Other conditions:   GAD
Other drugs taken:   clonopin
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The quality of sleep is better that ohter drugs i've taken is the only benefit I find. I tried to taper off of it and fould it very difficult the lowest doesage i can take is 100mg. a little drowsy in the morning but after a couple of cups of coffee im fine.
Side effects:   sleepiness
Comments:   My advise: have a sleep study done to make sure its a psych. issue instead of a medical issue because i also suffer from sleep apnea and now use a CPAP

 

Seroquel review by 57 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   mood stabilizer taken w/ Prozac
Dosage & duration:   25mg. taken 3 times a day for the period of 14 years
Other conditions:   clinical depression
Other drugs taken:   Prozac and Tranxene
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Seroqel seems to calm my mind. It stopped terrible mood swings and irritability as well.
Side effects:   Weight gain in excess of 25 lbs.
Comments:   Seroquel was added to my medication regiment after two suicide attempts on Prozac alone. Once the Seroquel was added, I was able to feel calmer and the mood swings subsided as well.

 

Seroquel review by 20 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Marginally Effective
Side effects:   Extremely Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Bi-polar, depression
Dosage & duration:   100mg taken once a day for the period of 5 months
Other conditions:   N/A
Other drugs taken:   N/A
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   For the first two months it seemed to help, even though the first night on it was the scariest feeling ever. It made me motivated for those two months..
Side effects:   I ended up with severe anxiety and paranoia after taking this pill, something I had never had before taking it. After the initial 2 month honeymoon period, I felt like I was a zombie..I literally felt nothing at all, and if I was lucky enough to feel something, it would be anxiety. I'm STILL trying to reverse the effects of this drug, and I've been off it for over 3 years now. I would not recommend this to ANYONE, unless you're willing to ruin your personality & life for the sake of a two month good spell.
Comments:   .

 

Seroquel review by 22 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Severe insomnia
Dosage & duration:   100mg at bedtime taken every night for the period of About 3 months
Other conditions:   Rapid Cycling Mood Disorder (Rare bi-polar disorder)
Other drugs taken:   Lamictal, Lyrica, Trazodone
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Seroquel knocks you out, but for me it takes about 2 hours to start working. I take it about 2.5 hours before I actually want to get to sleep, and it lulls me into a very deep sleep. I rarely remember dreams. Seroquel has an amazing ability to erase memories of the day before, which for me is usually a good thing. Highly recommended for people with severe insomnia and/or rapid mood swings.
Side effects:   Weight gain and some grogginess in the morning. I am no longer a size 10, but I'm okay with it because sleep keeps me sane.
Comments:   I take one 100mg tablet about 2 hours before I go to bed (I have a slow metabolism). I allow about 30 minutes in the morning to wake up and be functional before I leave for work or school. I usually hit the snooze button about 3 times.
 


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