serequel........yay or nay

[nordicnicki]

I come on here everyday and have a nose at everyones posts......there is one thing that i have noticed and that is the amount of negativity about the drug called serequel.
What i want to know is what exactly is it doing to all you guys that are taking it and what are its good points.
I am relatively new to the drug i have only been on it for a month and have already noticed an increased appetit for food and at night i am getting RLS.

[Phyllis]

Seroquel in my opinion is a great drug. It has helped me immensely. I have been on it for 6 years. But in those 6 years I have not gotten my levels checked -- I was never suggested to do so by my Pdoc nor my GP at the time (New GP now, old one passed away). I was not however unaware that people were supposed to get levels checked, but I thought it was only for Lithium users. 6 years later, I get my levels checked, low and behold, my liver enzymes are "pretty high". One of the side affects of seroquel is liver damage. Along side of weight gain; which I have, high cholesterol; which I have but I will associate that with my diet, not the seroquel. In the beginning I was on 600mg. Now I am on 300mg. (well, actualy 150mg since I am weaning myself off of it.) From time to time the seroquel zombifies me. I cant swallow properly, it causes me to be extreemly drowsy which is why I only take it at night. It causes me to eat like a bear before hibernation. All of these little side affects I can take. But I have to call it quits when my internal organs are getting harmed. I have urged a few friends that I know who are on  it, to get their LFT's checked if they don't get it done already. I fucked up and waited too long. Now, I  have to go through another round of LFT's and more sugar testing (oh, yea... lets not forget that seroquel can also cause diabetes.) If my LFT's are still high or higher, I will be sent to a Hepatologist (Liver Doctor) and have more tests done or even a biopsy. Fun? Not so much.

So, I urge you to make sure you get your LFT's checked (I believe this is also something they check with lithium users, I could be wrong though)Do a lot of research about seroquel. Look for alternatives. But if you stay on it get those levels checked!!!!


The good points for me was that it kept my head from buzzing around like a whirlwind and it kept my anger in check.

[Paz]

 Seroquel will slowly kill you by ruining your body, and then your mind will follow. DON'T take it...it's shit, and the drug company has been hit with many lawsuits because they knew that there were terrible side effects, but they kept pushing it anyway all in the name of the almighty dollar. There are other meds that you can take...but honestly, haven't meds been making you sick, and haven't you needed to take other meds to counteract the side effects from the original meds? Where will it end? Possibly with you in the hospital...not from BP symptoms, but from med side effects. Just my 2 cents.

[christian.156]

Phyllis: Are you weANING yourelf off the drugs with pdocs help, or are you just doing it?

[k]

nicki, i've mentioned this before but since i recently went over it with my pdoc just last week i'll tell you my experience with seroquel.  i started seroquel 10 years ago at 600mg.  i took it both at night and during the day.  at first it did feel like a miracle drug for me.   only after taking it did i finally feel how a more normal brain would function. only after taking it did i really understand that i was sick. it finally allowed me to sleep and be more responsible.  i loved feeling normal.  but within the first year i gained about 40lbs.  which caused me to be more sluggish and a drop in self esteem.  i developed the night eating thing where i'd wake up with food still in my mouth.  it also can cause a decrease in blood pressure which in a way is good but then that caused my pulse to race so i need meds to slow it down.  my doctor told me i needed to get off of it but she called my pdoc and after they chatted they decided i was better off taking the seroquel even with the side effects.  -oh, shit it's such a long story...went off of it and totally cracked up then tried every other drug on the market to no avail and finally went back on seroquel, the new seroquel xr.  i have found it doesn't increase my appetite nor cause the sluggishness but i am allowed to vary it anywhere from 300 down to 50mg.   i try to get by on 100mg.     last week i told my pdoc i felt bad that i was still taking seroquel and that it was such a bad drug everyone i hear from says to go off of it.  he told me considering my lack of luck with anything else the benefit far out wayed the risk - for me.  but he does not believe it's a bad drug.  even though i hate the side effects and the fact it will probably cause me to get diabetes and to die much younger i would totally be frightened to not have it available.   i'd try everything else first but if seroquel gives you enough benefit try it for awhile and do like phyllis advised keep getting your blood work done.  good luck nicky it's a tough decision.

[Phyllis]

christian-
I am doing it all on my own. Probably not the wisest choice, but I seem to be doing ok thus far.

[christian.156]

I cant see any pdoc in the universe who would help you go off meds anyhow. can you?

[Phyllis]

yeah, probably not, hence the reason why I kinda did it myself. Maybe I'm just having a BP moment thinking everything is sunshine and roses. Hoping not.

[Paz]

 A Naturopath will help a person get of meds and help with lifestyle changes...at least the one I saw in Costa Rica did. And here it is almost a year and a half later and I am only on very minimal meds as needed. I have some episodes from time to time, but so far I am doing ok. We all have our ups and downs, but we have to try and cope the best we can, and I for one feel that I am able to cope better because I have a clear head. I have felt euphoric, and a bit depressed, but the feelings pass, as they always do. Sometimes it feels like they will never pass, but now I know from the experience of living with this thing that the feelings do eventually go away, although sometimes it feels like it takes an eternity.

[chasemanzmum]

Nay for it unless you are looking for something to put you to sleep. I found that when I was on it I slept too soundly that I didn't hear my baby cry.

[SmilingElephant]

Wow....well i've been on Seroquel for only about 5-6 months. But next time i talk to my pdoc i will tell her that i want to have my liver checked and esp. my blood sugar bc i have a higher risk of getting diabetes bc my mom is. I have been gaining weight but i lose it and gain it...yo yo weight. But i feel much better since being on it...but now i see all these really awful side effects that it CAN have now i'm having second thoughts about it.

So for the ones who are savvy about meds on here...what are the safer drugs out there for Bipolar Disorder?? What are other good anti-psychotics?

[Dreamline]

There is that one atypical they give to children that has less weight gain and stuff.  What the name, starts with a R.

[Phyllis]

Respiradol

[Ashes]

I've been on Risperdol before and felt like a zombie.  I also still became manic when they first started me on it.  Seroquil was a nay for me.  I had weight gain, slept too much and then it stopped working. 

[goosemuffin]

I didn't care fo r it. I was only on it 3 dats and slept 2 of them. I probably soiuld have given it more time but couldn' afford sleepig so much,