Increased dose of Quetiapine - more anxious?

[Greycylinder]

Dear All,

I am now on 45mg Mirtazapine, 200mg slow release Quetiapine and 100mg fast release Quetiapine at night and the psychiatrist has now added an additional 50mg fast release Quetiapine in the morning. I have felt worse than ever today after the morning dose. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Benjammin69]

Dear All,

I am now on 45mg Mirtazapine, 200mg slow release Quetiapine and 100mg fast release Quetiapine at night and the psychiatrist has now added an additional 50mg fast release Quetiapine in the morning. I have felt worse than ever today after the morning dose. Has anyone else experienced this?



Hi ya! Sorry I reply to most of your posts but I take the same medications you do. What are they trying to control your anxiety or your depression?? And how long u been on those meds? Some doctors/psychs use quetiapine instead of Benzos and they don’t work that way. What is the aim of increasing your quetiapine??



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[Greycylinder]

The shrink says my anxiety is because of my depression rather than a standalone condition. He is trying to control the panic and anxiety. He has given me a few diazepam too but I have not been taking them. I know they work but I am scared of becoming dependent on them.

And thanks for answering me Ben :)

[Benjammin69]

The shrink says my anxiety is because of my depression rather than a standalone condition. He is trying to control the panic and anxiety. He has given me a few diazepam too but I have not been taking them. I know they work but I am scared of becoming dependent on them.

And thanks for answering me Ben :)


What mg diaZepam you on? Is it a nhs psych or private? My nhs psych got me on quetiapine upto 350mg and my private psych says it’s not great for anxiety, it’s not even licensed for it. It just sedates you.

Your much better off trying to control it with mirtazapine and diazepam then slowly reducing the diAzepam once anxiety is under control. As you will need to reduce mirt quet etc and they can be tough xx

[Greycylinder]

They have only given me 2 times 5mg diazepam daily but I have hardly taken them. I will phase out the extra 50mg quetiapine in the morning and take the diazepam more regularly. I had the night from hall. Nightmares, sweating and no decent stretch of sleep at all. Terrified again this morning.

[Benjammin69]

They have only given me 2 times 5mg diazepam daily but I have hardly taken them. I will phase out the extra 50mg quetiapine in the morning and take the diazepam more regularly. I had the night from hall. Nightmares, sweating and no decent stretch of sleep at all. Terrified again this morning.



You know what it took me ages to start using diazepam or Benzos properly and you know what. A psych said to me - I am giving you all the tools to use but your choosing not to use them ..... that made me realise that taking a benzo isn’t always bad. Look mirtazapine took ages to start working for me and I’m on 45mg now for last 35 days and I wouldn’t say I feel better than when I was on 30mg yet. Quetiapine should not be used for GAD honestly it shouldn’t.... you need to get the anxiety under control - maybe a low dose of a tricyclics may be better for you than augmentation with quetiapine. I have been on mirtazapine and quetiapine for years and it has never ever controlled my anxiety. It sorts the depression but not the anxiety unfortunately so don’t be scared to tell them it’s not working and try something else - alternatively it may work very well for you we are all chemically different


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[Greycylinder]

Thank you Ben. I will use the diazepam going forward. I do trust my psychiatrist so I will battle on until I find the right combination. So bloody hard not to give up hope :weep:

[Greycylinder]

[QUOTE=Benjammin69;1775371]You know what it took me ages to start using diazepam or Benzos properly and you know what. A psych said to me - I am giving you all the tools to use but your choosing not to use them ..... that made me realise that taking a benzo isn’t always bad. Look mirtazapine took ages to start working for me and I’m on 45mg now for last 35 days and I wouldn’t say I feel better than when I was on 30mg yet. Quetiapine should not be used for GAD honestly it shouldn’t.... you need to get the anxiety under control - maybe a low dose of a tricyclics may be better for you than augmentation with quetiapine. I have been on mirtazapine and quetiapine for years and it has never ever controlled my anxiety. It sorts the depression but not the anxiety unfortunately so don’t be scared to tell them it’s not working and try something else - alternatively it may work very well for you we are all chemically different


Hi Ben,

You're always kind enough to reply to me on here. This is my 3rd day on the 50mg fast release Quetiapine and it is the worst so far. I had to get to hospital for a psychology assessment and I don't know how I did it. I put one foot in front of the other as we all do and I was like a zombie when I did get there. I could barely speak or open my eyes. I came home after walking like a snail for over an hour and took a 5mg Diazepam and almost immediately I felt a tiny bit better. A smidgeon of hope came back to me. I think tomorrow I will only 25mg in the morning and a diazepam in stead of the other 25. I can't see that I will get horrible withdrawals after only 3 days. Do you think I am thinking right on this? This tiny sliver of hope feels a breakthrough today.

[Benjammin69]

[QUOTE=Benjammin69;1775371]You know what it took me ages to start using diazepam or Benzos properly and you know what. A psych said to me - I am giving you all the tools to use but your choosing not to use them ..... that made me realise that taking a benzo isn’t always bad. Look mirtazapine took ages to start working for me and I’m on 45mg now for last 35 days and I wouldn’t say I feel better than when I was on 30mg yet. Quetiapine should not be used for GAD honestly it shouldn’t.... you need to get the anxiety under control - maybe a low dose of a tricyclics may be better for you than augmentation with quetiapine. I have been on mirtazapine and quetiapine for years and it has never ever controlled my anxiety. It sorts the depression but not the anxiety unfortunately so don’t be scared to tell them it’s not working and try something else - alternatively it may work very well for you we are all chemically different


Hi Ben,

You're always kind enough to reply to me on here. This is my 3rd day on the 50mg fast release Quetiapine and it is the worst so far. I had to get to hospital for a psychology assessment and I don't know how I did it. I put one foot in front of the other as we all do and I was like a zombie when I did get there. I could barely speak or open my eyes. I came home after walking like a snail for over an hour and took a 5mg Diazepam and almost immediately I felt a tiny bit better. A smidgeon of hope came back to me. I think tomorrow I will only 25mg in the morning and a diazepam in stead of the other 25. I can't see that I will get horrible withdrawals after only 3 days. Do you think I am thinking right on this? This tiny sliver of hope feels a breakthrough today.



Hi yeah so it sounds to me like you are having a negative effect to the start up if seroquel.. the recommended dosage for major depressive disorder is 300mg and I went up to 350mg all Slow release. I would maybe suggest talking to your psych about going on to the slow release for all of your dosage this will reduce the harsh hit you seem to be getting from the fast acting quetiapine. As said before I think your psych is using quetiapine like a Benzo in which it will sedate you, slow you down etc it takes 4-6 weeks to work in depression. Also at dosages over 300mg it begins to work on different receptors - dopamine and noradrenaline so it will have a different effect on you than serotonin base. I know you will get loads of people that tell you not to use benzo but I am one that have used them for many a years and you have to manage your tolerance and dependence - that’s the most important thing with benzos. I keep a calendar or what days I use them and the stressors that caused it then discuss it with my therapist and together we can talk about the weeks I’ve had. If you need anyone to talk to remember I have Been exactly where you are taking exactly the same meds at exactly the same dosage... so I know?


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[Greycylinder]

Thank you Ben. I will talk to them tomorrow when they visit me at home. Appreciated.