Has anyone had or heard of quetiapine ?

[jodester]

Hi Tristan,

After much deliberation last night I finally conceded and took the Quetiapine 50mg XL. I don't remember how I felt last time but feel really zonked today and can feel anxiety trying to get in but drugs are keeping it away a little. Got a slight headache and tummy ache that comes and goes. I know that I need to keep with it a couple more days for body to calm down but have to break it today as psychotherapy assessment first thing in morning arghhhhhh and just won't get up.

The sedation can wear off after a few weeks of taking it and also I've heard the higher the dose the less sedating. Not sure how that works! I know 5 days feels like forever when you are living this hell but time can make a difference to how it affects us and I know after a couple of weeks last time on it the side effects did lessen.

Jo x

[TRISTAN]

Thanks Jo , when I first started taking it I did get some really bad headaches and felt and still feel really tired in the day but just power through and hoping for better days , the mornings are hell for me but gets a bit better by lunch time

Only been on fifty since Friday last week and was on 25 b4 that so still early days for us , my body is still getting use to citalipram , the doctor said take 40 but I have gone back down to 30 for a few days as 40 seems to much to cope with .

Take care and stay in touch as to how you are getting on x x

[TRISTAN]

Upped to 100 :(

[TRISTAN]

Racing , thumping heart today and weird sensation going through body , is this a normal side effect ?

[TRISTAN]

For the first time in months I woke to my alarm going off

[Emphyrio]

Would you recommend quetiapine for dealing with chronic anxiety and panicy/adrenalin feelings?

[TRISTAN]

It has helped , still not where I need to be but fingers crossed x

[Emphyrio]

I have some 25mg tablets. In terms of the 'stigma' of mental health medication, I think I've reached the ultimate level. I've had loads of different antidepressants before, but its the first time I've had 'antipsychotic' meds. The pharmacist mentioned that she would put them into an anonymous package - this has never happened to me with any of my other meds!

I'm still in 2 minds about taking them. I could cut them into quarters to start with just so I know how they affect me...

---------- Post added 12-02-14 at 01:37 ---------- Previous post was 11-02-14 at 23:06 ----------

Decided to go for 12.5mg around 5-10 minutes ago. I really don't know what will happen, though I do have some spare diazepam if I have some kind of weird reaction...

[yenool]

They seem to dish out antipsychotics like smarties these days. All the antidepressants have failed me be but one of the reasons I am reluctant to ask my GP for a referral to a psychaitrist is that I don't think I would want an antipsychotic medication.

The side effects just sound nasty - weight gain, diabetes, being 'doped up', some rare but potentially permanent movement disorders... ugh.

[Emphyrio]

I agree with you yenool. I only wanted to try quetiapine because at low doses it only affects histamine and adrenaline receptors - pretty much like Mirtazapine does. For anxiety/sedation people take 25/50, for depression around 150 (when it starts affecting serotonin receptors), and for psychosis/bipolar above 300mg, where it starts antagonising dopamine receptors.

The nasty antipsychotics are the ones like olanzapine and risperidone, which affect dopamine from the outset. You wouldn't get me to take them with a bargepole.

What are your issues yenool and why didn't the antidepressants help?

Incidentally, the half tablet I took sedated me and made me sleep but did nothing whatsover for the anxiety. I was anxious yet sedated - a nasty combo.