Thanks for all the replies, everyone.
I was on 50mg slow release and it made me sleepy all day, I quit it after 3 weeks of non-improvement.
I am on 800mg (was on 900) I am not sleepy during the day. I do have constipation but then again I am on other drugs which also cause constipation. So I am on a gut motility drug which mostly works.
When I was on 100 then 200mg the only side effect was sleepiness an hour after taking it.
The thing is with these drugs (and I have been on more psych drugs than anyone I know) is that people react differently to different drugs and you wont know what will happen until you try. The other thing is (and oh boy does this suck) is that it can take quite some time for beneficial effects to appear and not so good effects to go away.
You might try this site: http://crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage#.T-kAWHBaa60
I was on it for almost 2 years to treat mood disorder (as in, ‘mood disorder’ was the diagnosis, not that I had a subset like bipolar).
I was fat, sleepy and happy, as opposed to fat, less sleepy and totally batshit.
I have come to the conclusion that I prefer fat and happy.
I know a few people have likened a 12.5mg dose of Seroquel to a Micky Mouse dose that shouldn’t affect you, but from personal experience with the drug it was awful for me.
In my area of work I’m constantly fighting with psychiatrists and having to monitor the medications that are almost indiscriminately doled out, and I find the field of psychiatry atrocious. I’m sure there are some wonderful doctors out there, but my personal and professional experiences have been that of working with licensed drug dealers where just about every drug has an “off label” use. Because my clients have both severe psychiatric and intellectual/developmental disabilities, it seems many drugs are interchangeable more so now than they ever were, and many people are intimidated to question a physician’s judgement.
Bottom line: You have every right to question what you are being prescribed if you do not have a clear diagnosis. For some people, 12.5mg is like taking a sugar pill, and 800mg is a therapeutic dose. Some do well with 100mg. For me, Seroquel was prescribed to treat my chronic insomnia, but at 12.5mg I felt like I was hit by a truck the next day and my functioning was completely impaired. Ambien at 10mg worked pretty well, but my neurologist wanted me off and prescribed Elavil. I remembered a bad experience a few years ago with it, but I couldn’t remember the dose I was prescribed then, so I agreed to try it - and had to call in to work the next day (and this was only 10mg). I refused to keep taking it - what good is a solid night of sleep if I can’t even stay awake to put my make up on, make breakfast or even drive to work the next day? That’s really scary.
On the other hand I do have a diagnosis of ADHD and I take 50mg of Vyvanse every day (which is typically for adult ADHD). Adderall, Concerta and Ritalin gave me no therapeutic effects although on each med I was taking what most people take during active addiction. I suppose one could argue those medications would probably keep me up at night, but the insomnia I’ve had for years, long before taking any ADHD meds.
I guess the point of all this is off-label uses do work for a lot of people, but as you can see I respond very poorly to the off-label drugs and pretty well to drugs that fit my diagnosis. Just my experience, but it pays to advocate for yourself, see a psychiatrist that listens to you and provides education and options. Ask why you’re being prescribed a drug, ask why the drug is giving you such terrible side effects, ask what the long-term treatment plan is. You are absolutely entitled to that, and if you aren’t getting it get a new doctor (easier said than done, I know!). A lot of sites also let you rate your experience with a doctor and I encourage you to do that - picking doctors is very, very difficult and it helps to hear how others have done and been treated. If you know anyone in a helping profession, ask them about doctors - oftentimes we see trends, good and bad. If you’re comfortable, ask a friend or family member who they see or would recommend. Second opinions are also a great thing to get.
Good luck!!
12.5 mg last night for sleep. I have mid insomnia.
I did okay. It’s now 11:30 am and I am still tired. That’s after a big mug of French roast coffee and I am on my 2nd Rockstar energy drink.
It zombies me. I think I’d rather use an antihistamine for sleep.
I hear though you get used to this med if you take it normally. I also understand the low doses can make you as tired as higher doses.
Elavil is NOT an anti-psychotic. It is a tri-cyclic anti-depressant. Get your facts straight.
Yea you’re right, I was told it was an anti-psychotic by a doctor and it just stuck in my head. I have no clue where he got that from, all I found quickly was this:
Doubt it.
OK, I am done with seroquel.
I still had to take a 1.5 hr nap today after all that caffeine.
I’d rather not sleep than this.
Sure .:rolleyes: I made it up out of thin air to sound like a big man!
cries…
There are possibilities remaining other than that, you know. :dubious:
Liiiike, you were simply mistaken in your initial belief of Elavil being classified as a anti-psychotic; and in order to “save face” and put the “mistake” on the shoulders of a doctor-and not yourself-you claimed this doctor told you this incorrect information. A doctor making such a colossal and elementary mistake is not too likely, IMO.
Dude. Paragraphs.
Reported for possible spam.(kevington)
A non-paragraphed screed of spam?
Whodathunk it?
Reported 
Fuck YOU Runner Pat…how come you always beat me by <-----------> this much!
Batten down the life-ropes mate…we’re about to be disappeared again!
I was on seroquel for about six months. For depression and insomnia. Started at 25 and went to 50.
I loved it at first.
But I realized after those six months that I didn’t really remember anything that had happened in those months, I was sleeping 14 hours a day, and gained sixty pounds. So I went off it. I missed remembering and experiencing things.
Nothing in that process seemed like any big deal, except for shopping for fat clothes. Eh.
Since this is a year old, monstro, got an update?
I switched psychiatrists three months after I started this thread. The one who prescribed me Seroquel was kind of a jerk. But the guy I replaced him with, who I still consult from time to time, is great. He listens and cares. And he identified my problems with a label that makes sense. monstro has Tourette’s Syndrome. She’s not bipolar or borderline schizophrenic. Nor is she about to die from Huntington’s Disease. She just has a tic disorder. Whew!
I never took the Seroquel. Just about every review I read talked about weight gain, fatigue, and sedation. Those are " no goes" for me. I can handle peeing on myself (pimozide), constipation (Abilify), nose bleeds (Anafranil), and really funky armpits (Wellbutrin). But I can’t handle losing my energy and being fat and hungry all the time. Not in exchange for the (mostly) piddly stuff I deal with.
Also, I’ve realized that my symptoms only become intolerable about once or twice a month, right before The Time. Everything else is cosmetic.
I’m not on any medication now. Pimozide was probably the best out of everything I’ve taken, but it’s a pretty hardcore drug for symptoms that aren’t serious. Plus, I really didn’t like peeing on myself! So I stopped taking it about a year ago and I don’t have any regrets. At least now I know what works for me if my tic should escalate.
Thanks for being curious! Maybe this thread will help someone dealing with TS.
Congratulations on getting a diagnosis! That’s fantastic.
Is there some reason you haven’t eliminated Times from your lifestyle? More weight gain worries?
/nosy
A combination of inertia and not wanting to take medication. I will probably need to take something as I get closer to peri-menopause, though.