Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• November 5, 2020

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Listen to me when I say never & I mean never experiment with this drug Seroquel or Seroquel XR. It will only make your anxiety worse & if you have OCD your in for a nightmare. Worst drug ever & it will not help with your symptoms what so ever & will only help you sleep at night. Do not & I repeat do not get on this medication. On top of that you will have some of the craziest thoughts you could ever imagine."

• bizzy
• November 25, 2009

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Seroquel worked for me during my rapid cycling last year and really chilled me out very quickly. Only bad thing to say about it is I found the level of sedation far too much, and it left me incredibly "plastic" the next day. Was a bit like a walking zombie, although it got me through the dangerous bit. Also meant as I have great trouble sleeping it helped that side out too, so all in all was very good for me. Came off all medicines 9 months ago. Now only on zopiclone for sleeping. So hopefully no matter how good it is, wont be back on it!"

• diner
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 26, 2019

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I suddenly became manic and would have been hospitalized if it weren't for this drug. They started me at a baby dose but with my emotions on fire they quickly upped the dose to 100mg. I'm 58 years old and following this crisis I was diagnosed with Bipolar II. I'm still agitated and angry during the day an having terrifying dreams due to PTSD. Everything that was buried inside me is now coming to the surface through therapy. They just raised the Seroquel to 300mg. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep. I've lost 5 lbs, when I gave up Trazodone and they put me on Abilify, my appetite was cut in half. I also take Lamotrigine 200mg and Elavil 20mg for migraines and fibromyalgia. To me, Seroquel is a wonder drug. Good luck!"

• Willow...
• April 28, 2017

Seroquel (quetiapine) "So vivid in detail, from some, but, give this medication time. This drug had me feeling some wacked out, like on a boat sensation. Just light headed and motion sickness. I was told "six weeks" so instead of stopping it, which I dearly wanted to - I didn't. And to this day approx four years I thank myself, I didn't.. yes its heavy handed. But now I have nearly no racing thoughts, which drove me to suicidal tendancies, my mind never stopped it was like a TV on in the back ground. Next, sleep, sleep, peaceful sleep, I did crave sugar BUT NO WEIGHT GAIN. This drug is just broadly so good. This drug and a couple others balanced me. The racing thoughts Seroquel number one, but Ritalin was also something I am grateful for."

• BiPol...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 5, 2017

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I try to avoid going on these forums because they always give me anxiety about the new medication I am trying out. I have let this forum make me think that side affects were happening to me that really weren't in the past. Seroquel is amazing. I have Bi Polar and Seroquel was not out when I was first diagnosed. I started on it May of 2016 and I have had to increase my dose 100mg since then and it has changed my life. Seroquel has given me the ability to start to live my life more the way I want to live it. I wanted to post that here to not discourage someone who is starting out on it. My psychiatrist heard about this from one of the top Bi Polar doctors in the world speak at Harvard. This drug is wonderful and so helpful."

• Babe
• October 13, 2009

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I am 53 years old and was put on this drug just over a year ago. I was diagnosed with severe bipolar disorder 13 years ago, I new something was wrong with me when I was 17 but bipolar was not really to known back then. This drug is by far the best thing I have taken ever. Don't worry about the weight gain after a year it will go away, it is a small price to pay for sanity. Everyone will get the munchies from this I eat grapes at night they do the trick have some in a bowl by your bedside this will help keep the weight gain down. Stay away from ice cream and eat yogurt with preserves in it or just fruit when you get the munchies 1 hour after taking it. I also take temazepam at night 100mg. "

• Anonymous
• December 12, 2010

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "All I can say it that it is a miracle medicine. I finally have my life back. There are side effects but it is worth it. I am in college and doing well. My doctors said that would never happen for me. They said that I would be in and out of the psych ward. I have not need to be in hospital in over five years. I can finally hold a job. Like I said I have my life back, something I was told would never happen. Seroquel XR is that reason for that. Regular Seroquel is great too it just made me sleep for 18 hours a day. Seroquel XR makes me sleepy but I no longer over sleep. Again I say I got my life back."

• Nuitd...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 21, 2017

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Very drowsy for the first week of taking it, but once your body gets used to it, it is a great mood stabilizer. I've been on it 6 years and it calms the edginess and irritability with bipolar. Also makes you sleep like a rock. My weight only changed when lithium was added to my meds. No significant weight gain for me. If I go a few days without it, I notice I'm on edge constantly."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 27, 2019

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Seroquel has been a life-changer for me. It has curtailed my manic episodes and kept me sane as I struggle with bipolar I with paranoid features. I recently attempted to switch to Geodon due to weight gain, but I immediately switched back to Seroquel because the benefits outweigh the risks of some mild weight gain. I take 400mg daily: 200 mg in the morning and 200 mg in the evening. It helps me get a decent night’s sleep which is crucial for keeping me from slipping into bipolar episodes. I give it a 9/10 because the weight gain can be a moderate annoyance."

• Mike...
• October 15, 2015

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Seroquel is great. Been taking it for seven years. I take 200mg at night for bipolar. It does take time to get used to it. I does cause me to get hungry 30 minute's after taking in it. Just eat a healthy snack. At first I did gain a couple pounds. Searching on line did not help. Everyone's complains how much you need to eat. It's self control. I make sure to exercise everyday. And trust me it's no easy. There's day I have no energy. But I tell my self I have 3 little girl's and have to make sure I do not get fat and unhealthy. I have bad mood swings with out it. It caused me to make it miserable for my wife and kids and coworkers. Driving was a mission everyday."

• Macca...
• January 8, 2014

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I take Seroquel for bipolar, I had side effects when first taking it such as couldn't wake in the morning and sluggish, it took me a couple of months to get used to it, now I take it at about 10.30pm asleep within 20 mins and up at about 8.30 am, well rested, it has been great for my mania, which can last weeks at a time. I feel so normal again, I take 100mg a night with 600mg of Tegrotol you just have to give it time to do it's thing, the side effects go away. I have no weight gain at all on Tegrotol, it's the opposite, I'm losing weight."

• Curly...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 20, 2021

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I have been taking 800 mg Seroquel XR since 2012. I use to hold down two jobs . I always have worked since high school. I have no children , but was very close to my big family and involved in all events. Back in 2012 I had a hard time getting to sleep . Doctor put me on seroquel, said I was bipolar. I have never got mad at anyone and get along with everyone. I’m not an angry person. After taking this drug for awhile , it changed my life and ruined my relationship with family and friends. I became a zombie, I never answered my door and all I did was sleep. Missed out on many family events. Now my family are in my life and ask me what is wrong with me, I can’t stop moving my head from left to right., my doctor hasn’t done any blood work on me for several years. But he still has me taking these pills. I can’t function any more. The list goes on. I love life and always lived it. Until this drug came into my life"

• Romanee
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 5, 2012

Seroquel (quetiapine) "After later years of my adolescence and early adulthood I was finally diagnosed (bipolar) and prescribed Seroquel along with lithium. Not only did I finally feel a sense of peace within myself I found that I no longer engaged in the reckless activity that I seemed to have no control over. This behaviour which caused so much grief and upset, nearly caused the breakdown between my family and which I nearly destroyed myself. It does not get rid of my depression completely but they are not as bad and I find I can cope where as in the past I couldn't. I find that it's best to take it before bed as it makes me very drowsy which I find a good thing because in the past I found it very difficult to sleep. Hope this helps."

• JaxWebb
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2016

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I was on this med in 2010 for a year. The dose went from 25mg up to 400mg. The first few weeks were very difficult. It knocked me out cold and I had such a blocked nose I could hardly breathe. I toughed it out and my depression lifted. I stopped taking it because of really bad blocked nose. I have just had a major depressive episode (2015) with insomnia. I was prescribed 100mg. It worked within 24 hours. I was able to sleep for 9 hours and feel refreshed and energized. The depression and anxiety have improved dramatically. This time I'll stay on Seroquel."

• Blueb...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2012

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Seroquel makes me feel like I'm on a level playing field again. I don't feel like my thinking's distorted and I don't cry uncontrollably like I have all of my life. I have gained weight but I'm fixing to start taking Topamax to counteract that. If the Topamax doesn't work I will still continue to take Seroquel. I rather gain weight and be able to cope with life 100% better than I did before."

• Slim...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 8, 2020

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Finally was able to get back on Quetiapine after adding fiber pills to my diet and I am loving sleep. Spent my whole life not sleeping well or at all lately (was up for almost a week a straight last year). Quetiapine IR was a sure fire way of knocking me out within an hour and staying asleep to well into the morning. Pretty groggy though and had to keep increasing my dose. My Pdoc recently sent the XR version into pharmacy instead and it is rather different. I don’t get knocked out right away which means I can create a better sleep hygiene routine. If I am more relaxed I don’t need to be put to sleep but gradually work my way into it. It does take a minute to fully wake up but I have to say I feel my overall mood remains pretty stable for most of the rest of the day."

• KTS
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2018

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Within 2 months, at a dose of 300mg, it completely changed my life. I have been on many meds and combinations for 20 years, but this (along with much soul- searching, personal responsibility and facing truth, therapy, and DBT skills) has stabilized my Bipolar I and almost cured by borderline personality disorder. I had resigned myself to a difficult and tragic life before this happened. I was inspired to move to a single med, because I was a long time user of Lithium, SSRI, Lamictal combo and wanted to try for a baby. This ended up giving me new life- my own."

• lalal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 7, 2022

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I once rated this medication highly for my initial positive experience with it. I now believe that is only because it helps me sleep. Once I got up to 200 mg, I felt like a zombie and experienced some other concerning symptoms. When I expressed my concerns I was told that this was a "baby dose" and they intended to still increase from there. I disagreed. I have weaned down to a sleeping aid dose and intend to decrease from there and get off this stuff. It's terribly addicting. When I was at 200 mg I used to experience withdrawal like symptoms if I was accidentally late to take my nightly dose, splitting headaches, shaking. I've seen some say it can be dangerous to not have an exact time each day it is taken, but this was never expressed to me by the psychiatrists who prescribed me. This is not an opiate, but there's a reason some people sell this and call it "baby heroin". If you get prescribed it for sleeping, it did help with that."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 23, 2019

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I’ve had many problems with the wrong medications making me more unstable including restlessness. My seroquel dose was raised very quickly to 250mg in hospital, then overmedicated after. But now after working with a doctor for a long time my doses are between 75-125mg and have been life saving to calm me down and help me sleep and think clear after having very bad insomnia caused by anxiety. Ignorant doctors call this a sleep dose but it has many mood stabilizing benefits for people sensitive to medications. I also take with lamictal in morning and Gabapentin at night Klonopin as needed has been life saving."

• Dirty...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2013

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I had great success at doses of 200-400mg. Anything above that and I black out an hour after taking it. I found out later I had been writing belligerent texts, yelling at my children, and verbally abusing my wife. Im going to ask for 300mg since it helped my insomnia, and made me content and happy the next day. All without the horrible side effects listed above. I have tried Geodon, it gave me severe tachycardia, and yet made me too tired to function. A horrible inescapable feeling as the tachycardia made sleep impossible. Zyprexa just made me fat and gave me restless legs so bad I couldn't sleep. Seroquel is best by far, but have your loved ones monitor you."

• royal...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 21, 2014

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Seroquel XR has changed my life! I tried regular Seroquel and it's like having your head in a bucket. The XL version feels like a completely different medicine. I take 100 mg at night. I wake up refreshed, happy, eager to start my day, I also take Lamictal 300 mg in the morning. No side effects from either medicine. I have been on both for about 7 years. I have been depressed once in that time and it was situational."

• october...
• October 3, 2013

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I have been a bipolar as of 26 years. After my first and huge depression, I have not missed lithium not even for a day. I have had a really good acceptance to Seroquel, but not to Seroquel XR. The difference is huge, and XR plays with your sleep patterns and more. The insatiable hunger is so, so, true as is the weight gain. I just eat less and less and less and as a person who has had an amazing metabolism, still am 105lbs. After 3 children, my teen weight, I am now at 115lbs and I hate it. But I have no desire to stop Seroquel."

• thesk...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 8, 2017

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I've been on this for about 8 months so far. I take 300mg at bed time. It helps with sleep, but I do feel a bit tired during the day. This has really reduced my mania. I used to argue with people until I was literally foaming at the mouth, but now I lose interest in arguments within 5 or 10 minutes. Twitter and news used to upset me and I'd get ampted up about stories, but that's gone away mostly. Now I can react to things that used to make me furious with a laugh or just a short discussion with someone. Seroquel's not perfect, but the weirdness and intensity I used to experience has gone. It also helps greatly with my IBSd. I haven't had any weight gain, but my diet is low-fat and limited. Seroquel is MUCH better than TCAs btw. Good luck!"

• justR...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 24, 2012

Seroquel (quetiapine) "I was diagnosed with BiPolar Disorder 1 about 8 months ago. My doctor put me on Seroquel 100mg. I do have to take it at night due to the drowsiness it causes. It has made a dramatic change in the racing thoughts and negative self-image I felt. I've also had a marked change in my insomnia. I was misdiagnosed for a number of years, and couldn't understand why the other meds didn't make a difference. I wake up feeling rested. I did have some vivid dreams when I first began taking it. I also get the munchies, but they have subsided considerably in the last month or two, and have dropped almost 20 pounds. This is magical as far as I'm concerned! As well as the Seroquel, I also take 20 mg of Lexapro and 600 mg of Neurontin every night. Thanks!!"

• Anony...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 5, 2016

Seroquel (quetiapine) "Seroquel has been very helpful with sleep, and I also noticed some mood stabilization in combination with Lamictal and sometimes Klonopin. Sometimes it is overly sedating, but taking it a couple of hours before normally going to sleep is important for me so that I don't feel drowsy the next day. I did not notice any weight gain on it. My doctor started me on 50 mg, which was good for sedation, but no major difference in mood. 100 mg does make a difference in lower my anxiety and some mood stabilization with my other medications, but sometimes she recommends me to take 200 mg to reduce mania from flaring up when it starts. Overall, this med has been useful for Bipolar 1 for me."