Quetiapine for Borderline Personality Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Gan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 26, 2019

"Used quetiapine as a mood stabilizer when first diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and dysthymia, no change in mood or reactions, and gained 10 kg. Tried recently for sleep, 25 mg no difference, 50 mg no difference."

• Anonymous
• April 16, 2011

Quetiapine "Seroquel changed my life. After roughly 20 years of treatment with medications for borderline personality disorder, I had a new doctor put me on Seroquel. At first, I resented the sedation, but after time, I adjusted to it and the dosage was moderated and timed differently. Ultimately, however, it was the first medicine to thoroughly handle my anxiety and stop my obsessive thoughts in their tracks. The only downside has been the carbohydrate cravings and weight gain, but even those have become manageable with other supplements and medications. The gains far outweigh losses."

• nic...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 10, 2020

"Quetiapine works excellently for sleep at a dose of 25 mg. I gradually increased my dose to 50 mg after a couple of months, and now take slow release at night, and it works great. No super negative side effects besides wanting more water/thirsty."

• A S...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 13, 2016

"My psychiatrist and I decided to give this a try when my Effexor was helping my depression but not my anxiety. I was also having constant episodes of insomnia and felt angry all the time. 50 mg wasn't enough, so we upped it to 150 mg, where I felt great-my anxiety was eradicated and I was able to sleep fine, but I was still having an issue with anger. We went up to 300 mg as a last-ditch effort to help the anger, and all that did was make me really groggy and out of it all the time, which actually made my anxiety worse. So we went back down to 150 mg, and that's where I am. All in all, I really like my Seroquel, but I feel like it made me gain weight a bit easier-not a large amount but between 5-10 pounds, but my diet also isn't great."

• Joe...
• August 19, 2016

"Try being on these meds a while and see how you feel. They will ruin your life, and they're impossible to get off. I've lost myself, and when I stop, I'm manic to the point of hurting myself badly just to feel something. I can't put into words what they've done to me, but a quick fix is never the way."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2020

"I've been on 25 mg for about 3 months, and it's helped LOADS with my sleep. I've had terrible insomnia for most of my life, and nothing else has helped. But my God, this was like a sedative when I first started! It doesn't make me as drowsy now, but I definitely have a more regular sleep pattern now. It hasn't really stabilized my mood, but I think it has helped with dissociation, and I haven't gained a lot of weight, but I am finding it hard to lose weight. One of the better drugs I've tried!"

• Rag...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2021

"I found the low doses of 25 mg, 50 mg, and 75 mg slow to adjust to, but overwhelmingly positive. After a while, I found that 75 mg was no longer as effective, so I moved to 100 mg. I have a fairly fast metabolism, so I often have an intense reaction to medicine and drugs. I tried 125 mg for 4 days, and I started having shakes, a 3-hour adrenaline rush, constant moving, suicidal thoughts, and intense uncontrollable rage/anger. I reduced my dose back to 100 mg, and all side effects have disappeared. In general, I feel much better within myself. My mood ranges have become far less turbulent, and I am slightly less irritable in general. I will continue to monitor and maybe reduce again to 75 mg."

• I C...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2021

"Well, I started on 25 mg, and it was okay, but I would still feel extreme rages, so I went up to 50 mg. It did help me a lot. I realized that things that I would usually overthink weren’t actually that big of a deal. I was continually having relationship problems, so I started going up until 100 mg. And now I’ve realized that it’s not actually helping that much. I’m not as emotional and wild as I was, and I can see a positive, but I feel like I miss the old me! I miss feeling everything and expressing myself with real emotions. Now I feel more motivated, but I don’t feel like me anymore. I’m more quiet, and I still get the rage. I still get upset and overwhelmed, just not as much. It does work, but I’m gaining so much weight, and I want to be the old me. Maybe with some therapy when COVID is over, I can try something else, but I’m going to slowly drop down to 25 mg and then come off of it because I don’t want to be on this for years."

• BPD...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 1, 2015

"I was on and off Seroquel for 3 years. It helped with my depression and most of my anxiety, certainly put a stop to my insomnia. I hated the way I would feel when I woke in the morning, though. I hated not being able to just get up and go, it usually took until mid-afternoon to feel 100% clear. I found, though, that after a few years its effects on me at 100 mg were wearing thin. It no longer helped with my paranoia at all, and I would be up half the night. I also gained nearly 20 kg, stopped taking it, and have dropped over 10 kg so far. Also, having my daughter seems to have shifted something mentally, and I found that I no longer need to continue taking it to control everything."

• Ser...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 7, 2023

"I have been on countless meds for most of my life, and nothing has ever really worked. About a year after I got diagnosed with BPD, I suffered the loss of a parent, and everything was spiraling. My psychiatrist put me on quetiapine (Seroquel), and it has changed my life more than I thought any med could over the past few months. I truly feel like I’m in control of my emotions for the first time in years and years. I am so much less paranoid, and it helps with my social anxiety a lot. I am taking quetiapine (Seroquel) and trazodone at night, and that is the least amount of meds I have ever taken, and I’ve never done better. I highly recommend quetiapine (Seroquel) if you have BPD and are offered a prescription. I have tried so many meds, ketamine treatment, everything. Nothing has helped me like quetiapine (Seroquel). I have had to up my dose, and I hope my body doesn’t build up a tolerance too much because it really helps me stay calm and collected."

• Omn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 15, 2019

"Quetiapine was given to me for BPD, and it worsens my mood. I'm in a depressed phase since I started it! It also makes me feel so angry and easily irritated. I can't function properly up to 4 hours after I wake up. It causes muscle pain, and it affects my training, but this side effect is dose dependent. I hate this drug."

• Mr ...
• April 24, 2017

"In my experience, Quetiapine is most effective for regulating sleep. 25 mg a day before bed is all you need, any more seems far too much and can make you very sedated and a very constant sluggish and lazy feeling throughout the whole day. I've had real problems with not sleeping, and this stuff knocks me out for the best night's sleep. I'm not sure how or if it truly helps with intense mood changes, depression, or rebalancing serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, which it's designed to do, because I still have issues with stability and mood changes, etc., but it definitely helps with regulating sleep, and that in itself plays a huge beneficial part in my mental health. Quetiapine is the best so far. I've tried 8 different medications for BPD."

• yor...
• December 20, 2011

"Well, I'm back again and have now been on quetiapine for three years. During that time, I've had no major problems. In fact, I've been stable enough for my doctors to agree to me having a gastric bypass to deal with my weight issue and have now lost 7 stone and have more confidence than ever before. Quetiapine helps me get to sleep but doesn't knock me out for as long as before. I average 8 hours per night, but still tend to have an afternoon nap. The gnawing anxiety only returns for short periods when under a lot of stress. The downside to quetiapine? I wonder if it makes me unable to empathize. My dad died recently, and I've coped far too well. Life is a nice warm cozy blur. But the alternative was torture for years."

• Gaz...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 27, 2020

"I've been taking quetiapine now for about 4 years. My dosage started at 100 mg, and over the years, it was raised to 500 mg. I found the tablet helps my mental condition as my personality has changed following my brain hemorrhage. However, my overwhelming concern was the weight that I had gained, 4 stone! So, in December 2019, I gradually started to reduce my dosage, and now I only take 200 mg at bedtime, as it helps me to sleep, I wouldn't be able to sleep without taking the quetiapine."

• kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2025

"I have a diagnosis of severe borderline personality disorder and am deemed 'high risk.' I have spent the majority of my life feeling empty and impulsive, putting myself in a lot of danger and causing significant harm to myself. I've struggled with intense, persistent thoughts of not wanting to be here. However, I decided to try quetiapine 25 mg x 3 daily, and after a month, there was a significant shift in how I was coping with life (all very positive). I then asked my psychiatrist to add an additional 25 mg, so I'm on a total of 100 mg daily. This drug has saved my life. I've battled this disorder for over a decade and am so grateful and happy to finally feel normal. By normal, I mean the absence of many of the BPD symptoms. I'm now on my 6th month of stability, which is a huge deal. Every month prior to being on this medication, I was hurting myself and was miserable, in the hospital at least once a month. Now it's all manageable, and I'm not suffering anymore. Lifesaver drug."

• Rio...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 9, 2024

"I've been taking quetiapine 25mg and it works perfectly. I have BDP and I take lamotrigine and topiramate. Before quetiapine, I couldn't sleep well. I used to listen to sounds that don't exist. The medicine helped a lot. In the 7 months I have been taking it, I didn't gain weight (could also be influenced by my eating disorders). But whenever I stop taking quetiapine, I can't sleep. Overall, it worked perfectly for me."

• Anonymous
• November 18, 2010

Quetiapine "This medication is adequate compared to others in its class, despite still causing significant side effects such as weight gain (which is very undesirable). At first, this medicine seemed very strong and made me 'zombie-like' (e.g., slow, unemotional, sleepy), but after a couple of days, these were significantly improved. I was on a dose of up to 75 mg, and as far as the effects of each individual dose; 25 mg helped with sleep and 'anger management,' 50 mg increased my hunger (a lot), and 75 mg helped a little more with anxiety and emotional stability."

• poo...
• January 6, 2012

"I have been on Quetiapine XL 50 mg (with a 25 mg as required for more difficult days) for about a year now following a history of poor sleep, self-harm, overdose, binge eating, depression, and hospitalization. The difference it has made to my life has been amazing, far more beneficial than all the antidepressants I have been on over the years. At first, I also struggled with the sedative effect, but with persistence, it reduces and can be managed. The main reason I have decided to post is because yorkiegal mentioned being unable to empathize. I too have noticed that I do not seem to be as 'affected' by sad events/news as I feel I should be, sometimes feeling a bit disassociated."

• yx_...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2019

"I wish I had quetiapine 18 years ago since I had suffered from serious insomnia, OCD, anxiety, and deep depression for so many years. Half a year ago, I was diagnosed with BDP. I have started quetiapine, and it helps a lot. Almost no more OCD symptoms. My dose is 100 mg in the evening for 2 weeks, and it has changed my feeling a lot. The only thing is with 100 mg, I sleep for 11 hours per day. It is really too much."

• mai...
• April 13, 2014

"Been on quetiapine for a month for borderline personality disorder and possible bipolar disorder and mild psychosis, take 25 mg three times daily. I love it, my moods and anxiety are much more stable, and so are the voices. I do take it along with Depakote 2000 mg, lamotrigine 100 mg, zopiclone 7.5 mg, diazepam 5 mg, and lorazepam 1 mg as needed, and haloperidol 5 mg as needed, but definitely the quetiapine that's sorted my head."

• mad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 4, 2017

"It helps with the constant, horrid intrusive thoughts. I still feel like I'm behind glass, although I'm easily destabilized. The sedation helps calm me. I've put on 6 stone in 4 years, restless legs and sometimes arms. However, for me, I would take this medication because it's giving me enough stability to stay 'living'."

• BPD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2014

"Diagnosis: PTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, Avoidant Personality Disorder. I've been taking Seroquel for 2 months now. Hospitalized for an episode. My thoughts were super distorted, probably from lack of sleep in combination with my disorders. Obsessive thoughts that wouldn't stop. Intrusive thoughts over past traumas (PTSD). Couldn't get to sleep at night without sickening dreams. I finally got my life back with this stuff. I got a job, but I was working night shift, so I only lasted 2 days. Night shift and these meds are hard to manage. But my health is more important. The only thing that is a downside is that I can't drink on it. The nights I do drink, I don't take the Seroquel. If I do take it, I try to wait until I sober up."

• kas...
• December 27, 2016

"Taking it for Borderline Personality Disorder/Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). An effective mood stabilizer and helps with paranoia and occasional psychosis. The drowsy side effect has helped with my insomnia as my sleep was awful. I'm on 300 mg at night. The other side effects are a pain, though. I've put on 4-5 stone (56/70 lbs, I believe) at least, while I've been on these, possibly from the munchies it gives me, but I'm sure it's altered my metabolism. After taking the dose, my nose blocks up completely. I have to use a nose spray every night. My heart pounds, and I get restless legs and arms. It feels like something tickling them on the inside. I always feel drowsy in the mornings, but that is to be expected."

• Mat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 19, 2020

"I’ve been on 300 mg of quetiapine for over a year. Was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but I’ve now been recently re-diagnosed with BPD (borderline personality disorder). The quetiapine is very draining, constantly sleepy, and made me put on a lot of weight, even if I’m controlling my eating. But it does stabilize my mood out to an extent. I’ve also been put on Lamotrigine recently due to trying to attempt to take my own life. Wasn’t too sure about taking it as it has a black box warning due to its serious side effects. The only side effects I am experiencing are dizziness, headaches, and loss of appetite. Seems to be working okay."

• E90...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 11, 2023

"I was on this drug for 12 years for BPD, and it worked well in the sense that my mood swings were more under control. I held down jobs, and it helped with anxiety and sleep. However, I had a blood test, and it was found that my white blood cells were low, so I was immediately taken off it. Since then, I've had to quit my job, not able to sleep, panic attacks, etc. Whether it's withdrawals or not, I don't know, but be careful when doctors prescribe you things. You should know the risks/side effects and that you could be taken off in the future."