Seroquel and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• rab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 22, 2025

For Bipolar Disorder "Far and away, the worst medication I have ever taken. It made me feel like a walking zombie, constantly agitated and hungry. It did induce significant drowsiness, but in the worst way."

• Dus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "My doctor put me on this medication to help not just my bipolar disorder but also for my extreme anxiety and agitation I was having. However, since I am a senior who has had sleep apnea since 1991 and use a CPAP machine every night, I suffer from very bad daytime sleepiness and memory problems. I will NEVER take this again! I was only on 25 mg for two days, but I felt like a zombie and very spaced out. My wife almost could not wake me up at 11:00 am, and it was all I could do to get out of bed. I had to get up since I have type 2 diabetes and need to eat something in order to take my medication. I advise anyone with sleep apnea to think twice before you let your doctor prescribe this for you."

• Ela...
• February 20, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "I suffer from Bipolar II, take 200 mg Lamictal daily, and was prescribed 25 mg Seroquel to take at night to help me sleep during hypomanic episodes. My psychiatrist claimed it would calm the racing thoughts, help me fall asleep, and hopefully make me think more clearly during the day. After taking it, I would still be awake for a couple of hours trying to sleep and still having racing thoughts. In the morning, I had the worst experiences trying to wake up. I wasn’t trying to wake up early or anything, like 11 on my free days, so I could sleep in, and even then I could barely open my eyes enough to turn off my alarm and would immediately fall back asleep. After finally waking up, I felt groggy and disoriented throughout the day. I couldn’t think straight and was unable to focus during my classes. Not a good experience. I only took it a few times and decided it was only having negative effects, so I stopped taking it."

• Dru...
• February 15, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Seroquel knocked me out so badly that I slept 18 hours. The heavy sedation effect does go away, though. It did not help at all with my schizophrenia, but it did make me put on a lot of weight. Altogether, antipsychotics have made me put on a ton of weight. I've tried many of them, and I used to weigh 160 pounds and now I am 220. So far, that's all these drugs have done to me, they should be called fat pills."

• sap...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 26, 2018

For Schizophrenia "I took one pill, 50 mg. I was in such a deep sleep my children could not wake me up. Even the next morning, I felt like I was drugged. I slept the entire day away. You can forget about driving on this stuff. Two days later, I still felt the effects of the drug."

• Meg...
• September 4, 2016

For Schizophrenia "I was prescribed Seroquel for PTSD. Never again. 25 mg, I had the worst panic attack of my life, I could barely walk, but I was so scared I kept trying to run around. It was horrible. I went absolutely crazy, then passed out hard. Not my kind of medication. My mother-in-law takes 250 mg a day for schizophrenia, she has for six months now. So far, it is not helping her delusions, hallucinations, or paranoia. She was told to take it at suppertime and seemed drunk and sedated all evening. She now takes it at bedtime, but it is not helping her. :("

• sca...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "The only good side was that it helped me sleep well. But I couldn't even get up in the morning, I was so drowsy still and felt hung over badly. Also, I was very lethargic. Like numb, and I felt numb. Like crap. Almost like seriously depressed without a depressed state of mind. Horrible."

• Doe...
• November 25, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder 10 years ago (recently found out it is actually PTSD/c-PTSD), and I was started on 1200 mg of Seroquel. I was a zombie! I didn't want to do anything but sleep. I was so tired all day. One day after taking my medication and then sleeping 10 hours, I got in my car and was driving somewhere and fell asleep at the wheel. I totaled my car, but luckily I wasn't hurt and no one else was involved. I lost my job. The 'best' part, though, was the 110-pound weight gain I had in less than a year of taking this poison. I've been off of the crap for about 3 years now but still can't drop the weight it caused me to gain. Please be careful if considering taking this drug, it almost ruined my life."

• Anonymous
• April 26, 2009

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was put on Celexa, Depakote, and Seroquel when I was a month into being 13 years old. I was fine for a week, then the voices returned with a vengeance, much worse and far more taunting and tormenting than ever before (or since). I became a zombie, unable to communicate the problems to my doctor or family. In addition, when I described problems to my doctor, he insisted Seroquel didn't cause those effects. Drowsiness, craving sugar, problems with walking and balance, and becoming a far more ill person than I was when I began the medication. I gained 60 lbs in three months. When I stopped Seroquel, I returned to 'base sanity.' My weight returned to normal."

• Sar...
• February 27, 2009

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Made me a zombie. I could sleep for 24 hours after one pill. I have things to do, I can't sleep that long."

• xfr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2022

"Was given Seroquel 25 mg for anxiety, and it completely knocked me out, totally unconscious. I could not function at all. Day 3 on the Seroquel, I was so unconscious that I wet the bed and didn't even know until the next morning. I have injuries and bruising that I have no explanation for. Also raised my resting heart rate from 64 to around 100. Quit after one week. Googled it, and there are lawsuits against this med. Please research it."

• Hot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2021

For Schizophrenia "I was prescribed this first in 2008, then again in late 2012, early 2013 when I was 15. I took the smallest dosage both times for schizophrenia and depression, and I felt like so bad on this! I was insanely sleepy, dozing off in class, at lunch, in public. I gained so much weight, and my stomach was literally a bottomless pit! Otherwise, it got rid of my symptoms such as mania, anxiety, paranoia, and anger, but still. I’m on something way better now."

• shu...
• June 1, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "This drug Seroquel made me feel like a zombie. Sure, it would make me feel 'normal,' but it would completely knock me out. I was with some friends, and I was going to give them a ride home from my house and accidentally took my medication too early, and I literally passed out, and they had to get a ride from a friend. I was only at a 50 mg dose. This medication was just not for me. I take Latuda now, which made me really drowsy when I first started taking it, but I have since gotten over it."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I've had bad reactions to every mood stabilizer I've tried, but this was truly the scariest. I had to withdraw from college because I was sleeping constantly, crying for 8 hours at a time, and hallucinating. I eventually became suicidal and landed myself in the hospital for 2 weeks. I know that everyone reacts differently, and finding the bipolar cocktail is a painful trial-and-error process, but if you have this experience, I wanted you to know you are not alone."

• Out...
• September 22, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "Expensive if you buy the extended release ($160 for 50 mg twice daily a month). Not to mention very sedating and weight gain."

• Am7...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 10, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on Seroquel 400 mg for a lot of years. (It was a lot higher dose.) I am bipolar type 2, diagnosed in 2010, and if I take any more, I cannot get good sleep. I am amazed to read the comments/post how people are sleeping so well and are groggy on a 100-200 mg tablet! Wish I could! Lol. I'm on a 400 mg dose, and I can't sleep well at all. Should my dose be increased? Or should another medication be added? I fall asleep, but I'm not sleeping a load of hours, I get like 5-6 hours of sleep no matter what time I take the dose."

• fly...
• August 21, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "Diagnosed bipolar II early 2017, age 29. A combination of 100 mgs of lamotrigine + 20 mgs Lexapro worked better to stabilize my moods/reduce my anxiety than anything ever had before, I was happy. Partner and I decided I was in a good place to start planning for a baby, however, my psych warned of the possible risks of conceiving on lamotrigine, so I began a 12 mth period of transitioning to Seroquel, which is considered lower risk during pregnancy than lamotrigine. Transitioning between drugs was going to be destabilizing - I was prepared for that. What I wasn’t prepared for was getting to a point where I should have “stabilized” on my 200 mgs of Seroquel, and to be more depressed, more tired, more overweight, less motivated, more aggressive/irritable than I had been in a very long time. I gained 10 kgs in a year, my appetite was HUGE, and I could barely function due to heavy sedation. Back on lamotrigine now and feeling much more like my happy self again."

• 649...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 29, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have started to take 200 mg in July 2015. I have gained too much weight, nearly 20 kg. I have taken 100 mg in December 2015, and now I have been taking 50 mg. I want to quit Seroquel because I feel like a zombie. I sleep very well, but I can't get up early, and I often go to work too late. During the day, I feel tired and sleepy. For my mind and brain, it is good, but the damage of Seroquel is more than the benefits, I think. It does cause addiction. I want to quit it, or I want to take 25 mg anymore."

• Doe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 25, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I spent months on this medication, and all it ever did for me was make me drowsy. All I ever did was sleep, not worth the toxicity to your liver."

• Sco...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 1, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "This medicine turned me into a zombified eating machine. I put on 30 pounds in one month. It was also extremely sedating."

• Anonymous
• July 5, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "This medicine is great for sleep and helping anxiety, but if you have responsibilities, work, school, kids, ANYTHING, then be prepared. I am only on 100mg and although I feel calmer and not so irritable, I just feel sort of drowsed and no motivation to do anything, not even simple things like taking a shower or making something to eat. I woke up this morning needing to go to the bathroom and it seemed like an overwhelming task and I was stumbling around like when you are drunk. If you don't have to work or answer to anyone, then it's fine because you can just space out and not have such negative emotions and feel better."

• Ste...
• April 22, 2010

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I began taking 50 mg of Seroquel XR, which I am told is a very low dose. I feel much calmer during the stressful workday, so calm, in fact, that all I want to do is take a nap. I can hardly stay awake. Also, I'm having difficulty with mental acuity and feeling emotionally dulled. I did not take a dose last night, otherwise, I probably wouldn't be capable of writing this. I'm wondering if this sleepiness persists once I've been on it for a while, or if it lessens."

• Jin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I was prescribed 50 mg Seroquel along with increasing my Prozac dose to 60 mg for major depression. It was nice to fall asleep so quickly with taking Seroquel. The last 3 weeks of taking Seroquel have not been good. Although I fall asleep quickly, I constantly wake up every few hours, which causes major daytime sleepiness, and in the last 3 weeks, I have not gotten more than 3-4 hours of sleep. Last night, I decided to stop taking Seroquel, and I actually managed to get 5 hours of sleep. Progress! I’m disappointed it didn’t work for me since it was causing these other issues. Plus, I am pre-diabetic, and it runs in my family. No more for me!"

• Anonymous
• May 29, 2008

For Bipolar Disorder "It worked very well, but it caused excessive drowsiness and also made me gain a lot of weight in a short period of time. I took it for almost a year before I switched to something else."

• Dou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 4, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "If you are forced to pick an antipsychotic, then take this one. You can sleep through the hospital or jail time when you take Seroquel extended release. Avoid aripiprazole, Haldol, paliperidone, and all the other ones. Seroquel is the least worst of all antipsychotics, it doesn't block dopamine as much as all the others. Sedation is pretty heavy, so take it at nighttime."