Seroquel and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• Cho...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 30, 2021

For Schizophrenia "I was put on this drug in January 2013 when I was 16 and in October 2008 when I was 12. I have schizophrenia, and when I first took this back in middle school, I don't remember any negative effects but weight gain. I ended up being 150 lbs at 5'1 in March of 2009 at age 12, so we stopped it, and I lost 17 lbs. In 2013, I was prescribed this, and good God, I felt awful! I couldn't keep my eyes open at school, I had severe akathisia and was ravenously hungry! I knew it was the medicine because I wasn't dumb, so they took me off. I ended up going from 145 to 190 in a damn month, all because of this crappy medicine. This, Haldol, Risperidone, and Latuda are the worst antipsychotics ever given to me. I'm on Depakote, Zoloft, and Zyprexa now, and no negative side effects except for nausea. Never taking Seroquel again."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Seroquel is terrible. I felt completely disassociated. I knew words were coming out of my mouth but sometimes had no clue what I was saying. I was only on it for a few months, but I called my Dr. in a panic when I’d realized the weight I’d gained. I lost 100 lbs in my 20s and have been able to keep it off give or take 10 lbs. I’m now 40 years old, and I instantly put on belly/waist weight, a place where I have NEVER gained before. I know my body well, and this was pretty extreme. I went up a pant size in 2 months. I told my Dr., and he said it makes you crave carbs, but I KNOW it’s more than that. What type of meds makes you gain weight in a specific area? After losing the 10-15 lbs, I am stuck with saggy skin after 3 months! It’s not worth it. It created a whole new set of permanent problems like saggy skin and my confidence with undressing around my husband. Horrible!"

• Ott...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 17, 2020

For Schizophrenia "I've had a lot of side effects caused by this drug. I never knew it was caused by this drug. I had high blood pressure, terrible gas that lasted for days, muscle cramps, seizures. I gained 60 lbs or more. Imbalance drug for 5 years or more. I would not recommend it for anybody."

• 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."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 4, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Seroquel has made my life really bad and made me gain 100 lbs."

• Tam...
• March 1, 2019

"I have been on Seroquel for 3 months, started out on 150 mg for anxiety and panic attacks, which it isn't listed for. Within that 3 months, my cholesterol, which is already high, raised over 24 more points. I gained 20 pounds within the 2 months. My arthritis, which is already bad, has gotten even worse. Most of the weight gain was water retention and bloating. It has not helped with my anxiety at all. It does help me sleep for a few hours, but not the whole night. I reduced the dosage to 50 mg myself because of the side effects and have since lost some of the weight. I am sleeping better. Maybe I was on too high of a dose. But all of the side effects that I have are side effects that this drug causes. It may work for some people, but not for me. And for me, the side effects are just too much. I don't think that this medication should be prescribed to people who have certain conditions. As soon as I can get my PCP to prescribe something that will help me sleep better, I'm done with this poison."

• Kae...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 12, 2018

"Let me just say, I hate Seroquel! I was prescribed it for sleep 8 years ago. For the first couple of years, I was on about 300-400 mg a day, and I would feel like I was literally dying when it kicked in. My heart would race, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and then I’d just black out. It made me feel so sluggish the next day. Also, I gained so much weight on this! It makes you have an insatiable hunger, and it’s terrible. I would walk down the halls and knock into them like I was drunk, my vision was so blurry, and I couldn’t think. It was the worst sensation ever! I’m now down to 50 mg of the XR and trying to wean off, but I’m scared. Last time the doctor tried, I blacked out and my blood pressure dropped, and the hospital said I couldn’t wean off it. Now, a year later, I’m trying again, and it’s terrible. I can’t sleep, restless legs, can’t get comfortable, and feel tired all day. I don't recommend this to anybody!!!"

• Rab...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 12, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "Literally garbage. Did not help moods. Slept 12 hours at night and still needed 2-6+ hours of naps in the day. No control over when to sleep. Lots of weight gain."

• Jea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was put on this med years ago and taken off. I asked him why I stopped taking it because of weight gain, I don't feel that was the only reason. I have had problems with anxiety and depression for a long time, but it got extremely worse. The anxiety was so bad that I couldn't eat, gave me worse flashbacks from my PTSD, which was caused by trauma throughout my life (domestic abuse and rape). I got headaches, eye pain, palpitations, my hypothyroidism was all off, stomach pain, worse depression to the point I lost weight, which I am already thin. I could go on, but the Dr didn't take into consideration that I suffer from epilepsy, got vertigo, seizures increased. I ended up yesterday in a crisis center because I couldn't stop crying and had racing thoughts, which I forgot to mention. And the flashbacks of my life were one after another. Just was not a good choice of medication for me, especially with physical issues."

• cat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 11, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "This stuff is terrible! I have been on it for a very long time and had a lot of side effects like weight gain, but the worst one was dry mouth. I would drink 4 bottles of water every night, eat hard candy, and spend most of my time in the bathroom. I also wanted to eat everything in sight. My doctor finally took me off this stuff, and I'm on another drug like it but without all the side effects. I'm also feeling a lot better mentally."

• Suz...
• May 1, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Ambfly made me gain 100 lbs in 8 mos. I got off of it and started to lose 5 lbs a night. My bad episodes got worse. I wish I had the right information about this drug. If I had known about the drug beforehand, I would never have taken it."

• Gon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 22, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Only lasted 2 weeks at the lowest dose, stopped because the side effects were so intolerable. Took in the evening, but still had trouble staying awake during the day and felt like a total zombie when I did. May have given this a couple more weeks to see if it would have worn off had I not gained 15 lbs as well (with no appetite change - I wasn't awake long enough to eat more!). I was already 35 lbs overweight from meds as it was, and when I med chunks me up, it doesn't stop. Only reason it gets 2 stars is that it kicked my chronic insomnia's butt."

• RG3...
• March 22, 2017

For Schizophrenia "The drug made me gain weight and become depressed, which I was never before using the drug. I now have an addiction that I can't beat. I would probably sue them for not warning me about the drug's addictive properties. I think this drug may help some people. However, people have a right to be informed about what they are getting into."

• anx...
• March 14, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I took this medication on top of my regular antidepressants to help with my mood as well as insomnia. This was the worst medication I could have possibly used. I have a history of anorexia and binge eating disorder, and Seroquel caused me to gain 10 pounds in a month, which sent me into a total depressive episode."

• who...
• February 10, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "My doctor told me basically nothing else has worked, so what do you want him to do? The Seroquel seemed to help at first, but I gained weight quickly, and people are always asking if I'm expecting because I look maybe 5 months pregnant. I have paranoia problems as well with anxiety. I have suicidal thoughts throughout the day, but I don't share that with my doctor because I don't want to get put in a hospital, so I keep that to myself. I'm extremely depressed, and it doesn't help me sleep. I can't sleep because of the thoughts going crazy in my head, so I have to take Ambien. I'm sick of all these medications. I also take Wellbutrin for depression and Xanax for anxiety. The Xanax helps, but when I try to pull back from using it, my body jerks. I know I need help."

• esp...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 27, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Caused excessive weight gain (60+ lbs) very quickly (despite me eating LESS), caused a weird decrease in cognitive ability, higher blood pressure (I already have hypertension, thanks), elevated blood sugar levels, and probably other things I'm forgetting. I've been put on this against my will repeatedly because it's a Medicaid-favored drug in my state, but it DOES NOT WORK FOR ME. I still have Medicaid but go to a private pay shrink because he listens."

• Tam...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 9, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "It didn't work and made me gain 70+ pounds. Coming off was awful!"

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Hmm about this medication... I literally do not recommend it at all! As someone with Bipolar 2, I was put on Seroquel for my rapid, unstable moods. I was on it for quite some time, and I noticed the rapid weight gain. Not just that, but I was literally sleeping all the time! When I was awake, I felt like a zombie. Quite frankly, it's a nightmare! Thank God I went off it."

• can...
• February 16, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have had a negative experience. I was mad at myself because I went against my better judgment. I knew that this one was a weight-gaining pill. I kept telling my doctor that I was gaining weight from this pill, he insisted that it had nothing to do with Seroquel XR. He continued to say it's what I was eating. I told him last week on the phone, he said, 'What have you been eating?' I went on a fast. Normally, before Seroquel, I would just lose the extra weight when I went on a diet. This time, a week went by, it got even worse. So I am very happy that I just stopped taking it. It is not worth it. I had a doc for 10 years prior to this one, and I had never been diagnosed with bipolar-he calls it a mood disorder. I know I have it, and I am open to something new."

• 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
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 28, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Worst medication ever! I took a small dose of 50 mg at bedtime, and it gave me the worst sugar cravings and made me eat uncontrollably! I took Seroquel for 9 months and gained 40 pounds. Do not take this medication, it destroyed my health!"

• the...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 13, 2012

For Depression "Seroquel was awful. My doctor prescribed two 700 mg at night, and I slept so much! When I wasn't sleeping, I was exercising, still, I gained 30 lbs. I had extreme paranoia, never knew where I was or how I got there, and always woke up in sleep paralysis. It made my depression, anxiety, and bipolar worse."

• bel...
• October 26, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "Seroquel only helped at the start and only with sleep. It has now been 10 years, and it is making me a walking zombie. I have had major weight gain. I was a mere 120 when I started taking this medicine, I now weigh over 200 pounds. It is a nightmare for me. I still constantly eat. I cannot stop."

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I gained close to 40 pounds in 4-5 months and felt like a zombie. Went from 100 mg to 400 mg and felt worse with each increase. I have been off the medicine for at least 4 months now, and I am still trying to lose weight. Have only lost 8 pounds."

• 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."