Quetiapine and Depression: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ang...
• April 11, 2012

Quetiapine for Depression "Was taken off Geodon because of nighttime anxiety and put on Seroquel XR. I feel so unmotivated. Sedated. I no longer feel better by afternoon when it's time to take it again. I dread the next dose. Haven't felt this depressed in a while."

• dee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2019

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I decided to stop taking it because of the massive weight gain, but at 100 mg, it did help my Borderline Personality Disorder - you end up feeling NOTHING rather than everything. I guess it depends on the person. I lost my actual personality but gained a more normal reaction type, and my mood was generally 'better' - I was more neutral rather than the extreme highs and lows. I also had a few side effects: extreme drowsiness, weight gain (I'd say approx. 2 st in 2 months), a complete lack of motivation, and also *weirdly* awful restless legs for about 2 hours after taking it."

• Con...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 25, 2016

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I felt more emotionally stable on this, meaning when I would have usually gotten to a certain point, the medication stopped it before it could escalate. For the first few months, I was thankful for not completely crashing and burning every couple of weeks (I was in a particularly stressful situation in the period of time I was taking this, so my hopelessness was exacerbated), significant reduction in hallucinations and paranoid delusions, not being able to cry, sleeping consistently, and having no memory of my dreams. The reasons as to why I stopped taking it were degenerated eyesight (my eyesight had been perfect prior to meds), severely affected long and short term memory, and zero motivation in all areas of life. I didn't feel like myself."

• mom...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2012

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have had a negative experience on Seroquel. I do not want this to deter anyone from taking it, as everyone's reaction and experience on this medicine is subjective; I just want to put this out there for anyone who might be experiencing similar symptoms and reactions and may be hesitant to say it and to just relate my own experience. I am bipolar II and have untreated ADHD due to the ADHD medicines causing manic episodes. I started Seroquel 2 months ago when I was having a bout of insomnia. I should state that I was on Wellbutrin, Lamictal, and Paxil, and was feeling good. I was productive during the day and upbeat. I was prescribed Seroquel for the insomnia and taken off all the others except Lamictal. I am now a 'zombie', depressed, sleepy 24/7."

• Pho...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 19, 2021

Quetiapine for Schizophrenia "Seroquel XR saved my life. But, at a heavy price. Numb, zombie-like existence, no emotions, flat affect, morbid obesity. It takes hours and multiple cups of coffee to wake up... etc. But it has kept me safe by keeping me out of the psych ward."

• Pho...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 19, 2021

Quetiapine for Schizophrenia "Seroquel XR saved my life. But, at a heavy price. Numb, zombie-like existence, no emotions, flat affect, morbid obesity. It takes hours and multiple cups of coffee to wake up... etc. But it has kept me safe by keeping me out of the psych ward."

• Bpd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2016

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I began taking Seroquel 100 mg 3 nights ago, it has helped a lot. I have been suffering for 20+ years and didn't know I was BPD. At first, I was diagnosed E.H. (emotionally handicapped) when I was 12, then when I was 30, Dr. said I had alcohol-induced psychosis. Now I'm 38 and I have BPD. The emotional roller coaster in my brain sucks. I go from suicidal thoughts to smiling and shaking hands and pleasant conversation. Mostly I'm depressed, I have paranoid thoughts as well. Seroquel has calmed that down a lot. I slept great the first night, then woke up 4 times the next night, last night about 4 times as well. I don't feel any emotion. Everything is slow and I have stopped talking to myself, with a few words here and there. I hope I get better."

• Bpd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2016

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I began taking Seroquel 100 mg 3 nights ago, it has helped a lot. I have been suffering for 20+ years and didn't know I was BPD. At first, I was diagnosed E.H. (emotionally handicapped) when I was 12, then when I was 30, Dr. said I had alcohol-induced psychosis. Now I'm 38 and I have BPD. The emotional roller coaster in my brain sucks. I go from suicidal thoughts to smiling and shaking hands and pleasant conversation. Mostly I'm depressed, I have paranoid thoughts as well. Seroquel has calmed that down a lot. I slept great the first night, then woke up 4 times the next night, last night about 4 times as well. I don't feel any emotion. Everything is slow and I have stopped talking to myself, with a few words here and there. I hope I get better."

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

Quetiapine 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."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 2, 2022

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "Worst medication I have ever been on. If you want to test how a lobotomy feels, try Seroquel. When I first started on a lower dose for sleeping, which was fine. I didn’t find it very helpful but it did help increase my appetite as I was underweight. If you are on 25 mg for anxiety/depression/insomnia, do not let your doctor increase this dosage. Every time my psychiatrist saw me, he increased my dosage more and more. After about two years of having my dosage increased every month or two, I began having serious side effects. I felt like a zombie, caused a lot of relationship issues as I wasn’t able to hold a conversation. It’s like I lost all my opinions and could no longer think for myself. Lost all creativity, which worsened my depression as I am a designer. I eventually was taken off it when I was taken to the hospital for losing control over my body. I lost all bladder control and would wet my pants frequently. Developed tardive dyskinesia. In the end, I was on 300 mg."

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

Quetiapine 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."

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

Quetiapine 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."

• Jac...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2019

For Depression "I've never been a great sleeper, but if I took an entire pill (100 mg), I could be out for over 12-15 hours. So I cut it in half (50 mg), 10-12 hours. A quarter of a tablet (25 mg), 8-10 easily. So for that, I'm grateful. I'm on Pristiq for depression, but it works well. However, I've decided against taking even a quarter pill nightly, as I'm noticing my depression is worsening and I'm crying constantly."

• Ber...
• August 11, 2019

For Insomnia "When 1/4 tab clonazepam did not work for me anymore, my psychiatrist prescribed me quetiapine at 25 mg. It worked for a few nights. I had a quality baby sleep, however, it kept me groggy in the daytime. I stopped for a while due to heart issues, and when I was cleared from my cardio, I got back to it again at an upped dosage of 50 mg. It was effective on the first night, but the next nights were terrible. It made me drowsy and like my body is drugged, feels immobile, but I did not have a good sleep. Now I’ve taken it with clonazepam (25 mg Q + 1/4 tab clonazepam), which was perfect for a few nights only. Now I am back to my vivid dreams sleep (I’m on it whenever meds don’t work, and it makes me feel I never really had sleep), which makes me anxious and depressed the whole while. I don’t know, but this drug only worked for a while with every new dosage to me. I’m afraid I will be given another upped dosage of 100 mg if I report this experience to my psychiatrist."

• Mia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2018

Quetiapine for Depression "I got prescribed Seroquel XR for my sleep, and it is supposed to help me with my sleeping, and it does. I don’t follow a specific roster of when I’m meant to take it, so I’m on and off every week, and I only just started noticing that when I start taking it after a while of not taking it, my depression gets worse. I’m not really sure of what’s going on."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2019

For Insomnia "Never again, two days I was sleeping fine on 25 mg, but the third day I had night terrors, I was paranoid all day, and I was feeling awful. I couldn’t eat, I had pressure in my head, I was anxious, nervous, depressed, scared of life, my memories didn’t exist anymore. I was so tired that I couldn’t function till 7 pm. I don’t recommend it for insomnia."

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

Quetiapine 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."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2015

For Insomnia "I have insomnia and was told that this drug would knock me out and help me sleep. Well, it did. For 3 hours. After I woke up with my heart pounding out of my chest and barely able to move. Dry mouth, so I attempted to go get some water from the kitchen. Collapsed and couldn't move after 3 steps. I'm only 21, by the way. I was able to walk after 14 hours and the side effects, like depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, passed after two days. Then I was back to normal. This drug is poison. I have been through alcohol withdrawal and would take that over one single day of Seroquel."

• Eng...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2016

Quetiapine for Schizophrenia "I've been taking this drug for a few months. I'm on a very high dose (800 mg). I was finding on lower doses my paranoia was overwhelming, and my depression was getting to the suicidal point. Now I'm on a higher dose, I'm like a zombie, lack of motivation in everything I do. For me personally, I do not think it's the right drug for me, but everyone takes to medications differently."

• Par...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 18, 2018

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I used this medication at the peak of my mania-induced paranoid psychotic episode, and it helped calm it immediately. However, I am extremely sensitive to medication, so while taking only 25 mg of this, I became so tired that I couldn't possibly stay awake. Even though I took it at night, it became dangerous because I could no longer walk or talk properly, I even considered peeing in the bed because I couldn't even walk to the bathroom...lol. Although it completely knocked me out for 8+ hours and I had a fantastic sleep, when I woke up, I was still tired... which eventually made me depressed. I ended up stopping this medication because I couldn't get the dose up to where it needed to be to control my bipolar symptoms (any higher than 25 mg and I'd start drooling). I guess I'm just very sensitive."

• Mad...
• January 20, 2016

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I am on 600 mg a day, 2x300. It is being used to help with depressive episodes of bipolar, which I get more than the highs. It seems to have helped stop the very, very lows, but I still feel low with little energy or motivation. My appetite seems about the same, although I have put on weight, but that's down to me not working now. Sleep-wise, I struggle to get to sleep, but once I'm asleep, I sleep for about 8 hours."

• The...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 8, 2022

For Insomnia "I've been prescribed Seroquel at the hospital for the insomnia. Yes, it did help with sleep, but the side effects are horrible. Blurry vision, sexual dysfunction, hair loss, fatigue, irritability, depression, kidney pain. If there is a rating below 0 stars, I would rate that medication 0000."

• Rus...
• December 1, 2016

For Insomnia "So I've just begun the Seroquel drug to treat apparent bipolar disorder. This drug has 110% assisted in my sleeping, but that's also the issue. See, I HATE sleeping through the day, but since taking this drug every night around 8:30 pm, I cannot seem to stay awake all day. I'm either EXTREMELY tired and drowsy sleeping, or I am EXTREMELY hungry. I cannot seem to stop my appetite. I have also noticed a strong increase in my aggressiveness. I am usually a very calm person, however, I have found myself getting angry and/or sad at very little. I am contributing this to my current state of drowsiness, however, even after an 18-hour shift at work, I usually don't get angry. Now this is purely my opinion and my experience, and I am yet to speak with my GP."

• Laz...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 26, 2021

For Insomnia "To preface, I have had insomnia since I was a small child, started taking OTC meds when I was 15, and began prescription treatment with my doctor after the OTC meds stopped working when I was 17. I am 27 now. After being on many different medications for insomnia and nightly panic attacks (amitriptyline, trazodone, cyclobenzaprine), quetiapine is what I’ve stuck with for the past 2 years now. Unlike trazodone and amitriptyline, quetiapine does not make me gain weight. The first couple of weeks were rough in figuring out the proper dosage adjustment, not to mention the side effects of daytime exhaustion and increased depression, but, eventually, the meds settled with my body chemistry and I now have no major side effects. I am on a nightly dose of 100 mg, and that seems to work fine. Sometimes I take 50-100 mg more if needed. The only personal warning I have is to not try to walk once this medication kicks in. It drops the blood pressure and has caused episodes of collapsing for me."

• fly...
• August 21, 2018

Quetiapine 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."