Quetiapine and Increased Appetite: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 25, 2020

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I was put on Seroquel to help me sleep at night when I went into a drug addiction treatment center about 3 months ago for opioids. Seroquel is completely awful in my opinion. Did it make me sleep? For sure! But let me tell you, the side effects are awful! I would wake up the next day, and all day long I would sweat like a pig (even after detoxing). After about 2 weeks, I noticed I had restless legs so bad to where my legs would start aching, and eventually, my arms were restless also. At night after taking it, I would become extremely hungry. Also, I am diagnosed with depression and not bipolar disorder, so I noticed I started to feel extremely panicky/couldn't stop moving. I stopped cold turkey getting off of this drug, I couldn't handle it one more day."

• AJa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 5, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I was put on quetiapine 100 mg for bipolar disorder, and I was also having trouble sleeping. I was literally not sleeping at all. I've been on this medication for 10 years. The sertraline makes me sleep so well, it has been a lifesaver. Although I will say, my body is so addicted to it that now if I don't take Seroquel at night, I will not be able to fall asleep. I once ran out of it on a Sunday and didn't have a pill to take that night, and was up all night long. I also have noticed considerable thinning of my hair. And it does make me extremely hungry about an hour after I take it, however, even with these negative side effects, this pill gives me the best sleep I've ever had, and it helps me very much."

• Mer...
• December 7, 2017

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "Okay, so, I was put on this medication to help manage my 'bipolar disorder.' This medication would either completely knock me out, or I would be able to fight it and stay awake throughout the night snacking all night long. It made me so hungry, and I gained 40 lbs on it. My doctor now wants to put me on Ziprasidone, which is similar to this medication, and I am very hesitant."

• Anonymous
• January 5, 2011

Quetiapine for Borderline Personality Disorder "I'm on 700 mg of Seroquel. The worst side effects I have are intense hunger and weight gain, and a decrease in my sex drive. Both of these are horrible, but my mind is clear. Not sure if it's worth it or not. Wondering if there is a medicine out there to add to my regime that will deplete my hunger and boost my sex drive."

• Ill...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Well, this time I am technically using Seroquel 50 mg for sleep issues, though it does help with my schizoaffective as well. When I first tried this years ago, I slept for 23 hours after one 50 mg pill, then felt like a zombie for 2 days after. This time I slept for about 12 hours, and now I just feel really relaxed, like I took a muscle relaxer, and I don't feel stressed out anymore about the road workers ripping up our road outside - the reason I have had trouble sleeping for the last 3 weeks. Finally, got some good sleep. I also want to say for all the people using this and saying it makes them hungry, I actually ate dinner before taking the pill, and so I didn't have the issue of feeling hungry after taking it. So try to eat something that is filling before taking the pill, and it might help to deal with the hunger issue. Just a suggestion, I know everyone is different on medication."

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 21, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I was really scared about taking quetiapine as I had read all the horror stories, particularly around weight gain. Firstly, I would say everyone is different and this may work for you. For me, it has been a godsend. I haven't felt this good...ever...it has made such a difference to my life. Far better than any antidepressants for bipolar depression. As far as weight gain is concerned, before taking quetiapine (75 mg), I was binge eating 3 days out of 5. This has stopped entirely, I have no desire to binge eat...like flicking a switch. So my advice is to try it, remember 77% of patients don't gain weight on this drug. By the way, I am also on Lamictal 200 mg. (I felt more hungry on mirtazapine)"

• Squ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2023

For Insomnia "I was prescribed this for insomnia, and I'm allowed 25-100 mg daily, but I only take 25-50 mg. It's worked wonders so far. I've also noticed that my depression and anxiety have improved immensely, even on this low of a dose, as an added bonus. I haven't had any weight gain or other side effects, but I also take Bupropion 300 mg in the morning, and I believe this counteracts increased appetite and daytime fatigue."

• Anonymous
• April 8, 2011

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Seroquel for several years. I am taking 400 mg at bedtime to help with insomnia but mostly for bipolar. I have tried other medications to help me sleep, like trazodone, Ambien, and Klonopin. The Seroquel works, but boy, do I eat after taking this pill. I'm tired of eating so heavy after taking this pill."

• bil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 23, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "I take Seroquel when required for anxiety, and it works! I used to take Klonopin (and have been through the cycle of benzodiazepines), and it caused significant memory problems, of which it makes me very angry. I don't have the memory problems with the Seroquel, and it totally stomps out my anxiety. I take 25 mg, and it has worked great. The drawback to this medication is that it makes me hungry. I am trying to maintain a healthy weight (and lose some weight as well)."

• tee...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 30, 2019

For Tourette's Syndrome "I've been using quetiapine for 7 years now, mainly for insomnia and Tourette's syndrome. I started on 25 mgs a night. This worked great for quite some time, then as with most treatments, I had to increase the dose to 50, then 100, and sometimes 150. At times, I would still be awake five to six hours after taking this amount. The side effects I felt were extreme hunger, uncontrollable eating, increased insomnia, restless legs, and twitching in the hands and feet, irritability with extreme mood swings. I have never fallen asleep naturally since taking this med."

• Ken...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been struggling with my depression and, in particular, not sleeping well (I wasn't exactly an insomniac, but it did take hours for me to fall asleep, and when I did, I hardly ever reached REM or deep sleep, so I would always wake up exhausted no matter how much I slept) and have been struggling with antidepressants. Taking this alongside my antidepressant immediately from night 1 was a big improvement. Since I am already on another antidepressant, I use it at night only so I can have a good sleep. I couldn't take it during the day, it made me too drowsy. I'm only taking 25 mg for now, I plan to stick to it since I read your body becomes over-reliant on it. I'd hope to eventually come off it and not need it to sleep. The only downside is that it makes me hungry, so I have to resist getting up at night to snack. But overall, it's working for me."

• Bex...
• October 15, 2015

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking 100 mg for over a month and had quite the reverse of increased appetite or weight gain, although this could be due to the low dose. But also I feel my manic behavior is not necessarily under full control, whilst the tablet also makes it near impossible for me to get up before 7 a.m. on consecutive days. All in all, though, I do feel more balanced, productive, and have a better sense of self-purpose and an ability to plan realistically on this drug. Although at this stage, I am keeping a close eye on feelings of paranoia creeping in. It can be hard to tolerate the side effects of this drug, though."

• jay...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 20, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I have bipolar 1 disorder with ultra-rapid cycling, anxiety, and PTSD. I'm currently 44 years old and didn't find the right medication combo to help me until I turned 30. I had been prescribed a few other medications prior to that, none of them were beneficial. Fourteen years ago, I decided to go back to therapy and see a psychiatrist again. I was prescribed Seroquel and Lamictal, starting at low doses of each, and have been taking 600 mg of Seroquel before bed for 12 years now. I have bounced between 200-300 mg of Lamictal every morning. The benefits of Seroquel far outweigh the negatives for me. The things you learn from taking this med are: don't take it without having eaten that day, equilibrium problems and falling down will happen. It makes you very thirsty, hungry, and your sinuses will be stuffy within an hour after taking it, restless legs BAD. Over the past few years, I haven't had those issues anymore. I function normally on 600 mg, I just make sure I eat before taking it. It's saved my life."

• Nia...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 10, 2022

Quetiapine for Schizoaffective Disorder "I have a love-hate relationship with this drug, I really do. It seems to be the most effective in reducing psychotic symptoms, anxiety, and intrusive thoughts. It definitely helped me feel less depressed before, but I find that it doesn’t quite have that effect anymore (maybe it was a placebo). The major downside to this drug is that it triggers me to binge eat. As someone with bulimia, I have to be super careful with my dosage. I wish this medication didn’t cause me to binge eat, but none of the other ones work quite this well for me."

• Cck...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 18, 2019

Quetiapine for Major Depressive Disorder "While on Seroquel XR, my habits, escape mechanisms related to BPD were improved. These related to gambling, alcoholism, and reckless behavior. The side effects in my case were severe and included increased appetite, weight gain, tachycardia, and feeling like a zombie. I found myself questioning why I needed this drug?"

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I sleep for very long periods of time on this medication and am noticeably hungrier on it. I was started on this med to help stabilize my moods and decrease my anxiety. It hasn't helped with the anxiety one bit. My moods are more stable, but now the anxiety is just overwhelming. I'd like to continue on this medication for the mood part, but need something different for the anxiety."

• OS1...
• November 17, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on medication since I was around 9 and have been on bipolar medications since 16, and none of them ever worked for me. I was hesitant to try this because I've heard bad things about it, but this has been the first medicine in 10 years to have actually helped me. I finally feel normal and actually feel like I have my life back. I don't worry about mood swings anymore, and I'm actually able to sleep and focus in school. The only downside I've found is it makes me hungrier, but as long as my mood swings are under control, that's not much of a problem for me."

• van...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 29, 2023

For Bipolar Disorder "Been on Quetiapine for over a year for bipolar 2. Take 200 mg at night before bed. It does knock me out within an hour of taking. I sleep great (7-9 hours a night). I have had no real side effects except hunger and slight weight gain. But it's manageable. I also take Buspirone (15 mg/day) for anxiety, and NP recently added Vilazodone (10 mg/day). My bipolar symptoms are well controlled presently. Overall, I would recommend Quetiapine. It's the only antipsychotic that has helped me. The many others I've tried activated my hypomania; this doesn't. It's also pretty cheap through my insurance (Anthem BC/BS)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 26, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I take 100 mgs for bipolar depression/insomnia/PTSD. It has calmed my depression down a lot, I haven't had a major episode since I began taking it. I sleep well now, but the only reason I give it 8 instead of 10 is because I sleep and eat a lot, and I wake up with food in my mouth, choking on it. I have even woken up in my vehicle because I guess I remembered there were snacks in the vehicle and there were none in the house. It's been great besides the insatiable hunger and sleep eating/weight gain. I've gained 15 pounds in a year."

• cha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 11, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I took quetiapine (Seroquel) for a little over a year. The pros of this medication are that it helps me sleep and seems to tackle bipolar depression quite nicely. It also seems to make me less volatile and capricious. The cons, unfortunately, became too much. I gained over 50 pounds during my time on the drug, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and no amount of healthy eating or exercise helped me lose weight and keep it off. I have the appetite of a racehorse when I take it in the evening, and my binging became dangerous. I also sustained a number of injuries to my legs and feet because my body couldn't keep up with the rapid weight gain during exercise. It's a good med, but be mindful that it causes weight gain!"

• Val...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 10, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "Pros above 100 mg: Sleep like the dead, relieves psychosis, no extrapyramidal symptoms, prevents extreme racing thoughts. Cons above 100 mg: Appetite increase, restlessness, difficulty speaking, pacing, akathisia. Compared to all the other atypical/typical antipsychotics, this is the only one that is tolerable in terms of the side-effect profile. It's still a very debilitating drug to take in the long run. For the short term and what options I have, this is the only drug that works for me."

• chu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 7, 2024

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "Username sums it up. Was on for five months. I felt great at first once I was on 100 combined with lamotrigine and antidepressants for bipolar disorder type 2. I was given this for sleep and mood. I slept fantastically. In a few months, I also put on almost 40 lbs and struggled to take off weight even with my Dr. adding Topamax, but that can help somewhat. Or Ozempic, which often isn't covered by insurance. This drug doesn't just make you hungry, it alters your actual metabolism and blood sugar. Some antipsychotics do this more than others. Seroquel is proven as one of the worst. The weight issue was miserable. Then I hit a major depressive episode, which meant this wasn't working, and with the major weight issue, going up on the dose wasn't worth it. Even eating less can still blow you up. Great sleep and mood till it failed me. I would recommend trying it, but watch out for side effects. Some people are more fortunate than others."

• Hop...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 14, 2025

Quetiapine "Used to treat my insomnia, anxiety, and depression since I was a young teenager. I've been on it for 10+ years and only needed 1 dose increase. It has been so helpful, especially paired with a low-dose trazodone. It definitely does make you very hungry about an hour after taking it, but a late-night sandwich never hurt anyone."

• bin...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2023

For Insomnia "This medication is unbeatable for insomnia. When you take it, you don't have a choice in the matter of whether or not you sleep, you just sleep. I take 100 mg and have for several years. I also have bipolar 2, so my dosage is probably pretty high if you just have insomnia. The only real side effect is intense hunger before you fall asleep."

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

Quetiapine 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."