Quetiapine and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Ano...
• March 7, 2013

For Depression "I was prescribed Seroquel along with an antidepressant for mild depression. It helps with insomnia but pretty much knocks you out for 24 hours. You don't feel the energy to do any work. And the weight gain was pretty bad. I gained 40 lb in 11 months of this medication. Right now I am coming off it and feeling better."

• Sop...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 5, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I can honestly say this medication saved my life. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type II when I was 16 and was in a very dark place that I didn't think I would ever be able to come out of. After a couple of months of taking quetiapine, I noticed a dramatic change in my moods - I was a good 85% more stable than I had been in the previous 3-4 years, and it also majorly helped my insomnia. Although after being on the medication for a year I did have to readjust my dose and put it higher, it's still working amazingly. Obviously, it's not a cure, I still have some bad days! But I can move on from them within 24 hours without feeling like my world is falling apart. I'm 18, nearly 19 now, and this is the happiest I've been in years."

• Ban...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 1, 2020

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I've been on quetiapine 100 mg a night for 6 years. If I up it to 200 mg when I'm not feeling good, I can drop back to the 100 with no issues. If I miss just my normal dose one night, I get side effects like no sleep, migraine to the point I vomit, my head feels like it's about to explode, shakes. As soon as I take it, I go to sleep and wake up okay. I've liked that I've been able to sleep a full 6 hours, but once I wake, even if it's 3 am, I can't go back to sleep. I feel these control my life big time. I now wish I tried something else because I'm struggling to work out how I'll ever get off them now. Now I know why my doctor was against them and said once you start them you will have to stay on them for good. I'm now down to 50 mg, which has been my 7th day, and feeling okay, surprisingly, I sleep well and finding yoga and breathing is helping me more. These I wouldn't recommend, it's something you will find you rely on more than food."

• sui...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 3, 2015

For Depression "Got this at ER. Caused my depression to worsen after three weeks. Despite drowsiness, the co-occurrence with restlessness initially caused inability to sleep. Further use led to somnolence, further lack of motivation, and suicidal ideation. Discontinuation caused depersonalization and severe aggression. Read the story of Dan Markingson. Not recommended at all for depression."

• Zel...
• November 4, 2020

For Depression "I’m on 50 mg of Citalopram. Not sleeping soundly, which has just turned into insomnia. Psych has given me quetiapine 25 mg to help me sleep. It has taken me 5 days to work out I must have it at 6 pm for it to work (apparently the effect takes 2-3 hours to come on) and to not be groggy until midday the following day (awful). Since taking it, I have noticed a slight increase in depression. Then today, bang, anxiety back although it was quite short-lived. Someone on here mentioned the bounce-back effect, which I’m beginning to see is happening with this drug, the same as Ativan did... just makes depression and anxiety worse. Psych seems to think it’s not addictive either. I really don’t agree with that. How can something that puts you to sleep so nicely ever not be a choice over insomnia? I think I’m going to stop taking it as much as it helps my sleep. Can’t risk having depression and anxiety be any worse. This is a very heavy drug. I’m quite surprised she prescribed it so easily. Beware."

• Anonymous
• November 14, 2011

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I have been on Seroquel (along with a myriad of other psychiatric medications) for 10 years at a dose of 600 mg at night. For a while, I would get so sedated that while sleeping, I would stop breathing and jump awake feeling like I was drowning. While the medicine has been very helpful, I am starting to titrate it down in the hope of losing the 15 kg that I put on when I started it. I now find it impossible to sleep without it, so I'm coming off it very slowly hoping that my other medicines will keep my mood balanced. Overall, a really good medication."

• Twi...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2015

Quetiapine "I have been on 100 mg of this for a few months now. For me, it's harder to wake up than fall asleep, but it sorts out my paranoid thoughts. My psychologist told me if anyone is fully schizophrenic, they are on a minimum of 600 mg, which makes me feel a little better about myself. Anyway, I'm trailing off subject, the medication works for me. Obviously, your doctor will prescribe you what should work for you, but I would definitely recommend it if you suffer from insomnia and paranoid thoughts. You can suggest medications if you feel you need to change. Anyway, it worked for me. Good luck to the rest of you."

• 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."

• kta...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 17, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Works a bit for bipolar at first, but now my symptoms are back at full speed. My problem with this med is that it gives me insomnia if I take more than 100 mg. It helps me sleep at lower dosages, but doesn't help with the depression part of my mood swings. Also, when I first started taking this, I couldn't wake up in the mornings at all. My boyfriend would poke me to see if I was still alive. It still makes me very groggy in the mornings and is the reason I started drinking caffeinated tea before I could function every morning. My cousin takes it for bipolar, and he takes 500 mg! But he never sleeps or sleeps or sleeps all the time on this med. This brings me to believe that this medication is very risky for anyone who is a sensitive sleeper. I plan to taper off and switch to a bipolar med that doesn't impact sleep and that helps the depression more than the manic episodes."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 19, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I started Seroquel in June and was prescribed it in the hospital after having my first manic psychotic episode triggered by my sister's death. I was really freaking out in the hospital the first night (lack of sleep), I also was having delusions still. I started out on 75 mg and now I’m on 100 mg in the morning and afternoon and 200 mg at night (about to switch over to 400 mg XR to make my life easier). I honestly think it has worked really well to stop mania and most of the depression. I am a much colder person now than I was before starting it, but I really don’t mind it. I get sleepy sometimes because of it, but that side effect stopped after I was a month adjusted to the dose change. The weight gain was god-awful, though I’ve been on Seroquel for 3 months and I’ve gained 15 lbs (currently trying to lose it). Finding the right dosage was the hardest part, but once we found the sweet spot dosage that worked for me, it was easier, I haven’t had an episode since."

• New...
• June 27, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I started taking Seroquel about four years ago. I was a severe alcoholic at the time. I was once up to 900 mg daily. I quit drinking over a year ago. I switched to a new medication because of weight gain. Latuda did nothing for me. In addition, once I was completely off Seroquel, my anxiety and insomnia went through the roof. It was so severe that my doctor put me back on Seroquel. I have been diagnosed with bipolar type II, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD. My doctor started seeing me every two weeks, and we were finally able to find my 'magic dose,' which is 200 mg at bedtime. He also added lithium. I am very pleased with Seroquel. I know that many people can't tolerate it because it is a hard drug, but for me, it works great."

• Nic...
• December 5, 2017

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Prescribed 25 mg quetiapine for my labile mood for 2 weeks, then dose upped to 50 mg after the 2 weeks. Initially, after the first week on 25 mg, I felt great - like a cloud lifted. Then hypomania set in: initially, I took advantage of the positive effects - blitzed the house, loads of crafts, focused at work. Then the reckless driving and spending began. Once started taking 50 mg at night, stupor, tinnitus, muscle cramps in left leg, heart palpitations, dizziness, blurred vision, that horrible head fizz you get with some head meds; hypomania carried on - insomnia and racing mind, spent £2k in 2 weeks. Intense irritability and nausea. Last weekend was spent lying down and barking abusively at my poor partner. I made the executive decision to stop."

• Kat...
• September 16, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been taking Seroquel 200 mg for years. I am bipolar, but I'm manic, I don't get depressed. Anyway, Doc increased the dose to 400 mg. Okay, I have anxiety and panic attacks. I also take buspirone 30 mg twice a day. I can't sleep, and when I do, it's only a couple of hours. I also gained weight and have a little twitch, and my hands shake. What do I do? Doctors don't listen to what you say and put you on a bunch of crap. Thanks for listening, any input is welcome."

• the...
• December 15, 2017

For Borderline Personality Disorder "It's been almost 3 weeks since I've started taking Seroquel XR 50 mg, once a day. I'm taking it mostly for impulsivity and mood swings (but the official borderline diagnosis isn't out yet). It knocked me out good the first night, but didn't manage to help me sleep well since then. It doesn't knock me out that much, and my mood swings are back since this week. I have doubts about its interaction with birth control, since it seems to affect the hormonal system quite a lot. Do I need to specify that I weigh about 115 lbs for 5.4 ft? I'm tiny. I thought the Seroquel would knock me harder than that, and maybe I had put a lot of hope in it. I will see how it goes during the holidays, but I'm probably going to ask if I can start taking 100 mg."

• sle...
• January 16, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Quetiapine was prescribed to me more to treat bipolar symptoms, which it definitely has helped with, but I feel the biggest gain was the side effect of a guaranteed good night's sleep! My mental health declines quickly when I lose sleep, so it's been life-changing to not have to worry about how one night of insomnia can affect my entire week. I take 100 mg at night around 9 pm, fall asleep easily around 11, and wake up feeling rested naturally around 7. Before taking this medication, I had so much trouble falling asleep, I could sleep well into the afternoon and still feel exhausted. I would overcompensate with caffeine, and the cycle continues. This disrupted that cycle from the first dose! The biggest drawbacks for me have been the late-night munchies (something I'm prone to anyway) and the fact that if I miss a dose, it is pretty difficult to fall and stay asleep. You have to be careful about not taking it too late either, or else it's then difficult to wake up in the morning!"

• lil...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 16, 2021

For Insomnia "I was put on this for ADHD-HI. At the beginning, it was awful, I would fall asleep in class so much I had to ask for permission from the teachers just to go sleep because I couldn't stay awake - it was impossible. But later on, as a year went by, it actually helped me a lot with my insomnia!"

• And...
• December 1, 2017

For Insomnia "The first time I was prescribed quetiapine, when I was going through a really bad period (life problems, depression), it did not help me a thing. I was put on sleeping meds to get through the toughest time. My doc returned me to it now, much later, when I started having problems sleeping a normal night, instead, it was like 2-3-4 hours. Now the dose is 100-200, it ensures I can sleep 8-10 hours and return to sleep if woken up."

• Jul...
• October 18, 2017

For Insomnia "It amazes me that Drs are prescribing Seroquel for insomnia when, for me, it actually causes insomnia. I am weaning down from 25 mg, and if I don't take it, I can't sleep. Hundreds and hundreds of cases just like mine."

• aze...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 12, 2025

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I put this diagnosis because it was prescribed to me to treat specific symptoms. Was prescribed this drug in April of this year. I have been having periodic insomnia for months, since December 2024. And I only used melatonin and over-the-counter 'drugs.' For a few days, it sort of got me a good sleep. But I have started to gain weight, while having binge eating disorder. So it's a double attack, also, I have had my triglycerides tested, they were really high. I took 150 mg daily, so it did not help with psychosis nor mood. Soon, the sedative effect went on the loose. The only one thing that quetiapine helped me with also went away very soon after. This drug is not for me."

• ISS...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 12, 2023

Quetiapine "Seroquel is classified as an antipsychotic medicine that is indicated for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, it shares all the benefits and side effects of all other medicines in its class. Doctors sometimes use side effects as beneficial effects, e.g., insomnia in the case of Seroquel. The dose varies for different conditions and from person to person. The key is to start at the lowest dose, give time to let it work, then increase the dose slowly if needed. Get labs done 2-3 times in the first year to watch for side effects. The usual dose for insomnia is 12.5 mg to 100 mg, 1/2-1 hour before bedtime."

• Kan...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 6, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking this drug, quetiapine, for almost 3 years. Year 1, I had no side effects except weight gain and grogginess and switched to olanzapine, which has fewer side effects. I was able to stay awake during the day. Now I’m back on quetiapine, and I can’t sleep properly. My stomach is permanently sore, and I have trouble swallowing."

• Gee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 31, 2019

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I started with 25 mg, then increased to 50 mg. I woke up tired and groggy. I still suffered with insomnia, so I upped the dose to 200 mg and woke up fantastic and not tired."

• Kja...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 12, 2019

For Insomnia "Horrible! Made my sleep worse, lost my hair, hurt my teeth because of profound anticholinergic properties! More depression due to lack of sleep."

• Kja...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 12, 2019

For Insomnia "Horrible! Made my sleep worse, lost my hair, hurt my teeth because of profound anticholinergic properties! More depression due to lack of sleep."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 11, 2012

Quetiapine for Schizophrenia "I have been on it for 2.5 years, I gained 30 lbs. At a point, it has stopped working for me. I started having crying spells and insomnia. I am now going to try Latuda."