Quetiapine and Restless Leg Syndrome: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2019

For Insomnia "A horrific experience. I have never been prone to side effects until I took 50 mg of quetiapine for insomnia. It made me drowsy but unable to fall asleep, which is the worst feeling. It was like I’d been drugged. It also caused the worst episode of restless leg syndrome I’d ever had. My nasal passages were swollen, which caused me to breathe through my mouth with the associated dry mouth and increased thirst. After enduring this torture all night, I finally got my normal fitful 2 hours after the pill started to wear off. On top of my normally exhausted state when I wake up, I also felt dizzy and drugged. Will never take this drug again. I believe the drowsiness that is associated with this medication comes from its antihistamine properties. So, if Benadryl (diphenhydramine) doesn’t work on you, avoid this medication at all costs because it won’t help."

• mad...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 4, 2017

For Borderline Personality Disorder "It helps with the constant, horrid intrusive thoughts. I still feel like I'm behind glass, although I'm easily destabilized. The sedation helps calm me. I've put on 6 stone in 4 years, restless legs and sometimes arms. However, for me, I would take this medication because it's giving me enough stability to stay 'living'."

• Lil...
• November 30, 2017

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "I was on 50 mg of Seroquel for about 12 weeks for bipolar disorder, and my doctor gave the impression that it would help with my anxiety. Well, it didn't... it just made me totally crash! I was originally splitting the dose up into halves, 25 in the morning, 25 at night. It was making me too sleepy during the day and causing me to take unnecessary naps almost daily. Even when I took 12.5 mg in the morning and 37.5 mg at night, it was still bad. Additionally, it caused a number of side effects, including drug-induced Parkinson's, restless legs that made it very difficult to sit still, and a stiff jaw (especially when coming off of it). It gets a five because it did help with my depression."

• vis...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 29, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was started on 25 mg and upped to 200 mg within a period of a week. I take this as a mood stabilizer. Had suicidal thoughts before starting this, and they got worse after about 3 weeks, so I had to go inpatient. Things became okay after another couple of weeks inpatient. Now taking 50 mg in the morning, 50 mg after lunch, and 200 mg at night, along with 20 mg Lexapro in the morning. RLS was a problem earlier, before upping to 300 mg total. But now it is rare and mild. Another side effect I now suspect caused by this drug is these awfully depressing and painful dreams. It helps cope with some emotions I would rather not deal with. It makes the mind clearer and quieter, dampening emotions too strong and painful. I know it is probably not healthy in the long run, but this medicine is very helpful, so I can go along with my everyday life."

• Liv...
• October 21, 2010

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "Seroquel has been a godsend for me. It stabilized my moods and stopped my 'extra thoughts' or 'popcorn brain.' I take 600 mg at bedtime, and my psychiatrist has allowed me to take an additional 100 mg if my mood gets ramped up. I do get side effects from it, like blurred vision and restless legs. About an hour after taking Seroquel, the restless legs subside, and I am sleepy enough to get a good night's sleep. I am prescribed benztropine (Cogentin) for the restless legs, and it helps some. After I take my medicine, I do not drive until the next day, as there is a risk of an accident and getting a DUI. I did have a rapid weight gain of about 40 pounds, but I would rather be overweight and functioning and not hospitalized."

• tir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2014

Quetiapine for Schizoaffective Disorder "Unfortunately, this medication does not suit me, as I get a lot of the undesirable side effects. Slurred speech, terrible confusion, drowsiness but not able to sleep, cravings for sugary foods, a sort of spaced-out feeling, and restless leg. Apart from that, it's great! :) Wish I could continue taking it, but it's not worth the side effects in my case."

• dyn...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 27, 2018

For Insomnia "I've been taking this for years after finding Stillnox has stopped working and was adding to my depression. I find that if I fight the sleepy feeling (by trying to squeeze in an extra episode of the latest thing I'm watching on Netflix), then I get Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) and struggle then to get to sleep, so I sometimes have to take another pill. I take 50 mg. I started on 25 but had to go up to 50 mg, and only rarely do I need to take an extra one. I never get the hungover feeling that I did from other sleep medicines, and I function well the next day after sleeping easily. My only suggestion is never to forget it or run out, or you won't sleep at all."

• kas...
• December 27, 2016

For Borderline Personality Disorder "Taking it for Borderline Personality Disorder/Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). An effective mood stabilizer and helps with paranoia and occasional psychosis. The drowsy side effect has helped with my insomnia as my sleep was awful. I'm on 300 mg at night. The other side effects are a pain, though. I've put on 4-5 stone (56/70 lbs, I believe) at least, while I've been on these, possibly from the munchies it gives me, but I'm sure it's altered my metabolism. After taking the dose, my nose blocks up completely. I have to use a nose spray every night. My heart pounds, and I get restless legs and arms. It feels like something tickling them on the inside. I always feel drowsy in the mornings, but that is to be expected."

• 742...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 9, 2017

For Insomnia "This medication does make me feel drowsy, but doesn't let me sleep. In fact, it seems to promote Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) for me. Since it doesn't give me a good night's rest, I feel real groggy in the morning."

• Anonymous
• July 30, 2009

Quetiapine for Insomnia "My doctor prescribed 50 mg of Seroquel for insomnia, and it worked well for about 3 years. I then had to up the dose to 100 mg, and it caused me to have restless leg syndrome. It is a great medicine for insomnia for the short term, not so for long term."

• bre...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 1, 2013

For Insomnia "After months of struggling to sleep and trying different medications (Ambien, Halcion, Trazodone, and others), I found 30 mg Restoril with the Melatonin and Benadryl would put me to sleep. Restoril stopped working after a while, and I couldn't fall asleep and couldn't stay asleep. Over the next 3 months, I averaged 3 hours of sleep a night and only 45 minutes at a time. My body was completely exhausted, but my brain would keep going. I have never been diagnosed as bipolar or any other mental illness. I just have a very active mind. Finally, taking 2 mg Klonopin, 25 mg Elavil, 600 mg Seroquel, 10 mg Melatonin, and 50 mg Benadryl at night would put me to sleep. I sleep like a normal person and no side effects besides restless leg syndrome and morning drowsiness."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2017

For Paranoid Disorder "It's only OK once I've fallen asleep and maintaining that sleep, but honestly, I still have genuine reasons to be paranoid in life based on misconceptions, certain associates, etc. But yeah, still depressed, restless legs, less paranoid, overthinking, but more frustrated and anxious. I eat a lot on it, and, well, I guess proper therapy sessions would've been a better approach for me."

• Gin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2020

For Major Depressive Disorder "A few days ago, I started on Quetiapine. I have to reduce my Mirtazapine dose from 45 mg to 30 mg for 7 days and also take 25 mg of the Quetiapine AM + PM. After 7 days, increase Quetiapine to 50 mg AM + PM. Last night, the third time taking the Quetiapine, I took my meds earlier because the night before, I had restless legs. So, after taking the medication last night, I was crying, lying on the floor. I felt like there were things running around inside my body. I needed to get out of my skin. I was agitated and pacing, wanting these horrendous feelings to stop. I sat down, stood up, I wanted to lie there and then. I didn't know what to do. Just over 2 hours later, it suddenly stopped, and I felt okay. I don't know how I'm going to get through it again tonight. Apart from that, I slept well and feel more relaxed. My mouth is like sandpaper and tastes metallic, but it's a small price to pay for feeling better. I'm dreading tonight and how I'm going to get through the trauma again."

• 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."

• Gul...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 11, 2017

For Insomnia "I take .25 or .5 of Seroquel for sleep, but I am on several other meds, so it's hard to pinpoint the exact one that's causing sleep or if it's some combination. My understanding is that at low doses, such as 100 mg and under, the drug acts only like an antihistamine, Benadryl for example, and so the sleepiness effect at those low doses should be the same, and I think this is true. I also have restless legs syndrome, very much exacerbated by either Seroquel or Benadryl - but Gabapentin to the rescue - 300 mg of Gabapentin and the pain is totally gone - poof."

• wcf...
• March 12, 2018

For Depression "Quetiapine is supposed to have anti-depressive effects, but personally, I take Bupropion, Clonazepam, and Lamotrigine for that and use quetiapine for sleep primarily. But just a note to those who find this drug aggravates their RLS (and likely so does Benadryl, as they function the same at low doses) - try adding 300 - 600 mg of gabapentin. It should stop the RLS altogether and is likely safer than an NSAID for pain (check with your Dr., of course). It also gives me heartburn, and a 150 or 300 mg generic ranitidine (Zantac) takes care of that."

• Nes...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2021

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I've been on and off Seroquel ever since I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2017. I was diagnosed at 17, and I'm 21 now. I started on 25 mg and got increased steadily to 100 mg from 2017-2019. I quit taking my meds several times over the years because nothing was working, and I attempted suicide five times in two years. In 2020, I got back on Seroquel, only Seroquel, at 50 mg. It has helped reduce my mood swings, impulsivity, paranoia, and psychosis. I am able to sleep so well when I take it. When I miss dosages because I run out, the withdrawals feel like I am dying, I cannot sleep or eat, the psychosis is absolutely horrendous, I have horrible headaches, and restless leg. I was just increased to 100 mg from 50 mg because I had a psychotic episode, and the only issue so far is my heart racing for about an hour after I take it, which makes my paranoia worse. It has only been two days on 100 mg, so hopefully it evens out. But I feel good on this medication, it is the only thing that works."

• Mel...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 8, 2018

For Schizophrenia "This med really helps with paranoia and delusional behavior, but the side effects are horrific! Weight gain is unavoidable. It drops my blood sugar, and I’m forced to eat or I’ll pass out. I hate the dizzy, light-headed feeling of needing to eat immediately after taking it. It also distorts my vision, and I already wear glasses because I can’t see 10 ft in front of me. I take 150 mg four times a day, and it doesn’t make me sleepy, but it does put me in a foggy haze. Restless legs at night are awful. At my next appointment, I’m switching to another drug because I can’t handle these side effects! If I don’t take this med and skip a dose, the extreme paranoia instantly comes back along with an irregular heartbeat, and it feels like the quetiapine KNOWS you didn’t take it, so it makes your day awful until you do. Weirdest drug I’ve ever taken."

• Fat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 4, 2022

Quetiapine for Depression "I have been on 200 mg of Seroquel XR for about 7 months. I am underweight, and it did not cause me weight gain. It has been working miracles for my mental health, but I just started tapering because the side effects are sometimes excruciating. After half an hour of taking the med, I can’t walk or talk. I can hardly breathe, and the RLS is terrible sometimes. But those side effects only last 2 hours after taking the med. I am also stopping it because I have been feeling great, and I don’t think I need it anymore. (I’ve had depression with psychotic features and used to frequently experience depersonalization, derealization, and some delusional thoughts, disorganized thinking). All of which decreased in intensity rapidly after starting Seroquel. Generally, it was a good experience for the most part. It really helped with my memory and information processing."

• kio...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 30, 2024

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "Seroquel is the only tricky medication I take in terms of side effects. Out of all of the antipsychotics I have tried, however, Seroquel is the one that actually helps. It is also one of the few that is advisable when it comes to long-term maintenance therapy, which all my medications need to be. I am extremely sensitive to the dosage, though: at 200 mg it was effective, but the restless legs made me want to cry; each time I tried 250 mg (breakthrough psychosis) I developed idiopathic mastitis, which is a rare side effect, despite lack of pregnancy ever or breastfeeding; anything below 150 mg is like I didn't take an AP at all. At 150 mg, my positive and negative psychotic symptoms are 95% managed, which is awesome. Still, after taking it, I cannot be walking around. My blood pressure crashes within 5 minutes, and I need to lay flat. Preexisting heart problems. The benefits for me outweigh that limitation; I just have to plan my bedtime so I have snacks and water ready. No weight gain reported."

• Sha...
• January 24, 2019

For Insomnia "I get restless leg syndrome when taking any dosage of quetiapine over 25 mg. I used to be able to take 300 mg without any incident, but now I find myself 'jumping' just as I am falling asleep, and it just wakes me up more. It also seems to increase my anxiety. I have really bad anxiety as it is. I do not need any more. This works for some, and as I said before, it worked great for me. I used to wake up rested a few years ago (2007-2012), but now the medicine just scares me. Kudos to those who can take it. I loved it when it did not freak me out... lol. Now I stick to an OTC, or if it's really bad, I have to take Klonopin (clonazepam) for anxiety and Ambien (zolpidem) for sleep. My insurance covered the medication for about 5 of the 6 years I was on it. After that, I had to pay out of pocket, which was so far out expensive that I had to buy them from a pharmacy in Canada. Totally legal too. Saved over half. I only had to pay out of pocket for about that 1 year (2012)."

• 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."

• bud...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2017

For Generalized Anxiety Disorder "OMG I cannot believe my 'psychiatrist' had prescribed me this med. At first, I was okay, I thought it made me feel tired enough to sleep after about an hour, and she also let me still be on lorazepam because I was already taking that for my anxiety. Well, I have been on these pills, 25 mg two times a day, for about a month. And I have gained almost 20 lbs, and when I try to sleep, my legs go crazy. I have been having severe restless leg, and I mean my legs would kick hard when I am trying to sleep. So last night, my man was trying to keep me calm and told me it would be okay, and he told me to look up the med and the side effects. I am now in tears after reading all the bad effects, and it isn't good for anxiety, ADHD, and mood disorders. I hate doctors who know nada."

• 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."

• Kim...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2017

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I take 300 mg daily, 200 mg of that being at night, and it actually keeps me awake and gives me restless legs. Side note: I also take 150 mg Zoloft in the a.m. Both for BPD and bipolar. Maybe my moods are a bit more stable, but compulsions seem the same."