Quetiapine and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Try...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2019

For Borderline Personality Disorder "I just started this med a week and a half ago, and I'm already gaining a ton of weight. I am on 50 mg. It also makes me extremely exhausted, even though I take it at night. Changing it immediately when I meet with my psychiatrist."

• Era...
• January 17, 2017

For Depression "I took this medicine with lamotrigine to treat major depression and suspected bipolar disorder. I think it worked well, it got me out of a bad fog, but it made me so tired. I had to sleep for at least 12 hours. If anyone let me, I'd probably sleep for 24. For most of the time, I was taking 50 mg. Then we upped it to 100 mg and I was starting to sleep through my alarms, I was being late for work. So I took myself off of it gradually. I didn't have the money to go back to the psychiatrist. Anyhow, I got off of it, it's been a good 8 or so months. And the depression is back... or at least starting up again. I'm thinking that my only option is to go back on this medicine... but maybe only take 25 mg doses since it makes me so tired. Is this a bad idea?"

• Sco...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 24, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I am a 29-year-old female. I was put on this drug, 150 mg, for a year, and within that year, I have put on 4 stone, and my cholesterol is really high. I am fed up with the weight gain and feeling tired all the time. My psychiatrist is eventually taking me off this and wants to try venlafaxine. I don't know if that will help with my depression, but I will give it a go. I also take 45 mg mirtazapine at night, which also helps me sleep. I feel like I have no motivation to do anything. I also have started to cut out foods to help me lose weight. I feel like all I do is sleep and feel in a fog with twitches and no energy."

• Sco...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 24, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "I am a 29-year-old female. I was put on this drug, 150 mg, for a year, and within that year, I have put on 4 stone, and my cholesterol is really high. I am fed up with the weight gain and feeling tired all the time. My psychiatrist is eventually taking me off this and wants to try venlafaxine. I don't know if that will help with my depression, but I will give it a go. I also take 45 mg mirtazapine at night, which also helps me sleep. I feel like I have no motivation to do anything. I also have started to cut out foods to help me lose weight. I feel like all I do is sleep and feel in a fog with twitches and no energy."

• Tra...
• April 24, 2016

For Insomnia "I'm on this medication. I get 200 mg at night and 100 mg during the day. The one at night doesn't help me sleep, still awake at 2 am. The morning dose makes me tired, so not sure if it helps with insomnia."

• Gas...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 20, 2017

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "At one point, I was on regular Seroquel as needed and Seroquel XR daily. During this time, I gained a lot of weight that I just could not take off. I was prescribed the Seroquel as needed, 25 mgs up to 3 times a day. Later on, I was going through something else, and Seroquel had just gone generic. My psychiatrist put me back on the 25 mg pill as needed. I rarely used it, and this time I didn't gain any weight from it, which I was relieved about. I know they say that the lower doses are supposed to make you really tired, but that didn't seem to have any effect on me."

• 80s...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 20, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I went from 50-300 mg in two weeks. I gained ten pounds and was constantly tired all the time. I usually stay between the same weight to a pound up or down. I took the extended-release tablets (XR). As soon as I took the medicine, within an hour, I became very tired to the point where I would start to mumble and fall asleep. This medicine made me feel like I was out of it all the time. Not to mention, I fainted a couple of times, and I've never fainted in my life. I think I was on too high of a level for my body. I'm not trying to scare anyone with my review, I'm just sharing my experience with the medicine. I know everyone's body is different. This medicine made me sleep 24/7 and relaxed me."

• 80s...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 20, 2015

For Major Depressive Disorder "I went from 50-300 mg in two weeks. I gained ten pounds and was constantly tired all the time. I usually stay between the same weight to a pound up or down. I took the extended-release tablets (XR). As soon as I took the medicine, within an hour, I became very tired to the point where I would start to mumble and fall asleep. This medicine made me feel like I was out of it all the time. Not to mention, I fainted a couple of times, and I've never fainted in my life. I think I was on too high of a level for my body. I'm not trying to scare anyone with my review, I'm just sharing my experience with the medicine. I know everyone's body is different. This medicine made me sleep 24/7 and relaxed me."

• pju...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 20, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I used Quetiapine for 8 years between 50-300 mg for Bipolar II. The first 4 years it was quickly ramped up to 300 mg and was working well with not too bad side effects, except the occasional tiredness day and acid reflux. Would get me to sleep fairly quickly, and I had no major episodes. Then I started getting side effects, which kicked in around 1.5 hours after taking it. My arms and legs would paralyze, I wouldn't be able to get to sleep because I would start to fall asleep and then feel myself not breathing. This would freak me out and cause panic attacks. This would happen over and over as the drug was making me tired. This, combined with not being able to lift myself up very easily or walk due to my arms/legs being paralyzed, was scary. Over the next 3 years, I was gradually reduced in dose. At first, it would stop the side effects, but then eventually, they started again. By the time I had dropped to 50 mg and it started, I quit taking it altogether. A year on, I have moved to something else."

• Red...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 6, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Took this to help with mania-related insomnia. Oh, it knocked me out alright-and kept me in a daze through the next day! Even when I took a low dose. I have no idea how people on doses >100 can function! In hindsight, I don't think I should have even been driving on this drug. On the plus side, I did get PLENTY of shuteye whenever I'd take one. Unfortunately, I couldn't even take these during the week because I would make tons of mistakes at work. Plus, it didn't even really help my mania. It just made me manic and tired! Didn't work for me!"

• Mai...
• May 16, 2016

For Schizophrenia "I experience depression, anxiety, and schizophrenic/general psychotic symptoms and have found even an incredibly low dosage of this to be incredibly helpful, especially in lessening voices. However, it does make me stupidly tired and gives me bad migraines upon waking up in the morning."

• del...
• August 4, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Quetiapine made me way too tired, it also worsened my paranoia and psychotic symptoms from my schizoaffective disorder. Overall, it just felt like a sleeping pill that didn't really take care of the schizoaffective. When I was starting to fall asleep, I felt like I couldn't move my body because it was too heavy. This gave me panic attacks at night. So I guess it didn't work for me, hopefully, you don't have this experience."

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 4, 2022

Quetiapine for Schizoaffective Disorder "In my experience, Seroquel literally saved my life and helped control the symptoms of schizophrenia correctly when the dose was increased to 400 mg. I felt more like myself again and far less paranoid. My downsides include drowsiness, tiredness, and dry mouth, so drink more water than usual."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2022

Quetiapine for Schizoaffective Disorder "I have been on Seroquel XR for five days and feel so much more positive and restful. I am on 150 mg. Still feeling the side effects of tiredness, but apart from that, all good. Very impressed with this medication."

• cie...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2018

For Insomnia "18 yr old female prescribed for insomnia. Thought a lot and couldn’t go to sleep. I’ve tried OTC sleep aids and Valium, and they didn’t help as well as Seroquel does. I was supposed to take 100 mg, but it was too much to handle, and I’d feel groggy the whole next day. Went down to 50 mg and still felt groggy and extremely tired the next day. Now I only take about 20 mg. Doesn’t make me as tired, but it does cause me to wake up frequently in the night and cause vivid nightmares. Still a pretty good sleep aid, though."

• mam...
• September 29, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I am being court-ordered to take this prescribed medication. I don't like taking any drug. The side effects I have are lethargy, dizziness, my tongue doesn't work at times, I have knots in my stomach, headache, I sleep for more than half the day, lower back pain, and leg pain and cramping. I am prescribed 25 mg, but I break the pill in half, so I am only taking half per day. I am less angry, maybe because I have no desire to do anything. I have been taking the drug for five months now. I just want to be drug-free. I don't think I will check this site again, but I would like some responses."

• das...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "Removed my mania symptoms, and I've never felt like I'm going back to the highs. Helped with depression, but this is alongside vigorous exercise. Take it at night, 250 mg, and I sleep all night. Unfortunately, the biggest side effect I have is extreme tiredness the next morning, and it can last a few hours. It feels like a minor hangover each day."

• sle...
• October 15, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I've been on this medication for about 9 years for bipolar. Even after all that time, I still suffer from the exhaustion. I need to sleep 12 hours every night; any less, and a few days later, I have to sleep for 14 to 16 hours to catch up, so it pretty much rules my life in a bad way. But it has more or less stopped the manic episodes, or at least made them less severe. It doesn't help with depression. After six years off work, I'm trying to go back, but everything has to be planned around taking quetiapine. I can't drive after taking it, and I need to take it about five hours before I want to sleep, so nights out are a no-go, as I'm too groggy the next day. If I miss a dose, I literally cannot sleep; my jaw tightens and I get anxious. I take 600 mg."

• a d...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 4, 2023

For Schizophrenia "It is almost perfect. It helps with the paranoia and delusions, along with having no akathisia (restlessness). If you can't deal with the intense tiredness it brings, just take them right before you sleep."

• Amd...
• December 1, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was on quetiapine for a few months. It worked wonders and leveled my mood wonderfully, and I was thankful to have something work so effectively. However, I suffered from two major side effects: tiredness and weight gain. My doctor and I tried to combat the weight gain and tiredness, but in the end, I had to change to another medication, as we couldn't control it, and I was only on 25 mg at night. I don't want to put people off, as this drug helped me with my mood disorder, and I'm sensitive to some side effects."

• Typ...
• December 5, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Initially, I hated this drug. It made me tired, run down, and at times anxious. I even broke out in cold sores, it made me feel so ill. Then, at later stages, it was a lifesaver. I went from 25 mg to 300 mg during terrible hypomania and mixed episodes, it saved my life. Quitting it was hell, you will feel sick and nauseous for weeks. It's a very strong drug, and I say for type two bipolar to be used cautiously, as it's overly strong most of the time. You want to feel normal, not overly drugged as you do with this drug if taken for long periods of time. So, for me, it's a mixed review."

• rav...
• March 24, 2010

Quetiapine for Bipolar Disorder "I am taking Zopiclone 7.5 and Seroquel 25 mg so I can sleep at night. I also take Clonazepam 2 mg daily and Effexor XR 75 mg. I have lost about 10 kg and still not feeling 'normal,' per se. I have tried various other combos, but this is better than what I have been on. Sleeping without nightmares, and even though I get tired during the day, at least I'm not awake half the night."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 5, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "I took 100 mg of XR, and it worked pretty well to stabilize my bipolar tendencies. However, it made the whole world feel bland and neutral... nothing in my life felt particularly exciting or even depressing. Also, if I didn't sleep at least 10 h per night, I would feel drowsy and out of it the next day. I was literally a walking zombie, and waking up in the morning was a true battle. My doc told me that the tiredness would go away after a couple of weeks/months, but after a little more than 7 months, the effects were still the same, so I stopped taking it."

• bip...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 27, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I haven't had a depressive or hypomanic episode the entire time I have been on 300 mg quetiapine XL/modified release. It has stabilized my mood effectively, even in the face of traumatic life events (nearly lost my mother to a pulmonary embolism) and concomitant treatment for ADHD with a trial of methylphenidate. The first week was difficult. I had dizziness, increased anxiety, and nearly fainted after standing up too quickly at night. These initial side effects passed after about a week of being on 300 mg. I now only occasionally get dizziness or excessive tiredness after taking the dose in the evening. My only complaint would be having to fast around 3 hours the dose (2 hours before, 1 hour after), so it can be a bit antisocial when it comes to eating in the evening depending on how early you take it. In summary, quetiapine works really well for me with minimal side effects."

• Blu...
• June 20, 2016

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "On the plus side, I now feel more comfortable speaking to people. My GP calls it 'brain glue.' Nice, she could probably use some, ha ha. My previous low thyroid is now hyperthyroid, so I have more energy. Previous while awake only panic attacks now also occur in my sleep. This leaves my body exhausted and totally spent. Still, somehow I like it."