Quetiapine for Major Depressive Disorder User Reviews

• laven...
• January 25, 2020

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "My mother rushed me to the hospital because I refused to get out of bed/wouldn’t stop talking about suicide. I was so tired from feeling LOW everyday, I thought there was no way I would ever regain will to live. Dr. rx’d me Seroquel 25mg once at bedtime so at least I wasn’t thinking about ending my life anymore. Suddenly I felt really heavy-drunk and could barely walk. The first day I slept for 20hr and when I woke up I was too tired to keep up my previous behaviour. After a couple days I whittled 20hr down to 8 and was sleeping normally. 6 months later I am at 100mg and 6 month away from that I am now on XR 200mg. Never have I felt better about my life. This is a tranquilizer. If you expect to drive cars/operate machines, you are seriously mistaken. It should not be taken in the morning due to its sedating effects. If you are someone who doesn’t need to “dull your brain”, I highly suggest you ask your doctor for another medication. There’s a reason it’s dubbed the shut-up-drug."

• afb
• September 11, 2019

"This drug quetiapine has quite literally saved my life. I have always been suicidal, depressed, anxious, impulsive and angry. Since taking 25mg at night, I feel like my depression and suicidal thoughts are completely gone, my moods are happier, I no longer think about killing myself 100 times a day, I'm no longer a negative thinker, I no longer just want to sleep all day, I have been 100% more pro-active with my life, am no longer anxious in public, no longer impulsive or angry, I feel mentally healthy for the first time in my entire life and am actively working on creating a life for myself that will make me happy. I have now been on Seroquel for 4 months and it's going to be difficult to get another script and it's extremely disheartening that when finally I've found something that has actually helped me, (SSRI's made me worse) doctors don't think that all that I've mentioned is a good enough reason to stay on it."

• Blixa
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2019

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Have had major depression and major depressive episodes over 45 years. Have tried various SSRI,s . Seroquel is the best so far helped me significantly with one 25mg dose. Where the SSRI,s did not seem to help much at all after months of use. Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor. Side effects seem to be minor except it does make me sleep a lot. A LOT. up to 10 hours a day. Deep sleep not just REM sleep. Works extremely well for me. Although I try to use it only when I need it. In short periods of 2 weeks or so and then see if I still require it. Very effective. I can honestly say this drug saved me from the edge of desperation and suicide."

• wheel...
• August 5, 2018

"I went through some traumatic events that left me unbearably anxious and depressed. I had constant suicidal thoughts partly from my situation and partly because the anxiety and depression was so severe that I just wanted it to end. I ended up not sleeping for a week and entered a psychotic state. I attempted suicide and was taken to a hospital. I was put on several drugs which did not help. Only benzos helped me calm down but that is only a short term solution. I left the hospital still suicidal. I finally met with my psychiatrist who suggested seroquel and it was my MIRACLE drug. I truly believe it saved my life. After a few sleepy nights on it I began waking up feeling stable, confident and ready to face my problems logically and without panic or anxiety. Some people have bad effects but the mental clarity and strength it gave me outweigh the negatives. I don't mind gaining some lbs if it keeps me from wanting to kill and injure myself."

• Tiktak
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 12, 2019

"I’ve been on quetiapine since I was 13 for major depression and anxiety. I was off of it for a brief period of less than a year when I was 19, and completely decompensated. As soon as it was restarted, within a matter of days I was already feeling like myself again. While I’m not a fan of the increased appetite (and therefore weight gain), as well as the increased sedation, I feel like a normal person when I’m on it. I’m 21 now and able to excel through college because of this medication. I can’t express how grateful I am for it. If you deal with those same side effects, I recommend asking your doctor about adding a low dose of vyvanse to your morning medications. It decreases appetite and wakes you up a bit, getting you out of that sedative head fog. Just my two cents. :-)"

• Belin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2015

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Absolutely amazing drug. Has quite literally saved my life. Pity I need to lie to the Australian government about having bipolar to get it prescribed. No doubt this is stopping many thousands of Australians from getting access to it. Seriously. I went from suicidal for several months to absolutely normal in one dose. One dose. Talk to your doctor about this if anti depressants are not working for you. Understand it may require you to lie about having bipolar."

• Girly
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 3, 2019

"I have been on several anti depressants since I was around 35, I am now 63. For the last 15 years I have been on 400mg Quetiapine for Major Depressive Disorder. I am so grateful that I found the right doctor who knew how to help me. This medication has made me feel normal again. I do take it at night as it it puts me totally asleep within 30 to 60 min. Another benefit for me as I have always had trouble falling asleep. I hope I never have to be taken off this medicine. I know it is not suggested for older adults with signs of dementia so praying I do not have that in my later years. I really think that this medication should only be prescribed to be taken at night because of the sedative effects of it for most people. Thank you to whomever created this medication."

• Kanra
• March 23, 2020

"I have mixed feelings on quetiapine. I take 25mg of it along with 100mg of sertraline for major depression. It does somewhat help with the sleep disturbances. In the way that if I take it on time, it helps me go to bed at a reasonable time, and I fall asleep in a flash once it ''kicks in''. Thing is, I am now absolutely unable to fall asleep without taking it. I never had a problem with falling asleep before I started taking medication, the problem was that I slept too long, 10-13 hours a day. My quality of sleep on quetiapine is miserable. I wake up several times in the night, and falling asleep after is very difficult, sometimes impossible. I can't sleep anytime else. As a result, I'm tired all the time because I can't catch up on sleep, with naps for example. I guess I have to pay this price in exchange for the pills preventing me from killing myself, but sleeping terribly hasn't really been helping my mood all that much."

• Eliza...
• November 28, 2014

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "Seroquel for depression isn't heard of much. I'm on it, and yes at first it was horrible. Head spins and just like motion sickness. But I was advised to stick it out and did. Approx 6 weeks it settled down. I take it for BiPolar, the racing mind, no sleep or little sleep. With Seroquel, I sleep a nights rest. My mind isn't active at all. I'm on 300mg. A bit tired of a morning, but if you are up early, which can be hard, the effects wear off, sooner. I won't swap to any other, I tried Zyprexa but, I'm sticking with Seroquel."

• Hanno
• August 25, 2018

"I have been on 300mg together with escitoloperam 20mg for 5 years. I was institutionalised before for many years due to severe depression that NOTHING helped for (everything was tried). Then after approximately 25 ECT sessions I was put on this for maintenance. It could be that the ECT's got me to where I don't need med, but I'm not going to take the risk of stopping my meds to find out. It gives me wonderful sleep and I have not had 1 day of depression in 5 years. A medical miracle when it was expected that a best case scenario would be "milder depression" for the rest of my life due to the severity and duration of my previous depression."

• Richie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 5, 2019

"Been taking quetiapine 50mg twice daily for a few weeks now. I find it interesting that people are prescribed this antipsychotic for insomnia as it isn't licenced for such use and research clearly indicates that the side effect profile far outweighs the benefits when used as a sleep aid. I take quetiapine as a mood stabilizer so only time will tell on its efficacy however it has made me feel calmer so far and side effects have been minimal"

• Red
• May 2, 2020

"First let me say to all of you that have depression, it will get better. Im not saying that seroquel will be the right drug for you but there is one out there that will help. Always remember depression medication is always " a trial and error" EVERYONE is different with the way their body responds to certain medication. For instance, prozac could work great for some people but make other people worse. I can speak a lot on depression. I have MMBD It started 13 years ago l..I have took some that worked great, some that didn't work at all and some that worked for a while and stopped. One thing I can tell you is that taking a antidepressant for people with MBD an NOT taking a mood stabilizer most the time will cause an increase in manic episodes. Especially with the drug prozac. Personally as of now I take celexa, lamictal "generics" and they work great together for me. I will now start seroquel to help with a few manic episodes that I have recently had."

• Haley...
• December 28, 2015

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I'm currently taking 150mg seroquel XR along with 45mg Remeron for MDD I take them both at night, To help with my sleep. It also is to help my anxiety disorder. I've noticed that I am less depressed and anxious, But that's only because I'm so depersonalised I can't focus on my surroundings, Let alone my anxiety I constantly feel stuck in a dream-like state and I can't focus. Even as I write this I'm struggling to find the words,and describe how I feel, Because I don't feel much of anything I haven't had many other side effects, even when I drastically increased the dose All in all, It technically does help, But this is no way to live"

• Nondell
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 27, 2017

"I've been on this medication for 8+ years. Different psychiatrists tried many various antidepressant meds but nothing worked. I finally found an excellent psychiatrist who specializes on psychotropic meds. He diagnosed me as Bi-polar II~ He prescribed Celexa, a small dose of Xanax.5 and Seroquel. The addition of the Seroquel was what literally saved my life. About 2 years after my husband died I was without insurance. I didn't have my meds and was suicidal. At the last moment I checked myself into the mental unit. I'd be dead if I hadn't done that. I finally got insurance and am on my meds again. I feel better than I have in years. If your doctor prescribes this give it a few weeks. I know I need meds the rest of my life. Good luck~"

• Might...
• January 19, 2016

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I'm currently 30 and a male. My depression has only worsened since (and before) my initial diagnosis of depression and generalized, social and "acute" anxiety 13 years ago. I've been in a major depression for at least five years, tried to kill myself twice and am unable to take care of myself. I've lived alone since I left for college in 2003. I still live alone here. I've been on any SSRI I can think of, so this was a last resort med. Seroquel has made me much too tired to work or do anything else. The only stars I gave it relate to the reduced anxiety when I'm ACTUALLY AWAKE. Other than that, I'm more numb than I ever and are at risk of losing my job"

• Snowy...
• March 24, 2019

"Abilify, Prozac and Lamictal did not work. Zoloft worked, but after a stop/start I had a manic episode. Former doctor suggested quetiapine to calm my thoughts and help me sleep. Was on 150mg of an extended release dosage, 200mg at the highest. While this helped some, I slept far too much. There also is the problem of weight gain, and after I stopped taking it, it took me a while to be able to fall asleep normally; this corrected itself after a week or two. However, my depression and anxiety resurfaced and I went to a generic dose of 150mg. This moves through my system faster, but I can still sleep for a long period of time. Today, I'm on 100mg of quetiapine at night and 100mg of bupropion during the day. I'm currently visiting a psychiatrist, who believes that the root of my depression/anxiety is sleep apnea. Currently being evaluated for that. Quetiapine works for me. Will correct my diet and hopefully I will lose some weight soon. :) God bless."

• BJano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2019

"I have suffered with severe MDD since High School. (I'm 47 now). I have been on multiple medications w/ varied success. I finally saw a Psychiatrist who placed me on 150MG Quetiapine at night, and continued Cymbalta in the mornings. Quetiapine has given me my life back. I sleep again, almost no negative thoughts, very little anxiety. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is it is sedating, but for peace of mine that's a small price to pay."

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

"I was started with 25mg and upped to 200mg 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 had to go inpatient. Things became ok after another couple of weeks inpatient. Now taking 50mg in the morning, 50mg after lunch and 200mg at night, along with 20mg lexapro in the morning. RLS was a problem earlier, before upping to 300mg 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 coping 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."

• Wretc...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 13, 2016

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I have suffered from major depression since early adolescence, and have been exposed to over 2 dozen different anti depressants in the last 30 years. Expensive, ineffective, grossly negative side effects to skin and, chronic fatique daily. Trying another high cost drug a desperate last resort. Each dirty little pill failed, with accumulated cost of more than $15,000 to the patient asking for help Negligent dispensation of Seroquel XR also resulted in near fatal car wreck for the patient. Aside from losing my car, and job, I was priveleged to gain 40 pounds, .... and counting. Chronic insomnia kills drivers, truckers, pilots, boat captains every day. Drug companies need try a lot harder to promote healing, rather than just bank roll profits"

• Good...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 1, 2021

"I've been on every SSRI available in the past 40 years. None of them helped in the slightest. I was prescribed 100mg quetiapine at night, but I only took 50mg because that was enough to knock me out. My doctor told me to take 100mg so I did. After a week, I felt like a different person! No longer as emotional but very logical. The down side is that I did develop the rare side effect of diabetes 2. However, the db2 is managed well with metformin and quetiapine works so well for me that the benefits outweigh the risk. It's also the best sleeping aid I've ever taken. So, if you start taking it, know the symptoms of high blood sugar so you can get it treated asap."

• Manna
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 16, 2018

"I am diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, Anxiety, and adult ADD. Was prescribed Seroquel to help with sleep. I have been on this medication for approx 4 months and I have seen a dramatic improvement in my sleep, my depression and my ADD. I wake and feel rested in the morning, I feel optimistic and in better mood and I have noticed my hyperactivity to have decreased tremendously. I truely believe this drug should be prescribed to people with ADD/ADHD. I have been prescribed Aderrall, Vyvanse for the ADD but would physically feel exhausted though they did help my compulsiveness and hyperactivity. Seroquel has worked wonders for me"

• Symba...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 10, 2018

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I have been taking 200mg Seroquel XR for about two years. It does very well at neutralizing the intense, unpredictable, negative emotions that come with my depression and anxiety. And it does help me sleep a reliable 7 to 9 hours a night. HOWEVER: I've noticed it's not picky; it seems to neutralize positive emotions somewhat, too. Also, I'm very groggy in the mornings for 4 to 6 hours after waking up. And, worst of all, one time I forgot a dose and woke up in the middle of the night in a panic, super itchy, very hot, and drenched in sweat. So it seems I will have to take this med forever, or suffer some pretty severe consequences. Overall, a mixed bag, but the positives outweigh the negatives."

• REH
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 17, 2019

"I was put on Seroquel when I was 13 for depression. Stopped having periods but was told by my mom that other people in the family have had that and not to worry. Starting in high school I began having issues with falling asleep in the mornings during school. While in college, I began to sleep even more often. I used to drink a little (2-3 drinks) after I turned 21 and perhaps this might have exacerbated the problem. I am now 29, have gotten off of this medication but still fall asleep randomly. I have even started falling asleep when driving. Do not take this medication for depression. Do not start your patients on this medication before trying something more mild. I’m afraid that I will never be alright again from this med."

• Apple
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2019

"I was placed on 400mg of Seroquel instant release for psychotic depression. It helped a lot with hallucinations, delusions, negative thoughts, and more. It normalized me. It let me sleep. Its sedation was definitely strong. However, it made me into a zombie with all of the brain fog. My grades in school were awful because I could hardly even think. I was always sleepy and passing out. I would often sleep for 20+ hours sometimes. The sedation is not reliable at all because I am not always sleepy after taking it. It works extremely well but it is not a good drug to take if you are a student or work a lot. It is far too sedating. I have not had any other bad side effects from it aside from stiffness. I have not gained any weight on it."

• Theresa
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 20, 2024

Seroquel XR (quetiapine) "I was diagnosed with MDD about 6 years ago. After a stay in the psych ward, I was put on Cymbalta, Trazodone, and Seroquel. I didn't realize I could ever feel this good. Just became full and never stop cold turkey."