Seroquel and bipolar

I am on a dose of 600mg seroquel before bed and 20 mg of lexapro in the morning. I am diagnosed as having bipolar 1. Out of all of the possible side effects from the meds, I have most. I have also noticed two additional side effects: hair loss, and toe nails falling off... I cut my dose down a day ago and I am going of the med completely. Bad stuff...

started taking seoquel 25 mg an hour before sleep, then 50 mg. went up to 75mg because i wasn't "tired" enough to sleep. it was working okay, but my friends had warned me that i might experience weight gain and absolutely uncontrollable hunger for carbs and sweets. and as a 46 yo woman that already weighed 200 lbs. that was not a happy prospect. but i ignored that; maybe it would be different for me. btw, i am diagnosed as bipolar 2 and am taking lamotrigine, celexa, lithium and now seroquel. i was in a couple months ago for anxiety and loss of time, for lack of a better term. my pdoc told be to get off the 75mg of benadryl i was taking and gave me samples of seroquel to help me sleep, etc.. so, after experiencing weight gain, sore breasts, bigger stomach (i don't have a scale), labored breathing when walking to the freakin' mailbox and feeling like a truck has run over me for at least half the day, then anxiety immediately following, i have decided to pitch the seroquel. also, i am going off lithium and my blood pressure med (i was taking that for migraines associated with pre menstruation and now am menopausal). i'm going to start melatonin again (which i used for years and it worked) when i'm weaned off the evil seroquel... sigh. and no, the docs DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT GAIN!!!! THEY JUST WANT TO KEEP YOU ALIVE AND UPRIGHT IF POSSIBLE! i'm more depressed knowing i could easily balloon upwards to god-knows-what. so if your doc hands you "free" samples of seroquel, please keep track of your symptoms. maybe it will work for you but be cautious, please!

Hi,

I am bipolar and have schizo affective disorder too. My doctor has been working with me for 3 years now trying to find the right med combination to help me. I have tried so many meds. I have been on Seroquel now for about 5 months. I have gained weight, but the one side effect I get from Seroquel, even after being on it this long, is it zonks me out in a huge way. I wake up very late the next day and also feel "out of it" or like a zombie for hours. But, this is the best med I have found to control my bad thoughts and manic episodes. So that is why I am staying on it. My dose is 500mg a day.

i was prescribed 200 mg a night for bipolar type 1. I don't like seroquel. I feel so groggy the next day. I have been taking it for about 2 months. Does this get better? Anyone?

I have been on Seroquel for three days now...tonight will be my third night taking it and so far I've had severe persistent sore throat, stuffy nose ] and my eyes have been so itchy. I'm pretty sure it's just a cold going around but those are also very important side effects and I've already called my doctor about it and he also said it was just something going around. I have noticed I've been hungry, hungry, hungry and I eat A TON already as it is. I'm 110 lbs and I eat like a horse, I always have, even before I started the medication. I'm 5'1" and now I'm worried I'm going to blow up to the size of a house! I can't monitor how much I eat because I eat so much as it is. I do, somewhat, somewhat remember eating a block of cheese last night before bed time. I know why they say to take it before bedtime!! It knocks me out. Which is bad because I have a 17 month old who still wakes up around 4-5ish in the morning. His bedroom is right across the hall from ours and we have his door cracked open an inch and we leave ours halfway open so we can hear him. I am usually a light sleeper but last night I noticed that it sounded like he was across the street, I could hardly hear him. I'm surprised I even made it out of bed, got him and brought him back to our bed without running into something or dropping him. It's scary. It really is. My doctor is giving it to me to treat my mood swings. I'm hoping they don't do diagnose me with bipolar disorder like they've talked about when I was a teen. I have had some tachycardia but I also have a heart problem I was born with that has been pretty messed up for over a week--I started having premature ventricular contractions, but this was before I started the medication. I am actually wearing an EKG-like monitor during the day to record this...this has nothing to do with the medicine but I thought I'd through it in there in case they decided it is. I talked to my cardiologist today and told her I was on this medication. Well, it's about 8:17 here and I need to go take the medicine and hit the sack...goodnight.

My husband ran out before our wedding and couldn't get more till a few weeks after we got back, the first few days were hard, after that if was like he wasn't BiPolar anymore. Against my wish he went back on it, and he seems to be dependent on it. His son's birthday triggers and episode every year, and this year was bad (he lives like 4,000 miles away~ and haven't seen him in 4 months) even then was for the wedding (he was in town for 3 days) He started to take more what was prescribed a lot more. and now he is trying to start taking it normal again however he is taking half the dose. Now he feels like he has NO ENERGY AT ALL! Is this normal?????????

What can I do to help him?
part 2 when he doesn't take it he sleeps like a baby. where as when he is on it he has massive panic attacks and is up on and off during the night.

Have been on Seroquel 300mg for about a month now for management of bipolar. Was combined with Depakote, but the doc discontinued the Depakote. With Seroquel *only*.... Works great for getting to sleep, but. significant weight gain (like 12lbs in 30 days), dry/cotton mouth almost like dehydration, fatigue from simple tasks, mentally foggy during the daytime, loss of emotion, poor motor skills/reaction time, and restless legs. The foggy feeling I attribute to a long half-life with a residual effect carry over to the next day. Before this med, I was manic, but now into a mild emotionless depression which is a dreadful feeling. Saw my doctor today, and he said
to cut the dose to 150mg and said it is a wimpy dose. In my opinion, this
is a horrible maintenance drug for bipolar.

hated it. It was prescribed for insomnia and anxiety. Worked at first for the insomnia at 25 mg, then had to go up to 50 mg and barely worked then. My anxiety was worse, woke up with panic attacks. Vivid horrid nightmares. Spiraled into a severe, deep suicidal depression on it. Had hand tremors and restless legs. Currently weaning off. Never again!

I have Bipolar Type II, since I was 12. I'm 52 now. Undedicated I'm a Rapid Cycler with psychotic depression. I was diagnosed at age 40, after worse and worse symptoms. So I have been on meds since - many different "cocktails" some effective and some not so effective.
My doc put me on Seroquel a couple of years ago and it has worked very well to "quell" the mood swings. But... I started to gain weight immediately! Lots of weight. I had been 118 my entire adult life, and within months weighed 148! My family accused me of not exercising, but no, it was the Seroquel alone. Also, it knocks you out, so I could only use it at night. The 500 mgs would first make my heart race and thump in my chest then put me to sleep. At times it was scary. Then in the morning I'd wake up feeling hungover and fuzzy brain for several hours. It also made my appetite crazy, craving carbs, which made the weight gain harder to control. So even though the drug worked for the bipolar, it made me absolutely miserable because of the weight.
Now after a few years I have had it!. A month ago I began weaning myself from it. A word to those who cold turkey the drug: you'll experience bad symptoms. I'd go down 25 to 5o mgs per week, monitoring my moods VERY carefully, and am now at 200 mgs per day. The weight loss was immediate and in that one month I've lost 15 lbs an still losing but now much slower - but still losing. Wow.
I meet with my doc in two weeks - hope she's not mad at me, but I'm doing OK. I'm on enough meds so they seem to be doing the job. (The least amount to do the job is the goal anyway.) Hopefully I can go off of Seroquel completely and get near my old adult weight.
BTW, my doc mentioned last appointment that Geocodone could be a non-weight gain substitute for Seroquel.

I was on Seroquel for about a year or so for "anxiety" and insomnia. I gained weight and noticed a thick white coating on my tongue while taking it. I eventually came off of this medication when I suddenly began to lose weight rapidly - I dropped to 88 lbs. My hair also began to thin considerably, especially around the temples and top of my head.

None of this even matters because the anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder was actually chronic Lyme, babesia, and a number of viruses - along with an allergy to the wireless boom.

If you've been placed on this medication, please join lymenet and find an LLMD. Also, google 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity' and 'microwave sickness', because US doctors are clueless. It's more profitable to prescribe psych meds than to remove the cell phone masts and antennas that are causing "mental" illness.

Seroquel helped save my life. It is one of 2 drugs I now take to treat my bipolar disorder. I take 75 mg at night before bed. About 45 minutes after I take it, and I get tired and go to sleep, and so my insomnia is cured.

Getting tired before going to bed is the only side effect I have encountered with Seroquel. I am very grateful for this medicine. After the onset of my disorder and and before my Dr. and I found the right medicines, I couldn't function in society. I have been quite successful ever since. If you are still searching for the right meds, please try it. It works for me.

Up until the end of August, 2007, I was on 20mg of Abilify a day. I weened myself off of the Abilify before my wedding on October 20. Then, I went on my honeymoon to Germany. When I returned from Germany, I could not sleep. This lasted for 3 weeks, until I felt like I had to go to the hospital to get knocked out or I would die. My family doctor told me to see a psychiatrist because I went off my meds without medical supervision. The new psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel for my insomnia. She gradually increased it until I was getting about 6 hours a night. I'm now on 500 mg, which I take about two hours before bedtime. I've noticed an increase in my breast size in less than one month of use. I've also gained about 5-7 pounds. Some days, I feel hazy during the day and some nights I have difficulty taking a deep breath. I am seeing a new psychiatrist tomorrow to see about getting off of Seroquel and on something else. Its great for insomnia, but the side effects are immediate and troubling.

Seroquel is awesome. I, at the age of 50 realized that most likely I was Bi-Polar. My swings we not drastic but were hard on me and people close to me. I am taking 300mg at bedtime. I sleep like a rock, wake up with a slight haze which disappears after my first cup of coffee. I feel on top of my problems and not underneath them.
I have a theory about the weight gain, something that may possible help. I noticed I was becoming constipated a bit. I think that when your food stays in too long, your body sucks out every bit of fat, etc. I bought some Metamucil, which works great to keep things moving quickly. I also have modified my diet to lean eating.
I am having one problem. I have a crick in my neck, on the left side. It is very painful, kind of like I have pulled something. We went out to a Christmas Party last night and I had a few drinks. The neck pain came on quickly. Anybody else have this?

I've been on Seroquel for a month now. My dosage was progressively increased from 100mg to 400mg for severe chronic insomnia, a symptom of manic depression.

Within one month, I've gained 20 pounds and I look as if I'm six or seven months pregnant.

I am weaning myself off of it, because my doctor doesn't seem to care much about the weight gain, despite the fact that I eat less than 1000 calories a day.

A symptom of bipolar disorder is also depression, and the more I look at myself in the mirror, the more depressed I get.

I'd rather go without sleep than gain weight at the rate I've been gaining it. It's just not safe, and I can feel it taking its toll on me physically and psychologically.

It's just not worth it in my opinion. I'm giving Melatonin a try. Hopefully, that will work for me. It was suggested by one of my nurses.

It's not easy to go from a 4/5 to nearly a size 9 in a month. It really makes you feel terrible, especially when you exercise an hour and a half everyday and are on a low calorie diet.

Until I'm given something that can counteract the weight gain, I refuse to stay on Seroquel.

I admit I'm having some bouts of insomnia, but they're not nearly as bad as they were before I started the Seroquel. Perhaps that will change once the Seroquel is all out of my system.

I also notice I'm itching everywhere, from head to toe. I suppose that's a symptom of weaning yourself off of the drug.

Mental meds are destroying our bodys and minds.. I would reccomend to any one going on marijuana, smoked once or twice daily and tramadol/Ultram for spot relief of depression and anxiety. The marijuana WILL help you if you are bipolar or schizophrenic or just depressed. I have noticed that it can sometimes help or hurt anxiety which i have a big problem with.. I choose to just spot treat with tramadol or xanax.. both have potential for addiction but who the hell cares? there not going to leave you dead or dying like like seroquel and other like drugs.
Don't let your doctor kill you.. THE FDA IS NOT YOUR FRIEND...
It's time we all realize that and stop being there lab rats. You only get one body, one life.. do what ever you have to do to live it.. thats my 5 cents :)

I've been getting chest pains since starting on seroquel, for bipolar , anxiety, depression and anger.. chest pains, lethargic, muscle spasms and eye twitching... we should kill all the doctors and figure it out ourselves...

I am a bipolar teen, who was put on seroquel back in the 8th grade. I did notice some weightgain, but mostly an extreme increase in breast size. I was 134lbs (5'8") with a D cup at 14 years old. For whatever reason, I was taken off seroquel in the summer of 2002. I lost 10lbs almost immediately. Several years and many alternative medications later, I was put back on seroquel. I've noticed no weightgain, but I am more impatient and physically aggressive. It helps with the manic hallucinations and the insomnia, as well as keeps me out of the depression cycle. I'm 17 now, and haven't had acne for years. I've noticed a small amount on my face lately and am wondering if it could be from this medication??

Negative effects-Extreme dry mouth, dry eyes, vaginal dryness.

Positive-good night sleep, bipolar mood swings stable.

i have been on seroquel 4 a few months now and im not gainin any weight.my doc put me on topamax 200mg a day and it helps me lose the cravings 2 eat.im already an overweight woman as it is so i wouldnt go on the med unless my doc gave me something for weight gain. i am on 600mg of seroquel only at bedtime and i sleep so good.its my miracle drug. im also bipolar and on lithium and lamictal,between all 4 of the meds i feel pretty stable for once.the only long term side affect im havin from the seroquel is i have no sex drive,and bein married that is a little problem...if anyone else has this problem please feel free 2 email at ******

I am on seroquel as an "alternative" to other drugs while I am trying to get pregnant. I just found out this evening that Seroquel can make me anovulatory! Not only that, but I have mistaken breast enlargment and abdominal bloating for menstral/pregnancy signs. I have lost faith in my doctor, my body and in drugs all together. I am bipolar.

I am a young bipolar woman with one child. I am trying to get pregnant again. My doctor prescribed Seroquel as a "safe alternative" to other drugs. Much to my dismay...I have done some personal research on the drug and found that it increases the hormone prolactin which can cause breast tissue enlargement, and causes menstral problems (makes it so I don't ovulate) I am so pissed off! I have lost faith in my doctor, drugs, and my body. The only help this drug has had in getting pregnant again is making my stomach look pregnant! Major abdominal bloating!

I have been taking Seroquel on and off (more ON) for the past 5 years. I have found that the 9 months pregnant thing is true, and what to do about it? The other antipsychotic options are worse. Especially Zyprexa! The thing that Seroquel does do for me is it QUIETS my noises, my voices - it calms me, and in a kind of "who gives a s--t" kind of way. I'm usually so hyper-aware of everything around me, that the relief from Seroquel is something I look forward to. I think it helps sleep too. I am bipolar, rapid cycling.