Posted by Fourdaystil on February 11, 2004, at 1:06:05
In reply to Re: Seroquel, posted by Sugarpuss on January 18, 2004, at 11:21:47
I'm new to this board..was just searching longterm side effects of Seroquel on the internet and found this thread. Hopefully I can be of help and get some answers of my own as well!
I started taking Seroquel six years ago for bipolar disorder and anxiety issues. It was my miracle drug, didn't make me feel drugged and didn't make me feel antsy either. I slept at night (usually within 20 minutes of taking the med) and could function properly during the day.
Since then I have learned new coping techniques and have been able to decrease me dosage significantly. I've been very successful in doing this up until the final point of going medication-free. I can't kick the sleeping problems. Looking back now I realize that even before any of my emotional problems, I've had problems with insomnia.
So, now I'm stuck taking a very tiny pill every night to go to sleep. I can't sleep without it. When I started Seroquel it was brand new, so they didn't know the longterm side effects of Seroquel. My question is to anyone who took Seroquel for a long period of time and successfully went off of it. I want to know if there are any side effects that don't ever go away. For example, I have noticed that I get migraines now that I'm off of the medication, but I figure those will go away with time. It's just the withdrawl reaction of my body. But I need some better treatment for this sleeping problem.
To answer some of your questions (which it's kind of late to be answering them), these are the only side effects I've faced with Seroquel:
1) The first week of taking Seroquel, I was totally knocked out for 12-15 hours at a time. It was very difficult to get up in the morning. This wore off after the first week and I felt refreshed in the morning.
2) They say that weight gain is a side effect of Seroquel, but I have never had that problem. I stayed the same weight for most of the six years I was on the medication. I had gained a few extra pounds from Zyprexa and Zoloft previously and lost those pounds very quickly. But once I reached my normal weight, I maintained it without major diet or exercise.
3) Seroquel doesn't work well with alcohol. I usually would skip my meds if I drank, which didn't really have bad effects on me. The alcohol put me to sleep, and I woke up pretty early the next morning without so much as a hangover. People never understood how I could wake up so early in the morning after a night out, but it worked out for me. Seroquel doesn't stay in your system for long, so you can be flexible with it and your lifestyle. If you are afraid of it interacting badly with something, you can skip out on it for that time...just be careful about how long that other thing will stay in your system.
4) I think you will find that Seroquel will help with your panic disorder. Actually, I found I didn't need another medication to help with the Seroquel.It was my lifesaver for a very difficult time in my life, and I would recommend to anyone in a similar situation as I was and it sounds like you are very similar to me. Hope it works out!
poster:Fourdaystil
thread:302023
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040210/msgs/311926.html