Posted by yxibow on May 3, 2006, at 1:47:57
In reply to How exactly does Seroquel work?, posted by UgottaHaveHOPE on May 2, 2006, at 19:41:58
> Please someone, in laymen's terms, explain to me why Seroquel calms you down, almost making you feel drugged. What does it do in the brain? (I take 300mg)
The drugged feeling is what most all antipsychotics do -- it is called blunting. It is the dullening of emotional affectation. It is an unfortunate side effect but does not really dissappear usually in treatment.
300mg is a clinical dose, its not just an antihistamine (it actually doesn't do anything for my nasal congestion surprisingly unlike Claritin or the similar) -- Seroquel has a wide range of dosing, up to 800mg technically but people have been known to take 1600mg. (I take 1100 currently, though I have been all over the map personally.)
Basically Seroquel blocks the D2 (Dopamine sub 2) receptors like old line antipsychotics but releases them very much quicker than, say Haldol, or Prolixin (fluphenazine) which grab on to the D2 receptors like no tomorrow and cause severe side effects (e.g. akathisia -- feeling like you want to run through a brick wall while standing still), quaintly known as EPS [extra pyramidal syndromes] in the neuroleptic world. It also blocks the D1 receptors somewhat too.
It also, yes, has antihistamine properties which contribute to its drowsiness effects, it is one of the most if not the most drowsy making antipsychotics which has led most clinicians to dose it all at night with a not bad effect considering it only has a 6 hour half life. It also blocks 5HT1a and 5HT2 serotonin receptors, not unlike Remeron at a higher dose (I had similar effects for my disorder with Remeron but Remeron of course is much more weight provoking than Seroquel -- about on the order of Zyprexa or worse).
So basically it calms through the high 5HT2:D2 ratio of receptor binding like all atypicals by antagonizing (blockading) the receptors in the brain.
poster:yxibow
thread:639400
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060429/msgs/639523.html