Shown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by dondon on April 26, 2005, at 14:37:00
For those who take seroquel, what dose are you on?
Posted by D minor on April 26, 2005, at 15:18:28
In reply to seroquel, posted by dondon on April 26, 2005, at 14:37:00
> For those who take seroquel, what dose are you on?
>600mg, quite high. Why do you ask pray tell?
dm
Posted by PM80 on April 26, 2005, at 15:48:05
In reply to Re: seroquel, posted by D minor on April 26, 2005, at 15:18:28
200-300mg/day, generally at bedtime. Usually 200mg.
Posted by bark2323 on April 26, 2005, at 18:17:40
In reply to seroquel, posted by dondon on April 26, 2005, at 14:37:00
100mg, but only for sleep.
matt
Posted by Phillipa on April 26, 2005, at 20:34:48
In reply to Re: seroquel, posted by bark2323 on April 26, 2005, at 18:17:40
Can I ask, does it "dry up your face and pucker your lips so they peel?" This happened to me when I took it for a mere three days. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by alienatari on April 26, 2005, at 21:59:41
In reply to seroquel, posted by dondon on April 26, 2005, at 14:37:00
When I was on it, I was on 800mg at night. I know its a high dose lol. But it worked for me :)
Posted by Phillipa on April 26, 2005, at 23:46:25
In reply to Re: seroquel, posted by alienatari on April 26, 2005, at 21:59:41
800mg! What were you taking it for? I definitely would have slept for weeks. And the antihitamine effect. Didn't it dry you up? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by alienatari on April 27, 2005, at 1:48:30
In reply to Re: seroquel » alienatari, posted by Phillipa on April 26, 2005, at 23:46:25
Was on it for my paranoia and to control my bipolar. It helped a lot with depression. My doctor believes that I was having an allergic reaction to it. When I would take it my throat would close up and make it hard to breathe and swallow. Was very scary especially one night when it happened and it was really bad. So I stopped it. I dont know if it was just a side effect or a true allergy but ill never touch that drug again. It didnt make my mouth dry but made me very constipated. I had to take laxatives constantly which was a pain. After sleeping for about 10-12+ hours a day I would be fairly awake though during the day though. I was actually quite upset when I had to go off it because it was working so well. No other antipsychotic has ever worked like this one did for me. Oh well. Take care :)
> 800mg! What were you taking it for? I definitely would have slept for weeks. And the antihitamine effect. Didn't it dry you up? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by ed_uk on April 27, 2005, at 7:40:38
In reply to Re: seroquel, posted by alienatari on April 27, 2005, at 1:48:30
Hi Alien!
>When I would take it my throat would close up and make it hard to breathe and swallow.
It *might* have been an allergy (angioedema) but..........
It could have been a laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonia ie. a drug-induced spasm of the muscles in the throat or laynx.
If necessary, antipsychotic-induced dystonic reactions can be treated symptomatically with an anticholinergic drug such as procyclidine. Dystonic reactions tend to be dose-related, a smaller dose of Seroquel might have provided equivalent efficacy without causing such side effects.
On the other hand, allergic reactions are rarely dose-related ie. they can occur even at minute doses. If this particular side effect appeared soon after starting treatment with Seroquel, and was accompanied by other symptoms such as rash/itching, it was probably an allergy. If it only appeared after the dose was increased to a high level and was not accompanied by other symptoms (rash, itching, wheezing, swelling of the lips and face, fainting), it was probably a dystonia. Also, if the symptoms were ONLY present shortly after taking a dose (ie. when the blood concentration of Seroquel was particularly high), it was probably a dystonia. If you were having an allergic reaction, the symptoms would almost certainly have been present throughout the day. A physician could have examined the inside of your mouth to detect angioedema (an allergy).
If a laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonia is severe, it can compromise the airway- it can be life threatening. I can see why your doctor was concerned. On the other hand, acute dystonias are often very responsive to anticholinergics.
Rarely, after long term treatment with an antipsychotic, laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonias can occur/emerge as a variant of tardive dyskinesia. In this case, the difficulties associated with breathing and swallowing would have persisted after withdrawal of the antipsychotic.
The fact that you *may* have experienced a dystonia due to Seroquel suggests that you are very sensitive to the extrapyramidal (motor) side effects of antipsychotics. Seroquel is considerably less likly to cause dystonias than most antipsychotics. If I were you, I would avoid taking any antipsychotics in future unless it was clearly necessary (due to the absense of an alternative). I think you said that you have symptoms of tardive dyskinesia atm, I expect that these symptoms will improve if you avoid taking antipsychotics in future. You are young (AFAIK), and so your TD is likely to improve in time.
If you do need to take Seroquel in future, it would be particularly important to find the minimum effective dose. It's such a shame that you had side effects when it was working so well for you :-(
Kind regards,
Ed.
Posted by alienatari on April 27, 2005, at 18:54:45
In reply to Re: seroquel » alienatari, posted by ed_uk on April 27, 2005, at 7:40:38
Thank you so much Ed :) You are a wealth of knowledge. I think what you described was exactly what would happen to me. Ill have to do some research on dystonia. The TD is starting to go thankfully, i dont notice it much anymore. Ive also had akathesia from most antipsychotics ive been on. Arghh lol. Anyway, I totally agree with you I NEVER want to touch another antipsychotic again my life!!!! Thanks again for all that info, you really are such a wonderful and helpful person :) Take care
> Hi Alien!
>
> >When I would take it my throat would close up and make it hard to breathe and swallow.
>
> It *might* have been an allergy (angioedema) but..........
>
> It could have been a laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonia ie. a drug-induced spasm of the muscles in the throat or laynx.
>
> If necessary, antipsychotic-induced dystonic reactions can be treated symptomatically with an anticholinergic drug such as procyclidine. Dystonic reactions tend to be dose-related, a smaller dose of Seroquel might have provided equivalent efficacy without causing such side effects.
>
> On the other hand, allergic reactions are rarely dose-related ie. they can occur even at minute doses. If this particular side effect appeared soon after starting treatment with Seroquel, and was accompanied by other symptoms such as rash/itching, it was probably an allergy. If it only appeared after the dose was increased to a high level and was not accompanied by other symptoms (rash, itching, wheezing, swelling of the lips and face, fainting), it was probably a dystonia. Also, if the symptoms were ONLY present shortly after taking a dose (ie. when the blood concentration of Seroquel was particularly high), it was probably a dystonia. If you were having an allergic reaction, the symptoms would almost certainly have been present throughout the day. A physician could have examined the inside of your mouth to detect angioedema (an allergy).
>
> If a laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonia is severe, it can compromise the airway- it can be life threatening. I can see why your doctor was concerned. On the other hand, acute dystonias are often very responsive to anticholinergics.
>
> Rarely, after long term treatment with an antipsychotic, laryngeal-pharyngeal dystonias can occur/emerge as a variant of tardive dyskinesia. In this case, the difficulties associated with breathing and swallowing would have persisted after withdrawal of the antipsychotic.
>
> The fact that you *may* have experienced a dystonia due to Seroquel suggests that you are very sensitive to the extrapyramidal (motor) side effects of antipsychotics. Seroquel is considerably less likly to cause dystonias than most antipsychotics. If I were you, I would avoid taking any antipsychotics in future unless it was clearly necessary (due to the absense of an alternative). I think you said that you have symptoms of tardive dyskinesia atm, I expect that these symptoms will improve if you avoid taking antipsychotics in future. You are young (AFAIK), and so your TD is likely to improve in time.
>
> If you do need to take Seroquel in future, it would be particularly important to find the minimum effective dose. It's such a shame that you had side effects when it was working so well for you :-(
>
> Kind regards,
> Ed.
Posted by ed_uk on April 28, 2005, at 9:59:32
In reply to Re: seroquel ed, posted by alienatari on April 27, 2005, at 18:54:45
Hi Alien!
>Thank you so much Ed :)
You're welcome :-)
>The TD is starting to go thankfully, i dont notice it much anymore.
Excellent :-) It sounds like it's going to disappear completely in a few months.
Kind regards,
Ed.
This is the end of the thread.
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