Medication experiences

[Thesaurusrex]

Any other aspies had experiences with Quetiapine (Seroquel)? I have just been prescribed it as a replacement for my current medications for anxiety and insomnia, but after researching and reading others' experiences I am feeling pretty concerned about taking it.

 

[Dustman319]

I take Seroquel for my anxiety Thesaurusrex. I've never had a problem with. It's helped me with my anxiety. I take mine before I go to bed & it helps me sleep better. The only thing I notice is it's a little hard to wake up at first, but not too bad.

 

[Flinty]

Are you taking Seroquel or its extended release version? I've had very different experiences between the two.

 

[wyverary]

Seroquel has been a godsend for me. It is the only thing that lets me sleep and does wonders for my anxiety. However, I have to take it with Klonopin because, in my case, it causes restless leg.

So I say give it a chance.

EDIT: I take the regular version; the extended release did nothing for me.

 

[Thesaurusrex]

I have been prescribed the regular version. Good to know you guys have had good experiences!

 

[theduckrabbit]

I just got prescribed this also to take over for risperdal, which made my tourettes tics and anxiety a bit better but caused me to lose my sex drive and my period and made me leak breast milk. It helps me sleep at night (along with the rest of my cocktail) but my tics are quite bad and anxiety also bad. Life circumstances are very stressful for me now, though, and that may be the problem. Years ago at 20 yrs i took it for a couple of months and was very, very sedated and gained weight.

I am sticking with it for now because no weird and terrible side effects this time around like i had with other antipsychotics: abilify and geodon.

 

[Flinty]

My experience is that regular Seroquel is more effective than the XR version, but...

I was virtually unable to breathe for several hours after taking my dose of regular Seroquel. I have much more energy with XR. Both versions cause me dizzy spells. I started having severe dry mouth after about 10 years of regular Seroquel, and the XR version hasn't helped.

 

[MoCoffee]

I take regular Quetiapine, and I found the side effects were pretty bad at first, but once my body adjusted to it, it worked well. The side effects were kind of scary. I'm on a fairly high dose four times a day but other people I know who take it had no side effects, so I guess it varies from person to person.

 

[Mr_Alex]

I got off it last year and I refuse to take any antidepressants

 

[theduckrabbit]

Since increasing my seroquel to 37.5 mg per day I am having uncontrollable tongue movements, swallowing constantly, throat clearing and have gained 6 lbs in 2 weeks.
This is rare, but here I am.
I have also been really impulsive and have been feeling out of it.
Be careful if you try it, don't ignore any weird side effects.

 

[Matthew Hendrickson]

I was must put on Klonopin last week due to sleeplessness brought on by anxiety. Fortunately it has not only made me sleep much better, but my mood is the best it's been in a long time, even better than when I was on antidepressants. For a long time I'd just get through my day, and not be happy. Even though I'm only taking it at night, I think since it works for anxiety, and helps my mind to settle down, I'm not so overloaded with a racing mind all the time.


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[Thea]

I take Lexapro. So far it's working with no side effects. Prozac did for a while but I got no libido, restless legs and eventually suicidal thoughts. Celexa gave me heart palpitations.

 

[indigogrl1979]

I hate lexapro. Ok im on Fetmiza,Prozac, Aderrall in the mornings and Klonopin & Abilfy at night.

 

[Smart Shelly]

Since increasing my seroquel to 37.5 mg per day I am having uncontrollable tongue movements, swallowing constantly, throat clearing and have gained 6 lbs in 2 weeks.
This is rare, but here I am.
I have also been really impulsive and have been feeling out of it.
Be careful if you try it, don't ignore any weird side effects.

Those are called EPS side effects and you should go down to lower dose immediately if not stopping.
talk to your doctor in case anyone experiences such side effect.

 

[Smart Shelly]

Make sure you screen for cholesterol when you're taking atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine. It's known to cause dyslipidemia and weight gain along with many side effects.

 

[Steve666]

Hello,

I was put onto quetiapine and found the side affects really quite bad. I would be like a zombie for four days after each increase in dosage. Once those wore off I a really dry mouth all the time. Waking up was difficult in the mornings and I only came alive after about four hours after getting out of bed.

I put up with it for about five months and took myself off it. There was a huge improvement from day one and no side affects.

Regards Steve

 

[Esben]

I'm on Sertraline (zoloft) at the moment, and I have serious doubts whether it's working or not. I havn't been on the drug you're writing about, so can't comment on that one.

By the way, anyone in here who has been/is on a drug called Lyrica ? If so, what was your experience with it ?

 

[royinpink]

I'm on Sertraline (zoloft) at the moment, and I have serious doubts whether it's working or not. I havn't been on the drug you're writing about, so can't comment on that one.

By the way, anyone in here who has been/is on a drug called Lyrica ? If so, what was your experience with it ?

Lyrica made me lethargic and foggy-minded.

Oh, here, this is what I wrote when I went off it:
"The first week I was tired/loopy but emotionally okay. The second week I stopped being tired and it was like...it worked. For that one week. I had less anxiety, and I could feel things for the first time in ages. I felt close to my boyfriend again. [...] And then the next week, it was gone. I just lost all motivation and was plunged into self-hatred. It's not the first time a pattern like that has happened."

How's the Zoloft going? I'm just trying it...

 

[SignOfLazarus]

I went through a period of extremely bad anxiety and my anxiety tends to manifest very physically- the mental stuff I can deal with. But the shaking, heart racing type stuff I can not, and actually having that happen but not being able to do anything about it starts this kind of cycle that makes the anxiety worse.

I don't like benzodiazepines- like Klonopin or Ativan and SSRIs like Lexapro or Prozac do nothing for my anxiety [or even depression for me].
So we went with a beta blocker- a blood pressure medication, which is not that uncommon.
It worked really REALLY well. If you don't have any physical symptoms at all, this probably won't work as well- I had gone through a bunch of different options and that really worked the best. It's one idea to discuss with your doctor about if you are having trouble with other classes of medications.

But do discuss it with your doctor and ask about potential interactions. For example if you have asthma, there is potential interaction with some inhalers [but that is a case-by-case basis. At the time it wasn't an issue for me, even though I had a daily use inhaler].

 

[Robby]

I still have bad anxiety & physical symptoms and have had panic attacks too. But I was pretty much told different things by different doctors because my autism is kind on the mild side I guess it was never noticed and growing up when I did in the 80s and 90s nobody was testing for it. I've been told (wrongly) that I have bipolar disorder and even was put on lithium for a bit that was AWFUL it gave me bad heart palpitations & sent me to the ER with panic attack. I also was given strong anti-psychotics which I flushed down the toilet after they messed me up. I don't know why that psychiatrist never thought to ask me about autism.

The one I'm seeing now, he's much better, more careful. I told him my complete history and he thinks I strongly may be on the spectrum.
He just has me on something for sleep and Lexapro baby dose. I don't like SSRI's at all they never did anything but give me hot and cold flashes and make me so nausous I couldn't do anything.

The thing that's helping me with my anxiety now is actually a beta blocker. It keeps my heart down and palpitations down and has the added benefit of totally getting rid of my blushing, & my fast speech I used to get. I still get anxious but notice it way less. But only a cardiologist or a primary doctor should prescribe those, because the one I'm on is a selective one.

Benzos are hit and miss I like that I can take one as needed for major anxiety that suddenly comes on & I like that they can help me sleep. And they work fast without a bunch of awful nasty side effects like ssris. I'm still on Lexapro it's the only ssri I could tolerate this long but due to some side effects not sure how long I'll stay on it.