Quetiapine (seroquel) questions about dosage, and sedation!

beautifulpain · 05-09-2013, 07:03 AM

**if you dont want to read whole post, skip to last paragraph

I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and basically told there's no hope for me, I won't get better, I just have to learn to live with it etc. anyway long story short, things reached crisis point and I tried to take my life, sadly i got found too soon and endEd up in hospital.

In Hosp I had to come off all my meds cold turkey. Last week I had to go see the head psyc in the Hosp to see wat to put me on. (I was on venlafaxine 300mg, betablockers 80mg and queitiapine 50mg). The psych actually gave me some 'positive' news.... He says yes I prob am borderline and display most of the symptoms, but he also thinks that I have bipolar type II, which he thinks is v treatable.

Sooo, finally gettin to point of my post, he started me on queitiapine with the aim to gEt my dosage up to 300mg, I'm currently now on 150mg. So I take 100mg at night with the idea that itl knock me out, but it doesn't!

so i have crap sleep, then am tired in morn and crying for no reason depressed etc, and then I have to take my 50mg dose, which completely knocks me for six. As in slurring my words, drowsy, groggy, walking into things etc. so question is, what time do u think is 1. Best to take the queitiapine dose at night and 2. What time in morn, knowin it will knock u out??

Psychs reli want me to persevere (iv only been on it a week)

Snow White. · 05-09-2013, 08:28 AM

I have been diagnosed with bipolar II and also an taking seroquel. I'm glad to hear you found this diagnosis positive and agree it is a very treatable diagnosis. Also I'm sorry to hear you were in such a bad place to attempt suicide, I hope you're getting support now and I am glad you were found.

Do the psychs know that you're having this reaction? Have they suggested changing the dose times? I'm very surprised the night time dose doesn't know you out but the day time one does!

Fire Fly · 05-09-2013, 08:57 AM

Hey,
When I started Quetiapine I had the same effects. People thought I was drunk and had lots of balance issues as I kept falling over. However they lasted a bit over a week and gradually stopped. I'm on 300mg and I think it's made a huge difference with things but also a little bit with regards to lowness. I still sometimes feel faint. Maybe you could ask to be switched to XL version (the modified release) as this releases the quetiapine slower into your body and therefore should hopefully bring down the side effects. Keep up with it!

Bellatrix · 05-09-2013, 09:23 AM

Lower doeses are more sedating. I take 600mg at night and it only makes me a little sleepy/out of it, but when I used to take 100mg in the morning, I would be literally incapable of normal functioning. You could talk to your psych about the side effects and see if anything can be re-jigged.

findingmyself · 05-09-2013, 01:47 PM

I have been on Seroquel before I also have borderline. For me it was always sedating rather it was a low or high does it was always sedating. You can not take Seroquel in the morning its not possible you will only sleep all day. Only take Seroquel at night take it 2 hours before your bed tiem . you should have Seroquel in your system at night for at least 10 hours soy ou don't feel groggy the next morning. I will warn you that the first 3 weeks taking Seroquel you will feel extremely groggy in the morning no matter when you take it at night but if you wake up and start moving around and take a shower you will be awake. After that your body will get used to Seroquel and you wont be so groggy any more in the morning. If your psych wants you to take it in the morn to last longer I would suggest talking to her about Seroquel xr it last longer you take it only at night too. I was on Seroquel for a year my highest does was 200mg. Just because you have borderline does not mean you have to take meds for ever or at all. Meds do not fix or cure borderline the meds only help with some of the symptoms like helps with anger and thinking rationally. I got tired of a pill making me sleep at night and I realized I can live my life off meds.

It is possible to do it with out meds Im just saying to let you know meds is not the only solution. Try DBT that helps a lot with people with borderline and CBT can help tooo. If you want to try meds for a little while that's fine but you don't have to be on them for long or forever. You can do this with out meds.

And I would suggest taking the med and going straight to bed because if you stay awake a little bit after taking the pill you might get really hungry and start eating to avoid that I would take the pill and head straight to bed that way I would fall asleep and wouldn't feel the hunger it caused. It also causes night mares in a lot of people. I had night mares yes there scary but if you have them I wouldn't dwell on it because there not real don't give up on this med just because of the night mares its a night mare its not real and will be over.

Good luck {:

findingmyself · 05-09-2013, 06:25 PM

Depends on the person what there max does needs to be. Maybe one psych thinks one patients max does on this should be 200 and another person 400. It all depends on the individual there is no wrong does. Talk to your psych they will get you on the does they think is most appropriate for you. Also give feed back don't let them force you on anything you don't want . Stand firm this is your body your putting it in if you dotn want to take lets say ex 100 mg then tell your psych that.

basically comes down talk talk to your psych openly and honestly don't hide anything.

DannieGirl · 08-09-2013, 10:40 AM

From my experience (was put on quetiapine when i was 17, started at the lowest dose and over 4 years I went up to 400mg and recently put to 600mg.) the higher the dose the less sedating it is. I have been on it for 6, nearly 7 years. I was at 400mg just before pregnancy, went down to 75mg during pregnancy and put back up to 400mg after pregnancy. I got put up to 600mg 2 weeks ago...
It's a strange drug but it works.
When I was on 400mg before pregnancy i took 100mg am and 300mg pm. I found the 100mg am sooo sedating but the 300mg not sedating. When I was pregnant the 75mg at night knocked me out. After pregnancy I just took the whoe dose at night and it didn't sedate me. 600mg all at pm now does't sedate me at all.
Bt dosage depends on the person and the dx. Before I went to a private psych I was diagnosed with bpd (which I never agreed with), the private psych didn't agree with the dx and explained why and dx me with bipolar 2.

Ranger Fairy · 08-09-2013, 06:16 PM

I had problems with sedation and seroquel, I would take at breakfast, lunch and dinner (200mg each time) within half an hour I could no longer stay awake and just feel alseep after every dose. I chose to stay on it because it really helped with my voices. Couple months after being on it I spoke to my psychiatrist and he said they had brought out a long release version so I take 600mg XL at night, it does help me sleep a little but not overly, I easily woken by morning. I also have short release quetiapine (up to 200mg day) to calm agitation and sedate me a little so the best of both for me.

Pomegranate · 09-09-2013, 02:58 AM

When I took 50-200mg, even XR I found it very sedating, when I first began it at 25mg I remember being sat in the smoking room almost unable to move. It was horrible! Yet once I got past the 200mg mark I found the side effects much more manageable. I took 750mg and felt barely any sedation (despite being on 225mg Venaflaxine, plus Trazadone, zopiclone and lorazepam prn). Seroquel on its own at higher doses really didn't make a huge difference. It's a pretty good medication. I regret stopping it cold turkey. Good luck to you. Give the meds some time x

beautifulpain · 15-09-2013, 10:13 AM

Thanks for all your advice and helpful replies guys! The night dose I was ok with...was still having probs with the morn dose to the point where I was totally dreading takin it. Good news is they hav now switched me to the slow release so I can take it all at night, I,m now up to 200mg but still not up to the right dose.

They have put me on depakote along side the queitiapine now. I have to admit I seem to be getting on with it, although I find it irritates my stomach. Just so terrified of all the weight gain stories :( I really can't handle weight gain on top of everything else.