Quetiapine Effects.

[Wonderland.]

I may be getting put on Quetiapine and getting taken off of Olazapine.

What my main worry is weight gain and other side effacts.

Could you be able the share your experiences of using it.

I would be using it to help with my psychotic episodes.

[Morpheus]

I gained a lot of weight in a really short time and it didnt help me. Been on it twice in my life, with years apart. Both with the same result. But i have never been helped by anti psychotics so i guess i am a bit unusual. It has no effect on me and i always get a lot of side effects.

[Ballerina123]

I've been on quietapine and im now on olanzapine. The weight gain side effect have been more of a problem on olanzapine. In fact I lost weight on quietapine.

The only reason I came of quietapine was because it was making my hallucinations worse rather than better. Olanzapine works a lot better for my symptoms.

[Ktulu]

I did have weight gain on quetiapine but nothing like what I had on olanzapine which made me permanently hungry. Only other side effect for me on quetiapine is extremely vivid dreams.

[Wonderland.]

I think I'm going to ask for it as the hosp psych suggetsed it.

Is it very sedating or not?

[Snow White.]

I found it very sedating initially yes. I take it at night to help with sleep as well as my moods.

[Morpheus]

I didnt find it sedative at all. I took my regular dose at night because i had insomnia as well and was told it would help with that also and smaller dose as prn several times a day. None of which made me tired or calmer or anything.

[not_so_insig]

I found it sedative and I had weight gain on it. I also had muscle stiffness on it too.

But I was on it for nearly 8 years and it kept me out of hospital for 5 years.

[Ballerina123]

I found it to be more sedating than olanzapine.

[youonlyliveonce]

It helps me sleep and has been the best thing for my moods

[Cryptic.]

I have been on quite a high dosage for a long while now, over a year, and some side effects that are quite bad are still affecting me
[hence why I am having a med review on 22nd so hoping I can change!],
regarding weight gain
- I have gained weight on this medication, however, not quite as bad or as fast as I was when on Olanzapine, but still have had weight gain,
but it all depends on many factors, as we are all different.

Regarding it being sedating
- yes, for me, personally, it always knocks me out,
hence why I have called it my "knock out med" for as long as I have been on it.

I hope it helps you,
personally for me, it hasn't done anything for my symptoms aside from make them worse recently,
it did "level" things out at first, however, my health has worsened for quite a while now,
but we are all different so I hope it helps you!

[Fire Fly]

I'm on 600mg xl. I'm not really sure what it's like with regards to olanzapine but I havenr had any side effects of it. It's meant to be sedating but ive never noticed it other than when I first started it. When I was on a lower dosage I was fainting a lot but other than that it's really helped me.

[Wonderland.]

Thank you for giving me your experiences of it. I hope my team say yes to it. I can't see why not since it was the duty psych who suggested it.

[Snow White.]

I hope so too and that it is helpful for you <3

[~Grace~]

Hi, ive been on this medication for 8 months. It has really helped me.
I have gained a little weight, but thats something I keep my eye on.
I do find that sometimes it makes me very unsteady when i first get out of bed...to the extent that I will aim for my bedroom door and end up elsewhere...almost drunklike....but not

[Sketchy]

I've been on it for quite a while. I don't think I've gained weight on it. It has been sedative and if I take it too late at night, the next day I'm rather dopey. It has helped a bit with my sleeping and over thinking, paranoia, etc.

Good luck if you do go on it. It's worth a try and we can all react different to it. X

[not_so_insig]

Lorraine makes a point about taking it too late - I had to take it at the same time each day at night.

I had akathesia when I first started taking it or if I missed too many doses and had to start again.

[tiptoes]

First time round I gained some weight initially but after about 3-4 months my weight returned to its previous weight.

Second time round it has been weight neutral. I agree with the others about being more sedated if I take it later. If I take it around 10.30 I sleep for about 8-9 hours, if I take it past midnight I sleep for 12-14 hours and quite groggy for the rest of the day.

Not sure how it is with psychotic symptoms as I am on it for its mood stabilising and anti depressant properties which is does fairly well in that I have had a full blown episode since I came out of the episode that I was put on it to treat but I do get greater swings in mood than is ideal.

[Patch.]

I am on it. I have gained a bit of weight, but I am unsure whether it's quetiapine, mirtazapine, or both, which has caused it!

I take 2 doses daily, one in the morning and one at night. It is a bit sedating but you get used to it.

[Wonderland.]

Thanks for the replied, they are much appreciated.

I'm hoping to start a moderate amount of exercise soon so hopefully the 2.5 stone I put on will shift.

I know you can get munchies on it my friend does. So I've got plenty of fruit to nibble on if I feel the need.

[Laura2.0]

taking it for more than 2 years now. Didn't gain weight at all. Makes me sleep great, except when I forget to take it.
In my experience a great medication!

[LilMissEmma]

I'm on quetiapine and have been for 4 years now. It's my life saver, mainly because it makes me sleep. I'm only on 100mg and it knocks me out as good as any sleeping tablet (and therefore I MUST take it at night; I was sleeping throughout the day when I took it in the morning). It did make me gain weight though, which isn't very good if you have an ED :/ I think it's helped with my impulsiveness (not cured it, but I think it happens less often).

[LilMissEmma]

Also; if you can't sleep without it, it's pretty hard to forget to take it ;)