Triggering (SI/OD) - Using Quetiapine/Seroquel *also sui trig*

[ThinkingofRecovery]

Sorry, I realise there are other posts here re this med but my psych is asking me to kind of find out how to use it best.

I've been told to use 50mg at night to help sleep but then she has also prescribed me upto 400mg daily prn. She said to use it to help when the anxiety/agitiation etc is nearing the point when I would usually get wasted drunk and try to walk into traffic or when I would need to cut or OD. She said that some people just like knowing it is there to help. She wants me to use it as a "tool" similar to how I would when cutting etc. I think it is her way of leaving me in control because when I am not, things tend to become worse, if that makes sense.

Has anyone else been given similar instructions re finding out the best way to use it to help them? Have people found using it at certain times helpful at all? She also said that it is an anti-psychotic and may help with the voices I have (which she says are pseudo-hallucinations).

In addition, I'm scared because I need to know that I can still cut and if I use the med, I'm supposed not to but it scares me a bit. Sorry, that probably doesn't make much sense.

[Revival]

Hi there,
I am on 800mg at night and also am on 400prn. I find that when things are out of control or unmanigable (sp?) it helps with my thoughts and helps to calm me down. It is also very sedating and I think that also helps a bit.
I hope that you find it helpful, pm me if you want to talk
Take care
xx

[yanna]

i have been on quitiapine 800mg / day in 2 doses (i was told that was the maximum, so i'm a bit confused by melancholia's dosage) for probably about a year.

it makes me feel a but 'cusioned', so moods and thoughts are less intense and distressing - similar to alcohol, but clearer. my mum hates it though, and said i seemed less livly and a bit out-of-it when i was first on it. i think that has lessoned, but i guess we may just both be used to it.

i have missed an evening dose a few times (forgot twice and ran out once), and the main thing i noticed was serious difficulty sleeping.

i have also been on haleperidol prn [off topic: what does prn acually stand for?] which is an older antipsychtic... that definatly makes me feel sleepy and out of it, and can be an alternative to cutting.

~yanna~

[Revival]

800mg is definately a very high dosage but my psych said that it was ok to have 400mg prn as well; I dont use it every day.
P.R.N is an abbreviation meaning "when necessary" (from the Latin "pro re nata") Hope that helps.

[ThinkingofRecovery]

Thanks. Is it like anti-depressants in that it takes a few weeks to get into our system properly? I haven't noticed any "zombie-like" feelings when I have taken it nor any less intensive feelings etc yet.

Sorry, another question - Is it addictive? Will I end up needing to keep having the dose increased?

Thanks

[Bitter_Angel]

I use an Anti psychotic for similar purposes. I was suppossed to take it twice daily bvut I take it once in an evening instead.

You might find that if you take it and say to yourself something like if i still want to SH in 30mins I will. Sometimes the urges will jsut leave you. You can still use your other coping mechnismsns, but try to use the med first.

Perhaps take a small dose regular like of an evening as a preventative and then take a larger dose when things get intense for you.

[bleeding black]

We are on quietapine/seroquel also. 800mg isn't that high in treatment for psychosis, the typical recorded dosage for treating psychosis is 1000mg+
We find it can help, but recently seems to be ineffective in all respects.
It isnt uncommon for a psych to give prn medications, and they can be really helpful at times of high anxiety etc.
I hope it works well for you :D

[ThinkingofRecovery]

Thanks guys.

My GP has decided he knows best and will only prescribe the night-time dose (for 10 nights) and not any for prn. He blamed me for being as I am and due to history of OD, said he is entitled not to. I haven't taken an OD requiring treatment since May and I have never taken an OD of my prescription meds. CPN is having to try and get my consultant to contact my GP. Oh well, at least I got a couple of nights sleep. So all your helpful advice may be useless. Is a GP allowed to go against what a Consultant says?

i'm on seroquel 450mg daily (was on 600)... i've never heard of it as PRN, but it makes sense. however i will warn you about some things with it. number one, it makes you extremely tired. probably why they said to use it for sleep. so be careful driving after taking it. i take it at night, and i'm literally knocked out within an hour. there's no way i could ever work a night shift until i get off of it. the only other med i've taken which was this sedating was geodon.

another thing, you mentioned you have a history of using alcohol. from personal experience, you should NEVER take seroquel in conjunction with alcohol, especially right before drinking alcohol. i ended up passing out and hitting my head on a bathroom wall doing that, and i barely knew the people i was with. needless to say, if you have a chaotic lifestyle like i used to, you do not want to be passing out and such with people you don't know all the way across town. since it's PRN, i would definitely suggest you do not even take it if you are drinking any more than 2 drinks or so. (that's not strict medical advice, just my opinion) it is an anti-psychotic, but it has not worked in that part for me. but no meds really work for me except anti-anxiety meds, so it may for you. just be careful, as this is a VERY strong med. probably one of the strongest i've ever been on. (which is alot) that does not mean you shouldn't use it. just be very careful with it. i have literally fallen asleep at the wheel when i didn't understand how to use it. and doctors are not always good at telling you these side effects.

[ThinkingofRecovery]

Thanks for taking the time to provide your experiences. Yeah, perhaps should be careful with my somewhat chaotic lifestyle. Anyway, my GP is still playing games and despite telling my CPN he was going to prescribe now as per Consultant's instructions, he hasn't.