Posted by Sugarpuss on January 17, 2004, at 13:04:54
I accidentally posted about Seroquel in the psych forum but was told I should try this forum instead.
Just found this site today and it seems to be a very helpful forum.
I was just prescribed Seroquel, 25-50 mg a night for insomnia, and I'm curious about a lot of things.
I have learned that Seroquel has little to no recreational value, which, I suppose, is good to know, although I don't want it for recreational use. My doctor prescribed it to me as a sleep aid (25 to 50mg) because I'm a wretched insomniac, and as of now I've been taking 200+mg a night of diphenhydramine to sleep, and while that sort of works for me (it takes two hours to make me sleepy, and then I can fall but not stay asleep), I want/need something more effective. I'm the kind of person who just needs a lot of sleep -- I can function on four or five hours but you probably wouldn't want to be in a room with me.
So far I've tried Ambien (made me feel trippy and put me to sleep but I'd wake up completely unable to fall asleep again after four or five hours), Sonata (same as Ambien), trazadone (I hate the way it makes me feel), and Restoril (I'm on Klonopin so that stuff did NOTHING to me at all, perhaps if I weren't so benzo-tolerant it would have worked, who knows). The only two things that have ever worked reliably are diphenhydramine (I have a question about that coming up) and Klonopin, but since I am prescribed only a certain number per month and legitimately need them for my panic disorder, I unfortunately can't often "afford" to take extra ones at night to fall asleep (and anyway, after a few days in a row, it doesn't work, obviously).
My doctor first suggested Risperdal, but I was on that as a teenager and I literally do not remember two months of my life -- they medicated me very badly and while Risperdal very well may be effective as a sleep aid for me now, I've been scared away from it and am unwilling to use it again, so he prescribed the Seroquel.
So, now, a few questions that I did not find answers to on the boards -- if I missed something, I apologize.
#1 - Side effects. I have a panic disorder, I'm seriously emetophobic, and I'm something of a hypochondriac, so side effects freak me out. Some don't bother me, but I'm particularly bothered by nausea/vomiting, weight gain, and/or sexual dysfunction. Does Seroquel have any of these side effects (or others)? I realize that websites such as RXList and Drugs.com tell you side effects, but I'm interested in hearing personal experiences as well; I feel I learn more hearing it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. I guess I also want to know if this is the kind of med that's going to make me feel like shit, or have me wake up feeling like shit, etc., and if so, do these effects go away eventually? How long?
#2 - Drug interactions. The only other medication I take every day is Klonopin (usually 2-2.5mg a day, but sometimes more, although never more than 4-5mg) and I'm assuming the two aren't unsafe to combine as the same doctor prescribed them both and even said that I could take an extra Klonopin at night WITH the Seroquel if necessary, but it would still be nice to hear from others, because "it won't kill you" doesn't mean "it won't suck", unfortunately. I also use Vicodin and various other painkillers fairly often (for upcoming tooth/jaw surgery). I'm wondering if that's an unsafe combination or if it's okay, or if I should just be sure to put a certain number of hours between taking the two, etc. Also, are there any other medications or street drugs that are ill-advised to use in conjunction with Seroquel? The only drug I use recreationally with any regularity is marijuana which I'm not worried about, but I do ecstasy, acid, and cocaine a few times a year (like, no more than five-six times each, if that) and I'm curious if those are particularly dangerous combinations. (Although I've heard that Seroquel is a good "come-down" pill for speed/coke/e.) Also, if these are dangerous combinations, I'm curious as to why (I'm just a curious girl...)
#3 - Diphenhydramine. In the event that Seroquel doesn't work for me and I must return to my lovely old standby, I'm curious what ill effects longterm use of diphenhydramine has, if any. I've been taking it every night for probably about a year now, at first 50mg a night and now I'm up to 150-200mg a night to sleep (I only take pills that contain ONLY diphenhydramine; I know that taking large/unnecessary doses of medications with acetaminophen or the like in them can cause problems). So far I've never had any ill effects from it (I suppose some people would consider the fact that it makes me RETARDED for about an hour before it puts me to sleep an ill effect, but I just find it sort of amusing), but I'm curious if there's any longterm problems I should be concerned with.
#4 - Tolerance. I know with many medications, you grow quickly adjusted to them and need to raise your dosage in order for it to be effective. I was impressed with Klonopin because for quite some time now 2-2.5mg a day has OBLITERATED my panic attacks, and likewise impressed with diphenhydramine because while I *have* had to gradually go from a pill to three-four pills a night, it took a year to get to that point. Does anyone know how tolerance works with Seroquel?
#5 - Duration. How long does it generally take to kick in, and how long does it keep you asleep?
I think that's about it. I could have just said "I want to know everything there is to know about this medication in a language that people who aren't doctors can understand", but I'll just shut up now and stop wasting space, but hopefully someone out there has the answers! Thanks in advance.
poster:Sugarpuss
thread:302023
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040114/msgs/302023.html