Seroquel for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Jax...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2016

"I was on this med in 2010 for a year. The dose went from 25 mg up to 400 mg. The first few weeks were very difficult. It knocked me out cold and I had such a blocked nose I could hardly breathe. I toughed it out and my depression lifted. I stopped taking it because of a really bad blocked nose. I have just had a major depressive episode (2015) with insomnia. I was prescribed 100 mg. It worked within 24 hours. I was able to sleep for 9 hours and feel refreshed and energized. The depression and anxiety have improved dramatically. This time I'll stay on Seroquel."

• o_o...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 7, 2024

"I wanted to share my experience with this med because it has given me hope that recovery is possible. Before Seroquel, I was in and out of inpatient every 6 months for over 3 years, crippling SH problems, ED issues, MDD, severe verbal anger outbursts, and had max dosed a few different antidepressants and antipsychotics that never really did anything for me mentally (except causing weight gain, which contributed to my ED heavily). At my last inpatient stay, I was prescribed 200 mg Seroquel ER along with Prozac 40 mg after maxing out my Abilify (30 mg) and my Lexapro (20 mg) during the same stay. And within the following weeks (accompanied by group and individual therapy), I had made a visible change. Now, 5 months later, it feels like I have a lot of myself again, and I’m not cured, if that’s ever possible, but I don’t hate being alive. I don’t wake up wishing I hadn’t. It has only been a short amount of time, but it’s been helpful."

• Nui...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 21, 2017

"Very drowsy for the first week of taking it, but once your body gets used to it, it is a great mood stabilizer. I've been on it 6 years, and it calms the edginess and irritability with bipolar. Also makes you sleep like a rock. My weight only changed when lithium was added to my meds. No significant weight gain for me. If I go a few days without it, I notice I'm on edge constantly."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 27, 2019

"Seroquel has been a life-changer for me. It has curtailed my manic episodes and kept me sane as I struggle with bipolar I with paranoid features. I recently attempted to switch to Geodon due to weight gain, but I immediately switched back to Seroquel because the benefits outweigh the risks of some mild weight gain. I take 400 mg daily: 200 mg in the morning and 200 mg in the evening. It helps me get a decent night’s sleep, which is crucial for keeping me from slipping into bipolar episodes. I give it a 9/10 because the weight gain can be a moderate annoyance."

• Mik...
• October 15, 2015

"Seroquel is great. Been taking it for seven years. I take 200 mg at night for bipolar. It does take time to get used to it. It does cause me to get hungry 30 minutes after taking it. Just eat a healthy snack. At first, I did gain a couple of pounds. Searching online did not help. Everyone complains about how much you need to eat. It's self-control. I make sure to exercise every day. And trust me, it's not easy. There are days I have no energy. But I tell myself I have 3 little girls and have to make sure I do not get fat and unhealthy. I have bad mood swings without it. It caused me to make it miserable for my wife, kids, and coworkers. Driving was a mission every day."

• jus...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 24, 2012

"I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 1 about 8 months ago. My doctor put me on Seroquel 100 mg. I do have to take it at night due to the drowsiness it causes. It has made a dramatic change in the racing thoughts and negative self-image I felt. I've also had a marked change in my insomnia. I was misdiagnosed for a number of years and couldn't understand why the other meds didn't make a difference. I wake up feeling rested. I did have some vivid dreams when I first began taking it. I also get the munchies, but they have subsided considerably in the last month or two and have dropped almost 20 pounds. This is magical as far as I'm concerned! As well as the Seroquel, I also take 20 mg of Lexapro and 600 mg of Neurontin every night. Thanks!!"

• Muf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2021

"This is horrible, with extremely serious side effects. I got anxiety, shaking, face twitching, and stuttering like never before. I won’t ever take it again — you cannot pay me enough to get back on it!"

• Dir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2013

"I had great success at doses of 200-400 mg. Anything above that and I black out an hour after taking it. I found out later I had been writing belligerent texts, yelling at my children, and verbally abusing my wife. I'm going to ask for 300 mg since it helped my insomnia and made me content and happy the next day. All without the horrible side effects listed above. I have tried Geodon, it gave me severe tachycardia and yet made me too tired to function. A horrible inescapable feeling as the tachycardia made sleep impossible. Zyprexa just made me fat and gave me restless legs so bad I couldn't sleep. Seroquel is best by far, but have your loved ones monitor you."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 5, 2016

"Seroquel has been very helpful with sleep, and I also noticed some mood stabilization in combination with Lamictal and sometimes Klonopin. Sometimes it is overly sedating, but taking it a couple of hours before normally going to sleep is important for me so that I don't feel drowsy the next day. I did not notice any weight gain on it. My doctor started me on 50 mg, which was good for sedation, but no major difference in mood. 100 mg does make a difference in lowering my anxiety and some mood stabilization with my other medications, but sometimes she recommends me to take 200 mg to reduce mania from flaring up when it starts. Overall, this med has been useful for Bipolar 1 for me."

• the...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 8, 2017

"I've been on this for about 8 months so far. I take 300 mg at bedtime. It helps with sleep, but I do feel a bit tired during the day. This has really reduced my mania. I used to argue with people until I was literally foaming at the mouth, but now I lose interest in arguments within 5 or 10 minutes. Twitter and news used to upset me, and I'd get amped up about stories, but that's gone away mostly. Now I can react to things that used to make me furious with a laugh or just a short discussion with someone. Seroquel's not perfect, but the weirdness and intensity I used to experience have gone. It also helps greatly with my IBS. I haven't had any weight gain, but my diet is low-fat and limited. Seroquel is much better than TCAs, by the way. Good luck!"

• sad...
• October 11, 2009

"I have been depressed most of my life. I have tried several medicines over the years, even tried not taking medicines. Racing thoughts of suicide, worthlessness, irritability, and crying spells led me back to taking medicines. I started taking Seroquel about a month ago and take 25 mg at night. It has helped me sleep, and I have not experienced any side effects yet. I have noticed feeling better during the day, not as many inappropriate thoughts as before, and hardly any crying spells. I'm looking forward to enjoying life again. Right now, I take one day at a time and can make it through the workday, mostly happily."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 23, 2019

"I’ve had many problems with the wrong medications making me more unstable, including restlessness. My Seroquel dose was raised very quickly to 250 mg in the hospital, then overmedicated after. But now, after working with a doctor for a long time, my doses are between 75-125 mg and have been life-saving to calm me down and help me sleep and think clearly after having very bad insomnia caused by anxiety. Ignorant doctors call this a sleep dose, but it has many mood-stabilizing benefits for people sensitive to medications. I also take Lamictal in the morning and Gabapentin at night. Klonopin, as needed, has been life-saving."

• Anonymous
• April 27, 2008

"I have been on Seroquel for 4 months now. I have terrible insomnia and racing thoughts because of my bipolar disorder. This drug worked wonders for me, and now I can finally sleep at night without my mind racing for hours."

• 0rd...
• September 24, 2014

"Seroquel helped my paranoia and really kept me mentally stable, but I also was tired all the time, sometimes sleeping for 15 hours a day. I also gained 30 pounds within three months of being on Seroquel. I wouldn't recommend this medicine for anyone who does not wish to rapidly gain weight."

• Hop...
• August 6, 2013

"I have tried just about every medicine there is to treat bipolar disorder, and Seroquel, hands down, is the best one for me in terms of stability. However, the weight gain has been a problem. I gained 40 pounds on Seroquel. The good news is I've lost 16 pounds of that in 3 1/2 months. It's been hard work, but I am confident I can meet my goal of losing 48 more pounds over the next year."

• Kat...
• May 8, 2012

"Seroquel helps both manic and depressive symptoms, however, it is much better when combined with other mood-stabilizing medications. Good for providing sleep, but it can be too sedating until you get used to it (just take it consistently and stick with it). Slight raise in appetite for carbs but nothing a healthy diet and exercise can't counteract, which is what you should be doing if you have a serious mental illness anyway. A good first medicine to try, because it's a mood stabilizer (for both types of episodes), antipsychotic, sleep medication, and anxiolytic! It's great for controlling anxiety and making you feel calmer and means you don't have to take Valium or sleeping pills, which can be addictive-whereas Seroquel is NOT addictive."

• BPb...
• January 3, 2020

"Seroquel did not feel like it was doing anything for me the first month and a half in terms of my mood because it was the only med I was on. It did help me sleep again -- but I can't say it saved me from all of the racing thoughts and rapid cycling when up. As someone with Bipolar Disorder who experiences severe depressive phases, two doses of Lithium Carbonate, Gabapentin as needed for anxiety, and Seroquel 150mg at night for sleep is what is best for me. I guess how it forces me to fall asleep and stay asleep is what, in turn, affects my mood to be more relaxed the next day. Who wouldn't be relaxed when they sleep 8-12 hours a night lol? Other than that effect, I do not notice a big difference in my mood change like I do with other meds."

• lal...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 7, 2022

"I once rated this medication highly for my initial positive experience with it. I now believe that is only because it helps me sleep. Once I got up to 200 mg, I felt like a zombie and experienced some other concerning symptoms. When I expressed my concerns, I was told that this was a 'baby dose,' and they intended to still increase from there. I disagreed. I have weaned down to a sleeping aid dose and intend to decrease from there and get off this stuff. It's terribly addicting. When I was at 200 mg, I used to experience withdrawal-like symptoms if I was accidentally late to take my nightly dose: splitting headaches, shaking. I've seen some say it can be dangerous to not have an exact time each day it is taken, but this was never expressed to me by the psychiatrists who prescribed me. This is not an opiate, but there's a reason some people sell this and call it 'baby heroin.' If you get prescribed it for sleeping, it did help with that."

• MCa...
• February 23, 2009

"A word to the wise: A psychiatrist prescribed a small dosage of Seroquel (at bedtime) for me (25 MG) to promote sleep. After a short period of time, I noticed an overwhelming craving for sugar-pastry, candy, milkshakes, etc. During preceding visits to my family physician, I learned that my sugar levels were rising steadily, something uncommon in my previous medical history. Eventually, this rise in blood levels developed into diabetes. Once this cause and effect was established, I ceased taking Seroquel. I no longer have an insatiable appetite for sweets."

• Anonymous
• December 9, 2011

"I've had bad reactions to every mood stabilizer I've tried, but this was truly the scariest. I had to withdraw from college because I was sleeping constantly, crying for 8 hours at a time, and hallucinating. I eventually became suicidal and landed myself in the hospital for 2 weeks. I know that everyone reacts differently, and finding the bipolar cocktail is a painful trial-and-error process, but if you have this experience, I wanted you to know you are not alone."

• fre...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 27, 2013

"Took for bipolar disorder (for the depression). In small doses, this caused me to be too sleepy to function. When I took a large dose at night, however, it knocked me out, and I was good the next day. This really did help with the depression and mood swings. However, it caused significant weight gain. I had to stop taking this when a job had ended and I no longer had insurance. I fought insomnia for around 6 months, but after that time, was finally able to sleep again, and the weight came out. I would recommend this for someone who really needs it, but not until other medicines have been tried first with no success."

• JJJ...
• February 23, 2013

"I have found Seroquel to be very helpful in my life. I was on high antidepressant medicines but gave those up. The Seroquel helps me lead a normal life by allowing me to sleep and calm down after long working hours in a high-demand job. I take 100 mg before dinner, which helps my appetite also. I would not take Seroquel during the day, as I feel it would inhibit my ability to communicate at work. From what I've read, some interpolate the effects of the medicines in differing ways, but I can honestly say it has saved me from a very dark place. Expensive but worth the cost."

• Mym...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 1, 2017

"I was having extreme depression and hypomania, and they could not find the correct drug for me, and this was the miracle drug for me, it was the key. It works very well for me, and I would recommend it. I take Seroquel at night because it does make me a little sleepy."

• Tay...
• March 23, 2015

"I've been on Seroquel for a couple of months, and I'm surprised at how good it works and how I have minimal side effects. I take 100 mg-300 mg at night and before my naps, just depending on how tired I already am without the medicine. Like most people, if you don't get ample sleep (8-10 hours), you usually wake up feeling tired and groggy. It usually wears off within a couple of hours, though. I noticed when I take it, my eyes become super red like I just finished smoking weed. I have experienced a little chest pain in my lower rib cage, but it's tolerable. Other than that, I sleep like a baby; I have vivid dreams, which, in my opinion, is neither negative nor positive. But it's helped in stabilizing my mood and controlling my swings."

• Rot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2019

"I tried this medication a few years ago and could never get the dose correct. It was either too much or not enough. I recently tried it again and only took it for a week before the doctor took me off. I was taking this medication for bipolar disorder and insomnia. 30 minutes to 1 hour after taking this medication, I would have constant dry mouth and my legs would twitch, RLS. Constant tossing and turning because of my legs and having to drink water because of the dry mouth, finally passing out hours later and feeling like rubbish the next day."