Seroquel

[Erika]

Hello,

I gave my son Seroquel, 25mg to start. He was a horrible mess all day. It made him real mean and agitated. I really want him to find another antipsychoctic. He is on Risperdal, but its making him real depressed, and increases his OCD bid time.

Has anyone had this kind of bad experience from Seroquel? I would like to try it again because its supposed to be better for anxiety. I will say that at only 25mg my son was scary sedated. Does that get better?

Thanks

[AirMarshall]

One day on a medication and you want to change!???

Yes, Seroquel at 25mg has the effect of being mostly sedating and has probably very little antipsychotic effects. It is used at this dosage and up to approximately 100mg as a sleep aid, and works darn well. To get into antipsychotic effects you need to start getting around a couple hundred mgs (this is very approximate).

So, it's not a surprise that your son is sleepy, and given his difficulty in communicating, not very happy. It is frustrating when you want to be awake and feel good and you are fighting a new med. I know, I've taken Seroquel.

Unless your son is having major reactions to the meds (in which case call the pdoc) you need to suck it up and bear with it. He will be more functional and alert by the end of a week. Alternatively he could take the med at bed time and reap the sleep benefits, if this isn't contrary to the pdocs instructions.

To give any psych med a fair trial you need to plan on 1 - 3 months before considering discontinuing, barring unbearable side effects. Don't be surprised if you have some brickbats thrown over this. This comes to the heart of our prior discussions about following the pdocs advice, and taking the meds as directed.

Good luck!

a.m.

[lost]

Edit: I've just checked your profile and I'm probably talking crap with regard to your son. Sounds like he might be psychotic, which I wasn't in my teenage years, just a bit depressed but able to get on with studies etc. And of course I don't know your son's age.

I gave my son Seroquel

Please tell us you didn't just give it to him without consultation from a doctor.

If your son is young (younger than 18) then we in the UK would frown on medicating him, let alone with two anti-psychotics, while his brain is at such an early stage. But then I guess that's a UK perspective and plenty of kids in the US get medicated to the point where it is seen as almost normal - I don't wish to judge, just assert a point of view. I know I spent my teenage years depressed as fuck and with next to no friends or social skills, but I'm glad no-one gave me psychiatric medication. One of my favorite quotes I'll roughly translate from the French: "My youth was but a storm of shadows, traversed here and there by brilliant sunshine" (Baudelaire). It was worth it for the sunshine, for me, and I'm glad I waited before seeking psychiatric help.

However with regard to your personal situation this post might be unhelpful and even offensive. I just worry about the number of American kids on drugs before their personalities are half-formed.

[Erika]

<br />Edit: I've just checked your profile and I'm probably talking crap with regard to your son. Sounds like he might be psychotic, which I wasn't in my teenage years, just a bit depressed but able to get on with studies etc. And of course I don't know your son's age.<br /><br />

I gave my son Seroquel

<br /><br />Please tell us you didn't just give it to him without consultation from a doctor.<br /><br />If your son is young (younger than 18) then we in the UK would frown on medicating him, let alone with two anti-psychotics, while his brain is at such an early stage. But then I guess that's a UK perspective and plenty of kids in the US get medicated to the point where it is seen as almost normal - I don't wish to judge, just assert a point of view. I know I spent my teenage years depressed as fuck and with next to no friends or social skills, but I'm glad no-one gave me psychiatric medication. One of my favorite quotes I'll roughly translate from the French: &quot;My youth was but a storm of shadows, traversed here and there by brilliant sunshine&quot; (Baudelaire). It was worth it for the sunshine, for me, and I'm glad I waited before seeking psychiatric help.<br /><br />However with regard to your personal situation this post might be unhelpful and even offensive. I just worry about the number of American kids on drugs before their personalities are half-formed.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

H

Hi,

My son is twenty. I give him maedication that is from the PDOC. My son went psychoctic and was walking the streets. He almost died! I hate medicating him, but he needs it to survive.

Thank You.

[Erika]

<br />One day on a medication and you want to change!???<br /><br />Yes, Seroquel at 25mg has the effect of being mostly sedating and has probably very little antipsychotic effects. It is used at this dosage and up to approximately 100mg as a sleep aid, and works darn well. To get into antipsychotic effects you need to start getting around a couple hundred mgs (this is very approximate).<br /><br />So, it's not a surprise that your son is sleepy, and given his difficulty in communicating, not very happy. It is frustrating when you want to be awake and feel good and you are fighting a new med. I know, I've taken Seroquel.<br /><br />Unless your son is having major reactions to the meds (in which case call the pdoc) you need to suck it up and bear with it. He will be more functional and alert by the end of a week. Alternatively he could take the med at bed time and reap the sleep benefits, if this isn't contrary to the pdocs instructions.<br /><br />To give any psych med a fair trial you need to plan on 1 - 3 months before considering discontinuing, barring unbearable side effects. Don't be surprised if you have some brickbats thrown over this. This comes to the heart of our prior discussions about following the pdocs advice, and taking the meds as directed.<br /><br />Good luck!<br /><br />a.m.<br /><br />

<br /><br /><br />

Once again! I'm following the doctors advise. She told me to find out more about seroquel to see if we want to give it another go.

[AirMarshall]

Ok, good girl! Seroquel is a good drug and well used. I'd suggest giving it a fair trial.

best. a.m.

[Erika]

Ok, good girl! Seroquel is a good drug and well used. I'd suggest giving it a fair trial.

best. a.m.

I'm a good girl? Good boy! do you take Seroquel?

[IHeartAAPs]

Hi Erika,

I've never heard of anyone becoming agitated on Seroquel, but akathesia is possible with any antipsychotic or antidepressant medication.

At any rate, 25mg is much too low a dosage if your son is psychotic. The pharmaceutical company prescribing information recommends 300mg daily for schizophrenia.

I take 300mg daily myself and will be going up to 400mg when my Tegretol is discontinued. I also take Haldol 5mg prn if needed (rarely these days) and have found it to be a great add-on for extreme agitation and/or psychosis.

The sedation is troubling at first (give it at least a couple of weeks, if not longer), but fades or at least becomes tolerable over time for most people.

Is your doctor starting your son at 25mg and then ramping up from there? If not, you may wish to have your son contact his doctor if that dosage is providing unwanted side effects or no benefits at all.

Best of luck to you,

- Darrell

[Erika]

Hi Erika,

I've never heard of anyone becoming agitated on Seroquel, but akathesia is possible with any antipsychotic or antidepressant medication.

At any rate, 25mg is much too low a dosage if your son is psychotic. The pharmaceutical company prescribing information recommends 300mg daily for schizophrenia.

I take 300mg daily myself and will be going up to 400mg when my Tegretol is discontinued. I also take Haldol 5mg prn if needed (rarely these days) and have found it to be a great add-on for extreme agitation and/or psychosis.

The sedation is troubling at first (give it at least a couple of weeks, if not longer), but fades or at least becomes tolerable over time for most people.

Is your doctor starting your son at 25mg and then ramping up from there? If not, you may wish to have your son contact his doctor if that dosage is providing unwanted side effects or no benefits at all.

Best of luck to you,

- Darrell

Hi,

Thanks for the good information. Yes the doctor started him on 25mg to see how it would work. I think the heavy sedation scared him. Did you start out on that high of a dose? Does this effect get better? I don't know how anyone could live through 300mg the first time. I would like him to try it again because the risperdal is making him real depressed, and I have read the side effects are better with Seroquel. You have no idea how much people like you help me. When your on medical the PDOCS aren't so good.

Thank You.

[IHeartAAPs]

Hi Erika,

I've never heard of anyone becoming agitated on Seroquel, but akathesia is possible with any antipsychotic or antidepressant medication.

At any rate, 25mg is much too low a dosage if your son is psychotic. The pharmaceutical company prescribing information recommends 300mg daily for schizophrenia.

I take 300mg daily myself and will be going up to 400mg when my Tegretol is discontinued. I also take Haldol 5mg prn if needed (rarely these days) and have found it to be a great add-on for extreme agitation and/or psychosis.

The sedation is troubling at first (give it at least a couple of weeks, if not longer), but fades or at least becomes tolerable over time for most people.

Is your doctor starting your son at 25mg and then ramping up from there? If not, you may wish to have your son contact his doctor if that dosage is providing unwanted side effects or no benefits at all.

Best of luck to you,

- Darrell

Hi,

Thanks for the good information. Yes the doctor started him on 25mg to see how it would work. I think the heavy sedation scared him. Did you start out on that high of a dose? Does this effect get better? I don't know how anyone could live through 300mg the first time. I would like him to try it again because the risperdal is making him real depressed, and I have read the side effects are better with Seroquel. You have no idea how much people like you help me. When your on medical the PDOCS aren't so good.

Thank You.

Hi again Erika,

I've been on Seroquel off and on for several years. The reason for my discontinuation is that I become convinced that I am "cured" and no longer need medication. So every time I restart it, my typical starting dose is 100-150mg in divided dosages and then it is increased every few days by 50-100mg until I reach the desired dosage of 300mg or 400mg. I still take it in divided dosages (150-200mg in the morning and 150-200mg at bedtime), although many people find daytime dosing too sedating and take all of their dosage at bedtime. Once daily dosing at bedtime is typical for schizophrenia.

For most people, it will be quite sedating initially but typically will wear off or become tolerable over time. For others, the sedation never goes away.

Some people can barely tolerate 25mg and others have no problem with the maximum dosage of 800mg. I'm a perfect example of someone who can tolerate the 800mg dosage. It takes an enormous amount of meds to knock me out, particularly when I'm manic and psychotic.

As far as your son is concerned, the heavy sedation may seem scary at first but if he will just give it time, he may well find that Seroquel is a great medication for him. It's great for mania, depression, anxiety, and OCD issues. However, titrating to a therapeutic dosage will be necessary though in order for him to receive a benefit, particularly if he is suffering from psychosis.

If his doctor has him on a titration schedule and sedation is his only real side effect, he really should continue titrating upward until he reaches a therapeutic dosage. It will be the only way to really determine if it has the desired effect (relief of psychosis, agitation, help with OCD issues). In the meantime, just let him sleep. He may well sleep 12+ hours daily, but as I stated earlier, that will diminish over time.

Hope that helps,

Darrell

[Erika]

Hi Erika,

I've never heard of anyone becoming agitated on Seroquel, but akathesia is possible with any antipsychotic or antidepressant medication.

At any rate, 25mg is much too low a dosage if your son is psychotic. The pharmaceutical company prescribing information recommends 300mg daily for schizophrenia.

I take 300mg daily myself and will be going up to 400mg when my Tegretol is discontinued. I also take Haldol 5mg prn if needed (rarely these days) and have found it to be a great add-on for extreme agitation and/or psychosis.

The sedation is troubling at first (give it at least a couple of weeks, if not longer), but fades or at least becomes tolerable over time for most people.

Is your doctor starting your son at 25mg and then ramping up from there? If not, you may wish to have your son contact his doctor if that dosage is providing unwanted side effects or no benefits at all.

Best of luck to you,

- Darrell

Hi,

Thanks for the good information. Yes the doctor started him on 25mg to see how it would work. I think the heavy sedation scared him. Did you start out on that high of a dose? Does this effect get better? I don't know how anyone could live through 300mg the first time. I would like him to try it again because the risperdal is making him real depressed, and I have read the side effects are better with Seroquel. You have no idea how much people like you help me. When your on medical the PDOCS aren't so good.

Thank You.

Hi again Erika,

I've been on Seroquel off and on for several years. The reason for my discontinuation is that I become convinced that I am "cured" and no longer need medication. So every time I restart it, my typical starting dose is 100-150mg in divided dosages and then it is increased every few days by 50-100mg until I reach the desired dosage of 300mg or 400mg. I still take it in divided dosages (150-200mg in the morning and 150-200mg at bedtime), although many people find daytime dosing too sedating and take all of their dosage at bedtime. Once daily dosing at bedtime is typical for schizophrenia.

For most people, it will be quite sedating initially but typically will wear off or become tolerable over time. For others, the sedation never goes away.

Some people can barely tolerate 25mg and others have no problem with the maximum dosage of 800mg. I'm a perfect example of someone who can tolerate the 800mg dosage. It takes an enormous amount of meds to knock me out, particularly when I'm manic and psychotic.

As far as your son is concerned, the heavy sedation may seem scary at first but if he will just give it time, he may well find that Seroquel is a great medication for him. It's great for mania, depression, anxiety, and OCD issues. However, titrating to a therapeutic dosage will be necessary though in order for him to receive a benefit, particularly if he is suffering from psychosis.

If his doctor has him on a titration schedule and sedation is his only real side effect, he really should continue titrating upward until he reaches a therapeutic dosage. It will be the only way to really determine if it has the desired effect (relief of psychosis, agitation, help with OCD issues). In the meantime, just let him sleep. He may well sleep 12+ hours daily, but as I stated earlier, that will diminish over time.

Hope that helps,

Darrell

Thank You Darrell. I think he should give it another go. He really needs help with panic, and OCD. He also is delusional. He has lots of weird ideas. Like he thinks he will turn into metal and be like that forever suffering. He is real paranoid too. The Risperdal is OK, but doesn't help with panic. It also seems to aggravate his OCD. Thank you again for the great info.

[IHeartAAPs]

You are welcome Erika. I think if your son can just get past the initial sedation from the Seroquel, he will find that it helps tremendously with his panic and anxiety issues as well as his depression, delusions and paranoia.

I do not like Risperdal myself as it makes me feel quite flat. It works well on psychosis, but it does nothing for my depressive states or anxious states. Seroquel has always been my atypical antipsychotic of choice.

At any rate, I hope your son gets some relief soon. Mental illness can be a challenge, but it can be managed if the right medication or combinations of medications can be found and provide relief with an acceptable side effect profile.

Is your son seeing a therapist as well? Therapy is so important along with medications in managing mental illness. I see my therapist every two weeks and she is a godsend for me. I do not have such great insight when I am psychotic and she has helped me in recognizing and challenging my delusional thinking (and occasional hallucinations) when I am not on track.

I hope your son has a good therapist that can help him recognize and challenge his bizarre thinking. Otherwise, I'm afraid meds in and of themselves won't be enough.

My best to you,

Darrell

[DMF]

Erika,

I'm not a professional but 25 mg. seems like virtually a "nothing" dose when related to psychosis. Everyone reacts differently to meds....have you considered asking that your son be hospitalized until they can get him up on an effective dose? They did this in my daughter's early stages.....she hated it.....I cried constantly.....but it was worth it because they were able to get her on meds so much quicker than if they had to do it with her living at home.

For us, dd really didn't respond enough until she got on 800 mg. THAT IS NOT TO SAY YOUR SON WILL HAVE TO BE ON THAT MUCH. She was recently up'd to 1000 mg. because of impending brain surgery related to a pseudotumor that seemed to be causing additional stress (and, for all I know, the increased pressure in the brain has also been mucking around with her psychosis issues). She has been psychosis free since this increase. For her, she has to be on a dose for at least 2 weeks to get over the initial problems (whether it be with sleep, additional hallucinations - yes, that seems to happen with her when they first raise any AP med that she's ever been on, anxiety, etc.) and to get her brain to settle down to see exactly what the med is going to do.

Erika, I hate to think you will not consider giving this med a try. Honestly, it is the only AP that has really helped my dd much (the only atypical she has not tried is Zyprexa). Risperdal worked well but she had big-time problems with lactation and the doctors wouldn't keep her on it. Everyone will tell you about the sedation problems below a certain dose, etc. and that is true. But know that the med, any med, affects people in different ways. This is why, again, I think medication changes/dose changes in a hospital setting might be beneficial for your son. They have a miserable week or so but at least they get past it pretty quickly.

Take Care~

[blackbird]

I agree with DMF on the hospitalisation thing. As much as I despise the hospital due to my pathological fear of psychiatric nurses reading my mind, some people who suffer from psychotic illness do get dreadfully psychotic at med changes and might find the hospital beneficial. I know that changing anti-psychotics for me is terribly traumatic and I lose my marbles altogether which is why I had to be hauled into the hospital last September.

best wishes for you and your son

blackbird x

[Erika]

Hello all,

Thank so much for the great info. My son has been on 4 mg of risperdal for 1 week know and the side effects are worse than when he was on it a couple of months ago. His muscles are killing him, he is so depressed, and doesn't want to do anything. He feels hopeless, and so do I. The hospital would be the best place for him. I feel like a traitor taking him there. Will he ever forgive me for leaving him there. I'm also very scared of something bad happening to him there. I actually have a chance to bring him to UCLA of all places, and I'm still freaked out. HELP. I hear its the best psychiatric hospital around. So what the hell is wrong with me.

[IHeartAAPs]

Hi Erika,

I'm sorry that your son is having so much difficulty finding the right med(s). It is a constant challenge for MI people to find meds that are tolerable, have a decent amount of efficacy and don't cause horrific side effects. I do understand the muscle stiffness that your son is having. I have had it on other AAPs and it is very uncomfortable.

Please don't think of yourself as a traitor for taking your son to the hospital. I don't know anything about UCLA but I would expect them to have a good psychiatric hospital. Remember that psychiatric hospitals are not like the "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" experience. They are generally staffed with caring and well-meaning professionals who will help you with medication stabilization, inpatient therapy (usually group) and discharge plans that will include follow-up with a psychiatrist and a therapist.

I have been hospitalized four or five times in the past 10 years of so (both voluntarily and involuntarily) and the experiences were not that bad at all. Honestly, my last hospitalization was just a few months ago in mid-December and I was admitted involuntarily due to self-injury. I am feeling much better now and am glad that someone cared enough to have me admitted (even though I didn't believe that I needed it at the time). Because I simply had to restart some previous medications to be stabilized again, I only needed to stay for a week. Honestly, the worst part of the hospital experience (for me) is that it is kinda boring unless you have someone to talk to and smoking isn't allowed (I smoke). I have never had a bad hospitalization experience. Some places were better than others but I was never abused in any manner at any facility. Things like that simply don't happen anymore at more hospitals.

Think of it this way: if your son was having a heart attack or a stroke, would you feel like a traitor for getting treatment for him? Of course not. MI is exactly the same. You wouldn't deny your son potentially life-saving treatment if he is mentally unstable and is in dire need of medical stabilization.

I understand your feelings but I hope you do the right thing and take him to the hospital. I really feel like that is the best option for him at this time. Outpatient therapy is not working right now and inpatient stabilization is mandatory I feel. Otherwise, I really feel as though your son may become suicidal if this continues.

Think about what I've written and keep in touch and let us know how things are going.

My best-

Darrell