What's your Seroquel Dose?

[Jezebel]

B) I started off at 100, 200, 400, 500, now 600mg.

I hallucinated really badly at 500mg because the drowsiness wasn't hitting me fast enough and I had WHOPPERS of hallucinations.  I was wondering about others' experiences.

Thanks in advance

[Ocracoker16]

B) I started off at 100, 200, 400, 500, now 600mg.

I hallucinated really badly at 500mg because the drowsiness wasn't hitting me fast enough and I had WHOPPERS of hallucinations.

[wifezilla]

DAMN! My hubby gets sleepy on 25mg. When he is totally manic, 200mg knocks his ass right out. He only takes it now on rare occassions. He must just be wired differently.

[tigrre]

I'm on 100mg for sleep really, I'm going to talk to my pdoc about lowering because I really don't even need that much

[Fiona]

I take 600mg/day -- 100mg 3x and then 300mg at bed.

I find it very helpful for keeping things a bit more even during the day. I can tell when I've missed one of those middle of the day doses, and my partner and best friend can tell when I've missed one even sooner than I can. So the distribution during the day is important to me.

I'm using it to control 'background' anxiety, as well as thought control issues, and it probably does help me sleep at night.

Fiona

[InsideOut1111]

I'm on 100mg for sleep really, I'm going to talk to my pdoc about lowering because I really don't even need that much

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just started almost the same mix:  75 mg seroquel, 100 mg lamictal.  How long did it take for you to notice a difference in your body/mind with the seroquel and lamictal?  How long have you been taking this combination?  Have you gained weight or noticed any other major side effects? 

[kdn]

300 mg at night & 25 mg 4 times a day...& i still need the trazodone to sleep--

[Velvet Elvis]

It's more sedating at lower doses.

I do 100mgs at night and it keep OCD weirdness at bay most of the day.

[underground]

Started at 100 mg, then 200, 300, and now 400, all right before bed. Kicked my previously med-resistant depression in the ass. But now I'm starting to get some psychotic symptons... It's weird.

[mel1]

I take 250 mg./day. 50 mg- 3 times a day. 100 at night. The only problem I've had is I have gained at least 10 pounds since starting it. 

[Angela53510]

When I first started on Seroquel 25 mg knocked me out.  I was on 450 mg lithium at the time, and 100mg Topomax, plus 3 other sleeping pills (Imovane 7.5, 100 trazadone, and 750mg Tryptan) plus a whole bunch of other meds for other illnesses.

After a month I went up to 50 mg to get the same effect.  Then that stopped working.  By evening I was having severe anxiety attacks, so I started taking 25 mg about 4pm.  Then the depression started taking over in the morning so I added it to my morning routine.  25mg before getting out of bed. It just made all the difference between getting out of bed and not.  So that was 100mg in total.

Meanwhile my kidneys started failing from 3 drugs cleared in the liver - Topamax, lithium and Kineret, and RA biologic I have to inject daily.  I opted to reduce the lithium after 11 years, and for the first time I was able to get off the drug without falling to pieces.  (I am bp1).  The Kineret is extremely toxic, but when it stopped working, I was physically unable to get out of bed, and the pain was so bad, I couldn't bear it.  So the lithium was my only choice, cause the Topamax, is my necessary to stop the migraines, and really works.

I would like to raise my Seroquel dosage a bit, but my liver is also in a lot of trouble, due to the meds, esp. methotrexate which I inject weekly 100mg.  It is also toxic but necessary for the RA.  I want to keep the pain and the deformities down to a minimum.  It really aggravates the bp, being in agony, and not being able to walk or use your hands.  Life is about compromises when you have multiple diseases.

My pdoc tells my the blood tests indicate that the Seroquel is beginning to damage my liver.  I am trying to keep this in the back of my mind, because it is the best drug I have ever been on for controlling my bp. Plus getting through menopause, and getting rid of that poison estrogen from my system.

Angie

[tigrre]

I'm on 100mg for sleep really, I'm going to talk to my pdoc about lowering because I really don't even need that much

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I just started almost the same mix:

[username]

800.  Bloody good stuff.

[aimees]

I'm currently taking 50mgs at night and I'm really loving it!!  Damn, I'm sleeping like a baby!!! I was originally put on 100mgs a night, but found it kicking my ass the morning after. I have two kids to tote to school, so that was not an option for me.  I discussed this with my pdoc and basically told him that as much as I'd like to shrug off the mom responsibility sometimes...the morning routine was not something I could let slide, so it's 50 mgs for me and I think it's working great!

I haven't gained any weight on it.  I actually lost three pounds since I started, but I have also been bustin my ass eating healthier and making my fat ass get on the treadmill at least every other day!!

aimee

 

[Jezebel]

As I have said before, I have once again noticed that it is taking hte sedation effect longer to kick in on the 600mg dose now.  Oh God, betcha this means more hlluciantions and a higher dose, huh?  800mgs here I come???? 

[Panz]

I take it for the disordered and fractured thoughts and speech, and to help keep my from crawling up the walls with anxiety and paranoia...I can REALLY tell when I've missed because I start talking like Yoda on opium ...words and whole basic concepts escape me...I think that this is the Schizo-Affective thing.  But I take anywhere from 1 to 4 hundred mgs a day.

[Ocracoker16]

This doesn't necessarily mean that going up to 800 mgs will make it better.  The problem is that the sedation is not progressively higher with each dosage increase.  Seroquel tends to be sedating at low doses, but on higher doses it is not that sedating.  It doesn't act like a benzo in which you build tolerance to a dose and you need more to get the same effect.

Katie

[sepia]

I take 50mg BID.  Sometimes it knocks me out, other times I can still go all night.  Other factors are applicable.  I sometimes take 75mg at night if sleep is especially important and I don't think I'll go to bed willingly.  It usually helps.

[john13579]

..

[HyperInHell]

Have been on 25mg of Seroquel for about a week now. I take one pill every night. No real weight gain, but major constipation. Also, the ongoing commentary in my head is still there. Guess I need more. It takes me an hour to wake up too. My sleep schedule is seriously out of whack. That doesn't bother me as much as the constipation and the fact that the stuff doesn't appear to be working though. I also get throbbing headaches every now and then. Real fun, right?

I'm thinking of switching to Abilify with something to couteract the anxiety effects.

Will give this Seroquel stuff some more time though. I mean, I'm told that I'm not "crazy enough" for Abilify and that Seroquel is the best AP for someone like me. If this is "the best" I am even more damned than I thougt. Ha.

[pressmama]

It took my body a while to "warm up to" the Seroquel. How many hours are you sleeping? For the first almost month I needed 9-10 hours sleep.  Now, after 3 months, I can wake up on a higher dose after 6.  Try sleeping longer maybe.

[HyperInHell]

Same thing. 9-10 hours. I am more bothered by the constipation though. Also, I am still having paranoid thoughts. WTF?

[lilie]

I'm starting back on at 100 mg a day. I'm waiting for the drowsiness to kick in but so far nothing.

Lilie

[PBF]

Have been on 200mg/day (single dose hs) for about 5 years and I'm very satisfied with the results.

PBF

[chimpmaster]

I take 800mg/day right now.  200mg, 4x per day.

Next week I am changing to 900mg/day, 300mg 3x/day.

I find it really good for my OCD, voices & anxiety.

[screamingflea]

Wow, I really AM a featherweight!

My pdoc started me off at 12.5 mg.  I found it was too much for me - I was dizzy and offbalance all the time, and I was dragging around until nearly noon.  So I quit it for a while, until my mother suggested I put that pill-splitter to better use.  Now?  I quarter those microscopic tablets for 6.25mg a night.

Although, the last several nights I've awakened in the wee hours and it took a snack and a second quarter-tablet to get me back to sleep (my original problem that got me on the seroquel in the first place.)  So maybe it's time to go back to the 12.5.

Is it possible to build up a tolerance to the stuff?  My pdoc said no, but my experience indicates otherwise.

[sepia]

My pdoc nonexplained it by saying a dosage increase is sometimes necessary over time to maintain the same effect, but this isn't actually developing tolerance, like with a benzo.  Ten points to anyone who can properly explain the difference. 

[chimpmaster]

My pdoc nonexplained it by saying a dosage increase is sometimes necessary over time to maintain the same effect, but this isn't actually developing tolerance, like with a benzo.

[Fiona]

Is it possible to build up a tolerance to the stuff?  My pdoc said no, but my experience indicates otherwise.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's a big difference between taking Seroquel to help you sleep and taking it for anti-anxiety, anti-obsession, anti-psychosis effects.

Seroquel is very sedating at the lower doses, although I'm surprised at the very low dose you're taking. As the dose increases, the sedation wears off -- so I'm less sleepy on my 600mg/day than you are on your 12.5mg/night. Your change between the two low doses sounds more like the smaller one just isn't enough to keep you asleep all night.

As for needing to increase the dose over time, sometimes it takes a while to fine tune the exact doses of things and as psychological issues shift and change and that can result in dose increases. You can also become somewhat 'accustomed' to a particular level of effect only to find your anxiety is now more than that effect.

And, now that you're completely confused....

Fiona

[pressmama]

Just had a dosage change thanks to some increased cycling and a bit of dangerous, violent mania.  (Woo Hoo!)  300 at night, 25-75 in the afternoon.  Still my favorite drug.

[Echo]

I take 300mg at bedtime. It knocks me out after about an hour (but doesn't knock me out like it used too on 50mg), I sleep like a rock, wake up refreshed, have wonderful energy during the day. I really love seroquel. I think I'm done upping the dose for now. It has definitely turned down the volume and urgency in my brain. It my head were a radio seroquel clicked the knob from "OVERLOAD" to "Medium" or "Low". My anxiety is less and my brain fuck craziness occurs less often. I am also on Effexor right now (150mg) because my latest pdoc chose not to believe, listen, or care about my prior bp II rapid cycling diagnosis or present symptoms of hypomania, depression, cycling like a crazy womaness. Needless to say, I am changing pdocs. So very recently I have been having a LOT of breakthrough anxiety, OCD, panicy, mind racingness which I believe is because the effexor is aggrivating my bipolar. Anyways, I sort of went off track there.

I would say that you should stick it out with the seroquel. You'll usually have a wonky first couple of weeks with any med just getting your body used to it. Keep up with it for a few more weeks. I think you'll see improvement and then probably end up loving seroquel as much as most of us!

Keep us updated.

Echo

[Sandy]

I take 250 mg./day. 50 mg- 3 times a day. 100 at night. The only problem I've had is I have gained at least 10 pounds since starting it. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Angela,

When did you get your RA?  Were you on Lithium and/or prozac at the time?  I got mine at 48 and was on lithium and prozac and it came on overnight.  Really bad.  I have it in my family.  I am now on minocycline 100 mg. twice a day and diclofenac (sp?) twice a day and am, except for the bipolar meds that aggravate it (like almost everything) except lorazepam, clonazepam, trileptal and now seroquel, am symptom free.  Please email me if you can.  I think the email is listed if not it is*edit* Thanks Angela. Hope you are better, I am angry as can be right now.

Sandy

*editd to remove personal email for Sandy's safety. If you wish to email Sandy, please send her a PM.

[DionneDesReves]

25 mg per night to sedate me into la-la land.  Fabulous stuff.  i love actually SLEEPING again. 

10 mg used to kick my ass, but for some reason what i'm taking is easier on me.  Go figure.

[jimbeau]

I started @ 12.5, ramped up to 25, then 50 and finally 100 over the course of a couple of months. I am taking this plus 10 of Lexapro for BP. Feel much better, depression has faded, rage has also disappeared. Main issues being IBS, low motivation, high level of mind numbing/ racing. I also feel that I could sleep at any given moment....*EDIT* Oh yeah, I forgot the dreams, I have lived all of my life with only a small hanful of dreams that I remembered. Since I began taking these meds I have had vivid dreams that some would consider nightmares, driving my corvette into a bridge support structure seems to be one of the recurring themes, etc. They really don't scare me, not sure why...

Jim

[ZacharyOdette]

I take 400mg of Seroquel at night and it works great - much better than Risperdal and a little better than Geodon.  Seroquel mostly helps with paranoia and anxiety for me.  When I take my dose before bed, it makes me a little sedated but I like it because Geodon (the drug I was on right before Seroquel) gave me insomnia at times and I hated that.  To the person who said "Seroquel is more sedating at small doses", my psychiatrist told me the same thing.

http://www.zacharyodette.com/ - I'm Schizophrenic

[wanderingNZer]

100mg in the morning, 100mg at night. started off just taking it for sleep, got up to 100mg at night in the second week. after about a month it stopped helping me sleep so i got the doctor to add a morning dose as well. helps alot with anxiety, stops me freaking out as soon as it gets dark because it's nighttime and nighttime is bad and i would stay awake right until the sun came up, i actually feel less low in mood, more stable in mood, way less agitation (one of the main things i'm taking Seroquel for). don't need to take benzos very often now which is a big plus seeing as how doctors stress  out about omg they're addictive!

NZer

[psdxyz]

I used to take 200 mg at bed, but then it stopped working (I am taking it for depression of the bipolar variety).  Now I am taking 400 mg at bedtime and I feel lots better.  I tried taking 200 mg in the morning and 200 mg at night, but it made me feel tired during the day.

[bxt227us]

B) I started off at 100, 200, 400, 500, now 600mg.

I hallucinated really badly at 500mg because the drowsiness wasn't hitting me fast enough and I had WHOPPERS of hallucinations.

[Pastafarian]

I'm taking 37.5mgs in the pm right now and it seems to be awesome.  AWESOME!  Today i felt rested and great.  So i'm lovin the seroquel.  When i first started on 12.5mg i got a hangover in the morning (i slept a lot in the first few days, probably playing catchup).  I haven't had a hangover for the last few days.  The only side effect i think is the food thing.  I'm definitely stuffing my face a little more.

Did I mention I feel awesome today?

[Elwood]

25mgs right now, titrating up to 75mgs-100 by sometime next month.  this is in addition to 150mgs of Trazodone at night and Paxil and Lamictal in the morning. I do not hallucinate with the addition of Seroquel, but I have extremely vivid dreams that I can easily recall during the day.  They are real enough that sometimes I wonder if I'm actually dreaming during the day.

[One_f'd_up_ho]

Seroquel:

150mg in the A.M.

50mg in the afternoon,

150mg at night.

I personally think I need an increase in the afternoon dose. The A.M. and P.M. dose is working fine.

[invictus61101]

I'm just starting Seroquel today - 200 mg in the AM and 50 mg in the PM.

[Bearlythere]

I take 100mg in the morning and 600mg in the evening, i started to that 100mg increase in the begining. I notice right away if i am late taking my pills. I become VERY Irritable. and I alos notice because my hallucinations become more prominant. Its starts off kinda subtle, but after a day it becomes incredibly destracting.

[Loon-A-TiK]

I was just hospitalized a couple of weeks ago for a BP1 mixed episode w/psychosis. My treatment team at the hopsital would not let me out of the conference room without choosing another mood stabilizer on top of my Lamictal. Apparently, they thought that the anxiety, weird intrusive thoughts, and psychosis would go away when BP symptoms were controlled (I do not know if this is the case, but I'll go wtih it).

They were thinking of Lithium or another traditional mood stabilizer.

I have had previous experience with Seroquel, and didn't think I had given it a proper chance, so I asked for it. They were in solid agreement that it was the best course of action (I'm informed, thanks in large part to Crazymeds and Crazyboards).

I can feel it, but think I'm going to be going up in doseage.

Right now I'm taking 200/night and 100/morning. But it is going to go up, probably to 600mg or something. i'd like to do soemthing like where i take half at night and the rest during the day, like i do now with klonopin, i need to calm my ass down and stop having delusions!

[Bohemian]

I took 50mg in the hospital.

Best,

Chris

[Anelize]

I was put on it my last hospitalization, 3 years ago.  Started with at 50mg AM/PM with a planned dose of 200mg AM/PM.  I stayed on that for about a 2 months, and I was still having periods of dysphoric hypomania.  Upped the evening dose to 400mg, and I've been on that ever since.  It's managed my hypomania and mixed state cycling remarkably well.  Now, if I could only get the damn depression under control...

Oh well.  Progress, not perfection.