Seroquel and hallucinations

[Jezebel]

Yes, I am aware they are supposed to supress these things and do an amazing job for shizophrenics.  However, I have been receiving external, auditory hallucinations that are very real.  Visual ones that have me screaming at the top of my lungs some nights.  The remedy when I spoke of the subject was to increase the dosage to 600mg of seroquel because I was no longer receiving sedation effects fast enough.

Now, I am no longer receiving sedation fast enough from 600mg and I am scared out of my mind.  I see the PDoc tues and it's going to be a top priority in bringing this up.  I only get it after taking my dose of seroquel...

Has this happened to anyone else?  And if it hasn't, someone at least send me good vibes because I'm scared to death. TY!

Me

[stipple]

seriquill isn't for everyone.These drugs are mysterys and it could be doing exactly the oposite for you that it is supposed to do.You really tell the pdoc about it all and don't hold back.till tuesday do what ever you can do where it's quiet and the world isn't a cluster of jumbled crap.  You can make it,write the stuff down these doctors learn from us and there is something that will work much better.

[Velvet Elvis]

FWIW, it's usualy more sedating at lower doses.  I doubt it would be very sedating at all at 600 mgs.

[underground]

I'm having the same kind of thing, only much less vividly. I started Seroquel for treatment-resistant depression, and it pretty much kicked it's ass, but I am now starting to get some auditory and visual hallucinations. Not very vivid - auditory ones are snatches of words and phrases, and visual ones are pretty mild, but still... I thought this was an ANTI-psychotic? I'm on 400 mg a night.

[Fiona]

Now, I am no longer receiving sedation fast enough from 600mg and I am scared out of my mind.  I see the PDoc tues and it's going to be a top priority in bringing this up.  I only get it after taking my dose of seroquel...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you're looking for something to put you to sleep, 600mg/Seroquel is not going to do it. It's sedating in the go-to-sleep way primarily only at relatively small doses. I take 600mg/day without feeling particularly sleepy from it.

Also, are you taking it all at once? You might find it useful to split the dose up to at least twice a day and maybe more. I take 100mg 3x/day and then 300mg at night. I find the spread of the dose across the day really does make a difference.

Fiona

[Jezebel]

TY!!!

[chimpmaster]

Also your dosage could be the issue. Its generally recognised that the safe dosage range is 25-1000mg/day now.

I personally am on 800mg/day.  I am taking it for a bad case of OCD with some residual psychosis.  Its working really well for me.

In fact, as I increased from 400, to 600, to 800 I felt it working better and better each day.

I will be upping to 900 next week, and then staying at that.

So yeah, dosage could definitely be an issue.  600mg is not that much.

[Guest neil]

hey, i know exactly how you feel, i only take 200mg at night, but about 30 mins after taking seroquel, i have an overwhelming fear come over me like i can feel evil presences around me. And i seem to start hullucinating. It was especially bad when i went to bed early due to boredom and took the dose when i wasn't particulaly tired, was awful. gonna talk to dr, but in mean time i hope it gets better. good luck and remember theres someone else kacking it when you are lol, good luck to us both x

[Amy10]

I had exactly the same . It was terrifying. A demonic evil world pressing in on my mind that started when i took it. I just don't get psychotic ordinarily. It was accompanied by rapid heartbeat and nasty sedation. Unfortunately the latter has faded.

HOWEVER, all these disappeared with using the XR version. I am not sure if you are on it, in which case I am sorry, but the difference was immense. It makes sense if one considers peak plasma concentrations with the IR versions.

good luck!

[Guest Spencer]

I can relate i just got on 400 mg and i had horrible hallucinations yesterady my note book slid across the floor 10 ft and when i opened my door i was attacked by what looked like a dementor from harry potter only way more real

[Guest Spencer]

im on XR and im hallucinating it depends on the persons body

[Guest Annonymous Joe]

seroquel is not something I would recomend taking. My dr. wanted me to take 300 mg a day for insomnia. Being smart I looked this drug up on the internet before I took any and decided that I would only take 100 mg. On the third night around a half hour I had the most horrific experience of my entire life. I was outside on my porch smoking a cig and suddenly I got this dizzy sensation, things started to spin, I couldnt sit still, my mouth was dry and I had a pounding headache. So I ran back to my front door. I opened the door and when I got inside I collapsed into the corner and down to the ground. Leaving the door still open I managed to stumble down the hall way to the pantry. I fell on the ground. There I layed for 3 and a half hours without having the ability to drag myself onto the carpet and off the hardwood floor or the strength to take my coat off either. My ears were ringing and I began to hear all kinds of crazy things that were not real. As I lay there I began to see some very intense visual hallucinations. Way beyond anything experienced before and I once took some acid. The hallucinations consided of the visual image of me opening my eye and the rug or cabinets or world around me was different than it really is. The fear that swept over me was very intense and I thought that I was going to die. After 3 & 1/2 hours of that I managed to pull my coat off, stumble over and close the front door, I then went downstairs into my basement to go to the bathroom, while I was sitting on the toilet I fell forward onto my knees and layed down before puking into the shower. Afterwards I went upstairs and layed down in my bed. I woke up the next morning never wanted to take seroquel again. Not only was this experience very frightening but it was also very dangerous, I could have easily been having seizures or something like that when I was laying down also if I had not been able to get inside I would have possibly frozen to death outside as it was very cold and nobody else in the house was awake to find me in this condition.

[beetle]

seroquel is not something I would recomend taking. My dr. wanted me to take 300 mg a day for insomnia. Being smart I looked this drug up on the internet before I took any and decided that I would only take 100 mg. On the third night around a half hour I had the most horrific experience of my entire life. I was outside on my porch smoking a cig and suddenly I got this dizzy sensation, things started to spin, I couldnt sit still, my mouth was dry and I had a pounding headache. So I ran back to my front door. I opened the door and when I got inside I collapsed into the corner and down to the ground. Leaving the door still open I managed to stumble down the hall way to the pantry. I fell on the ground. There I layed for 3 and a half hours without having the ability to drag myself onto the carpet and off the hardwood floor or the strength to take my coat off either. My ears were ringing and I began to hear all kinds of crazy things that were not real. As I lay there I began to see some very intense visual hallucinations. Way beyond anything experienced before and I once took some acid. The hallucinations consided of the visual image of me opening my eye and the rug or cabinets or world around me was different than it really is. The fear that swept over me was very intense and I thought that I was going to die. After 3 & 1/2 hours of that I managed to pull my coat off, stumble over and close the front door, I then went downstairs into my basement to go to the bathroom, while I was sitting on the toilet I fell forward onto my knees and layed down before puking into the shower. Afterwards I went upstairs and layed down in my bed. I woke up the next morning never wanted to take seroquel again. Not only was this experience very frightening but it was also very dangerous, I could have easily been having seizures or something like that when I was laying down also if I had not been able to get inside I would have possibly frozen to death outside as it was very cold and nobody else in the house was awake to find me in this condition.

It sounds like you had a very bad albeit uncommon reaction to the med. But it's exactly the med that some people need. So I wouldn't not recommend it to anybody. It definitely wasn't the right med for you.

[swashbuckle]

I was on a pretty high dose of seroquel at night and about an hour after each dose I would start to hear stuff. Usually I would hear background noise and talking as if I was in a bar or club but I could never make out any of the words. I also sometimes heard someone calling my name, however, I never had any visual hallucinations. Once I was off the seroquel I never had those symptoms again.

[Cuttlefish]

I had never had full-blown visual hallucinations until my second try of Seroquel. On my first 300mg dose of the second try, I saw glyphs on nearby walls that did interesting things. I also saw what can be related to those visualizations in media players and such when you play music, only they were in the air and in the blank space of my computer. Like I could see sound and electricity I suppose. I also heard a faint cacophony of conversation, like I was in a room next to a food court or a bar where the wall couldn't block out all of the sound. Other things occurred as well, but those are the main things that happened during my Seroquel experience.

I decided to sleep it off, before other weird things could happen. Upon waking, the weirdness was gone, and taking my second dose of Seroquel did not have the same result. In fact, this never happened again. I can see now why some people do abuse Seroquel by snorting it, or even injecting it. It seems it has the ability to get you "high", as well as having the ability to dope you up.

[Guest akramh]

same with me at 300mg. I am getting hallusinations. so my doctor increased to 450mg , and still I can't sleep. I convinced him to put it back to 300mg cause when I wake up I feel lazy. now back at 300mg and hallucinations are back , I will ask my doctor to stop me from taking this medicine it's killing me.. he perscrived it to me cause I have manic depression but clearly it's not working, I still feel I am manic but now I have hallucinations too

[Amy10]

I have reduced my dose from 550mg to 50mg and feel really much calmer and, ironically, my sleep is better. I can't discount the fact that I have a new boyf and that has probably helped in terms of getting to sleep more easily now.

I did need an AP but the side effects of S'quel were awful and that dread and hallucinatory panic is not worth it. I am glad that I am well on such a low dose and, since I am bipolar, Lithium and Lamotrigine seem to be the maintenance drugs I need.

Anyway, YMMV and I would never discount how helpful S'quel is to many at high or medium doses. However, I must agree that I don't believe high doses tend to translate into effective sedating properties. S'quel stopped sedating me over time and it's initial horse tranqulliser qualities at 200-400mg disappeared within a few months.

Peace.

[Guest robbiefroggie93]

i need to know if this is only me, after i take seroquel before bes if i stay awake i hear vocies and sounds i cant make out, then things start sliding and moving weirdly and i see things on the walls that move and transform and shadows on the floor.

i flip out after this usually resulting in a panic attack or pass out from the fright.

[Guest misty smiles]

I had never had full-blown visual hallucinations until my second try of Seroquel. On my first 300mg dose of the second try, I saw glyphs on nearby walls that did interesting things. I also saw what can be related to those visualizations in media players and such when you play music, only they were in the air and in the blank space of my computer. Like I could see sound and electricity I suppose. I also heard a faint cacophony of conversation, like I was in a room next to a food court or a bar where the wall couldn't block out all of the sound. Other things occurred as well, but those are the main things that happened during my Seroquel experience.

I decided to sleep it off, before other weird things could happen. Upon waking, the weirdness was gone, and taking my second dose of Seroquel did not have the same result. In fact, this never happened again. I can see now why some people do abuse Seroquel by snorting it, or even injecting it. It seems it has the ability to get you "high", as well as having the ability to dope you up.

I first got it in the syce ward when i was 15, i had already been doing drugs adn what not. and this is all very true, when i was first in there and was givin it, it kicked my ass. its almost like a perk or an oxy. The longer you stay up on it this will get worse, go to sleep right after taking it and it wont happen. How ever, if you want a little extra cash you can sell a 100mg for 10 bucks. kids get fucked off it. and i dont recamend smokeing weed after you take this. I fainted and got a concushion 2 times in 1 night after doing that.

[koali777]

I suppose I have a neutral story... It put me to sleep. Of course I was on only 100 mg. It didn't help at ALL with my hallucinations (but I mean, 100 mg is lame). But it didn't make me hallucinate. Only Ambien has done that for me lol. THAT was true hell.

[Bribarian]

I don't think the seroquel is causing the hallucinations.

[Guest jeff]

Yes, I am aware they are supposed to supress these things and do an amazing job for shizophrenics.  However, I have been receiving external, auditory hallucinations that are very real.  Visual ones that have me screaming at the top of my lungs some nights.  The remedy when I spoke of the subject was to increase the dosage to 600mg of seroquel because I was no longer receiving sedation effects fast enough.

Now, I am no longer receiving sedation fast enough from 600mg and I am scared out of my mind.  I see the PDoc tues and it's going to be a top priority in bringing this up.  I only get it after taking my dose of seroquel...

Has this happened to anyone else?  And if it hasn't, someone at least send me good vibes because I'm scared to death. TY!

Me

I agree sometimes when your on seroquil even though its for people that have skitzophrenia but people that really dont have it or a very mild case people can start to hallucinate because it as a opposite reaction on some people.

Edited November 11, 2010 by null0trooper
merging quote with reply - guests cannot edit posts made

[Guest francisco]

yea that is that cost of seroquel makeing you see things that ant there how i know becuase it happens to me to only at nites sometimes when im alwake or sleeping at nite around 12 arizona's times i start to see things tlike one time when i was sleeping and when my compert wock me up i was confuse and i srarted looking in my room and i couldnt bolife who i saw next to my bed the girl from the the movie the hunting demon angels that girl from the front cover of the dvd box and when i wanted to yall i couldnt like a minit later it went alway that hole nit i couldnt sleep and ever since then i dont sleep at nites i sllep doing the day when i take the seroqel i want to change it but my doc thinks that i should take it for antother month and if im still seeing things then he well change my medds

[Mike21]

I know this is a old topic but may help some... Careful on seroquel!!  I was given it in a pshyc ward (someone heard me threaten someone so cops came and was put on 72 hr hold, never had prrvious psych anything).. So after a day i say i couldnt sleep so dr gives me 100 mg and didnt work. Next day i see him he gives me fricken 500mg twice a day!!  So about 30 min later i start having what i describe as a vivd dream while im awake.. Alot i could tell was off untill i look out the window and see my dad across the way in another room who was dieing of a heart attack eith my family by him....at that point after thinking awhile i said fuck it i need to see him and tried to go to the other side of the hospital... Well at 3am the security guards dont like it too much and im 6'3" 250 mostly muscle so i got into it with about 5 security guards with punches thrown and ended up strapped down at some point...  Then to make everything worse it turned out one of the security guards is friends with a recent long term ex that ended quite badly, so that was fun too!!

[cwren55]

I started quetiapine at 25mg with no hallucinations, but when I moved back to Maricopa County, AZ my dose was raised. Still, for years 300 mg of quetiapine was my miracle drug for insomnia, or at least I thought it was. I still was getting high cholesterol & many times my heart could pound at night even then.   I was getting light hallucinations, like hearing a couple of quiet songs in my bedroom, even though I knew that was impossible. My stereo had been stolen. I also, thought I saw & felt one of my cats jumping on my bed from the corner of my eye, but it wasn't real. Sometimes, I would stay up too long on my computer & the dizziness, nausea would start. The hallucinations would follow.

Then, my miracle drug stopped working for my insomnia almost 2 years ago. My doctor raised my dose to 400mg & added Ambien (a worthless drug for sleep in my case). I wasn't sleeping well for about four months. During this time, I came from my computer room & saw a white Windows type logo flouting across my path. Creepy enough to rush to bed. Another time, I saw wild flickers of light around my head. I thought I might be going blind, but luckily I did not. Keep in mind that the quetiapine hallucinations would start only 20-45 minutes after taking the medicine. Later, on higher doses they could last for around 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Then, I ended up going to the hospital, & my dose was raised to 800mg. At the hospital, I would go out so fast the doctor had to change my snack time earlier than my med time. Before she did, I had all kinds of problems. When I moved to a 24 hour group home the hallucinations reared their ugly head. Sometimes, I just could not be so sure they were hallucinations, & other times they definitely were hallucinations. Sometimes, the other residents were truly trying to scare me, because they knew too much about my hallucinations. I am very sensitive to sound even though I almost always wear earplugs. One guy pounded on the volleyball pole, until I wobbled to the window & opened the blinds. But, other times when I checked whether I was hallucinating, it turned out I was.

I live in an apartment setting now. I have never lived this close to so many people in my life. The neighbors are often noisy, & it is unclear what is a quetiapine hallucination, & what is an over sensation to sound from the drug, & what is REAL. I have seen other hallucinations after taking quetiapine, like red drawings of houses on my door & my wallet seemed to be burning on the nightstand. Neither of these hallucinations scared me. I knew my wallet was in my purse & the drawings were not scary. I quickly closed my eyes after stumbling to bed, however. I knew the visual hallucinations can get more scary. Like spots & bugs on my arm. The quetiapine hallucinations may not stop at just visual & audio ones. I have had a strong sensation of something pouncing on my feet or my pillow, & I can't have any pets where I currently live. This just isn't cool & quite startling!

What I find maddening is the lack of information out there about this type of quetiapine induced hallucination. Most people who work in the medical field or behavior health just don't believe this HAPPENS! Whether it is real or just caused by this drug, the hallucinations can be frightening. Especially, the combination of the real events & the drug induced hallucinations can be extremely frightening.

This drug doesn't stop here. My blood sugars just recently raised to high after having low blood sugar most of my life. My heart still pounds hard when the hallucinations start. I have an irregular heart beat. Probably, have for years. I am getting older. I turned 55 this spring. I still have to take cholesterol pills, & I have gained weight.

I tried to get my dose reduced to 600mg approx. 1 1/2 years ago, but the doctor refused. I am going to try again at my next appointment with a different doctor. I wish I could afford my own behavioral health doctor.  The system here is pretty screwy, & I'm stuck in it. I am hoping this doctor will see a need to start reducing this medicine. I'm already taking Lithium & Gabapentin after all. Note, I do not hallucinate without quetiapine, or during the day. I am certain it is this drug that causes all my hallucinations. I have had years of experience using this drug, so beware. It may effect you in similar way.

 

Edited June 28, 2016 by cwren55

[crtclms]

Are you theoretically taking Seroquel for the hallucinations or the insomnia? Because 300mg is actually on the high side of low doses (i.e. many people use 150mg or less), but lower doses of Seroquel usually put most people to sleep; the higher you go, the less sedation you will have (hopefully). So are you still taking it for sleep? Did they raise it because they knew you were psychotic, or because they didn't know what else to do? Did you ever have hallucinations before you took Seroquel?

Whether or not it is the Seroquel causing it, you are hallucinating. You need to do something about that. Are you already a patient, or are you doing intake? Because if you are already a patient, they usually fit you in sooner if something is wrong. If you are doing intake, you won't be able to tell them until then.

Also, if you really, really want to come off a med because the side effects are unbearable, a doctor can't just say "no you can't." You are in charge of you own medical care, and the doctor is your partner, not your boss. You work together, keeping in mind he is knowledgeable; but do your research, so you can contribute to the discussion. Maybe the decisions you make won't always be the best, but they are still your decisions to make.

It seems like you really, really don't like this med. Discuss with your new pdoc what you might do to change to something that might be a better fit for you. Try to work with your pdoc. You can even tell him that you don't feel like your previous pdoc really listened to you, so he knows where you are coming from.

 

P.S. Please stay on your meds until you see the pdoc. If you decide to change it up, you will need to be under his supervision, or you may have bad withdrawal symptoms.