Benzoman Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Hi! I'm new here but i'd apppreciate your insight. I'm currently on invega but dislike it because it increases my prolactin and makes me eat lots. I've been going to the hospital twice a week usually and they usually end up sending me home cuz i'm fine. I'm sort of a hypocondratct and everything that is even remotely medically wrong with me or something i perceive to be medically wrong with me, will make me want to go to the hospital. then its an inner battle all day and i dont do any of the things i like, i just obsess till i go to the hospital. I'm in canada btw free health care so its not a big deal for me to go there financially. But i still feel like somethings wrong there. Plus I am sort of obsessive compulsive in some ways. and i feel like the last while ive been living is hell. Some of the nursing staff even are annoyed with me but thats irrelevant to the topic. I spend all day on the computer and thats it. I don't go out unless its to get food. I don't have any friends and don't feel very socially adept. My psych prescribed me seroquel today and i'm thinking of taking it, what do you think. Do you think it would improve my lifestyle? Thanks -Benzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Also i flush my eyes daily out of fear of there being something on them or a particle in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y58 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Are you open to the idea of psychotherapy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 I'm going to be applying for a cbt group for anxiety if thats what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y58 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I'm going to be applying for a cbt group for anxiety if thats what you mean. I did group CBT for anxiety; it helped me. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 i hear seroquel can cause sudden cardiac arrest, is that true? I just got done a run through with a cardiologist and he says i'm healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Your lifestyle?? That is an odd question. Taking Seroquel is not exactly a life style. Spending all day alone inside on the computer is a lifestyle. Seroquel will help your anxiety - and that might help you make better life style choices. It takes some time to get used to it. It helps sleep a lot. I like Seroquel, and I take it. It relieves a lot of anxiety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y58 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Was the Invega controlling your symptoms. What would you be taking the quel for? What are your diagnoses/main symptoms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 I have schizo affective disorder, post tramatic stress disorder, i have schizophrenic tendencies sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I have schizo affective disorder, post tramatic stress disorder, i have schizophrenic tendencies sometimes. Seroquel might be a very good good choice for you. Trust your doctor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I would just like to add that no med is going to change your lifestyle. Changing a lifestyle is hard work that often requires therapy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Yes, a med might help you with your symptoms, which will secondarily assist you in doing things (perhaps) like going to anxiety group and learning how to develop a healthier lifestyle. I would say try the seroquel and see how it works. I believe all the AAPs have the ability to increase the heart's QT interval, but it's a very rare side effect for one, and two, is not exactly fatal for those with healthy hearts. You should be fine. Anna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 If you obsess about your health, it is probably not a good idea to read all the side effects before starting a new med. They have to include everything that people experience during the trials of the drug (there is a thread in 'Good Stuff' about this at the minute). So you will only end up scaring yourself. But obviously if you do experience something strange then check out the side effects then. I had initial nausea and extreme sedation at the beginning of taking Seroquel. The nausea soon wore off, and I would say that the sedation I experience now is a good thing (sleep deprivation can trigger my illness) and apart from not being a morning person (but then I have been a night owl all my life) it does not get in the way of me living my life the way I want to. For information I have been on Seroquel for about 6 months now. Seroquel has definitely reduced my anxiety. But the only way that you can know if a med is going to work for you is to try it and see. Your pdoc obviously had good reason to prescribe the Seroquel, so the best thing you can do is take it. I hope that you have good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 The thing is... seroquel is for sctizophrenia and bi-polar disorder... of which i have neither. I've been off my invega since october 2nd and I don't feel that bad besides the insomnia. Whats more, I can feel again! I have emotions again! I can get pissed off again if i need to! My anxiety isn't the best right now but that could be the withdrawals still kicking my butt. Same with the insomnia. Wtf was my doctor thinking, prescribing me something that will turn me into a zombie (type in seroquel on youtube and see for yourself), will steal my emotions, could give me cataracts, could kill me if i have to take it with my ventolin (the two together can cause QT Prolongation). What is my psychiatrist trying to do to me by prescribing me this poison? I haven't taken the seroquel yet, and I'm sorry if i sound pestimistic but I'm really pissed off that my doctor prescribed me seroquel, something for sctizophrenia and bipolar when I have neither, never been told i have either, or anything. The Invega was of benefit to me before but it made me grow man boobs. Seroquel has less of a prolactin responce according to my psychiatrist but is that really a reason to prescribe the most sedating antipsychotic (debatably) when I don't even have scitzophrenia or bipolar? I mean sure before i was on meds i used to freak out and cut my arm up but those days are long gone. And since i've been off my antipsychotic ever since. What is my psychiatrist trying to do to me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calypte Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Seroquel is not a poison. It can have side-effects, of course. If it does have side-effects you find unbearable, you should tell your doc and then the two of you can figure out something else to take. There are quite a few people on this board who are pretty happy with Seroquel, though. Also, the risk of developing QT prolongation is very low (else the drug would not be permitted on the market) and even if you develop it, it's not likely to be fatal if your heart is fine otherwise. Seroquel may not have an official indication for schizo-affective disorder. To be honest, I don't think anything has an official indication for schizo-affective disorder, because it's kind of a combination of an affective disorder and a psychotic disorder. So an indication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder actually means it will almost certainly also be useful in schizo-affective disorder. Getting the indication can be expensive for the pharmaceutical companies so they don't bother getting indications for everything it could be used for. But Seroquel is a good antipsychotic, if you suffer from psychosis; it can work as a mood stabilizer, if you have (hypo)manic and depressive phases; it can help with insomnia, which you say you have; it can be useful for anxiety, which you also say you have. Do tell your doc you've gone off the Invega and you have these concerns about the Seroquel. He/she can't help you if you don't keep him/her informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Seroquel is not a poison. It can have side-effects, of course. If it does have side-effects you find unbearable, you should tell your doc and then the two of you can figure out something else to take. There are quite a few people on this board who are pretty happy with Seroquel, though. Also, the risk of developing QT prolongation is very low (else the drug would not be permitted on the market) and even if you develop it, it's not likely to be fatal if your heart is fine otherwise. Seroquel may not have an official indication for schizo-affective disorder. To be honest, I don't think anything has an official indication for schizo-affective disorder, because it's kind of a combination of an affective disorder and a psychotic disorder. So an indication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder actually means it will almost certainly also be useful in schizo-affective disorder. Getting the indication can be expensive for the pharmaceutical companies so they don't bother getting indications for everything it could be used for. But Seroquel is a good antipsychotic, if you suffer from psychosis; it can work as a mood stabilizer, if you have (hypo)manic and depressive phases; it can help with insomnia, which you say you have; it can be useful for anxiety, which you also say you have. Do tell your doc you've gone off the Invega and you have these concerns about the Seroquel. He/she can't help you if you don't keep him/her informed. The only reason i'm getting the insomnia is because i'm going through withdrawals from the invega. I've called my doctors office to try to get answers as to what he's trying to treat with the seroquel, and i've told a psych nurse that talked to him that i've stopped taking the invega. My main illnessess as far as i can see are this: Anxiety, occasional deppression (though the test said major deppression), and i used to go nuts and cry and bash my head into a wall or hack my arm up with razor blades. I also sometimes used to have episodes where I'd hide in my closet, that was just at my parents house (it was a war zone there). One time I started freaking out and screaming at my mom and dad and the police had to take me to the hospital. Thats pretty much my medical history though i'm sure i'm forgetting things. Anxiety is the big one though. a little more background info: I'm 24 and live on my own now. Is it really worth it to take seroquel when i could get cataracts and potentially die from it? Ever since i've been off my antipsychotics i've been able to feel emotions again! Beautiful almost spiritual emotions! I'd look at the autumn colors and just be taken aback, and my antipsychotics wouldn't let me do that. Is been beautiful and i don't want to lose that... But i dont want to go back to the way i was too... but life is so beautiful now without antipsychotics. I'm really confused. Also what does scitzo affective really even mean? What does affective mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallowedink Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 The thing is... seroquel is for sctizophrenia and bi-polar disorder... of which i have neither. I've been off my invega since october 2nd and I don't feel that bad besides the insomnia. Whats more, I can feel again! I have emotions again! I can get pissed off again if i need to! My anxiety isn't the best right now but that could be the withdrawals still kicking my butt. Same with the insomnia. Wtf was my doctor thinking, prescribing me something that will turn me into a zombie (type in seroquel on youtube and see for yourself), will steal my emotions, could give me cataracts, could kill me if i have to take it with my ventolin (the two together can cause QT Prolongation). What is my psychiatrist trying to do to me by prescribing me this poison? I haven't taken the seroquel yet, and I'm sorry if i sound pestimistic but I'm really pissed off that my doctor prescribed me seroquel, something for sctizophrenia and bipolar when I have neither, never been told i have either, or anything. The Invega was of benefit to me before but it made me grow man boobs. Seroquel has less of a prolactin responce according to my psychiatrist but is that really a reason to prescribe the most sedating antipsychotic (debatably) when I don't even have scitzophrenia or bipolar? I mean sure before i was on meds i used to freak out and cut my arm up but those days are long gone. And since i've been off my antipsychotic ever since. What is my psychiatrist trying to do to me? 1. I don't have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and seroquel is working for me. 2. I really have to agree with Calypte here. Seroquel is not a poison. In fact, it works very well for a lot of people. In my opinion, it's one of the nicer AAPs to be on (but don't take my word for it, that's just based on a comparison of other people I know IRL who take AAPs). Also, it is not sedating at all for me. Just because that's a listed effect doesn't mean that you will experience it. You mention that your insomnia is a withdrawal effect. If it is affecting you in anyway, why aren't you jumping at the chance to sleep properly? Most people don't experience much more than a decent night's sleep and some grogginess in the morning on seroquel, and if you're one of the people that has problems with it then you can always come off it. That's the central point - if it could help you, then why don't you just try it? It might help, and if it isn't for you then no one is going to force you to continue taking it. I also don't understand why you see seroquel as a poison. Yes, it can have negative side effects, but so can any medication you take. You say that your main problem is anxiety. AAPs aren't the first treatment for anxiety, so far as I know, but they can help. Seroquel has helped my anxiety massively! Lastly, your doctor is a medical professional. It's all very well trying to argue out whether or not you should take the seroquel on an online forum, but... Actually, I take that back. The mods always say that CB is a site that advocates taking medication. I agree with that message. Aside from that, your doctor is the professional, and also the person who knows you best. None of us know you beyond the few words that we are reading on our computer screens. Your doctor has prescribed you seroquel for a reason. He obviously thinks that you could benefit from it. I think that means that you should try it. In the end, what's the worst that could happen? You a get too tired or groggy, or suffer from some other side effect and decide to stop taking it after a few weeks? I think that's minor compared to the benefits you could have if it works for you! That's just my two pence, anyway. N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
y58 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 What does affective mean? It refers to presence of a mood disorder: bipolar or depression Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Well my biggest fear with the seroquel is qt prolongation. its something that can happen with your heart and kill you... and my psychiatrist wants me to take the seroquel before bed so if something major were to happen like QT or a major allergic reaction, i'd be asleep and wouldn't be able to respond until it was too late. Also i'm feeling emotions again and seeing beauty in things now that i've been off my antipsychotic invega so for me its beautiful, besides the withdrawal symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. I don't want to lose myself again. at the same time i do want to give it a try though so i donno. also previously when i was on risperidone I developed tardive dyskinesia. It went away after we replaced the risperidone with something else which i am greatfull for... but what if it comes back with the seroquel and its perminant? though my doctor says seroquel has the lowest instance of tardive dyskinesia out of all atypical antipsychotics so thats comforting. i guess the fact that i'll be asleep when it kicks in scares me. my psych wants me to take it right before bed. also my psych wants to start me off on 50 mg is that too high or okay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 50 mgs is a low dose that is not too high there are a lot of people here on CB who take 25 mgs or 50 mgs for sleep Just give it a try I take it, 300 mgs = and I work full time, and I still enjoy autumn leaves and flowers and puppies no zombie here!!! just teasing you a little bit some people even take 800 mgs, so do not be afraid of trying 50 mgs of seroquel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I've been on Seroquel since 2002, and aside from being near sighted-I got my first pair of glasses when I was four-my eyes are perfect. I have yearly exams. 50 mgs of Seroquel IR at bedtime is quite sedating, especially when you first start on it. Keep a glass of water by the bed. It may make you thirsty. And if you're worried about your heart health, go out and exercise. You'll feel better all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notfred Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Well my biggest fear with the seroquel is qt prolongation. its something that can happen with your heart and kill you... and my psychiatrist wants me to take the seroquel before bed so if something major were to happen like QT or a major allergic reaction, i'd be asleep and wouldn't be able to respond until it was too late. Do you know the how common QT prolongation is ? I'll give you a hint. Almost all AP's do it. People are not dropping like flies. An ECG while you are on the med will tell you if the med is effecting you in that way. If you were going to have an allergic reaction you would have it when you first started taking it. Besides, Seroquel is a big antihistamine. I think you are worring too much, there are no meds without side effects. It is up to the doc the weigh the risks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 Is seroquel at all related to benadryl? Because I took benadryl and my heart pounded through my chest then stopped, then repeated that sequence lots. I thought i was having a heart attack so i called an ambulance. Being an antihistamine, will seroquel have the same effect? gonna take my first dose ever of seroquel and go to bed in a couple hours folks, i'll update you tommorow on how it goes. Next day edit: Drats i forgot to take the seroquel last night and passed out. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon34 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I'm neither bipolar or schizophrenic, I have major depression, panic disorder and anxiety and have taken seroquel as a teen and am recently getting back on it. With my experiences with seroquel it has helped me a lot. I hope you give it a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 its just the first night that scares me thats all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Benzoman, how long have you been trying to decide if you're going to take a tiny dose of seroquel? A couple of weeks now? It's getting kind of ridiculous. Just take it. Or tell your pdoc you aren't going to, and see what else he or she suggests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzoman Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 its only been a few days suzie since i've been off my original antipsychotic and hestitant to go on the seroquel. i'm going on it tonight though. Ive just been afraid of the drowsiness and how it will feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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