somementill Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I was considering giving Seroquel a try again because it worked for me in the past, but there were distressing side effects. I wanted to see if anyone else experienced the same thing. During the day, I did not usually have any problems, but the side effects would crop up at night about 2 hrs after I took the medication and would remain for maybe 2-3 hrs each night before they wore off. The problem I had is that when I would lay down and try to sleep before the sedation kicked in, I would have scrambled thoughts, usually without medication I can maintain a straight train of thought, but Seroquel would make my thoughts go all haywire and make them complete nonsense. I would try to read a book and the words would turn into other words of a vulgar nature. This never happened to me before I took the medication, and actually after I got off of it, I am stil lhaving trouble with that occasionally, but not as bad as before. Should I try this medication again, or does it sound like a bad idea? I also was experiencing bad akathisia, tachycardia, and hypotension before I got off of it. That was about 8 months of taking the medication. On the positive side it did clear up disorganized thinking, paranoia, and memory trouble. Oh, I forgot to mention I was taking the XR version. Would the IR version make a difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8orgirl Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I agree with sylvan, if Seroquel was causing those physical symptoms you mentioned maybe it's best to try another drug. Of course you should discuss this with your pdoc first. I've been taking Seroquel for 13 years and have never experienced the scrambled thoughts thing. I've been on both the IR and XR version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I had tachycardia, postural hypotension, nausea and dizziness when I started Seroquel and as I was titrating. Thankfully these effects all went away once I was settled on 400mg. I'm glad I didn't give up on it as it is a great med and works really well for a lot of my symproms. Of course if you have physical symptoms that persist beyond the titration phase then maybe you should switch to another med. Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Oh, I forgot to mention I was taking the XR version. Would the IR version make a difference? May I ask what your dose was? Actually switching to IR might help. Once you take your IR dose, chances are good that you'll be asleep very quickly. There will be no time for reading or much else. You wont be awake to have to deal with any scrambled thoughts. Just my theory ... I had tachycardia, postural hypotension, nausea and dizziness when I started Seroquel and as I was titrating. Thankfully these effects all went away once I was settled on 400mg. I'm glad I didn't give up on it as it is a great med and works really well for a lot of my symproms. Of course if you have physical symptoms that persist beyond the titration phase then maybe you should switch to another med. Good luck!! rowntree77 ... May I ask what your titration schedule was? How long did it take to reach 400mg? So, you essentially have no side effects at this point? Not even sedation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Oh, I forgot to mention I was taking the XR version. Would the IR version make a difference? May I ask what your dose was? Actually switching to IR might help. Once you take your IR dose, chances are good that you'll be asleep very quickly. There will be no time for reading or much else. You wont be awake to have to deal with any scrambled thoughts. Just my theory ... I had tachycardia, postural hypotension, nausea and dizziness when I started Seroquel and as I was titrating. Thankfully these effects all went away once I was settled on 400mg. I'm glad I didn't give up on it as it is a great med and works really well for a lot of my symproms. Of course if you have physical symptoms that persist beyond the titration phase then maybe you should switch to another med. Good luck!! rowntree77 ... May I ask what your titration schedule was? How long did it take to reach 400mg? So, you essentially have no side effects at this point? Not even sedation? The last time I went on Seroquel was after an overdose so my Pdoc was slower in getting me on to it. I was on 50mg for a few days, then 100mgs for a few days, then 200mg for a week, 300mg for a week and then onto 400mg. In 2008, when I was having a manic epsiode I was put on 300mg straight away, increasing it to 600mg on the second day, but that was because I was manic and needed a quick titration. The only side effects I get at this point are occasional restless legs when I'm over tired. I have gained weight too which I believe can be dealt with if I watched my diet more carefully. The only time I feel sedation is if for some reason I am out and stay out later than I had intended to, and take my Seroquel late. THEN I feel the sedation the following morning when I'm stuck to the bed and unable to open my eyes. So I tend to bring my Seroquel with me when I'm going out ....just in case I will be home later than expected hence avoiding all those problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justclaire Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I take 700 a day, 100 in the morning 600 at night. I find that reading is almost impossible after an hour or so after taking it the words get all jumbly. Instead I listen to audio books on my iPod with the headphones in. I tend to zonk out fairly quickly. (although I do take temazepam/zopiclone if I have real problems sleeping) The daytime sedating effect passed long ago leaving the weight gain the only troublesome side effect. Claire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somementill Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 May I ask what your dose was? Actually switching to IR might help. I was taking 300mg XR every night. That would be nice if the IR version would knock me out before having to deal with Side Effects. But, the half life is short with IR so I would have to take it again in the morning? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 May I ask what your dose was? Actually switching to IR might help. I was taking 300mg XR every night. That would be nice if the IR version would knock me out before having to deal with Side Effects. But, the half life is short with IR so I would have to take it again in the morning? In my opinion, yes. What you could do is take 200mg IR at bedtime, and take the other 100mg as XR in the morning. I know many docs who prescribe both versions for just this type of situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LexFlex Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Both Seroquel IR and XR would hit me hard, and I have felt there a time usually right when it starts to digest somewhat scrambled thoughts. For me it would be a scary experience I would become very anti social but right after I'd give it another 15 minutes to pass I'd come out of it and all would go well after that. My mind thinks it's all part of the medications process kicking in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Both Seroquel IR and XR would hit me hard, and I have felt there a time usually right when it starts to digest somewhat scrambled thoughts. For me it would be a scary experience I would become very anti social but right after I'd give it another 15 minutes to pass I'd come out of it and all would go well after that. My mind thinks it's all part of the medications process kicking in. Do you mind if I ask what your dose is and what time you take it? Does seroquel work well for you? Any hangover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phatemu Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 It's off my menu for-ev-er. Truly disgusting side effects. I empathize with anyone who must use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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