enlightened_plutonian Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I've always taken all my Seroquel at night, and that is good because it sedates me. But for some reason my pdoc decided to increase my dose to 800mg, as 400 in the morning and 400 in the night. He didn't want me taking it all at once. Of course I am worried that this will turn me into a zombie. Seroquel sedates me and I am worried about taking it in the morning as I need to be functional during the day. I don't work or anything, but keeping busy is one of my coping strategies and I don't want to be stuck in bed all the time. So does anyone have any tips to not be affected by the sedation when I take the morning dose? Would exercise help, or fresh air? Or anything I haven't thought of? Does anyone take Seroquel in the morning and it not bother them? Thanks in advance. - enlightened_plutonian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmo Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I took 200 mg or the IR during the day, and 200mg at bedtime. While it didn't specifically make me sleep, it did make me very lethargic the entire day. I found that getting off the couch every half hour or so to do anything, even if it was just to use the bathroom or get a drink, helped me feel a little better. I tried walks, but I'll be honest with you, I still can't really get motivated to do that. What I found made me the sleepiest was reading. I just couldn't focus and I would find myself drifting away, tired and bored as hell and unfocused. I hope I've helped you a bit. I had to get off the quel because of the all day lethargy, so I feel you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I have to be able to function and work, talk on the phone, etc. I take a certain dosage of ER in the exening. Then towards bed time I take some regular Seroquel which helps with sleep. Total 400 mgs. 300 mgs extended release in the evening 100 mgs regular before bedtime This way I always have it in my system. The only reason I would take additional 'quel in the morning would be if I was manic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiaroscuro Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 Personally, I find any from of Seroquel massively sedating. Originally my GP wanted me to take the IR version both morning & night, but it made me a zombie. I now take the the XR version at night. The only thing I found helpful in trying to combat the sedation during the day was making sure I was a bit cold rather than warm (temperature-wise), being a bit cold seemed to help me stay a bit more awake. I'm sorry I can't give you any better information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire466 Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I only take 25g 4 times a day, and at night i take a 100mg one. And i don't feel anything from it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konings Posted May 17, 2012 Share Posted May 17, 2012 I take 150mg in the morning and night and unfortunately I have to laugh in the face of seroquel cause it doesnt even sedate me anymore (I liked the sedation). If I didnt take seroquel twice a day id probably spend at least several good hours every day being psychotic. Ultimately its up to you if you want to change your treatment regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallowedink Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 Maybe you could speak to your Pdoc about not splitting the dose equally - ie taking something like 600mg at night and 200mg in the morning? I don't know if that would change anything... I don't really get any sedation from the Seroquel, but I once missed my dose at night, so took it the next morning instead, and I was ridiculously groggy from it. I'm afraid that I don't really have any advice. The best thing I can suggest is speaking to your Pdoc about your concerns, or if you can't speak to him then maybe a pharmacist or case manager? They might be able to advise you on what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g8orgirl Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I'm 800mgs of Seroquel and I take it all at night. I would ask your pdoc why he/she doesn't want you taking it all at once. I know for me, I could not take the Seroquel in the morning because I would be way too tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 In the past I have taken 700mg IR and took 300mg in the morning and 400mg at night and once the initial sedation wore off I was ok. However, at that point in my life I was neither studying or working and was able to sleep til lunchtime and maybe if I had to be up early and be a well functioning member of society I might have had a problem. I agree with Hallowedink about maybe taking the smaller dose in the morning. Also, I don't understand why you just can't take 800mg XR at night. It is an extended release formulation that is designed to be taken once daily. I'm sure your pdoc has his reasons for not wanting you to take it all at once, but I think I would question him if it were me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I agree to ask your pdoc if you can take less in the a.m. and more in the p.m. If your insurance will cover it, the xr version might be an option, as rowntree said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted May 18, 2012 Author Share Posted May 18, 2012 Thanks all for the suggestions. I will see how I go at the weekend (I couldn't get to the pharmacy until today to get the extra pills). I plan to use exercise to keep me awake if I can. But if it is too much for me I will have to call my pdoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluechick Posted May 18, 2012 Share Posted May 18, 2012 I have found that when a med is sedating there is nothing that can be done to combat it. I would just make it clear to your pdoc that you are not willing to live this way and ask what can be done. There is no reason for you to be turned into a zombie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enlightened_plutonian Posted May 19, 2012 Author Share Posted May 19, 2012 So I took the 400mg Seroquel this morning and did the extra exercise. I didn't notice anything until I had been in the library for a couple of hours (until about 3:30pm), when I felt like I was about to collapse whilst doing the supermarket shopping. Taking the bus home (about 4:30pm) I felt lethargic but was able to stay awake. When I got home (about 5pm) I realised I needed to go back to bed, and I felt a lot better after waking up. This is ok for me at the weekend, but will cause difficulties during the week. But I am hopeful that once my body gets used to the dose change that I may feel a little better. If not I will definitely report back to my pdoc and see if I can go back to taking it all at night, but for now I will stick with the split dosage in the hope that I will feel better about it soon. I will definitely be keeping up with the exercise, as that seemed to be a positive. Thank you for all the responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gearhead Posted May 19, 2012 Share Posted May 19, 2012 Maybe you could speak to your Pdoc about not splitting the dose equally - ie taking something like 600mg at night and 200mg in the morning? Also, I don't understand why you just can't take 800mg XR at night. It is an extended release formulation that is designed to be taken once daily. I'm sure your pdoc has his reasons for not wanting you to take it all at once, but I think I would question him if it were me...... I find that even with the XR I do need to split the dose and take it twice daily to get the desired effect. But making the morning dose smaller if you find it sedating is probably a good idea. Also, I found the morning dose very sedating for about the first week, and then I got used to it. I do need to take it with food; a bowl of cereal is enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray84 Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Some people forget that ADD and ADHD are often present with bipolar. So lack of attention and motivation and overall struggle to focus can be symtptoms. I take adderall in the morning followed by seroquel 50, I can start awake and go about my day alert and focused, yet I stay calm and help keep my anxiety and irritability at a minimum. I can take another 50 if needed throughout the day, but I take a 300mg before bed to sleep. You could also try a low dose of the xr at night. They just didn't have much effect on me regardless of dose because I had taken them for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 15 hours ago, rayray84 said: Some people forget that ADD and ADHD are often present with bipolar. So lack of attention and motivation and overall struggle to focus can be symtptoms. I take adderall in the morning followed by seroquel 50, I can start awake and go about my day alert and focused, yet I stay calm and help keep my anxiety and irritability at a minimum. I can take another 50 if needed throughout the day, but I take a 300mg before bed to sleep. You could also try a low dose of the xr at night. They just didn't have much effect on me regardless of dose because I had taken them for so long. I take an AP for OCD, but that's pretty much how it works for me as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
survivingbp Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) . Edited August 25, 2022 by survivingbp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonderful.Cheese Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 When I took the IR seroquel I took it 3-4 times a day. Usually like this: 200 mg in the morning, 200 mg in the afternoon, and 400 mg at bedtime. Now I just take the XR at bedtime. It's easier for me this way and I think I prefer the XR. I've been able to lose weight on it when I couldn't on regular seroquel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayray84 Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 On 05/18/2012 at 8:21 PM, g8orgirl said: I'm 800mgs of Seroquel and I take it all at night. I would ask your pdoc why he/she doesn't want you taking it all at once. I know for me, I could not take the Seroquel in the morning because I would be way too tired. Low doses may help reduce the tiredness. Maybe take like 600 at bedtime and then only a 100 in the morning and even another later in the day as needed. For me my 50s seem to work well at keeping anxiety low, and helping me keep a stable pleasant mood. The dose will obviously vary from person to person. Just now, rayray84 said: On 02/01/2016 at 3:44 PM, rayray84 said: Some people forget that ADD and ADHD are often present with bipolar. So lack of attention and motivation and overall struggle to focus can be symtptoms. I take adderall in the morning followed by seroquel 50, I can start awake and go about my day alert and focused, yet I stay calm and help keep my anxiety and irritability at a minimum. I can take another 50 if needed throughout the day, but I take a 300mg before bed to sleep. You could also try a low dose of the xr at night. They just didn't have much effect on me regardless of dose because I had taken them for so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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