isthisit? Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi I currently take 50mg Seroquel xl and have done for the past 3 years, I was prescribed it after suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, and could not sleep for 2 nights in a row, it has the desired effect, it puts me to sleep, the problem is it can knock me out for 10-12 hours at a time and i feel that i have wasted 3 years of my twenties fretting about my sleep cycle/ being knocked out, don't get me wrong i have tried everything to still maintain a social life, jobs, relationships, friendships etc. i also get horrific nightmares once or twice a week and this can prevent me from going to sleep. I have contacted a University about participating in a sleep study and they say there is no upcoming studies. it also leaves me depressed and the doctor has put me on 10mg Paxil for my depression, although this leads to an increase in anxiety and panic attacks. I could go to the doctor but I find it hard to get an appointment as it is not a medical problem. Iam waiting for an appointment to see the psychiatrist at the hospital but the appointment could be in 4 weeks time and I'm really fed up of feeling this way. any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Have you ever tried Prazosin for the nightmares? Many people with PTSD find it helps immensely and lets them get better quality sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isthisit? Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) Hi thanks for your reply, I don't have the ptsd anymore, I had it three years ago. I'm not really in a position to ask for meds, the doctor decides. Edited May 23, 2013 by isthisit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 (edited) Edited June 14, 2013 by Josie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianthus Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Seroquel doesn't typically cause depression, so you may just be depressed independent of the Seroquel. If you're having nightmares, the quality of your sleep may be such that your body is not getting enough rest (especially if you're waking up during the night) and you need 10-12 hours of sleep. Seroquel does have a tendency to make you sleep a lot when used as a sleep aid, but people tend to be able to adjust to it after awhile. It may not be the medication for you for sleep, but that's something to discuss with a psychiatrist and/or your prescribing doctor. I wasn't aware that PTSD was curable, and if you're having a recurrence of nightmares, it may be time to seek treatment for that particular issue again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Hi thanks for your reply, I don't have the ptsd anymore, I had it three years ago. I'm not really in a position to ask for meds, the doctor decides. The doctor decides sure, but that doens't mean you can't advocate for yourself and put suggestions forward. If you bring a case study to boost your position and don't make silly suggestions, It can work pretty well. Sitting back and playing hands off with your treatment only gets you so far, At some stage you have to help direct it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isthisit? Posted May 23, 2013 Author Share Posted May 23, 2013 Thank you for all these helpful words of advice. I have got over my attack and now am at the point where I do not feel like I did after the attack, but some things can trigger it off again and I guess I have been in denial. When I say I don't have ptsd, what I mean is the severe symptoms that i had have now been treated by medication and life. I must stress the nightmares are not in response to my ptsd, they are from other events/ imaginations. I agree that the quality of sleep is disturbed as I can move around a lot in my sleep. I think for now I will wait and see what the psychiatrist say's as I trust his judgement, I just hope that my letter arrives in the post soon (the uk system here is slow). I have helplines and the crisis team if I get really bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveyoursanity Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) I wasn't aware that PTSD was curable, and if you're having a recurrence of nightmares, it may be time to seek treatment for that particular issue again. I had PTSD from events in 2004 (house fire) that now no longer bother me at all. I still have PTSD-qualifying traumas, but in terms of the house fire which originally got me the PTSD diagnosis-- all the upset from those memories is entirely gone. Granted, it took me 3 years of therapy and concurrent medications, including a lot of anxiolytics, so I don't think 50mg of Seroquel would do it. Edited May 24, 2013 by saveyoursanity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianthus Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 (edited) I wasn't aware that PTSD was curable, and if you're having a recurrence of nightmares, it may be time to seek treatment for that particular issue again. I had PTSD from events in 2004 (house fire) that now no longer bother me at all. I still have PTSD-qualifying traumas, but in terms of the house fire which originally got me the PTSD diagnosis-- all the upset from those memories is entirely gone. Granted, it took me 3 years of therapy and concurrent medications, including a lot of anxiolytics, so I don't think 50mg of Seroquel would do it. I don't have a lot of personal experience with PTSD, so I will defer to you on this. Edited May 24, 2013 by dianthus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lysergia Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 i had the same problems with using seroquel for sleep. the vast majority of people don't react this way, but i also had screaming nightmares totally unrelated to PTSD (which i have also struggled with in the past, but i have taken out of my sig as the majority of issues no longer apply). my tdoc has reassured me that i'm certainly not the only person who has had that reaction to seroquel, it's just not the typical experience. i slept too long as well, and was never able to find a way to stop the oversedation or the nightmares (which did leave me more depressed and anxious during the day, as the nightmares are so vivid they aren't easily forgotten, and the quality of sleep, although long, wasn't adequate). i ended up having to quit taking it, under pdocs direction of course. i'm still fooling around with different sleep aids to find something that works well. i hope you find something that helps you sleep better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isthisit? Posted May 26, 2013 Author Share Posted May 26, 2013 yes I hope I find something soon as well. it continues to knock me out for 10 hours at a time, but I can't sleep without it. i will just wait to see the psychiatrist, although i still have not received a letter #hate the healthcare "system" here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveyoursanity Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Prazosin has been incredibly helpful for me with regards to nightmares. It also sorta 'knocks out' the adrenaline rush that anxiety can depend on to get started, so I would encourage you to speak to your doctor about it. It might work well for you. There are also a lot of other options. I know a few people here, including myself, who take a long or short acting benzo just before sleep to get past the 'sleep anxiety'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isthisit? Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 thanks save I am trying to get an emergency appointment tomorrow at the general doctors for this and my deep depression I'm suffering I think the focus is going to be on getting me onto sickness welfare again, although I will mention benzos? I'm not really sure what a benzo is, I will read up before I go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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