olanzapine/Quetiapine

[GrannyG81]

Ok folks after some advice,

I've decided not to try the abilify....I have a telephone appointment on the 16th of april with the Pdoc and i'm going to put forward some suggestions to him about some alternate meds...These are Meds that various Psychiatrists have perscribed in the past so i'm hoping he may go with it..If i'm to be honest i still do have my fears around Antipsychotics however part of me thinks that because i take my Mirtazapine at night this some what calms me so i'm hoping that when i'm a bit calmer i may be in a more rational state to take a antipsychotic...I could be lying to myself but i've got too atleast give it a go..I'll write my pros and cons at the side of each med..

1) Olanzapine...Pros...Read that its a extremely calming med..Also acts really fast...Cons..Weight gain and possible diabetes risk....A calming med is exactly what i need..I'm even willing to taper down on my mirtazapine as i dont think it does a great deal after been on it 7 years or so..It sedates me to a degree and thats about it....

2)Quetiapine...This option is one i'm more interested in...The Pdoc i'm seeing at the moment suggested this right at my first appointment..I'd not had an ECG at the time so he wouldnt perscribe it..He did say that overall he believed it would be beneficial but untill i'd had a ECG he wouldnt be willing to perscribe it....I've since had a ECG and it came back ok..Apparantly Mild tackicardia but the cardiologist had wrote on the notes he believed that was down to anxiety....So..Pros...Again a calming Med..Also read that its got mood stabilising/Antidepressant properties...Cons..Weight gain....I did try Quetiapine many years ago with Clomipramine but i only tried it for about 3 days...I just couldnt handle the groggy feeling the morning after...I didnt give it a fair trial...Atleast this time i know what to expect....

I'm asking if anyone with personal experience or academic knowledge what would your personal suggestion be?? I'm leaning more towards Quetiapine...How does it work at low dose?? Is it more a sleep aid or does it have some mood stabilising benefit?? I know with a lot of meds they work different at different doses....Bare in mind i'm on 30mg Mirtazapine so i'm aware that this combo would be very sedating..I'm ok with that because at present i'm not at work so sleeping in is not a issue..I was going to consider risperidone..I was on this a lot of years back with Paroxetine and i didnt like it...I was drinking very heavy back then so maybe that had some impact...I'm basically looking for a combo that is overall calming...I dont want any stimulant type med...My heads too busy as it is...Quetiapine does seem to fit the bill...I'm getting treated for Quite extreme Anxiety/Obsessive states etc ..Any feedback would be appreciated...Thanks..