Seroquel side effects

I was raped by my then current boyfriend while on Seroquel. I would wake up and know that something was not right, he would not admit to anything..now three years later I am starting to remember things that I couldnt recall at the current time. Seroquel was his date rape drug.

other than a little trouble getting my day started from fatigue, Seroquel has been wonderful for me. I was diagnosed with postpartum psychosis 9 months ago, and after inpatient treatment plus medication, have been great. I do not worry about unimportant things the way I used to. My happiness has more to do with becoming a Christian than the meds, but physically I am able to exercise and take care of my family with very little trouble. Advice to those with fatigue-go to bed early. I take my meds around 8 or so usually, once my kids are in bed. That way I make time for the 10 to 12 hrs of sleep I need on the meds. If I want to stay up late, I make arrangement with my husband to help me with the kids the next day.
My dose started at 800 mg and is now down to 400mg.

Seroquel gave me the worst side effects I have ever experienced from any of the psychotropic meds I have been on. I walked like a zombie, my pupils were huge, I couldn't think...and I was arrested for driving under the influence. I was convicted too! No drinking or illegal drugs I assure you. Don't try this medication, and if you are on it be VERY CAREFUL.

I have been on Seroquel for three days now...tonight will be my third night taking it and so far I've had severe persistent sore throat, stuffy nose ] and my eyes have been so itchy. I'm pretty sure it's just a cold going around but those are also very important side effects and I've already called my doctor about it and he also said it was just something going around. I have noticed I've been hungry, hungry, hungry and I eat A TON already as it is. I'm 110 lbs and I eat like a horse, I always have, even before I started the medication. I'm 5'1" and now I'm worried I'm going to blow up to the size of a house! I can't monitor how much I eat because I eat so much as it is. I do, somewhat, somewhat remember eating a block of cheese last night before bed time. I know why they say to take it before bedtime!! It knocks me out. Which is bad because I have a 17 month old who still wakes up around 4-5ish in the morning. His bedroom is right across the hall from ours and we have his door cracked open an inch and we leave ours halfway open so we can hear him. I am usually a light sleeper but last night I noticed that it sounded like he was across the street, I could hardly hear him. I'm surprised I even made it out of bed, got him and brought him back to our bed without running into something or dropping him. It's scary. It really is. My doctor is giving it to me to treat my mood swings. I'm hoping they don't do diagnose me with bipolar disorder like they've talked about when I was a teen. I have had some tachycardia but I also have a heart problem I was born with that has been pretty messed up for over a week--I started having premature ventricular contractions, but this was before I started the medication. I am actually wearing an EKG-like monitor during the day to record this...this has nothing to do with the medicine but I thought I'd through it in there in case they decided it is. I talked to my cardiologist today and told her I was on this medication. Well, it's about 8:17 here and I need to go take the medicine and hit the sack...goodnight.

I have been on seroquel for 5 years now. Of course I gained weight, but I used healthy diet and exercise to maintain a healthy weight. However, despite all that my cholesterol is at 260. The doctor tried to say it wasn't Seroquel, but I know it is. I have weened myself off over the past few weeks and it has now been 4 days without it. I am constantly nauseous, cannot sleep and at this point am scared to death because I remember how horrifying getting off Effexor was. Can anyone tell me if this gets any better?

Will turn you into an emotionless, lethargic, drunk, apathetic zombie that has no more creative or human spark than a turnip does. Throw this crap in the garbage - NOW! I was prescribed this devil spawn drug from a PAIN MANAGEMENT doctor who told me it would help potentiate the Tylenol 3's he gave me. Drink a case of whiskey and smoke a crack rock the size of a buick and you'll essentially reach the point I was at after one of these pills. I started saying crazy things to my Girlfriend, started rearranging the refrigerator, slept for 10 hours (and I normally only sleep 4-6 hours) and woke up with these thoughts in my head like "What am I doing with my life? Nothing is going right, Everything I touch turns to hell". By about 10:30 in the morning at work, it finally started coming out of me and I started waking up and realized just how bad it was. DO NOT take this medication unless you are so severely psychotic that you simply can't make yourself stop killing squirrels. Why the hell a DOCTOR would prescribe this evil in pill form for Pain Management is so far beyond me, it's like wiping before you poop, just don't make no sense.

Hi all, I'm hoping someone here with Seroquel-experience can help us with some information. My wife has been on Seroquel for approximately 5 weeks (ramping up to 200mg per day during the first 10 days, approximately). After 4 weeks, the severe breathing problems started. Physicians have verified the oxygen level in her blood to be excellent, her lungs and heart are in perfect shape, she has no fever and no indication of bacteria-infections. All indications are that this is caused by the Seroquel. She explains the intense sensation as drowning, almost passing out while gasping for air. She's feeling very dizzy, probably due to breathing too much as a result. Occasionally her breathing is not so deep, but more like hyper-ventilation. The problem became unbearable (and my wife endures a lot) after approximately 1 week, so 5 weeks into the Seroquel scheme she quit cold-turkey two days ago. The breathing problems are still the same. We are hoping someone could tell us how much time these breathing problems can be expected to remain, as I've googled my eyes out without finding any information on this. A week? - Two weeks? -Even more? - please respond, and in advance, thank you for your help!

Yes i was also on seroquel up to lastnite was
my last time i was on seroquel, plus i went to see my dr. & i told my dr. that i will not taking
any more of this seroquel, plus it was hell
as will for me too. The date is 09/19/2008. i
was getting sleepy a lot, plus i gain a lot of
weight,waking up with headaches,not
wanting to get up to go to work,dry mouth,
plus eating a lot of food, before going to bed.

I have been on Temazepam 45 mg. @ bedtime for over a year, about 3 months ago it stopped working. This week my doctor stopped the Temazepam and put me on Seroquel 50 mg. @ bedtime. The first night I woke every 2 hours with BAD nightmares! So I tried two more nights just in case it needs a "working in" period: Well I still wake every two hours like clockwork and the dreams are so so real! I wake myself up talking! I don't know how much longer it will take (if ever) to get into my system. I just want to know if anyone else is having this problem and if I should call my doctor? All help would be appreciated.
******

My husband ran out before our wedding and couldn't get more till a few weeks after we got back, the first few days were hard, after that if was like he wasn't BiPolar anymore. Against my wish he went back on it, and he seems to be dependent on it. His son's birthday triggers and episode every year, and this year was bad (he lives like 4,000 miles away~ and haven't seen him in 4 months) even then was for the wedding (he was in town for 3 days) He started to take more what was prescribed a lot more. and now he is trying to start taking it normal again however he is taking half the dose. Now he feels like he has NO ENERGY AT ALL! Is this normal?????????

What can I do to help him?
part 2 when he doesn't take it he sleeps like a baby. where as when he is on it he has massive panic attacks and is up on and off during the night.

After being on Seroquel for almost 5 years, I have become so constipated that I will go days without having a bowel movement. And when I do have a bowel movement, I would have severe cramping and the bowel movement would come out so large that it would clog the toilet. I hate this drug! I mean, I eat my fruits and vegetables and I'm even eating prunes. Another day goes by, another two days goes by. And not only do I NOT have any bowel movements umm... but my fasting blood sugar and blood pressure skyrocketed and when I say skyrocketed, I'm not talking a couple points. I'm talking close to 20 points. I'm THIS close to getting metabolic syndrome! And after the blood sugar and the blood pressure, I am now dealing with ACNE!!! I have these severe breakouts that I cannot control.I'm now on a prescription for my acne that I started today. I don't get it! I lost 102 pounds in a year in a half, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs and I don't have sex. How could something like this happen to me? My doctor is a total moron and she just sits there and does nothing! I need to get off of this drug, PLEASE!!!

my dr. gave me samples today to see if it would help me sleep but i am on xanax, depakote, buspar, zoloft and from what i've read,YIKES! i don't know about this drug mixed with all this other stuff.

I am sooo down because of this stupid seroquel,
Reading all of these, I'm starting to connect a lot of
what all you guys are going through, and I'm also
the same. The most frustrating one, is the weight
gain, I was 115 when I left a rehab center for psyches,
and in 4-5 months I've gained 20 lbs just eating
normal food, and I don't over eat, It's soo frustrating,
I would eat 500 ca. a day for some month, and
I would gain weight because of that! I have at least
a fast metabolism so when I exercise it does decrease
my weight really fast, (take vitamin B if you're suffering
from weight loss, it quickens your metabolism) but
besides that, I've lost coordination skills, tripping all
over the place, dropping items. Panic Attacks, trouble
breathing (agina) Dry Eyes, Thirst, Nausea, Depression,
Fatigue, and mostly what I've lost the most, mental
intelligence, I can't think anymore like I used, to.
Its frustrating to not be able to think as fast, I think
real slow now..

I was on a combination of Seroquel and Depakote. My doctor took me off Depakote and increased my Seroquel from 300 mg to 600 mg to compensate. The first time I took the 600mg dose I ended up in the emergency room because it paralyzed me! My blood pressure was 80/40.
And, to add insult to injury, I had to eat the $750 ER bill because my health insurance disallowed it.

oh, my gosh! i have been on seroquel for six months. it has been horrible! sweating,dehydration, weight gain. the WORST has been costchondritis(severe chest pain), extreme hoarseness, and now muscle aches and tightness in my legs, arms and chest. my psych says he has heard of these side effects but has never seen them. am i poisoning myself?

I seriously gained 30 lbs. in three weeks on this drug.
I hated it and it took forever to get off of it. I also had slurred speech and akythesia in my legs that was uncontrollable. After three weeks I was at 250 mg's and it stopped having any effectiveness for me.

I was put on 25mg of Seroquel for anxiety. Got the prescription filled and took my 25mg before bed. I woke up in the morning having a hell of a time with aggressive constant uncontrollable body movements and the tips of my fingers were purple. tingling and numb. My eyes were hurting and i had a busting headache. My body and face was pouring sweat although i felt extremely cold and my face was pale white. I never took another.

I only take 50mg when I absolutely cannot sleep and just can't take it anymore, which is about twice a week. When I take it, I get up (not wake up) in the middle of the night and do crazy things. My husband has caught me and just yells at me to come back to bed. The next day after I take it, things are in weird places and even sometimes missing. I only have hazy memories of doing these things.

PS. I am really trying to find out wheather it is better to take off or stay on like 25 mg during (future) pregnancy.... Because every doctor tells something different!!!

Thanks for your notes!

Hey everyone,

I was on Seroquel since I was 19 years old and after a year and a half my doctor told me to quit, but the hallucinations and schizo feelings came back in a month. I spent 3 month constantly broke down in a hospital! Than I had Ziprexa and gained20 kgs and the doctor gave me Seroquel again. I lost 10 kgs immediately and I am very happy with 150 mg for night but - I can not lose weight - the remaining 10 kgs by any chance!!!!! And today they measured my cholesterol, and it is HIGH- 6,8 ! What is yours?

Has anyone experience with pregnancy and seroquel? Because I want to have kids and am not sure wheather to take like 50 mg or take off it - I am scared. But if you feel really TIRED in the morning, it helps when you take smaller dose.

I will be happy if you answer, Lenka from Prague

Hello everybody,

I was on Seroquel since I was 19 years old and after a year and a half my doctor told me to quit, but the hallucinations and schizo feelings came back in a month. I spent 3 month constantly broke down in a hospital! Than I had Ziprexa and gained20 kgs and the doctor gave me Seroquel again. I lost 10 kgs immediately and I am very happy with 150 mg for night but - I can not lose weight - the remaining 10 kgs by any chance!!!!! And today they measured my cholesterol, and it is HIGH- 6,8 ! What is yours?

Has anyone experience with pregnancy and seroquel? Because I want to have kids and am not sure wheather to take like 50 mg or take off it - I am scared. But if you feel really TIRED in the morning, it helps when you take smaller dose.

I will be happy if you answer, Lenka from Prague

Oh.... And I forgot an important side effect for males and chief complaint..
My g/f and I *normally* have at least 2 sessions a night, and I have found that Seroquel alone can decrease libido (sex drive). Impotence, or a general lack of sex interest from meds is a real bummer, and after a bit of trial and error I isolated a correlation to Seroquel as being the culprit. Take your nighttime dose after sex. The foggy/lethargic feeling has some bearing on sexual performance/arousal for males. Just my $.02

Have been on Seroquel 300mg for about a month now for management of bipolar. Was combined with Depakote, but the doc discontinued the Depakote. With Seroquel *only*.... Works great for getting to sleep, but. significant weight gain (like 12lbs in 30 days), dry/cotton mouth almost like dehydration, fatigue from simple tasks, mentally foggy during the daytime, loss of emotion, poor motor skills/reaction time, and restless legs. The foggy feeling I attribute to a long half-life with a residual effect carry over to the next day. Before this med, I was manic, but now into a mild emotionless depression which is a dreadful feeling. Saw my doctor today, and he said
to cut the dose to 150mg and said it is a wimpy dose. In my opinion, this
is a horrible maintenance drug for bipolar.

I have just started Seroquel, am 33, and have just been diagnosed with Bi Polar 2, reading these posts is freaking me out! It is so scary, so many people are having all these weird prob's - keep reading about sharp,strong pain in the back or neck after taking, I have that, feeling like you are having difficulty breathing after taking at night, shit this drug seems like a horrible trap and a nightmare to get off of,,, makes you wonder if the positive comments are left by the drug co.'s how could it be on a public,non-sensored forum like this there are soooo many negatives if this drug wasn't bad, messed up. I think I am going to tell my doctor I don't want to take it, maybe we are all just crazy - its a crazy world, not so surprising we all feel crazy...

I have been on seroquel for about a year now. i have thunder thighs and a belly that i never used to have before. and the nightmares are horrible! I have very vivid dreams and wake up a lot in the night scared. i have even passed out once cause i got up too fast. i go to the bathroom a lot and am really really thirsty all the time, it is like i cant get enough to drink. i am scared to get off the med but want to start going to a lower dose. i don't sleep very well at all anymore.

My doctor prescribed seroquel to me for my severe anxiety. I took one b/f bed and woke up feeling horrible. I could barely get myself out of bed, I was foggy brained and lethargic. I thought it would pass so I went about my morning routine, when finally it hit me I couldn't take it any longer. And it resulted in a Full blown panic attack!!!! I took my clonazepam and eventually after sleeping for a bit, felt better.
I threw the pills in the garbage, I will NEVER take them again. I'm so scared to try anything new, b/c of what happened after taking seroquel. However I'm running out of options:(

no weight gain from the seroquel. Just from being fat and lazy. Ha ha ha! But I did have headaches, agitation, and I felt sleepy 24/7. And that's from 4 years of taking it!

I've been on seroquel for about 5years, ive been taking 500mg a night, it was prescribed after my doctor said i had schizo effective disorder when i was 19 years old i am now 24. And i feel my life is great execpt for one thing seroquel as it did help me to sleep, and calm me down at the time of my episode back when i was 19, now it has and is still ruining my life. I gained 50kgs which im not sure what that is in pounds probably about 105pounds-ish, i managed to drop about 25kilos but am forever gaining weight and it is a constant battle just to mantain my weight let alone lose the weight, but thats not the worst thing. I am constantly tired it doesn't matter how much i sleep i am still tired i have to go to bed at 9.30pm just so i can wake up at 8am to go to work, and i am so tired all day even after that much sleep and even if i sleep for 12,14 hours i am still tired my partner says that sleep rules my life and nothing is as important in my life than sleep, because im tired my concentration is so bad and my memory is worse, im just in another world and always out of it seroquel runs my life and i hate it im am so scared to come off it, but ive decided that im going to start to do it. and finally rid my life of, this disease which was supposed to help me but has completely taken away my hold on my life, i will not be ruled by seroquel anymore.

I feel Seroquel is making me worst I'm going to stop taking it and try and see if something else works. Plus it makes me sleep so much I cant even wake up to my kids and another thing it has done to me is make me not have my monthly Ive missed it for a month and still haven't had it.

Yes, I gained weight, but I'm in my mid thirties, so I figured I was just getting older, metabolism slowing & all that, but my doctor began reducing my dose from 200 - 150. Good God! Such a small reduction, but I had explosive anger issues and I couldn't well contain my emotions. An ad in a magazine got me crying and I couldn't stop! I finally ended up with tremors and had to leave work. I didn't consider myself psychotic before. I took Seroquel for sleep and as a mood stabilizer. I always took it at night. Now I have been exhibiting some kind of psychoses. I hope my body is adjusting. Sometimes I only took 100 mg, saving the other 50 mg for emergencies. Can't do that anymore. Besides asking the doctor to increase my dose back to 200 mg, what can I do?

I have been on seroquel since july 2006.I take 200 to sleep at night, although in times of stress I add 25mgs pills as needed, and I also take effexor xr 37.5 and 75.First, the good effects- the combo got rid of the crazy highs and deep dark despairs of the lows.It got rid of the compulsions,the anxiety, social phobias lessened,unbidden harming thoughts, and the ocd rituals, and delusions...So it has been a real lifesaver for me.Now, on to the side effects.
I have gone from size 12 to size 16. thats a lot! I know its the seroquel, cause and effect. I got a foot infection from trying on shoes at the outlet mall-(never again) although I have never ever had one before, and i am 55.Guess what- I am still getting flareups of infection 2 1/2 years later! And isnt that a diabetes sign? The rest of the side effects are somewhat helped by drinking water. The side pains,occasional digestive issues, dry mouth, snoring, nonexistant sex life, confusion, memory issues,and the need to consume, and consume, food, are all there.Ive been existing on samples of these meds, but samples are no longer available, and the cheapest price for my meds as above is just over $800 per month.I cant possibly pay for thisI would be happy to take something else that didnt have side effects, and cost less, but what?

hated it. It was prescribed for insomnia and anxiety. Worked at first for the insomnia at 25 mg, then had to go up to 50 mg and barely worked then. My anxiety was worse, woke up with panic attacks. Vivid horrid nightmares. Spiraled into a severe, deep suicidal depression on it. Had hand tremors and restless legs. Currently weaning off. Never again!

I have Bipolar Type II, since I was 12. I'm 52 now. Undedicated I'm a Rapid Cycler with psychotic depression. I was diagnosed at age 40, after worse and worse symptoms. So I have been on meds since - many different "cocktails" some effective and some not so effective.
My doc put me on Seroquel a couple of years ago and it has worked very well to "quell" the mood swings. But... I started to gain weight immediately! Lots of weight. I had been 118 my entire adult life, and within months weighed 148! My family accused me of not exercising, but no, it was the Seroquel alone. Also, it knocks you out, so I could only use it at night. The 500 mgs would first make my heart race and thump in my chest then put me to sleep. At times it was scary. Then in the morning I'd wake up feeling hungover and fuzzy brain for several hours. It also made my appetite crazy, craving carbs, which made the weight gain harder to control. So even though the drug worked for the bipolar, it made me absolutely miserable because of the weight.
Now after a few years I have had it!. A month ago I began weaning myself from it. A word to those who cold turkey the drug: you'll experience bad symptoms. I'd go down 25 to 5o mgs per week, monitoring my moods VERY carefully, and am now at 200 mgs per day. The weight loss was immediate and in that one month I've lost 15 lbs an still losing but now much slower - but still losing. Wow.
I meet with my doc in two weeks - hope she's not mad at me, but I'm doing OK. I'm on enough meds so they seem to be doing the job. (The least amount to do the job is the goal anyway.) Hopefully I can go off of Seroquel completely and get near my old adult weight.
BTW, my doc mentioned last appointment that Geocodone could be a non-weight gain substitute for Seroquel.

Started on Seroquel last September, and between then and Christmas was basically a walking zombie. I was on auto-pilot, functioning as if someone had programmed me to do things. I complained and the dose was reduced, but with no effect. After Christmas the medication was stopped as I was told by my Psychiatrist that I no longer needed it.
Things went from bad to worse after coming off it, my mood dropped dramatically, to the point where I was suicidal, so after 6 weeks, it was started again. Last week another psychiatrist decided I no longer had faith in my medication, and so he removed everything, including the seroquel.
Since then, I have been so sick every time I move, I vomit. I have horrendous headaches and am basically back to being so low I'm suicidal again.
This medication has made my life a misery, and even more so when I stop taking it. They say it is not addictive, but obviously I'm going through some sort of withdrawals, and while I don't like the brain-dead effect it has on me, I'd rather be out of it than suicidal and vomiting constantly. I believe this is all a money-making scam by the drugs companies. Even when you decide its not a medication you want to take, you feel forced to take it to stop feeling worse than you did when you were taking it. Don't know if that makes any sense, but I felt I wanted to share that with others, and recommend to anyone who is considering starting treatment not to.

Cognitive confusion; if I had thought something and it was wrong, I would keep remembering the wrong thing instead of the right one...like I would come up with a plan with a friend, we would decide on something else, then I would do the original plan, forget that we had changed it. Could be called "proactive interference." My doctor said it could be the depression but might be the Seroquel, so I went from 200 to 150 mg and it got mostly better. Am also on a lot of other meds so it's hard to tell but I think it was the Seroquel. It does help sleep, but I have to go to sleep when I take it or I will have racing heart, and will sometimes eat and eat until I pass out.

I was on Seroquel for about 3 or 4 months.It worked for me I guess. I developed a skin rash on my palm of my hand and my foot. And my sex life was none existent. So I decided to get off it. Because I herd a lot of other bad things about it I have heart disease in my family and diabetes, and I herd this medication can give you that. Also I have been feeling very sick since I stopped taking it is this normal to steel this ill

I was on Seroquel for about a year or so for "anxiety" and insomnia. I gained weight and noticed a thick white coating on my tongue while taking it. I eventually came off of this medication when I suddenly began to lose weight rapidly - I dropped to 88 lbs. My hair also began to thin considerably, especially around the temples and top of my head.

None of this even matters because the anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder was actually chronic Lyme, babesia, and a number of viruses - along with an allergy to the wireless boom.

If you've been placed on this medication, please join lymenet and find an LLMD. Also, google 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity' and 'microwave sickness', because US doctors are clueless. It's more profitable to prescribe psych meds than to remove the cell phone masts and antennas that are causing "mental" illness.

I have been on Seroquel since July,2007. I gained at least 20lbs or more.I have never been so fat! I am 5ft9 and weigh like 230-235lbs.Please reply. I take Remeron also.

I was on Seroquel for 3 years for tourettes and I went off it September. I went off it because I wanted no chemicals in m body that would hurt the fetus. Since then I have been dealing with insomnia.It is now January and I am pregnant. I was up all last night and its getting worse. I have pulled 4 overnighters in the past month. I am scared because I know I need to sleep in order to keep this baby. I wish I never went on it!!

I was prescribed Seroquel, and initially I slept well. Unfortunately, after taking it for a couple of months, I developed another problem--sleep eating! I've gained 10 pounds in a very short period of time...Since that time, it has been discontinued by my physician.

I was diagnosed with Dysthmia in April 07 and the doc prescribed Seroquel (25mg) and Topamax (25mg) I took them for about a week and felt spacey, like I was floating or something. I was scared to drive to work for fear that I would zone out and get in a car accident. So I stopped taking both after a week. Then I started again with both meds (same dosages) this Oct. I'm still on them and haven't experienced any weight gain. If anything, I'm losing weight...but since weight loss is a side effect of Topamax, it's probably countering the appetite gain effects of the Seroquel. My sex life is completely gone. I'm becoming emotionless and I feel like a zombie. Even on 25 mg I fall asleep within 25-30 minutes of taking the Seroquel. I'm so drowsy in the morning and it takes me a long time to get moving in the morning. I am always tired and seem to be fatigued most of the time. Once in awhile I have extreme energy bursts. My mood is more stable, but I plan to begin weaning myself off soon because I want my love life back. Also I have frequent muscle pains on the side of my stomach. Not sure where its coming from...I feel like I've been beat up.

Seroquel helped save my life. It is one of 2 drugs I now take to treat my bipolar disorder. I take 75 mg at night before bed. About 45 minutes after I take it, and I get tired and go to sleep, and so my insomnia is cured.

Getting tired before going to bed is the only side effect I have encountered with Seroquel. I am very grateful for this medicine. After the onset of my disorder and and before my Dr. and I found the right medicines, I couldn't function in society. I have been quite successful ever since. If you are still searching for the right meds, please try it. It works for me.

My husband shattered his shoulder due to a fall. He has fallen 4 times in four months since taking Seroquel. His balance and motor skills are deteriorating and he is a zombie, a shell of a person. He is a very intelligent man and his cognitive function is seriously diminished. He has stopped this poison and is in a rehab center to help restore mobility, speech and further investigate if Seroquel is the culprit. The consensus so far is that it is. A MRI of the brain revealed nothing. These are serious side effects/ He is also on Wellbutrin and Lamictal. We live in Sarasota, Fl. and psychiatric care is limited. Would appreciate feed back.

Up until the end of August, 2007, I was on 20mg of Abilify a day. I weened myself off of the Abilify before my wedding on October 20. Then, I went on my honeymoon to Germany. When I returned from Germany, I could not sleep. This lasted for 3 weeks, until I felt like I had to go to the hospital to get knocked out or I would die. My family doctor told me to see a psychiatrist because I went off my meds without medical supervision. The new psychiatrist prescribed Seroquel for my insomnia. She gradually increased it until I was getting about 6 hours a night. I'm now on 500 mg, which I take about two hours before bedtime. I've noticed an increase in my breast size in less than one month of use. I've also gained about 5-7 pounds. Some days, I feel hazy during the day and some nights I have difficulty taking a deep breath. I am seeing a new psychiatrist tomorrow to see about getting off of Seroquel and on something else. Its great for insomnia, but the side effects are immediate and troubling.

At first I didn't gain weight from Seroquel. but after 3 years on it all of a sudden I am retaining fluid and gained 15 lbs in 2 months all water. I have stopped cold turkey on Seroquel and of course I am not sleeping well and it doesn't help that I am up about 7 times a night peeing because of all the water weight that is coming out. I think Seroquel is more addictive than Xanax or other drugs - the sleeping part was very good but who wants to keep retaining water and go from a size 12 to a 16 and it isn't stopping so I figured I would try stopping the Seroquel to see what happens = so far I think the weight is coming off (only 2 days off Seroquel) Doctors don't care about the weight gain. I wish I never went on it.

It has been hell on earth. In order for the Seroquel to tame down my anxiety and mood swings I needed to be on 400 mg. However, anything more than 25mg and I could not stay awake during the day for more than an hour or two. When it did work for the anxiety at 400mg, I felt like I had had a lobotomy. Quitting Seroquel is just as bad if not worse. I am so nauseated I cannot function. I sit around all day trying all sorts of stomach remedies and trying not to vomit. I have also been experiencing violent diarrhea. I can hardly sleep and yet I am horrifically tired. The withdrawals for this are worse than Effexor. I would fervently try to discourage anyone from using this drug. Unless you like feel like the walking dead.

Seroquel is awesome. I, at the age of 50 realized that most likely I was Bi-Polar. My swings we not drastic but were hard on me and people close to me. I am taking 300mg at bedtime. I sleep like a rock, wake up with a slight haze which disappears after my first cup of coffee. I feel on top of my problems and not underneath them.
I have a theory about the weight gain, something that may possible help. I noticed I was becoming constipated a bit. I think that when your food stays in too long, your body sucks out every bit of fat, etc. I bought some Metamucil, which works great to keep things moving quickly. I also have modified my diet to lean eating.
I am having one problem. I have a crick in my neck, on the left side. It is very painful, kind of like I have pulled something. We went out to a Christmas Party last night and I had a few drinks. The neck pain came on quickly. Anybody else have this?

Finally -- something works for my anxiety! But I'm clenching my jaw, gaining weight (including a pot belly), and snoring like a chain saw. Does anyone else have problems with snoring?

Within the hour of taking it my heart started to beat very fast and breathing became difficult. Then I had difficulty speaking or forming words and had trouble walking. I grew increasingly tired and decided to lay down and had difficulty opening my eyes. I still couldn't talk so I decided to sleep it off. The next morning I still had trouble breathing and still do after a week or so of taking it. The doctors I have spoken to don't seem to think it's anything serious and don't care to document these reactions in my chart. The breathing problem occurs about twice a day and lasts about 1 and 1/2 hours. I was taking this medication for anxiety and depression.

Who ever said there is a fine line between love and hate must have been on Seroquel. I have been taking Seroquel off and on for about 4 years. When it comes to my dosage, I have been all over the map. I have taken as much as 800 mg. which I felt I needed for the insomnia in the beginning. I ended up at about 200mg. per night. I wanted as little in me as possible and still get a good nights sleep. Here is where the HATE comes into play, I GAINED 50 lbs. in about a 5-6 month period that time around. Nothing I did would take all of it off, trainner 4 times a week, low cal. diet about 1400-1500 a day. I lost about 20 over 3-4 months where I stopped loosing. I said the HELL with this and stopped taking it. I didn't sleep much during this time but I did get back down to my orginal weight. I recentally started taking my Seroquel again reguarlly and once again I remember why I HATE it soooooo much. I have now gained 40lbs. in about 3-4 months. So I was just reserching other methods for us non-sleepers. I just feel like I'm already being punished by not being able to sleep and to top it off, I get really fat.... as a bonus?? Its not easy to go from a size 2 to a 8-10 in 4 months!!! I will say the love I have for Seroquel comes from the wonderful sleep I get when taking it although it seems I'm starting to loose sleep thinking about how fat I'v gotton. Just wanted to say over my years of taking this medication I have gotton some great sleep but now that the weight gain is back for the second time any LOVE I'v had has turned to HATE.....again!