im bipolar II and have varying degrees of insomnia and sleep problems since early adulthood (I'm now 43). i take lamictal for maintenance - 200 mg/daily). seroquel has been the drug i take when i start ramping up headed towards a psychosis or when i have one - it knocks me out (sleep wise) calms me down and takes away the psychotic thoughts. i have a bunch of samples and one pharmacy filled bottle of 100mg tabs, so i decided to see how it would work for sleep maintenance at a low dose. I cut the 100 mg tabs into several (6-8) small pieces. it works. it's hard to get out of bed in the AM, but once i do get moving i feel pretty awake in my head. but I wonder how dulled my thinking is. short term memory seems to be much worse and just basic following trains of thought seems to be significantly impaired. i just feel slowed down and dull even though i think i fake "normalcy" pretty well. i dont know if that is just the depression i'm in or the seroquel compounding it. im concerned that i should be taking a different drug for sleep but none of the others work very well (Ambien, benzos). i havent seen my pdoc for a couple months and he doesnt know i'm using seroquel regularly for sleep. ive lost a lot of confidence in his ability and drugs in general to help with my depression. i've been spending a lot of time and energy working on my spirituality (or lack thereof) in hopes that will lift me and i think it's helping some, but i have a long way to go. any thoughts?
Q: can using a low dose of seroquel (15-20 mg) regularly cause permanent chemical imbalance in brain?
HI Jeff, I am bipolar and BPD. I am so happy I was put on Lamictal year ago July. It took the suicide thoughts away! Which I am grateful for. But at times I wish I can go back to that place as it was a security place, when I was in bad times. I sometimes got angry cause of not having those thoughts..But it is doing its job. I then think to myself that I wish they put me on that YEARS AGO.
Once when my Psych Dr was away and before I went into the hospital for (pneumonia) They put me on the seqroquel.....which put me in the hospital and I almost died from it. I will never take that drug. It does exactly what you said it does..Splits your mind from your brain...An awful feeling. But I never did find out from the hospital why it almost killed me.
BUT it could be something that works for you and many others. GO find another DR.
Get Help. You don't want to keep on the path you are going.
You need to find someone you trust. If you are going through a real hard time. Have you thought about going in as a outpatient??
Working on your spiritually side is something I am now trying.
I wish us both luck.
God be with you.
I have 25 mg of seroquel at nite for 3 years and have had no permanent damage.
pam
Jeff,
I have all the same issues..I actually love the sleep, I only take 25mg, when my psychosis flairs up..My doctor gave me samples just for the occasion.I had memory loss from Topmax, I dont seem to have any with Seroquel,,,But hey do ask your doctor about
your use..I fins seroquel useful for me. Good luck
Talk to your doctor - with complete honesty. I took seroquel for years without many side affects except weight gain and a fuzzy head in the morning. Of course I was taking 800 mg a night. I am now off seroquel (can't afford it) and am on Topomax. This is a new development - things seem good but the jury is still out - it has only been a week but I have been able to sleep fairly well. As far as psychosis I take abilify daily and that has been a godsend. Talk to your doc - everyone is different.
Talk to your doctor - with complete honesty. I took seroquel for years without many side affects except weight gain and a fuzzy head in the morning. Of course I was taking 800 mg a night. I am now off seroquel (can't afford it) and am on Topomax. This is a new development - things seem good but the jury is still out - it has only been a week but I have been able to sleep fairly well. As far as psychosis I take abilify daily and that has been a godsend. Talk to your doc - everyone is different.
Jeff-I so agree with Sisternight's comments. I have been on Seroquel 50mg @ night and still have to take Ambien from time to time. From what my dr. told me the Seroquel helps with anxiety linked to Bipolar (by the way I'm Bipolar I). I ended up having to do "partial hospitalization" in order to get the right coctail of medication to treat my Bipolar I. I am also 42, have been suffering from depression since I was 19 and was just diagnosed w/the Bipolar about 2 years ago. I also agree that if you are not happy with your Dr. find another one. I have had to do this since I've been treated, but I very fortunate to have found a Dr that I love and have been with him for 11-12 years now. Most of all.......don't give up it takes time; sometimes months, but it is not something you have to settle with feeling like. I also have had no effects like you have explained from the Seroquel, but one other thing to remember is that every person reacts differently to medications. GOOD LUCK : )
I take 600mg of Seroquel every night and I've done so for 4-5 yrs. I do not have brain damage.
I take 600mg of Seroquel every night and I've done so for 4-5 yrs. I do not have brain damage.
Hi-I would suggest contacting your MD when considering med. or dose changes. I have taken 500mg to 900 mg daily since 2003. Initially, it made me sleepy. But, I now find that it the best drug for me to control my mania sysmtoms. It does not make me sleepyat this point.
Morgan
Hi I'm Angela, scince I have been taking seroquel wich is five years at first I was on 750mg ,then 600mg-300mg . now I am on 100mg ,mentilly I am fine and awake during the days, but I agree waking up in the am's is hard, I am also on othe medication. You should let your doctor know what your taking, side affects I havn't had any exceptpain in the lower legs and restless legs when just after I take the medication (sometimes)
I AM ALSO BIPOLAR II AND TAKE SEROQUEL 100MG PM. IT HELPS ME SLEEP AND ALTHOUG I AGREE IT MAKES YOU A LITTLE SLOW IN THE MORNINGS, THAT WILL IMPROVE WITH TIME, SO GIVE IT A GO! I WENT OFF IT FOR A WEEK AND HAD A REALLY BAD TIME; MY THOUGHTS WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND THE NOISE IN MY HEAD WAS UNBEARABLE SO I ATTEMPTED SUICIDE... THANK GOD I DIDN'T SUCEED I HAVE WAY TOO MUCH TO LIVE FOR. MY OTHER MEDS ARE EFEXOR 300MG (ANTI-DEPRESSENT), EPILIM 800MG (MOOD STABILISER) THIS COMBINATION SEEMS TO WORK PRETTY WELL WITH ME AS LONG AS I STAY ON IT!! GOOD LUCK AND KEEP TRYING AND REMEMBER NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP!!!
I take the same treatment pretty much as what you've worked out, 25mg seroquel, adjusted as needed (up to about 1.5 pills, maybe 50mg if I'm really getting worked up), along with 200mg lamyctal/lamotrigine. It made me groggy in the morning and feel very stupid at first, but I'm totally acclimated now, and I feel as smart as ever. Whenever I ramp up the seroquel dosage to bring myself back down, I feel groggy the next day, have a hard time waking up, kind of stupid etc. But generally I love the drug--it works so quickly, usually it has noticeable side effects, and it really gives me the sense that I can control the mania, which is hugely comforting.
And my psychiatrist, who I have a lot of confidence in, says taking the low dose is great if it works. I think low dose is not going to cause some permanent chemical imbalance. There's tardive dyskenesia, which is bad, but my understanding is that it pretty much isn't going to happen on such a low dose (and would take like decades if it did). And I think it can be stopped/reversed if you stop at an early stage. (but read up on it and make sure to stop if anything like that happens!)
People get all upset about taking low dose seroquel for sleep, but for bipolars (like me anyway), sleeping problems and mania really go hand in hand, and treating one is the same as treating the other. This is probably true for some kinds of anxiety I would guess, and people who just get a little weird and edgy, and unlike their normal selves, under stress.
I think you're probably right that depression is making you feel dumb--that has happened to me several times. Judging from personal experience (your description sounds very similar to how I've felt), I think depression is your main problem, and that hopefully something like your spiritual stuff, exercise, hard work, friends and family etc might help. Maybe doing some musical stuff with others (singing, learning an instrument, playing with friends, choral singing, karaoke). And generally, adding things like this gradually, not trying for too much, so you don't get discouraged. And getting a psychiatrist you have confidence in. I've found bipolar depression very hard to treat with medication, but the mania very easy to control with seroquel (I might get a little hypo, but generally it's fine, just like normal people sometimes get worked up for a while).
good luck!
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