I have taken Seroquel for four years now - having taken Lithium for 30 years prior to that.   I am better on it that I EVER was on Lithium.  Yes, a year ago my chlosterol level was 326 but I was put on Vytorin and within six weeks it was down to 148.  I haven't had a weight gain on Seroquel.  I sleep wonderfully on Seroquel; never slept taking Lithium and had to always take something else, like a tricyclic.

I am not bipolar but have been on seroquel now for about a year.  I haven't had any weight gain as I still eat healthy and work out at a gym.  But I have discovered that for sleep, if I forget take the Seroquel that I wake up in about 3 hours with great feelings of anxiety and cannot fall back to sleep.  I have now found that my cholestrol has sky rocketed to 400 which should be below 200 and I have never had high cholesterol before.  My previous Doctor that prescribed this medication for me advised that it was for anxiety and sleep and was not addictive.  Well if not being able to sleep without it is not addictive then I don't know what is!  My current Doctor is telling me that this is in no way designed for anxiety.  I am now down to 50 mgs and trying to get weened off of this stuff and it has been very difficult.  My current Doctors office says they don't know why my cholesterol level is so high.  I would think before my Doctor has advised me that I need to be on meds for high cholesterol that the Doc would have been able to associate this with the seroquel? 

I am 54 years old and suffered with depression dx in 1999, through the farm crisis I had what I call a severe breakdown and was in and out of psych hospitals 10 times in two yrs. I had a lot of counseling, and tried many different meds. I probably had bipolar and never knew it. I couldn't sleep, I tried everything possible, until they gave me seroquel and not the xl type. I have a weight problem (5.2 and 190 lbs), but that was there before the seroquel and I can't say I have gained anymore since taking it. One yr ago I started working out with a trainer and got down to 170 lbs, I hadn't felt that good in 20 years! But unfortunately I stopped and gained it all back in 1 year. I have never been on lithium. But I have had higher bad chol. and lower good cholesterol. The doctor wants me on meds for that but I am hesitant cuz all these meds I am affraid in later yrs are going to cause problems. I have hypothyroidism also and maintain that very closely with synthroid. I am trying to get back into the exercise regiment, watch my diet closer, cut back on Seroquel (I take 150mg now). I find to sleep, if I take it on a empty stomach it reacts better and quickly, so I am hopeful I will be able to cut back. If I don't take in on an empty stomach it will take hours to get to sleep. My dr. just put me on simvastatin to lower my cholesterol. Side effects are making me rethink that. I am also on aspirin 81 mg. I go back to the dr. in March to recheck my levels.