general thread about *Quetiapine* and *bi polar*

[theywillgrowup]

hi,was diagnoised with bi polar last week though been on AD's sleeping tabs etc for years but all just came to a massive crash and now find myself learning all about bi polar/meds etc and all that comes with it

thought i would start a thread about it rather than posting countless other threads

would be great if others shared/asked about anything,i learnt alot from the other thread

anyway i started Quetiapine yesterday 50mg then today 100,then next day 200 then next 300 and will stay on that till next week when i go to gp

after yesterdays dose i felt drunk and really struggled to keep my eyes open all within half an hr

saw a differrent gp who told me doses etc (my normal gp was of) and said take it in the morning,well after those effects i havent taken todays yet 100mg,i was in bed last night for 8 and woke up at 12 and was awake till 4am

ive decided to take todays at 8pm tonight as yesterday was daft,does it make any differrence if i take at night compared to day

i was on a sleeper which gp has stopped which is fine but i dont want to take Q in am and be awake all night

thank you

[SnowyMouse]

I always took it at night, so it might be worth checking. I think as long as you take it regularly, it doesn't matter...and taking it at night should help you sleep.

[kittycat5]

I have been told to take half in morning and half at night but i am so zonked (took first dose last night and 2nd this morning-increasing in the same way as you are) that I am going to ask if I can take it all at night...

[theywillgrowup]

im gonna take mine now,managed to do a few things today that i dont think i would have managed if id taken them this morning

its kind of good that were at a similar stage kitty

[DiaryOfAWimpyMum]

I always took mine at night, unfortunately they didn't work for me so I had to change to olazapine which I take at around this time every night, I have only been diagnosed this year too so still playing around with meds.

I hope you get some sleep tonight.

[theywillgrowup]

yep i dont see what harm can be had from taking the at night,i will check tuesday anyway

thanks for the support girls

[kittycat5]

OP I am so pleased to have found someone in the same place as me ((((hugs))))

[GeordieMama]

I take it at night, but I take the extended release version so the sedation isn't quite as strong but it still puts me out for the night. It's been a great mood stabiliser for me.

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

Hi girls

I was diagnosed in 2008 after a real roller coaster...!
Been on a combo of quetiapine and sodium valproate almost all this time.
At first it was tough, my blood pressure was all over the place especially in the mornings and I almost passed out a couple of times.
I now take 50mg of Q in the morning and the remaining 450mg at night. I also take 600mg of SV morning and night.
It took at least 6-9 months to sort out my meds to the right levels. I was on haloperidol, olanzapine, can't even remember some of the others. The only thing I haven't been on I think is lithium!

Anyways it is well worth going through the exercise of tweaking your meds, finding the right mix, even if it takes a few months. I have been completely stable since 2009 and went back to work full time in 2010. I am very lucky.

Good luck OP and remember, all the interesting people are bipolar. X

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

I can sleep for 14 hours at a stretch if I don't set my alarm. Takes me a LONG time to wake up in the morning. But you can adjust your life around it.

[kittycat5]

I have been off work four months and really need to go back...I hope med will be sorted quickly

[theywillgrowup]

great having all this sharing of experiences

seems very common then for meds to be tweeked for a long time

hope i dont sleep for 14hrs ive got the school run in the morning

kittyyep think it will be a help and strength

[kittycat5]

I hope you had good night's sleep op

[dontrunwithscissors]

Quetiapine has been fantastic for me, but I couldn't function if I took it during the day!

I was initially on the extended release version, but it left me lethargic and foggy-headed. I switched to the instant release and it's been great. My pdoc said that it has a relatively short half-life, which is why I'm able to get up fine in the morning. I'm guessing you have been put on half/half in order to have a continuous amount in your blood stream.

Is it your GP who's prescribed it? I thought that was seen as beyond their remit and AP's should be dealt with my psychiatrists.

[theywillgrowup]

hi

kitty ha ha took at 8.30 pm felt tired went to bed at 10.30 ,could not sleep at all very restless in general,got up and went downstairs and watched tv till 2.30,then fell asleep in beddidnt wake up again till i had to at 7.30,school run was ok but had a sleep today at 11.00 to 1.30,not looking forward to tonight,dose goes up to 2oomg

how was yours??

dontmy psychiatrist spoke to my gp about it all,dose he had to pescribe etc,will see my psych in 2 wks,whats the slow realise ?? did you sleep in the day also

[dontrunwithscissors]

There's the normal instant release and also extended release versions--the latter keeps a steadier stream in your blood. I didn't like the extended release at all (I gained weight and was a zombie). I don't have those problems on the instant release. It took me a while to adjust to the Quetiapine, but even after 3 years on it there is no way I could take it during the day and stay awake. Even 25mg would knock me out.

[fedupandtired]

You'll get used to the tiredness although if you're like me it'll never go away completely but it won't always be as bad.

I've been on it for years and it's made a huge difference to me. Unfortunately it looks like I'm going to have to come off it now which is a worry because I don't know what other options I've got medication wise.

[dontrunwithscissors]

fedupandtired--do you mind if I ask why you're looking at coming off Q?

I tried to come off it in November as it was causing really bad joint pain. I did it very reluctantly as it's worked brilliantly for me. I tried moving over to Abilify, but I couldn't stand the sedation (which is odd as it's not meant to be sedating!) and the headaches. It also didn't work for my mood and I ended up in a nasty episode, hospital, and I'm only just getting back to normal.

I'm back on the Quetiapine, but I've had to increase the dose for it to work like before, which means I'm actually suffering from worse joint pain.

I'm really stuck as to whether to try something else. My pdoc has said there are not that many options left and Quetiapine is by far the most likely to work for my symptoms. But the pain can be awful some days--enough to stop me doing basic things like walking to the park with my DD's. My GP has told me I"ve exhausted all pain relief options, bar morhphine.

Sorry for the essay! It's a love-hate relationship with Quetiapine. It's a miracle worker for my mood, but terrible for me physically.

[SnowyMouse]

dontrunwithscissors have you thought about clozapine?

[dontrunwithscissors]

Isn't that the one that needs continuous monitoring and is really full-on? I don't think it would be suitable. My problem is with deep lows; highs barely feature. My pdoc has said that Quetiapine is by far most suitable. I've already tried Olanzapine, Lithium, and various antidepressants. I also take Lamotrigine and Agomelatine (an antidepressant).

My pdoc said that the only other AP's that might be suitable is Risperidone and Amilsulrpide, but after my attempt to switch to Abilify, he said that he said he doubted that they would be as effective as Quetiapine. I also tend to suffer from bizarre/rare side effects.

It seems I have the option between being sane and mentally high-fucntioning, but hobbling around OR depressed as fvuck.

[SnowyMouse]

It is very difficult. I've found the clozapine is really effective on psychotic symptoms, but the sleepiness is quite unbearable. It's blood tests every week to every 4 weeks (thankfully I'm on the latter now).

[dontrunwithscissors]

Sorry for the double post: he did say that there were a few non AP's I could try, such as Carbamazepine. But he said it was even less likely to work for me than the others I've mentioned.

The message I've now got from both my pdoc and CPN is that if I want to keep functioning as I am (working full time in a fairly high pressure job, stable, two DD's), I should stick with the Quetiapine and try to find a way to work with the pain.

Anyway, sorry to go on! I'm really unsure as to what to do.

[theywillgrowup]

did you find many side effects taking Q ??

im worried about weight gain,im already about 2 stone over,instead of not eating when depressed im the opposite and eat,and all the wrong things

must be difficult if its good for the moods but physically is terrible,you cant win by the sounds

[theywillgrowup]

god 2dc's and working fulltime,much admired dont know how you do it

[SnowyMouse]

I lost weight (by calorie counting) on the quetiapine.

[theywillgrowup]

snowy i could kiss you

i am watching what im eating as im paranoid about it,you give me hope