Anyone tried quetiapine? Really scared to start it. Help!

[Psion]

Still struggling with bad anxiety and depression despite 4 weeks on Trazadone (2 weeks on 100mg dose and 2 weeks on 150mg dose).

I actually had a good weekend feeling much better and happier, and I thought the higher dose was starting to kick in. But by Sunday night my mood was dipping again. I don't understand why I suddenly felt much better for 48 hours, then it all disappeared? Why? Why?

Yesterday was such a struggle although I managed to get myself out of the house, alone, which I haven't managed in weeks, thanks to the bastard anxiety.

But today has been horrible. Just dark thoughts, constant negativity and can't be arsed to speak really. Just don't see the point in anything. Can't see past the next hour. It's just so cruel after having a nice, normal weekend

So, the doctor from the Crisis Teamnow wants me to add a low dose of quetiapine to the trazadone, he says this will stop the anxiety and help boost my mood.

I am scared to death to take it, and devastated that I need to add another medication. But I am desperate to feel 'normal' again, I really am I cannot believe I have sunk this low and need all this help. I just don't know how I got into this horrible, dark place

Does anyone have good stories to tell about quetiapine, just to reassure me please? But just good stories please, if I hear anything negative I think I will just burst into tears (although crying doesn't really help).

[MrsMarigold]

Ex-boyfriend went on it, he slept very deeply but apparently after he started it he had the best summer of his life. /he is ok now and has three children. Poor you, I suffer from anxiety too - hugs.

[Psion]

Thank you so much for responding Did your ex take it for depression and anxiety too? Can you remember how long he took it for?

I have nightmares of being on it for the rest of my life, and being like a zombie

p.s. if it has made anyone feel like a zombie then please, please don't tell me.

[Orangeanddemons]

Trazadone affected me really badly. Unbearable anxiety, way way beyond anything I'd ever experienced before.

But that aside, I do think with anti depressants, you get an initial boost, in the first week or so, which then goes away for about 3 weeks. I've always used this as an indication that they would work eventually.

[Psion]

Thank you so much for responding It's such a relief to be able to chat to people about this.

I really don't think Trazadone has made my anxiety worse, but it doesn't seem to have improved it either. It seems to have helped with my sleeping as before I started it I was maybe only getting 3 hours sleep a night, and some nights zero sleep

I am just so confused why I had those 2 mysterious 'good' days this weekend. I really don't understand why that happened?

[igglepiggleisanarsehole]

Yes, was on it for 2 years. I have anxiety and I'm OCD diagnosed for what it's worth. I stopped taking it during my first pregnancy and currently pregnant again so I've had to stop again, but I will go back on as soon as I am able. Quetiapine is the only drug out of many I've tried that has actually helped me.
I see you're nervous about "being a zombie" for the rest of your life - if you take it consistently, you will get used to it and feel less foggy. It's temporary.
One thing I will say though, is that in the first few months it does make you sleep like the dead, so if you're looking after small children it might be sensible to ask somebody to help you with morning routines.

[Psion]

Hello igglepiggle, and thank you so much for replying to me

I don't have OCD but this anxiety has crept up gradually on me over about 2 years. It would come and go so I could sort of cope with it. But for the last 7-8 weeks it has been pretty much constant, and has made me agrophobic which makes me feel even more depressed

Luckily my children are teenagers so get themselves up and sorted in the mornings, so sleeping in won't be a problem.

Can I ask how you feel on it? Can you feel you're "on something" or do you just feel normal? I think I'm starting on just 25mg so don't know how it will affect me yet.

[Room101isWhereIUsedToLive]

I've been on a low dose of Quitiapine since November 2014. Just recently had it upped after a three week dark period. It doesn't zomibify me. I love it for the fact that I very very rarely have a night of insomnia now. I was on fifty mgs which has now been upped to one hundred.

[igglepiggleisanarsehole]

No problem at all! I was started on 200mg, so with a dose like that I did feel it in the beginning - nothing scary, a bit tired to be honest for a few hours, definitely not a constant feeling. I imagine with a smaller dose like yours it wouldn't be too bad.
Has your pharmacist talked you through when to take it? I've always been told to take it last thing at night rather than first thing in the morning so you're sleepy at the right time!
I really hope it helps you. You absolutely do not have to take it forever if you feel it isn't helping you.

[Psion]

Hello Room101, and thank you

Do you mind me asking if you take it for anxiety and depression too?

[Psion]

Thanks igglepiggle.

I haven't been told yet when to take it. The trazadone has helped my sleep, so my CPN mentioned maybe taking it in the morning instead to quell my anxiety.

I am very happy to feel tired, if it gets rid of my anxiety and depression. I am only living a quarter of a life at the moment I am avoiding going out, and avoiding seeing friends. I actually resent them texting me now

Do you find it has lifted your mod and stopped your anxiety effectively?

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

I don't know anything about trazadone, but I've been on quetiapine for a long time and it's very good at reducing anxiety. I'm on a much larger dose than 25mg as I also take it as an antipsychotic, but I have 25mg tablets as PRN in case of anxiety.

It does make you feel sleepy and groggy at first, but your body soon adjusts to it so the side effects lessen quite quickly.

I really hope it helps you.

[Psion]

Hello KeemaNaan, I really appreciate you replying to me, as I'm really worried and in the dark about taking it.

I don't have BPD or any other type of psychotic disorder, so it's just being used to try and stop this terrible anxiety which has really got its claws into me and won't seem to let go Often it feels more like dread than anxiety, but are they basically the same thing?

I don't know whether I'm depressed because I'm so anxious, or so anxious because I'm so depressed

But I am desperate to feel normal again, and give my DH his wife back and my DCs their Mum back. I don't care about feeling groggy or tired so long as it works.

[igglepiggleisanarsehole]

It definitely lifted my mood but it does take a while. Don't forget to be kind to yourself too! You mentioned having two good days - did you do anything differently on those days?

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

It really will help with the anxiety. I actually prefer it to taking benzodiazepines as you don't get the immediate drop as soon as they wear off. It keeps a nice balance in my experience.

I know it can be daunting starting a new med, but apart from feeling groggy for the first few days it's the med I've had least side effects with out of any that I've been on. But when your anxious I know it can be hard to get over that to start.

Give it a go. 25mg is a small dose and I really think it'll help you.

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

Oh anxiety and depression is a real bugger isn't it. You get a couple of good days and think "yay!" And then it gives you a kick in the boobs again. It's a roller coaster, but sooner or later you'll start to have more good days than bad.

Have you ever kept a mood diary where you note down your mood on a 1-10 scale during the day. I find it handy to see what things affect my mood when I can't work out why it's up and down when it's like that.

[Psion]

Igglepiggle, I have wracked my brains trying to think what was different about this weekend? I woke very early Saturday morning feeling pretty crap and so got up before 6am, and DH bless him got up with me. We just watched breakfast TV and drank tea and I was still feeling jittery and crap, tearful, nothing different to any other early morning.

Then around 9.30am I felt something lighten inside slightly. Really weird. No idea why? DH suggested we go out for brunch and I said we had to hurry and go now while my mood felt slightly better. Actually enjoyed the brunch and my mood stayed lighter and calmer for the rest of the day. I even relaxed enough to have a little nap around tea time. And in the evening felt really chilled out

Woke Sunday very early, but not quite as crap as normal. Even when DH announced he was playing golf I didn't panic at being left alone. Infact I enjoyed the peace and read my book and had another little nap. But by tea time I could feel the bastard anxiety creeping back with little nips of panic mixed in No idea why? Just no idea at all?

By yesterday afternoon I was anxious, tearful and panicky again But I had forced myself to leave the house alone for a few hours which really took it out of me. Then this was compounded by my CPN calling saying I should try Quetiapine which really spiralled me down

[Psion]

KeemaNaan, I really hope that if it can stop my anxiety, my depression will lessen as I will feel able to go out more and do more normal things. At the moment I stay home as much as possible as just feel too scared to go out.

I felt the first inklings of hope at the weekend thinking the trazadone was starting to work. When the anxiety started to creep back in Sunday night I was just distraught

I have been taking diazepam for the last 8 days under supervision of my CPN. Just 7mg per day. 5mg at bedtime and then 2mg when I wake (always wake feeling panicky). I think the 5mg helps improve my sleep, but the 2mg when I wake does bugger all. Infact I didn't bother taking it when I woke this morning and didn't feel any worse for it.

I have kept a mood diary, but don't rate from 1-10, which is a good idea. Do you just list what you have done each day, then also rate it from 1-10?

[exWifebeginsat40]

i take 400mg of quetiapine a day, along with venlafaxine and mirtazapine. i was put on it in hospital after a breakdown and they titrated my dose up quite fast so i was a zombie for a while.

i take mine at night as it definitely helps my sleep. the mirtazapine also does this, although 3 weeks in, that effect is already diminishing.

i have BPD, major depressive disorder, complex PTSD and anxiety. quetiapine works well for me and i don't have any bad side-effects from it, apart from getting fat!

[KeemaNaanAndCurryOn]

I don't know what services are available in your area, Psion but when my anxiety was making it hard for me to get out, my CareCo referred me to community OT and I had someone come and help me get out once a week. They brought along info on local support groups and ended up going to one of them, where I've made friends and now go to alone. It was the single biggest help after meds to help me improve.

Could you raise it with your CPN and see if there is anything like that on offer where you are?

[Room101isWhereIUsedToLive]

Hi Psion, when my anxiety was really bad, I was put on lyrica ( pregablin) so it might be worth asking for that.
I'm on quetiapine for bi-polar. To be honest I probably haven't really been on a high enough dose for it to be effective, though my anxiety is much better than it used to be.
Sorry for the late reply.

[Psion]

Thanks Keema, that's a good idea. I can still make myself go out and run errands, if necessary. I don't experience any anxiety or panic attacks or anything like that, but I feel very uncomfortable and dread having to do it.

And, I'm lucky that my Mum is usually on hand to keep me company when I venture out.

[Psion]

Have never heard of Pregablin Room 101? I will check it out. Can I ask how anxious were you before your GP prescribed it for you?

At the moment I am reluctant to leave the house (though force myself)
I wake feeling very anxious and panicky.
I hate being left alone.
I am a bit scared of the dark (for the first time in over 40 years).
I feel physically nauseous if I have to drive past my workplace (signed off sick for last 6 weeks).
I get very panicky even just getting the occasional work text

[mypip]

I think you will find you get a good nights sleep with quetiapine.

[exWifebeginsat40]

I took pregablin for a couple of years - I was on it for pain after a surgery and it lifted my mood so I stayed on it.

I've just withdrawn from it to start mirtazapine as my mood was very low again. it's been tough.