Experiences of quetiapine please

[Sevendaysaweek]

Dn 19 has just been suggested to try 200mg of this. Is this a low or high dose? She’s diagnosed with depression but has been on three anti depressants and they don’t don’t work for her so they want to try her with something else.

It can go up to 1000mg. They usually start lower and adjust upwards if necessary. It can be very sedating, especially at the beginning.

Are they using it with an antidepressant to boost the antidepressant or alone?

Honestly, for me based on my experience of starting on a tiny dose I wouldn't want to jump in at 200mg. But I don't tolerate sedatives well whereas other people are fine.

If she doesn't need to be anywhere (or drive) for a few weeks at the start till her body adjusts and she knows how it affects her, it will probably be fine.

Quetiapine is an antipsychotic and usually used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar. I've not heard of it being used to treat depression. Have they been prescribed it just for the sedative effect? If so 200mg is probably about right.

I was given it to help me sleep when I had anxiety. But only 50mg. Still put on weight.

Was prescribed it for apparent bpd. 🙄

I had a tiny amount to treat anxiety and it was excellent. But it really was very tiny. I think maybe 12.5.

It is an antipsychotic, so I would be curious as to why it is being recommended for depression alone.
I take it for my bipolar. Without it, I cannot sleep at night, and notice that my mind is far less calm, far more racing thoughts and mania. It is a miracle drug for me, with no side effects. Its sedating effect is gone by morning.

I take this (in 25mg tablets) nightly for insomnia caused by anxiety and depression. I now sleep far better than I've ever slept in my life (it's made me realise how badly I've always slept before I was on it). My doctor also told me recently I can take 12.5mg in the day when my anxiety is particularly bad, and it works well for that too.

As others have said, it is technically an antipsychotic but my doctor says it's better to be on it than to remain on sleeping tablets for insomnia, which are addictive. He says that, but I think it's also pretty addictive. I tried to come off it at one point and I was awake for 48 hours straight, which was not very nice at all.

@Ruthietuthie

It is an antipsychotic, so I would be curious as to why it is being recommended for depression alone. I take it for my bipolar. Without it, I cannot sleep at night, and notice that my mind is far less calm, far more racing thoughts and mania. It is a miracle drug for me, with no side effects. Its sedating effect is gone by morning.

Ruthie - me too!! I'm exactly the same as you. Totally a miracle drug, I can't sleep without it now, I'm literally awake 24 hrs + without being tired if I miss a dose and my brain just won't stop at all.

OP - I'm on 800mg/day and have been for a while, 200mg seems a large dose to start with. What's her diagnosis?

For the first few months of taking it I would be so tired. I could not watch the TV without falling asleep no matter how hard I tried. But now it just knocks me out at night time. I know some people who had to stop taking it because they couldn't cope with the tiredness side effects.

It also makes you REALLY hungry. I suggest she takes it just before sleep otherwise she will eat a lot to ease the hunger pangs.

In my opinion 200 is a very high dose to start with.

I have taken quetiapine in the past. Are they suggesting 200mg straight away? I needed to build up slowly as found it very sedating. 200mg would have knocked me out, but maybe my tolerance was just low?

Quetiapine? Is this your DN who apparently has depression and OCD? From numerous other previous posts and threads of yours, I'd be wondering if she either hasn't got a diagnosis of EUPD and doesn't feel comfortable telling you, or if that's the diagnosis that the MH team are questioning. I really think that you need to sit in on a meeting (if she'll let you) and get all your questions answered. A bunch of random MNetters who are probably only being given an account of what's happening from someone (you) who is being given an account of what's happened from someone who it sounds doesn't actually give you the full story (your DN) isn't too helpful.

Best of luck with it all.

Even small doses knocked me out and just as i kinda got used to it every time they increased the dose and I was exhausted permanently. I also piled on weight, it was horrendous. I am quite sensitive to medication though

I found I was like a zombie on it. I was on half the smallest dose available. Was prescribed it for sleep due to insomnia snd anxiety (but I’d been wrongly diagnosed with bipolar type two rapid cycling). Sometimes it worked - but when it didn’t I’d have to deal with both the lack of sleep AND the ‘hangover’ I would get from it

Hi Op, my partner has been on this medication since July, he started on 50mg and is now on 750 mg daily. His was originally prescribed to help with anxiety and depression and is now used in a much higher dose to treat psychosis. It was extremely sedating for him to start with but he bulit a tolerance very quickly, about 2 weeks. You can message me if you have any questions.

You’ve started quite a few threads about your niece and her mental health in the last few days. It’s lovely that she has such a supportive aunt but I wonder if you’d be best speaking to the mental health team involved in her care, rather than asking strangers online (with the consent of your niece). I’m a doctor and I wouldn’t give medical advice online anonymously (the GMC is very clear that we shouldn’t). I would be extremely wary of taking advice about antipsychotic drugs from a chat forum.

Did your Doctor say how you would get 12.5mg of Quetiapine as the smallest is 25mg? I'm on a reducing regime having just gone from 50mg to 25mg because of the severe sleepiness I was experiencing on the slow release 50mg.